R&D and Technology upgradation is a continuous process in the companies of the Department. Liberalisation of industrial policies and deregulation of controls have led to greater competition from both the domestic as well as international companies. This has reinforced the need for technology upgradation to attain international levels of competitiveness and to be able to offer contemporary levels of technology. The demands of the user sectors play an important role in selection of technologies and introduction of new products. In order to meet these objectives, the development effort is being pursued by entering into suitable alliances with reputed foreign manufacturers, in-house R&D efforts and through interaction with various research organisations.

In the past, five institutes have been set up with UNIDO/UNDP assistance for research in newer technologies. These are the Fluid Control Research Institute (FCRI), Pollution Control Research Institute (PCRI), Centre for Electric Transportation Technology (CET), Ceramic Technological Institute (CII), and Welding Research Institute (WRI).

The Fluid Control Research Institute (FCRI), set up as an independent national centre for developing a frame of reference/standardisation in flow control/metering with precision, provides infrastructural facilities for applied engineering research projects in the area of fluid flow. It also acts as a national certifying authority for testing and calibration for all kinds of flow products. It has helped many organisations in obtaining ISO 9000 certification by calibrating their reference/master instruments with traceability to national standards and by imparting training as laid down in the ISO 9000 system requirements. The Institute held a Global Conference on Flow metering and Control for New Millennium in Sept 2000, which was attended by about 250 delegates from India and abroad. It is shortly commissioning a 20 bar HP air flow calibration and testing facility to enable the petroleum companies to have the tests carried out in India. It is likely to get accredition from NMi of Holland.

Pollution Control Research Institute (PCRI) has been set up by Department of Heavy Industry with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) as the lead agency under United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The development objective of PCRI project is to evolve industrial pollution control technologies with respect to air, water, house and solid wastes to avoid unintended side effects of economic growth. The Institute provides services to various industries and Thermal Power Stations on a regular basis.

The Project for development of Electric Transporation Technology was approved by the Govt. of India and UNDP in July 1988. The capabilities in the Centre have been developed to analyse and test all aspects of electrically powered vehicle designs to improve their performance, reliability and efficiency. The Centre is also be able to conduct both computer and physical simulations of these vehicles’ performance under all forseeable operating conditions.

The developmental objective of this project is to support the Indian Ceramic Industry in modernising its technology and to develop new products of advanced ceramics. Many ceramic products required for the industry have been developed and a few of them commercialised. Test and evaluation services have been offered to more than 50 organisations.

Welding Research Institute (WRI), the only one of its kind in the country, was set up at Tiruchy under the aegies of BHEL with funding and technical assistance from UNDP/UNIDO and Government of India. WRI is equipped with state of art welding research facilities like electron and laser beam, flashbutt, friction and plasma welding in addition to facilities for conventional arc welding. Further, it has advanced testing facilities for fatigue testing, Residual stress measurement, Residual life estimation etc. WRI has entered into an agreement with GTZ Germany for undertaking cooperative research projects in welding, in the IInd phase of the Project.

Some of the programmes of technology upgradation and R&D effort of the Public Sector enterprises are detailed below :

During the year 1999-2000, a turnover of Rs.536 crore was achieved by commercializing products and systems through in-house R&D/technology developments. An amount of Rs.66 crore was spent on R&D programmes, focusing on new product/system development, product improvement in terms of reliability/quality/cost and import substitution.

Some of the achievements made in (1999-2000) and programmes undertaken in (2000-2001) for R&D and technology upgradation are as under -

1. A Ceramic Honeycomb substrate, conforming to Euro II norms to reduce pollutant emissions from automobile exhaust systems, was developed and a Catalytic Converter based on it has successfully completed a cumulative on-road trial run of 80,000 kms after being fitted in a mid-size car.
2. BHEL’s photo voltaic modules have been successfully tested and certified at the European Solar Test Installation, Joint Research Centre, ISPRA, Italy.
3. A High Velocity Oxy Fuel (HVOF) coating process to prevent erosion of hydro components in hilly regions due to excess silt in water, has been developed which is simple in application and can be easily adopted on large components.
4. A breakthrough has been achieved for the first time in the country, in power plant automation technology, with the successful indigenous development of a new automation system called Automatic Plant Start-up/Shut down (APS) and Automatic Plant Regulator (APR) system. The systems have since been commissioned at the 291 MW NEEPCO, Kathalguri and the 350 MW NTPC, Kayamkulam power plants.
5. A new Pelton turbine profile suitable for a head range of 400-700 meters has been developed. This profile has a peak efficiency of 91.4%, which is comparable to global standards. The turbine will be supplied for the Malana Hydro Electric Plant in Himachal Pradesh.
6. BHEL has developed for the first time, a 1400 HP, 3 phase high power Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) alternator which has been successfully type tested. This machine will be used in high power DEMUs by Railways for application in metropolitan suburban services where overhead lines are not laid.
7. BHEL has indigenously manufactured and supplied power converters for Indian Railways for 6000 HP WAG9 3-phase electric locomotives after testing as per specifications.
8. A 180 KVA IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) based prototype static converter for loco auxiliaries has been designed and manufactured. The converter has been subjected to routine and type tests in the laboratory and the performance has been satisfactory. These converters with microprocessor based controls and protection are cost effective and conform to RDSO specifications. Railways have decided to replace the existing ARNO converters in their fleet of 3900 hp locos with compact IGBT based static converters. Order for 30 units have been received.
9. In view of strict industrial noise legislation requiring low noise levels of rotating machinery in power plants, an acoustic enclosure for boiler feed pumps has been designed and commissioned at the 210 MW Raichur TPS (Unit 3). The noise level has reduced from 102 dBA to 88 dBA which is at par with enclosures supplied by foreign suppliers.
10. BHEL has designed, manufactured and shop tested two prototype boiler feed pumps for Fr.6 and Fr.9 GT combined cycle applications as indigenisation effort. These pumps are multi-stage fully cartridgised type and have efficiency comparable to international standards.
11. BHEL has upgraded the existing NHVDC Phase I project from 110 kV to 200 kV rating. The power flow exercise of the upgradated link has resulted in 80 MW power transfer from Lower Sileru to Barsoor for half an hour. All the equipment have worked satisfactorily. It is expected that the full power transfer of 200 MW will be achieved in the near future.
12. A 20 HP Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) and its controller having simple and robust construction, low maintenance, high efficiency and reliability has been developed. The SRM finds application in battery powered vehicles and variable speed drives. The prototype machine has been tested in the laboratory and the performance found satisfactory, with an efficiency of 90%.
13. BHEL has developed a solar geyser based on the heat pipe principle. It can deliver 100 litres of water at 60 – 85 deg.C. depending on the intensity of solar radiation. Compared to a standard solar water heating system, the new geyser is compact, with 25% less area, and 20% cheaper. It is also more efficient and heats water faster. As there is no scale formation in the collector, it has longer life.
14. Renovation and modernisation of a Kaplan hydro turbine at 3x11.25 MW Dhakrani HEP in U.P. originally supplied by a foreign company in 1965 has been successfully carried out had a number of problems. The first machine, which was renovated in November, 1999, has been running continuously since then.
15. For the first time, a microprocessor based control system for a switchyard, the 110 kV switchyard of 108 MW Kovilkalappal combined cycle power plant has been engineered and supplied. It controls and monitors 2 generator transformer bays, 3 line bays and 1 bus coupler bay. For enhanced reliability, the control system has been designed with 100% redundancy. The operator can also monitor and control the switchyard through a PC based SCADA system.
16. A low noise, 12 MW, 11kV, 1500 rpm alternator, has been designed and manufactured by BHEL. With a special enclosure design, the noise level has been reduced from 89 dB(A) to 81.5 dB(A), against the permissible level of 85 dB(A). The modified design has obviated the need for lagging in the enclosure, saving about Rs.5 lakh, and reducing the delivery cycle. Improvements in the ventilation circuit have helped reduce windage losses, leading to an efficiency of 97.5%, an improvement of 0.3%.
17. A prototype 30 kVA, 400 hz, 12000 rpm salient pole alternator has been developed and tested. High frequency alternators are used in avionics and other strategic applications where space and weight are constraints. The alternator design was optimized in terms of volume and weight to enable optimum electrical and magnetic loading in the machine.
18. BHEL designed, manufactured and tested six sets of vehicle control electronics for WAG 9, 6000 HP, 3-phase electric locomotives for CLW. A number of the electronic modules used have been indigenised and have successfully passed acceptance testing by Railways.
19. A high-pressure electrohydraulic actuator based HP and LP Bypass systems has been developed which has been successfully commissioned at Faridabad CCOO. These actuators have advantages in terms of compact size, quick response, simple operation/maintenance which operate in a pressure range of 150 – 180 bar while those used earlier operated at 8 bar.
20. An optimized design of the cooling system of transformers has been developed. The cooling system adds to the size and weight of a transformer, and its energy consumption is part of the auxiliary losses, which are capitalized for evaluation. A total saving of over Rs.92 lakh per year in material cost is expected. These modifications will improve the competitiveness of BHEL’s transformers.
21. Technology has been successfully developed for manufacturing hollow banana type guide blades for 5 m² LP module of steam turbines. Hollow guide blades are used to facilitate extraction of moisture from the final stages of LP turbines. The design of the profile was obtained from Siemens. With this, BHEL will be able to manufacture and offer 5 m² LP modules with balana type hollow guide blades for 90 to 150 MW steam turbines.
22. BHEL has developed improved designs of electronic single-phase and three-phase energy meters. The new meters use surface mounted devices and have advanced features such as extendable over-load range, immunity to external magnetic fields and anti-tampering indications. With the new design, an order for 50,000 single-phase and 12,000 three-phase meters was obtained from MSEB against stiff competition. This is the largest order for electronic energy meters obtained by BHEL.

Some other major projects under development are ;

• 50 MVAr, 400 kW Controlled Shunt Reactor for High Voltage Grid - 36 kV Gas Insulated Substation with Double Bus Bar for use in Urban Areas;
• Vacuum Residue Firing System for boilers;
• prototype ‘Smart Wall Blowing System’ for coal fired boilers;
• Secondary Air Fan for circulating fluidized bed combustion boilers;
• High Efficiency Runner for retrofitting at Loktak hydro electric plant;
• Traction Motor type TM 4303 BY with roller suspension bearing and class 200 C insulation for AC electric multiple units (EMU);
• 22.44 MW, 1500 rpm air cooled turbogenerator;
• high capacity side mounted Duct Burner for HRSG application;
• 50 HP three phase induction motor for inverter fed supply;
• Integrated Protection and control system for sub-stations;
• On-line vibration monitoring of steam turbine blades joint with IIT, Delhi.

The company has been able to absorb successfully the technology for construction of cable stayed bridges, besides, existing technology base i.e. construction of steel bridges and suspension bridges. The company had developed an effective erection scheme to replace the existing girders by steel girders in a very short time. This newly developed scheme has been successful in Gauge conversion project in the State of Assam. The company has started implementing its diversification programme in the areas of Marine & Jetty structures, Dredging works and construction of Fishing Harbours.

The company continues to develop new products, technologies and upgrading its quality standards. It has established operation in the diversified areas such as Bailey Bridge, Mechanical Construction of Highways and Expressways, Soil Densification, EPC/LSTK Projects of POL Depot, Furnace and Heaters & Fuel Oil distribution etc. Efforts for technology upgradation are continuing in the following areas :

1. Fly-overs
2. Cross-country piping
3. Soil densification by Vibro-Float method
4. OFC laying

The company has established its own R & D faciliteis for different products to meet customers needs. The focus of R&D is to progressively achieve self-reliance in product technology and retain the competitive edge. R&D activities are concentrated in each Business Group with particular reference to customer needs in product technology, quality, reliability and price competitiveness. Upgrading the existing products with additional features, design optimisation and improvement in aesthetics are the major thrust areas. This approach has resulted in many new products and also upgradation of existing products. Cylindrical Grinder PCG130APG, Drill Tap Centre DT40, Turning Centre Stallion 100, Vertical Machining Centre VCM 400, Vertical Machining Centre VMC 800 S are some of the new products developed during the year. 114 new Models of Watches were released to the market during the year. Two new models of tractors were launched during 1999-2000 with the in-house design. Model 7511 is meant for dry land cultivation and Model 3522 DX, is recommended for ploghing and haulage work.

Some of the R & D efforts made by the company are as under ;

1. Magnesite and Bauxite benefication through Biotechnology
2. Electrical Power Generation and Bio-Gas/Bio-fertilizer from Municipal & Organic Solid Waste.
3. High Power Magnets for separation of Silica from Magnesite.
4. Microwave induced biomethanation from Jute waste and MSW composite.
5. Non-conventional energy generation from Jute Mills and Jute Colony Waste using genetically mutated micro-organism.

The R&D Centre of the company continued its efforts on standardisation of new and cheaper basic raw materials for Jelly Filled Cables. It has successfully identified and analysed the use of polypropylene tape in place of polyester tape for core wrapping. Preliminary machine trials were completed and found to be satisfactory. It has also analysed commercial use of LLDPE in place of LDPE. Machine trials have been completed and further bulk trials are planned.

HCL developed 6F and 12F Fibre Optic Cable in loose tube for cost reduction. Testing and standardising various joint closures is being done regularly. The R&D Centre is extending test facilities to other organisations and meeting their requirements on chargeable basis.

R&D Centre, Naini, Allahabad continued to offer customer service to the PDH systems supplied to DOT.

PTL continued its efforts in Research and Development and brought out the following new products to meet the market demand :

1. A Higher capacity Milling Machine Model 232 V3 with table size of 400mm x 600 mm with Siemens 820D system was brought out to meet the requirements of Ordnance Factories and Educational Institutions.
2. Designed an Econo CNC Flat Bed Lathe model D720 CNC with Siemens System 820 D / Fanuc power mate ‘O’ series suitable for Educational Institutions/training Centres.
3. Designed low cost conventional precision & Quality Lathe model DT20 to meet the needs of Educational Institutions/Training Centres.
4. Designed High Speed Machining Centre with integral spindle to meet the requirements of Ordnance Factories.
5. Designed & developed 4-axis CNC CTG with Siemens 810GA3 system.
6. Designed High Precision Cylindrical Grinding Machine Model PG10 to meet the requirements of Educational Institutions.

Following R&D efforts were made at SIL for product development :

1. Vikram 450D with Diesel engine meeting emission norms was developed.
2. Prototype of Vikram 750 D with water cooled engine developed and is under trial.
3. 4-stroke petrol engine from M/s Briggs & Stratton is under durability trial for new models.
4. Vikram EV three wheeler prototype vehicle with lower Gvw developed and is under trial.

 Hindustan Photo Films Ltd. (HPF)

R&D activities were focussed on New Products Development. Product/Process improvement, Technology Upgradation, Import Substitution and Cost Reduction. In-house requirements with respect to 11 chemicals were met. Know-how was developed for synthesis of 3 chemicals used in manufacturing process. Medical X-Ray (Ortho), Medical Imaging Film (Ortho) and MMR Film were commercialised with the know-how developed at R&D Centre of the company.

The Bar Coating technology and emulsion formulation for polyester based Medical X-ray, Industrial X-Ray and Graphic Arts films under the collaboration agreement with M/s Dupont, USA has been absorbed and assimilated by the company. The company had already secured ISO 9002 accreditation for the Main Plant and the Poleyster X-Ray Film Plant. Future agenda for R&D covers development/improvement of know-how for –

• Medical Imaging Film (Red & Infrared Sensitive)
• Laser Scanner Film (Infrared Sensitive)
• Mammography Film
• Cine Radiographic Film
• Bromide Paper on RC Base Paper (Special Grade)
• Liquid chemistry for Colour Paper and Colour Film
• Screen Printing Film
• Inkjet Paper and Film
• Diazo Film

Some of the major Research & Development and Technology Upgradation area taken up and carried out by the company during the year 2000-2001 are :

• Housing Assly and Stand Support Assly. for Lift and Turn Stand for VSP, Vishakhapatnam.
• Boom Point Axle for 12.5 cum Excavator.
• Wheel-Axle arrangement of 10 m3 Skip Car,
• Ring Ball Assly. for Coal Mill having special material developed for NTPC.
• Upgradation of Hydraulic System for Disc Brake to be utilised in ISRO Crane.
• Upgradation of Control Schematic and Flame Proof Electric unit for 10 T Tower Crane for ISRO.
• EOT Crane 200/30 T x 25 m for ISRO incorporating high technological specification.
• 110 T Duplex Tongs for handling hot slabs of size 950 mm to 1850 mm.
• Electrics for single Spot Coke Pusher using PLC for 5 m tall battery.
• Rail Clamping Mechanism for EOT Crane 280/30T.
• Coal Charging Car with Screw Feeding Arrangement for 5 m tall battery.
• Single Spot Coke Pusher for 5 m tall battery .
• Centralised Grease Lubrication System for Septum Valve .
• RH and LH condenser pipe ejector.
• Trunion Ring Assly. Of 130 T LD Convertor.
• Electromagnetic Lid Lifting Mechanism for Coal Charging Car of 5 m tall battery.
• Self Aligning Rotator for BHEL.
• Hinged Bottom for Dehydrator Segment of Cast House Slag Granulating Plant of Bokaro Steel Plant (BSP)
• Hydraulic System for Coal Charging Car.
• EOT Crane 450 T x 33 m span for BHEL, Hardwar.
• Facility for making of pipe casting upto 8 T weight having length upto 3 m and OD 500 mm by centrifugal casting method.
• CNC Wheel Lathe.
• Hydraulic clamping of all the movement of Radial Drilling Machine

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