ICAER 2017: 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ADVANCES IN ENERGY RESEARCH 2017
PROGRAM FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH
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08:00-08:45Breakfast
08:45-09:40 Session 1: Opening Ceremony
Location: VMCC Main Auditorium
09:45-10:45 Session 2: Plenary
Location: VMCC Main Auditorium
09:45
Meeting India’s Energy Goals in a Sustainability Context

ABSTRACT. India has long been worried about its energy security and has put in place several measures to improve access to good quality, reliable and affordable energy for all. However, challenges still remain and are compounded by the international agreements on climate change and the sustainable development goals. About 237 million people continue to be deprived of basic minimum electricity, constituting about 19 % of the total population. The balance, who technically have ‘access’ to electricity, are plagued by uncertainties in quality and unreliability in service.

To meet its international obligations, India has committed to setting up 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022. It has also committed to reduce its energy intensity substantially.   There also exists an intent to electrify all vehicles by 2030. Additionally, a number of actions would need to be taken to improve energy efficiency across the board. Equally importantly, Agenda 2030 enjoins upon all countries to recognise that all the 17 sustainable development goals are integrated and indivisible.

What do all the above commitments mean in terms of policy approaches and implementation? How do we operationalise the inter-linkages between the energy goal and all the other relevant sustainable development goals? This presentation aims to share some thoughts on these challenges.

10:45-11:15High Tea
11:15-11:45 Session 3A: Invited Talk
Location: VMCC 21
11:15
Ocean Energy – Successes and Challenges

ABSTRACT. National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) is involved in development of energy devices to harness the energy from three forms such as hydrokinetic energy from ocean currents, wave energy, and energy from ocean thermal gradient

 A bottom mounted oscillating water column based wave energy test facility at Vizhinjam in Kerala successfully generated electricity and this electricity was used to power a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant. The facility was decommissioned after successful demonstration of the wave powered desalination system. Subsequently NIOT has been developing floating wave energy devices; specifically the backward bent ducted buoy (BBDB). Several successful sea trials led to optimizing the turbine for the small scale BBDB. This experience has helped develop a wave powered navigational buoy which has been successfully demonstrated and the technology will be   handed over   to Indian industry shortly. 

 Energy from ocean currents can be extracted using submerged turbines that capture energy from hydrodynamic lift and drag forces acting upon them.  A small capacity unit has been indigenously developed using computational and experimental techniques and successfully  tested in MacPherson strait in South Andaman. Subsequent to the satisfactory open sea trial,  efforts are on towards scaling up of the turbine in the form of modules of 1- 5kW.

NIOT started work on ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) by building a 1 MW barge mounted plant. Due to difficulties in commissioning the project,  the same concept of using thermal gradient was employed by NIOT in the development of the low temperature thermal desalination (LTTD) technique initially in the  laboratory and then in Kavaratti Island of Lakshadweep as a spin-off from the OTEC experiment. Since LTTD and OTEC utilize same resources, it is logical that power generated by an OTEC module be used to power a LTTD module from the same plant.   Towards this end, NIOT is designing the first ever prototype OTEC powered desalination plant at Kavaratti.  

NIOT remains committed to research towards clean and green energy and water from the oceans.

11:15-11:45 Session 3B: Invited Talk
Location: VMCC 22
11:15
Lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles for use in India – cell selection to pack design

ABSTRACT. In this presentation we will discuss the status of lithium ion batteries being used in electric vehicles, especially four wheelers, concentrating on the geography of India. India is home to diverse and varied environmental conditions including temperatures of above 45oC and below -20oC at certain locations, difficult terrain, coastal areas with high humidity conditions + salt, localized flooding during monsoons, etc. We look at factors that affect cell chemistry and its role in defining the life and performance of the battery pack. We’ll also look at design considerations and design methodologies that can be used to provide the end customer with a solution that provides a reasonable compromise between life, performance and cost.

11:45-13:05 Session 4A: Biomass and Gasification
Location: VMCC 21
11:45
Gasification based synchronized production of fuels and electricity from woody biomass - A techno-economic analysis

ABSTRACT. Gasification system for the production of liquid fuels via Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis and the generation of hydrogen from woody biomass are evaluated, with electricity as a critical by-product. An overview of mass and energy conversion are provided for biomass to liquid fuel (BTL) and hydrogen production. The cost analysis is based on annualized life cycle of systems that include oxygen-steam biomass gasifier coupled to FT unit and an alternative process of gasification system coupled to a H2 separation unit. For production of liquid fuels, downdraft gasifier is operated at an equivalence ratio of 0.1 and steam-to-biomass (SBR) ratio of 0.85 yielding syngas with H2/CO=2.1:1. Overall mass and energy balance for FT synthesis are considered for novel cobalt catalysts that predominantly yield liquid hydrocarbons and waxes. For once-through FT synthesis, the study proposes utilizing product gas (C1-C5 hydrocarbons and unconverted syngas) in IC engine for co-producing electricity. Furthermore, economics of H2 production are analyzed for SBR of 0.85 and 1.5. The analysis shows that 100 kg/h biomass throughput can yield H2 at a price ranging from 4.97 to 5.5 Euros/kg and liquid fuel ranging from 0.9-1.2 €/liter. Detailed cost estimates of each design are established for sustainable BTL and H2 production.

12:05
ESTIMATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TAR FROM AN OPEN TOP DOWNDRAFT GASIFIER

ABSTRACT. The study through experimental investigations determines the tar content and its composition for an open top downdraft gasifier. Tar content is determined by gravimetric approach and characterization by GC-MS analysis. This study compares the performance of the reactor for two different cases - single stage (from the reactor top) and double stage (from reactor top and air nozzles) supply of air. The results suggested that with the increase in air mass flux tar content decreases. It is also found that in case of double stage air supply considerable reduction in tar content can be achieved as compared to single stage air supply. The GC-MS analysis of the collected tar samples showed that tar is mainly composed of light aromatics like toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, styrene and some light PAH’s (2-3 ring) like naphthalene, biphenyl, fluorene, phenanthrene. However, out of these detected compounds, BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene) constitute about 70-80% of the total detected area. The variation of detected compounds with increase in air mass flux and temperature has also been studied. A higher bed temperature favors the formation of PAH’s like naphthalene but at the same time it also leads to destruction of some thermally instable compounds like styrene.

12:25
Evaluating the sensitivity of biomass feedstocks to producer gas composition using stoichiometric equilibrium model

ABSTRACT. Biomass gasification is an attractive renewable energy technology for obtaining producer gas which has many potential applications as compared to the biomass feedstock itself. Although literatures are available on experimental study of biomass feedstocks on gasification process, a few attempts have been made to evaluate the variation in producer gas composition due to change in biomass feedstocks. Further, equilibrium simulation is a quick and less expensive approach to study the present case. A stoichiometric equilibrium model was formulated using MATLAB to obtain the solution for producer gas constituents. In this study, six different biomass feedstocks were carefully chosen to evaluate their behaviour in a gasification process. The results showed that the combustible constituents in the producer gas were found to be maximum for sawdust and minimum for rice straw with bagasse, cotton stalk, wheat straw, garden waste lying in between. Also, at gasification temperature of 800 °C and above, garden waste and rice straw resulted in poor quality producer gas (< 4 MJ Nm-3). In short, a comparative analysis of six different biomass feedstocks on the basis of simulated producer gas composition has been done in this study.

12:45
Numerical Simulation of Coal Char Gasification with CO2 in a Drop Tube Furnace

ABSTRACT. A three-dimensional numerical scheme is developed to study the gasification of Australian brown coal char using a drop tube furnace in the N2/CO2 environment. The Eulerian-Lagrangian multiphase modeling approach is used to track the individual particle to capture the properties with time. The model consists of single first order devolatilization, homogeneous reaction and kinetic/diffusion heterogeneous model with the finite rate. The model can predict the flow field, gas and solid properties, gas composition profile along the axial and radial direction. The result shows that for a single particle stream with an increase in particle temperature, char conversion increases. Only 70 % conversion is observed over a 23.2 Sec residence time. It is found that temperature and diffusion are the two parameters, which determines the rate for char conversion. The model is validated by comparing the flue gas composition with experimental data at two different operating temperature.

11:45-13:05 Session 4B: Hydrogen Storage 1
Location: VMCC 22
11:45
In-situ Characterization of Mixed Methane-Tetrahydrofuran Hydrates: Application to Energy Storage
SPEAKER: Asheesh Kumar

ABSTRACT. Solidified natural gas (SNG) technology provides the great opportunity to store and transport natural gas in the form of clathrate hydrate pellets. The technology key is rapid hydrate formation and its stability. In this direction thermodynamic promoters (Tetrahydrofuran, THF) imparts great thermodynamic stability along with the significantly high kinetic promotion. The focus of the current work is to characterize the hydrates formed in presence of THF and CH4, named as mixed CH4-THF hydrates. We synthesized the mixed hydrates with a stoichiometric amount of THF (5.56 mol%) and demonstrated the hydrate stability employing a high-pressure micro-differential scanning calorimeter (HP μ-DSC). Moreover, we demonstrated the occupancy of small and large cages of the mixed hydrates employing an in-situ Raman Spectroscopy. This work will offer the new insights toward the deployment of the SNG technology.

12:05
Influence of Geometric Configuration on Charging Characteristics of MmNi4.6Fe0.4 Based Hydrogen Storage Device

ABSTRACT. Three dimensional mathematical model is developed and solved numerically for predicting the charging characteristics of MmNi4.6Fe0.4 based hydrogen storage device, using COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3a. This study investigates the transient heat and mass transfer phenomenon occurring during absorption of hydrogen by taking into account of pressure gradient between hydride bed and supply condition, diffusion of hydrogen and heat transfer between the bed and cooling fluid with emphasis on convective boundary condition. Using this model, charging characteristics of two cylindrical reactor configurations, each having 48 embedded cooling tubes (ECT) in a unique pattern, are predicted at the supply condition of 3.5 MPa and 298.K. One of the configuration is designed with an additional outer cooling jacket (OCJ). From the analysis, it is evident that ECT configuration highly influence the hydrogen absorption rate, which is further enhanced by OCJ. Due to inclusion of OCJ, average bed temperature dropped from 334.5 K to 305.8 K within a span of just 200 s, while 80% of hydrogen storage capacity is achieved within 165 s and observed maximum storage capacity is 1.15 wt% at the end of 800 s.

12:25
Photo-electrochemical water splitting characteristics of electrodeposited cuprous oxide with protective over layers

ABSTRACT. In this work Cu2O thin films having thickness of 1.5 µm have been deposited on FTO glass substrate by electrodeposition in aqueous solution using copper sulfate as precursor and lactic acid as additive. Deposited cuprous oxide film showed good photo response with a current density of 0.95mA/cm2 at -0.1 V vs RHE. Protective over layers of AZO and NiOx were deposited over electrodeposited Cu2O film to inhibit the photo-corrosion.

12:45
Paracyclophanes functionalized with metals for hydrogen storage in energy application
SPEAKER: Rohit Sathe

ABSTRACT. Hydrogen is the most promising candidate for sustainable energy source in transport sector. Storage of hydrogen is the major problem. Electronic structure calculations pertaining to [4,4]paracyclophane, each functionalized with 2 Li atoms as well as 2 Sc metals on the delocalized pi-electrons of benzene rings have been performed. The metal functionalized systems are studied for hydrogen storage efficiency by using the M06 hybrid functional and 6-311G(d,p) basis set. The calculated binding energy indicates Sc metal coordinate strongly while Li coordinate weakly and the binding is through Dewar mechanism. On saturation with hydrogen, Sc functionalized [4,4]paracyclophane can hold up to 10 H2 molecules with wt. % of 11.8 and Li functionalized [4,4]paracyclophane can hold up to 8 H2 molecules with wt. % of 13.7. Global reactivity parameters obey maximum hardness and minimum electrophilicity principle confirming high stability of the complexes. ADMP simulation study of these complexes at various temperatures revealed appreciable thermal stability with high hydrogen storage capacity. These results imply the potential of paracyclophanes can be used as a hydrogen storage material.

11:45-13:05 Session 4C: Energy Policy 1
Location: VMCC 23
11:45
Analyzing the Inequality Pathways of Domestic Electricity Consumption in India
SPEAKER: Ganesh Hegde

ABSTRACT. Access and availability of modern energy resources such as electricity is crucial for quality of life. The present study traces the contours of inequality of the access to electricity and its consumption at the household level using the data from the population census of 2001 and 2011 and three different survey rounds of the NSSO (National Sample Survey Organization) respectively. While the census data allow us to map the contours of inequality spatially, the panel data from the NSSO survey allow us to trace this inequality among different groups by economic deciles within and across states. It is pertinent to mention that the electricity consumption at the household level and the economic prosperity as inferred from AMPCE (Average Monthly Per Capita Expenditure) shows a significantly robust log-linear relationship. The study explores inter and intra-state inequality in electricity consumption and the spatio-temporal transition of Gini co-efficient across the states. The time series data brings out two major concerns, one of the persistence of inequality within and across the states and other being the significant uneven consumption between top and bottom deciles. This opens up different pathways for moving towards a regime of high consumption and low inequality and insights to policy.

12:05
Challenges to address India’s Energy Poverty: A Political Economy Perspective
SPEAKER: Vigya Sharma

ABSTRACT. More than 250million people in India lack access to electricity while over 800million depend on solid fuels, including traditional biomass, and dung for cooking. India’s energy policy hopes to achieve 24X7 electricity by 2022. Yet, past experience demonstrates that reliable access to electricity and clean cooking is confronted with a range of bottlenecks. This paper attempts to unpack these barriers using a political economy lens. In doing so, it makes three key observations: first, there is a strong, but understudied, interface between energy poverty and ongoing efforts towards clean energy transition. Second, India’s energy policy targets for 2022 – renewable energy development and electricity access – are being pursued in silos, with little consideration towards identifying and building on synergies across each other. This also partly explains a steadfast policy focus on coal which, much like the past, will continue to play an indispensable role in India’s energy mix. Finally, current policy to address rural energy poverty needs to bring about a systemic shift in the way it thinks and delivers energy. Unless energy is considered a policy enabler, mainstreamed across rural development planning and practice, national and regional efforts to alleviate energy poverty will remain short-sighted, with limited success.

12:25
Grid Management : Demand Forecasting in the Context of Increasing Renewables in the Grid

ABSTRACT. Power grid is a common platform connecting all the generating stations and demand centers (loads) where the energy is generated and consumed instantaneously. The demand varies from minute to minute and the generation needs to be adjusted accordingly to meet the demand. However, with large intermittent renewable power plants coming online this balancing becomes even more complicated. Although there is a growing emphasis on predicting the renewable generation, prediction of demand also can help in grid level energy management. In this paper we compare the prevalent demand forecasting practice with the model developed using multi variable regression technique. This simple model shows an improvement of 3% over the present demand prediction scenario, with respect to the mean absolute error. In future, use of more precise data for model training and addition of further variables may increase the accuracy level. This model does not need any large computational setup or capacity building. We have used electricity demand data of Karnataka to train and test the model. However, it can be replicated for any other state.

12:45
Electricity storage technology choices for rural electrification: insights from a series of interviews with technology providers
SPEAKER: Sheridan Few

ABSTRACT. Over the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in deployment of solar home systems and minigrids, coupled with electrical energy storage devices for rural electrification. However, choices of storage technology have often been made rapidly and without careful consideration. We present outcomes from a series of interviews with organisations providing rural electrification solutions on their storage technology choices. These include insights related to technology availability and supply chains, realised costs of storage solutions, performance of technologies and how these compare to manufacturers specifications, and environmental impact of storage technologies. Building upon these insights, we provide recommendations as to how these choices could be improved in the future, both from an individual company and from a regulatory perspective, and the impacts of future technology developments upon these choices.

11:45-13:05 Session 4D: Solar Photovoltaics 1
Location: VMCC 12
11:45
Effect of ITO capping and its deposition parameters on electrical properties of MoO3-Si-TiO2 carrier selective contact solar cell

ABSTRACT. Heterojunction carrier selective contacts to crystalline silicon (Si) absorber with molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) hole selective layer and titanium dioxide (TiO2) electron selective layer are demonstrated. This configuration served as low thermal budget silicon based solar cell; a key advantage to reduce cell fabrication cost. The MoO3-Si heterojunction showed diode behaviour but it degraded in ambient conditions. A layer of tin doped indium oxide (ITO) on top proved useful to protect this device by acting as a capping layer. It was observed that deposition parameters of ITO layer greatly influenced the electrical properties of MoO3-Si device. With optimization of ITO deposition parameters and back metal contact annealing, we could demonstrate MoO3/Si/TiO2 solar cells with short circuit current density of 27.3 mA/cm2, open circuit voltage of 530 mV and active area efficiency of 7.86%, which outperformed reference cell with heavily doped (n+) diffused back contact. However, the fill factor was lower than the reference cell, leaving scope for further improvement.

12:05
Synthesis and optical properties of multiferroic perovskite oxide (KNbO3)1-x+(La2NiMnO6)x for photovoltaic application
SPEAKER: Md S. Sheikh

ABSTRACT. Solid solutions of multiferroic perovskite oxides (KNbO3)1-x+(La2NiMnO6)x (X=0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) with a variation of band gap (1.33-3.6 eV) have been synthesized using the solid-state reaction method. The structural characterisation of the prepared samples was carried out using X-ray diffraction (followed by Rietveld refinement) and Raman experiment. As the doping percentage of La2NiMnO6 in the solid-solution increases the crystal structure of KNbO3 becomes more symmetric from orthorhombic to cubic. The magnetic measurement shows the ferromagnetic behaviour of the solid-solution with high Curie temperature (~250 K). Curie temperature, Magnetic moment and saturation magnetisation (at 80 K) increases as the percentage of La2NiMnO6 in the solid-solution increases. A large reduction in the value of the band gap has been observed in the solid-solution in comparison to the band gap of KNbO3 (~3.6 eV). Photoluminescence (PL) spectra reveals a strong PL quenching in the solid-solutions in comparison to the KNbO3. In respect of the band gap and carrier recombination rate the solid-solutions show better photovoltaic possibility over KNbO3.

12:25
Non-hygroscopic and thermally stable 2D hybrid perovskites: Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of photovoltaic performance

ABSTRACT. Two dimensional (2D) perovskites having general formula A2BX4 constitute an emerging class of semiconductor material which exhibit interesting optoelectronic properties. Organic-inorganic hybrid 2D perovskites, have proved to be promising active materials for photovoltaic applications. Here, we report a novel, layered 2D perovskites synthesized from 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C4mimCl) and lead (II) chloride (PbCl2). UV-Visible and Raman spectroscopic characterizations were employed to discern the nature of bonding between the ionic liquid and PbCl2. The structure, composition and morphology were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), respectively. The compound exhibited absorption in the visible region, indicating their high potential as light absorbers, for photovoltaic applications. Unlike conventional perovskites, this material exhibited non-hygroscopic nature and good thermal stability till 300 °C, as evident from the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

12:45
Study on Spray Deposited Cu2ZnSnS4Thin Films: Deposition and Physical Properties

ABSTRACT. Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films were deposited using spray pyrolysis deposition technique. The effect of deposition temperature and film thickness on various physical properties of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films was studied. The structural study using X-ray diffraction technique revealed that the crystallinity of films was improved on increasing substrate temperature and film thickness. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis revealed near stoichiometric composition of CZTS thin films. The atomic force microscope images showed formation of smooth, compact, uniform Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films over substrate surface. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterizations confirm the oxidation states of the elements in CZTS as 1+, 2+, 4+ and 2- for copper, zinc, tin and sulphur respectively. Energy band gap was estimated to be 1.56 eV, indicating that Cu2ZnSnS4 compound has absorbing properties favorable for applications for solar cell devices.

11:45-13:05 Session 4E: Process Integration
Location: VMCC 13
11:45
Reactive Scheduling of Crude Oil Refinery under Demand Uncertainty

ABSTRACT. Crude oil scheduling is an integral part of planning and operation in refinery. This enables optimal utilization of available resources which in turn helps in increasing profitability of the refineries. Uncertainties such as increase in demand and raw material arrival delay are commonly present in a refinery. The schedule generated for nominal cases may not be suitable under the presence of uncertainties. A new reactive scheduling approach for marine access refinery under demand uncertainty has been developed in this paper. Structured adapted genetic algorithm is extended to solve the problem which has the added advantage of eliminating nonlinearity from the model. An industrial problem with 9 periods has been demonstrated with the developed approach. The new schedule generated after realization of uncertainty has successfully fulfills the demand fluctuation.

12:05
Process Integration: Combined Power and Desalination using CPV/T-HDH System
SPEAKER: Anand B

ABSTRACT. A CPV (Concentrating photovoltaic thermal) is a type of photovoltaic technology which generates electricity and useful thermal energy form high intensity sunlight focused by lenses and curved mirrors. The efficiency of PV panel drops with increase in cell temperature. In order to maintain the cell temperature at an optimum level, the excess heat or thermal energy was recovered by circulating water. The recovered heat energy was used in HDH (Humidification-dehumidification) desalination plant to generate distilled water from sea water. The performance of plant was analyzed for various solar radiation values (800 W/m2, 900 W/m2and 1000 W/m2)in terms of Cell temperature, PV efficiency, hot water temperature, electricity generation, distilled water production, GOR and EUF of the plant. The coolant water flow rate in PV panel was varied from 300 kg/h to 400 kg/h at each solar radiation levels. The work is aimed to make use of process integration to optimize the existing system performance. The highest overall efficiency of the CPV/T system is 88.40%.The optimum operating condition of the plant is 800 W/m2and 300 kg/h. The plant EUF and GOR at optimum operating condition are 0.1593 and 3.01 respectively.

12:25
Energy Conservation and Targeting of Ammonia Decomposition Process in Steel Industry
SPEAKER: Manohar Patil

ABSTRACT. In ammonia decomposition process, ammonia vapors from desulphurization and ammonia washing & distilling section in presence of coke oven gas and hot air enters into the ammonia decomposition furnace and the qualified tail gas produced is use for steam generation using smoke tube boiler. Heat losses during the operation of the ammonia decomposition process analyze potential for waste heat recovery in the system. The objective of the present work is to learn the various processes of the ammonia decomposition section and find out the waste heat recovery opportunities. Then to apply the pinch analysis for design of heat exchanger network (HEN). Accordingly, above and below the pinch algorithms are suggested for finding the perfect matches of the hot and cold streams. Design of heat exchanger for this study required external heating above the pinch whereas, external cooling below the pinch for finding out surface the area of HEN for recovery of the waste heat from the ammonia decomposition section. Our result suggests that maximum heat energy that can be recovered is 309.22 kW out of total 1425.40 kW recoverable energy.

12:45
Energy Integration in an Indian Sponge Iron Process

ABSTRACT. To conserve energy the present paper proposes a design modification, based on the principles of process integration, for a typical sponge iron plant, being operated in India. In this modification kiln inlet streams are preheated using waste gas coming from electrostatic precipitator (ESP). Further, it is used to cool kiln outlet stream. The modified design requires capital investment of $0.95 million while installing a few additional equipment. Preheating of kiln inlet streams, before entering into the kiln, reduces consumption of coal by 22% and it also reduces consumption of water by 95.9%, which is the added advantage of the modification. Consequently, total profit is found as $1.93 million/year, which ensures a payback period of 6.02 months only. Further, the proposed design reduces waste gas generation by 22.5% and thus, making the modified process environment friendly. Results of the proposed modification are compared well with that of existing system and published work, which proves the efficacy of design.

13:10-14:10Lunch Break
14:10-15:10 Session 5: Plenary
Location: VMCC Main Auditorium
14:10
ADVANCES IN HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION

ABSTRACT. The world consumed 4.4 Billion Tonnes of oil in the year 2016. This consumption (demand) is expected to grow at a slow pace of about 0.7% a year, contributed largely by use of oil as a fuel, and this is expected to further slowdown gradually over the period. By the early thirties, use of oil as feedstock, particularly in petrochemicals, will be the larger source of demand growth than the use of oil as fuel. 

Abundance of oil resources contrasted with the slow demand growth may cause low-cost producers to use their competitive advantage to increase their market share at the expense of higher-cost producers. The need is to produce at a cheap price to stay alive. 

Contrary to the requirement of cheap oil, the industry is currently facing steep challenges. Existing fields are maturing fast and majority of new reserves are coming from logistically difficult and remote areas. Ever increasing exploration and production costs have rendered exploration growth both technologically as well as economically more challenging than ever before. In addition, pressures from climate change & environmental activists, has put the oil industry under great pressures.

The only option left with us is to find and produce oil ‘cheap from difficult areas and great depths and with no adverse environmental impact’. Cost efficient exploration & production through technological innovations were never as relevant as they are today.

In the Indian context, challenges faced by industry are many viz. not so rich natural endowments of the Indian sedimentary basins, declining old fields, exploration moving deeper & farther, new plays being tough to explore, drill and produce from and vast areas of India either have a thick basalt cover or are tough thrust fold belt hilly terrains. These challenges are common to international E&P companies also.

Though the evolutionary processes for advancements in hydrocarbons continued in the past decades, the first major revolution in the advances took place with the advent of 3D seismic data acquisition, processing and interpretation. Further, in terms of drilling technologies, the concept of horizontal well drilling and hydrofracturing were two more feathers in this aspect. These revolutionary advances gave the added impetus for faster evolution in the advancements.

Driven by the need of overcoming these challenges, every domain of E&P industry has seen tremendous advances in the fields of subsurface imaging, G&G interpretation & derisking, drilling, testing and completion, production and enhanced & improved oil & gas recoveries.

  • Recent advances in exploration are led from the front by seismic technologies. 3D-Q Marine, wide/full azimuth surveys, 3D/4D-3C surveys, full wave form inversions, Reverse Time Migration, rapid rise of computational power etc. are to name a few. Advances in improved earth models, reservoir characterization, petroleum system modeling, sequence stratigraphy and 3D visualization and virtual reality have aided the derisking of prospects.
  • Advances in drilling technologies like downhole motors, synthetic mud systems, non-destructive drilling fluids, solid free heavy fluids, expandable tubulars, managed pressure drilling, under balance drilling, horizontal / extended reach drilling and vast improvements in drilling bit manufacturing technology have rendered the health of the wells better than ever before. These advances have also enabled us to reach deeper than 5000m and laterally kilometers away from surface positions easily and in quick time.
  • Advances in hydro fracturing technologies like advent of massive multistage hydro fracturing have turned SHALES and tight reservoirs as a great producible oil resource which were responsible for the 2014 oil price slump through oversupply of American shale oil.
  • Other advances in innovative completion and facility designs and advances in IOR/EOR techniques are continuously adding large incremental value to existing fields and also making small volumes also economical.
  • E&P industry generates huge volumes of data and here in, there is no better way than to look at the history and predict the future. Collecting, synthesizing and analyzing this data to derive useful conclusions is crucial to success in these challenging times. ‘Big Data and Analytics’ precisely does this and therefore it is poised to be a very important new dimension in E&P technology.

Innovation and technological advances are already showing an improved success rate in exploratory drilling and huge cost savings in finding, drilling and producing the oil and gas. Relentless technology developments will definitely keep oil industry empowered to achieve the “cheap oil from challenging sources”.

15:15-15:45 Session 6A: Invited Talk
Location: VMCC 21
15:15
Role of electrochemistry in the paradigm shift to sustainable energy
SPEAKER: Rajalakshmi N

ABSTRACT. Today, global warming, energy production, conversion and storage are all popular topics of discussion in society. To cope with the energy demands of the ever-increasing global population, the present rate of energy production of 14 TW by 2050. This increase, which must be achieved without increasing CO2 emissions or relying solely on finite fossil-fuel resources, has made the development of advanced renewable energy technologies a global imperative. There are several sustainable energy sources lioke solar, wind etc., and are all inherently intermittent and generally dispersed relative to the isolated large-scale facilities that currently supply the vast majority of electrical energy. To make the best use of these energy sources, we need good energy-storage and conversion systems. Before shifting from a fossil-fuel economy to one based on renewable technologies, there is clearly a pressing need to significantly improve our ability to store and conversion of energy. In this conference, we introduce the concept of sustainability within the framework of electrochemistry by discussing the state-of-the-art in fuel cells and electrolysers where there is a shift from carbon based energy to hydrogen based energy systems. Fuel cell energy conversion devices and use of hydrogen as an energy carrier have benefited from major technological advancements in recent years. Hydrogen can play a significant role in that it is one of only a few options that can enable transportable power with zero pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions at the point of use using electrochemistry. Hydrogen can be efficiently produced with very low emissions from a variety of renewable and more sustainable primary energy sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear power (by water electrolysis or splitting), from biogases and industrial waste streams. While there are many significant technical hurdles to overcome before fuel cell technology can become widely available and while significant investments will be required to enable the widespread use of hydrogen as an energy carrier. The recent developments are proving the environmental and energy efficiency performance, diversity, continuous power capabilities, and potential future economic competitiveness of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies that could enable their future contributions to a more sustainable and renewable energy future. These aspects will be discussed.

15:15-15:45 Session 6B: Invited Talk
Location: VMCC 22
15:15
Opportunities for biomass as a mainstream energy source – A pathway through bio-refinery
SPEAKER: S Dasappa

ABSTRACT. Biomass energy continuing to be playing a major part in the Indian scenario, the power generation sector in the recent times seems to be facing threat.   Though a potential of about 18,000 MW from surplus biomass and 7000 MW through bagasse co-generation, only 4700 MW has been installed.  Apart from other barriers, one of the critical ones are the techno-economic feasibility.

India had showcased supremacy in small and medium scale gasification systems for power generation and thermal applications towards replacing oil. The power generation has followed the biomass power path and the current oil prices seems to pose serious threat for biomass energy.

With this background the presentation briefly addresses the barriers for the current situation, but projects opportunities towards providing solutions to meet the energy in the transport sector. The efforts would support the current government programs on biofuels and also provide opportunities towards address the existing emissions from burning of agro-residues.

The presentation highlights creating newer opportunities in the biomass hitherto a neglected sector, by addressing value added products in lieu of power.

15:45-16:05Tea/Coffee Break
16:05-17:45 Session 7A: Solar Photovoltaics 2
Location: VMCC 21
16:05
Reduction of Escape Cone Losses in Luminescent Solar Concentrators using High Contrast Gratings

ABSTRACT. Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSCs) are explored as a cost effective alternative to traditional solar PV technologies. LSCs based on quantum dots with large Stoke shifts are used to reduce the photon reabsorption losses. However, LSC design still suffer from escape cone losses resulting in inefficient guiding of light to the edges. Here, we propose integration of high index contrast gratings on the back side of the LSC substrate to reduce these losses. Grating parameters (period, duty cycle and thickness) are optimized for increasing light guiding efficiency to the edge of the LSC. Simulation results show that an improvement of 14% in the guiding efficiency is achieved compared to the conventional LSCs.

16:25
Study of Soiling Effect on Inclined Photovoltaic Surfaces

ABSTRACT. The present work reports on the initial results of experiments conducted aiming to investigate the effects of soiling losses on tilted PV surfaces. Identical glass coupons have been exposed outdoors for eight weeks at different inclinations (00to 360), and weekly hemispherical transmittance measurements and drop in short circuit current of solar cell placed under the glass are compared. The results show that the blue end of the spectrum is more affected by dust accumulation. Maximum losses as high as 6.86 % and 7.66% in hemispherical transmittance and short circuit current respectively, have been recorded during the 8-week outdoor exposure for coupon with 00 tilt angle. Minimum loss occurred for the coupon kept at 360 tilt angle and was found to be 4.86% and 5.02% for hemispherical transmittance and short circuit current respectively. It is observed that transmittance drop is linearly correlated with that of tilt angle of a surface. As expected, more the tilt angle of a surface less is the transmittance drop.

16:45
Copper Oxide Phase Change during Pulse Laser Deposition of SrTiO3

ABSTRACT. Cu2O solar cell has not achieved efficiencies more than 6% because of the interface mismatching of constituents layers in the device. Strontium Titanate (SrTiO3/STO) would be an ideal candidate for electron selective layer given its electron mobility and electronic structure. The most studied synthesis method for this perovskite metal oxide, pulse laser deposition has been used in this work for STO deposition on the Cu2O absorber layer. It is shown that thermodynamic conditions, where the Cu2O phase is stable, gets reduced to Cu when coupled with pulse laser deposition of STO. This reduction suggests using an inter-layer between Cu2O and STO which prevent the oxygen atoms’ flow from Cu2O to STO and hence Cu2O phase is maintained during the deposition.

17:05
SiO2 Grating Based Photonic Structures as Ideal Narrow Band Emitter for Solar Thermophotovoltaics Application

ABSTRACT. The power conversion efficiency of single junction photovoltaic cell is fundamentally restricted by Shockley- Queisser limit due to broadband distribution of solar spectrum. The intrinsic limit can be exceeded by utilizing high/low energy photons above/below the bandgap energy using down/up converters. But these approaches have resulted in meager efficiency improvements so far. Recently, new approaches have been explored to tune the broadband solar spectrum into narrowband spectrum, ideally matched to near bandgap energy of solar cell, using sub-wavelength photonic structures. In this work, use of spectrally narrow emitters, optimally matched with the bandgap energy of the photovoltaic cells are investigated. Here, we propose a grating based nanophotonic emitter with copper as a substrate and SiO2 as the grating material. Simulations were performed by using Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) and Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) methods to design narrowband emitters. The optimised grating parameters of period 1.0 µm, duty cycle 0.5 and thickness 0.57 µm resulted in a narrow band emission (peak emission at 1.03 µm with a bandwidth of 20 nm) suitable for integration with silicon photovoltaic cells. The dependency of emittance on directional selectivity is also investigated. The grating based structures were also optimized for other solar cells.

17:25
Effect of thermal stress over high-efficiency solar photovoltaic modules in composite climate of India
SPEAKER: Rashmi Singh

ABSTRACT. The hot-spot phenomenon is a relatively frequent problem in solar photovoltaics modules (SPV) and solar power plants. Since the installation in the recent year are increase due to various technical and commercial improvements, their inspection and maintenance needs are increasing fast. As the SPV technology installed on various residential and commercial buildings, safety issues is also the prime concern, it should not damage to the buildings nor harm the residents. This paper attempts a systematic compilation of a simple procedure to analyses and study the defects in modules by means of infrared inspection. The IR images of four different PV technology are taken up to 10 minutes to see the relevant results and thermal stress over modules. The distribution in the temperature were reported in the paper.

16:05-17:45 Session 7B: Nuclear Energy 1
Location: VMCC 22
16:05
3D KINETIC MODEL FOR SIMULATION IN REAL TIME FOR FULL SCOPE SIMULATOR

ABSTRACT. A full-scope replica operator training simulator is necessary as per licensing stipulations for large PHWRs. It is therefore essential to develop 3-D space time neutron kinetics module, which simulates instantaneous neutron flux distribution inside the reactor. Several such neutronic models are available but most of them are computation intensive and are unsuitable for real time applications or for frequent scoping simulations. Due to the constraint of real time computation with reasonable accuracy, we have developed 3D space time module (MKIN3D) based on the modal synthesis technique for solving the space-time kinetic equations. The accuracy of the solution is further improved by introducing local perturbation correction factors. The space time model is validated with international transient benchmarks. The paper also demonstrates its ability to simulate xenon dynamics, refueling simulation and decay heat estimation etc. MKIN3D satisfies real time simulation requirements of full scope simulator for upcoming large Indian PHWR with sufficient accuracy.

16:25
Experience of Self-Powered Neutron Detectors at TAPS-3&4
SPEAKER: Manish Raj

ABSTRACT. Self-Powered Neutron Detectors (SPNDs) are mainly used in-core of a medium or large size pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) to determine the neutron flux at specific location in the core.However,the measurement of neutron flux is not an end in itself but serves to provide a measure of the local fuel power and hence the heat flux through the fuel sheath and other components of fuel bundle/channel. A knowledge of the power being transferred to the coolant is required to optimize the fuel power to avoid the conditions of central line melting and/or critical heat flux. The signals from the safety or protection system detectors are normalized to the power in the fuel, integrated over the fuel channel. Thus the detector signal represents the channel (fuel) power. Similarly the detectors used in control system represents the zone power. It is also to be noted that not only the overall signal of SPND is important but also the dynamic response of the detector signal is important as it should match the heat production rate in the fuel rather than the local neutron or gamma flux. It is due to the fact that about 93% fuel power is prompt and 7% is delayed.

16:45
Advances in Nuclear Energy research-Journey from LArge NPP to SMR
SPEAKER: P Venumadhav

ABSTRACT. Traditionally the nuclear power plants were designed for large capacity with multiple plants located in a close vicinity called ‘nuclear islands’ for economics, logistics, safety and strategic considerations. In view of the changing power demands and utilities, current research is, however, emphasised mostly on designing robust compact small modular reactors with enhanced safety also called as SMR which can be used for multiple purposes apart from power production. The biggest advantage of SMR is that they come in small standard modules of power ranging from few megawatts to around 300MWe capacity. SMRs are shop built and transported to site where the modules are assembled as per standard practices. Depending on power requirement some of the modules can be added at later stage, giving flexibility of deployment. Building such reactors help in reducing the time required for constructing the nuclear Power plants. These rectors are mostly integral type with enhanced engineering design safety features for ensuring safe shut down conditions and reactor cooling during all eventualities with the ultimate safety systems for core cooling based on natural circulation. This paper covers the current scenario of SMR development, key factors affecting the development, challenges for near term deployment etc. in various countries

17:05
Energy Response Function of Stilbene and BC501 Neutron Detection System

ABSTRACT. This paper discusses energy response of a single stilbene crystal and a liquid scintillator detector to a range of neutrons energies which could be generated using the 1.7 MV Tandetron accelerator at IIT Kanpur. Stilbene is a solid-state composite organic detector and an alternate choice for combined neutron-gamma detection. In this work, we investigate and quantify stilbene’s response to neutrons lower than 3 MeV. We generate neutrons using (p,n) reactions by scattering protons with energy 3.4 MeV on Be9 target. The target thickness is determined by Monte Carlo simulations. Next, we measure pulse height distributions of the various energies incident on stilbene and BC501. The response of the stilbene crystal and BC501 to neutrons using the Tandetron is performed on an energy range spanning the fission neutron energy range. GEANT4 is then used to simulate the detector response behaviour. Stilbene shows 33% lower energy response for higher energies as compared to BC501 which is consistent with the number density of hydrogen of the same mass of stilbene contains 33% less than that of the BC501 scintillation detector. For lower energies close to 0.7 MeV, the response of stilbene 7% lower than BC501.

17:25
Model for Assessment of Economics of Nuclear Power
SPEAKER: Anil Antony

ABSTRACT. In the light of the current interests and policies in reducing the environmental pollution & global warming; nuclear energy is a strong contender to meet the energy needs of the country in a sustainable manner capable of providing clean and reliable energy for decades. Economic competence will also play a crucial role for the growth of nuclear energy in the country. Cost of electricity produced by a power plant is one of the most important factor in deciding its economic competence. Essentially, the cost of energy from the power plant shall be economically attractive and competitive to be able to contest with alternative energy sources. Levelised Unit Energy Cost (LUEC) is often cited as a figure of merit of the overall competitiveness of different generating technologies. In this paper the elements which contribute to the economics of nuclear power plants are brought out and a generic method is presented to evaluate Levelised Unit Energy Cost, based on the discounted cash flow analysis. The method is illustrated by simulation and comparison of the economics of typical cases of nuclear, coal, gas, hydro, solar, wind power plants.

16:05-17:45 Session 7C: Biofuels 1
Location: VMCC 23
16:05
INVESTIGATIONS ON PERFORMANCE OF CI ENGINE WITH WASTE PALM OIL BIODIESEL-DIESEL BLENDS USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

ABSTRACT. The present work is aimed at experimentally investigating of the single cylinder water cooled naturally aspirated direct injection diesel engine operated with Waste Palm Oil Methyl Ester (WPOME) blended with mineral diesel. WPOME prepared from waste palm oil through transesterification process was used as an alternate fuel in this work. Input parameters considered for these investigations were Compression Ratio (CR), Blend and load on engine. Compression ratios considered for this analysis were 15, 16, 17 and 18. A statistical tool known as Design of Experiments (DoE) based on response surface methodology (RSM) was used to design experiments. Output performance parameters Brake Specific Energy Consumption (BSEC), Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE), Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT), and Smoke Opacity (OP) were predicted using the resultant models of RSM. Optimal input parameters were analyzed for better performance and lower emissions using the desirability approach of RSM. At desirability of 0.75 optimal input parameters CR 18, Load 2.5 kW and blend of B40 responses were BTE of 27.15, BSEC of 13.93 MJ/kg, EGT of 207oC and OP of 27 HSU.

16:25
Comparison of performance and emissions characteristics of DI Diesel engine fuelled with biodiesel blends of Chicha oil and Pine oil
SPEAKER: Raj Deelip S

ABSTRACT. In this work a new type of biodiesel fuel, Chicha Oil Methyl Ester (COME), has been introduced as an alternate fuel for the purpose of fuelling diesel engines. Chicha oil was transesterified with methanol using potassium hydroxide as catalyst to convert it into Chicha oil biodiesel fuel. The properties of this fuel is slightly different from the conventional diesel fuel. The COME blends and Pine oil blends with diesel have been tested in a single cylinder, four stroke, DI diesel engine and the performance and emission characteristics were compared with the diesel fuel. Lower brake thermal Efficiency and higher brake specific fuel consumption than the diesel fuel were observed for the COME. However, Pine oil blends showed better performance characteristics, up to 4.87% lower BSFC and 1.17% higher brake thermal efficiency, than the diesel fuel. All the biodiesel blends showed lesser carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) emissions except carbon dioxide (CO2) and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) emissions than the diesel fuel. Among the biodiesel-blended fuels, Pine oil blends showed better performance and minimal emission characteristics than the Chicha oil biodiesel and diesel fuel.

16:45
Experimental Study on CI Engine Performance for Optimum Blending Ratio of Blended Kusum Biodiesel
SPEAKER: Anil Poshetti

ABSTRACT. Indian Biodiesel policy promotes biodiesel production from non-edible oil in appreciable quantity and can be grown in large scale on non-cropped marginal lands and waste lands. Kusum (Schleichera oleosa) is one such non-edible oil bearing plant which has been used as an ideal feedstock for biodiesel production in the present study. Kusum seed contain 33- 40% of oil which is best source of Kusum Biodiesel. Kusum oil was extracted using Soxhlet extraction process and it was converted into biodiesel using transesterification. Different physico-chemical properties of Schleichera oleosa was analyzed. It was found that these properties are within range of standards like ASTM D-6751 & IS-15607. Also, experiments have been performed on single cylinder CI engine by varying engine load (0.233 to 15.32 kg) and biodiesel blends (10, 20, 30 vol.%). Multi-objective optimization was carried out by using Response Surface Methodology. Predicted optimum value of brake thermal efficiency (23.77%) and brake specific fuel consummation (BSFC 0.291 kg/kWh) with desirability 0.939 at 11.71 kg brake load and 30% blend. Actual experimental values of brake thermal efficiency and BSFC at this point are 23.8%, 0.32 kg/kWh which are closer to the predicted values.

17:05
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF CAMPHOR OIL AS ALTERNATIVE FUEL FOR (COMPRESSION IGNITION) C.I ENGINE
SPEAKER: Sanat Kumar

ABSTRACT. The present study investigates the use of MWCNT (multi-wall carbon nanotube) saponification with Ethanol, blended with Biofuel (Diesel-Camphor oil). The whole investigation was conducted in the constant speed diesel engine using the following fuels: B20, B40, B60 B40CNT (30ppm), B40CNT (60ppm) and Diesel. The first stage was conducted which results B40 as the best fuel as compared to B20 and B60. The second stage contains the addition of MWCNT to B40 in different concentration. The experimental results revealed an appreciable enhancement in the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) for the MWCNT blended B40 fuels compared to that of B40. At the full load, the BTE for the B40 observed was 27.22% whereas it was 28.23% and 28% for the B40CNT(30ppm) and B40CNT(60ppm) fuels respectively. Further, due to the combined effects of micro-explosion and secondary atomization phenomena associated with the MWCNT blended B40 fuels; the level of harmful pollutants in the exhaust gases was drastically reduced when compared to that of B40 and Diesel. At the full load, the magnitude of NOx and CO for the B40 was 263 ppm, whereas it was 240 ppm and 215 for the B40CNT (30ppm) and B40CNT (60ppm) fuel respectively.

17:25
Experimental investigation of in-situ biodiesel production from Castor seeds (Ricinus Communis) using combination of microwave and ultrasound intensification

ABSTRACT. The current research work aims to develop novel substitutive technique to produce non edible fatty acid based biodiesel fuel via amalgamation of in-situ and process intensification (PI) technique (combination of microwave and ultrasound) with an objective to develop environmental friendly and industrially viable economic process. Grinded Castor seeds with methanol as solvent have been used in the presence of homogeneous catalyst (KOH) for transesterification reaction. Response surface methodology using central composite design (CCD) was adopted for design of experiments and to analyze the effect of factors(Oil/Methanol molar ratio, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature & reaction time) on biodiesel yield. Maximum yield of 93.4% was obtained under favorable process conditions of: Oil/Methanol molar ratio (1:350), catalyst amount (1.74%,w/w), reaction temperature (43°C) and reaction time (30 min). Regression equation has been developed for the model having coefficient of correlation (R2), and adjusted coefficient of correlation equal to 0.9737 and 0.9507 respectively. Thermo-physical fuel properties of Castor Oil Methyl Esters (COME) were estimated and compared with ASTM and DIN standards.

16:05-17:45 Session 7D: Solar Photovoltaics 3
Location: VMCC 12
16:05
Advanced fine line double printing process for manufacturing high efficiency silicon wafer solar cells
SPEAKER: Kishan Shetty

ABSTRACT. A double print technology using a front contact screen pattern of high precision ultra-fine line finger openings is demonstrated in this work. It has helped in achieving an absolute cell efficiency gain of over 0.25% compared to conventional single printing process. The double print technology realized in this work was accomplished by using a suitable silver paste and keeping the paste consumption lower or comparable to single printing process, thereby creating cost savings. This paper represents the work done after the double print process from trial phase reached a matured level with the correct selection of screen design and paste compatibility to work well with the selected screens. A significant improvement in short circuit current (Isc) of almost 90 mA was realized for double printed cells due to increased print aspect ratio and active area for light absorption.

16:25
Dielectric coated Metal integrated light weight solar panel

ABSTRACT. This paper describes the development of the dielectric coated metal integrated solar panel which are light weight and can be used as an alternative roofing materials which can harvest energy. The idea is to leverage the surface area of the roof and its exposure to the sun by generating distributed off grid solar power. This type of structure can be used also for making solar energy driven vehicle.

16:45
Influence of deposition temperature on the Si-richness of SiC based thin films for optoelectronic applications
SPEAKER: Giri Goutham

ABSTRACT. The formation of Si-NC is a challenge since silicon carbide nanoclusters are formed with greater ease in the SiC host matrix. In this context, this work focuses on analyzing the influence of process parameters (deposition and annealing temperature) to synthesis the Silicon rich SiC film (a-SixCy) for favoring Si-NC formation in the host matrix . In this paper, the Si-NC in a-SixCy are obtained by co-sputtering of Si and SiC targets at different deposition temperatures such as room temperature, 200oC, 350oC and 500oC. It is annealed at various temperature and ambience such as vacuum (VA) and conventional thermal annealing (CTA). The structural and optical properties are investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry, Fourier Transformation Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR) and Photo luminescence Spectroscopy (PL). The value of refractive index varies between 3 .3 to 3.7, the presence of the presence of Si-C , and Si –O-Si vibration modes in FTIR spectra, the change in intensity and position with Si excess indicating the Si richness in the film. PL spectra show a emission in the range 412 to 440 nm that varies with different annealing and confirms the possibility of the Si-NC formation in the film

17:05
Optimization of TiO2 for Low Temperature Dopant Free Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells
SPEAKER: Swasti Bhatia

ABSTRACT. This study explores the deposition and post deposition treatment of TiO2 films in context of using those films as electron selecting layers in diffusion free solar cells. The passivation provided by TiO2 films is known to improve after annealing. Therefore, the effect of annealing on electrical performance of the films is analyzed in this study. The study reveals that annealing may lead to a formation of thin interfacial silicon oxide which may impede the transport of electrons to the desired contact. It is also noted that annealing does not contribute significantly to lowering of reverse saturation current and the ideality factor values also remain the same. It is observed that while annealing does give improved lifetime, the same is not reflected in electrical behavior of diodes. A plausible explanation to this behavior is given on the basis of numerical modeling of the fabricated device. Finally using the as deposited TiO2 film as electron collecting contact and MoO3 as a hole quencher, solar cells are fabricated that give an efficiency of 7.1%.

17:25
Efficiency Enhancement of Betanin Dye Sensitized Solar Cells using Plasmon Enhanced Silver Nanoparticles
SPEAKER: S Sreeja

ABSTRACT. In this study, we investigate the use of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) to enhance the optical absorption of betanin dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by plasmonic effect. Betanin is a natural pigment with an absorption band in the green region (from 450 nm to 600 nm peaking at 535 nm). If there is good energy match between the extinction bands of the metallic NPs and absorption bands of the dye, an enhancement in efficiency can be achieved. The extinction band of the metallic NPs depends upon its size, morphology and dielectric medium. FDTD simulations have been performed to identify the optimum size of AgNPs to enhance the efficiency of the betanin DSSC. The electric field intensity of the AgNPs was also studied at on and off resonances. The results showed that the performance of DSSCs could be improved by surface plasmon effect of AgNPs of sizes ranging from 50 nm to 80 nm. An overall efficiency of 0.581% is achieved for a betanin DSSC while an increased efficiency of 0.683% is achieved for Ag nanoparticle incorporate betanin DSSC. The 17.55% increase in efficiency is due to enhanced light harvesting by the AgNPs which resulted in an increased photocurrent density.

16:05-17:45 Session 7E: Energy Efficiency 1
Location: VMCC 13
16:05
Improved Performance of Mehsana Cookstove through Minimal Design Modifications
SPEAKER: Munendra Jha

ABSTRACT. Despite the evolution in cooking practices over the globe, a large population still relies on traditional cooking practices, such as wood fired cookstoves or “chullahs”. Though the fuel is locally available, the collection of wood is time consuming and tiring. An increase in the efficiency of the “chullahs” will reduce the wood consumption and save the effort of wood collection. Various techniques have been introduced in order to reduce the amount fuel by improving the thermal performance of the “chullah; however, it is experienced that the minimally retrofitted traditional “chullahs” have better acceptance among the users than the ones with completely differently designed. The objective of the present work is to test one such traditional chullah and investigate the scope of improvement of thermal performance with minimal modifications in the actual stove or in the cooking practice. To that goal, a traditional cookstove from the Kaiyal village of Kadi block from the Mehsana district of Gujarat, is selected. The best modification is identified from the thermal performance obtained by Water Boiling Test. The efficiency is found to increase by 37.18% compared to the original cookstove with an increase in the base height and insertion of twisted tapes.

16:25
Assessing the Net E3 Impacts of Energy Efficient Appliances in India’s Residential Sector - An IO LCA Modelling Framework

ABSTRACT. Input-Output (IO) analysis is a useful tool for the assessment of the inter-relations between different economic activities. Additionally, it can be combined with bottom-up data, i.e. energy efficient technology-specific data, costs and cost structures, allowing to estimate the Economic-Energy-Environmental (E3) impacts intertwined with the investment on this type of technologies within a comprehensive and consistent framework. With the foregoing in mind, an adjusted Economic IO Lifecycle Assessment (EIO LCA) modelling framework has been built with real data based on the World IO Database to appraise the impacts of fostering the investment in nine distinct energy efficient appliances typically used in India’s residential sector. A large platform of real data for India’s residential sector has also been gathered considering different sources of information, namely the number of operating days, the lifetime and the investment cost of each energy efficient appliance evaluated. Finally, it was possible to compute the net E3 impacts obtainable with the use of energy efficient technologies when contrasted with business as usual appliances in India.

16:45
Investigating building energy performance with site-based airflow characteristics in wind-driven naturally ventilated conditions in low-income tenement housing of Mumbai

ABSTRACT. In this study, we investigate the association of building energy consumption with the site-based airflow characteristics in three different spatial configurations of buildings in low-income tenement housing, with the form factor and compactness ratio of the buildings remaining constant. Energy simulations were performed for each of the building layout type, and site-based airflow characteristics were calculated using Steady-state Reynolds Averaged Navier Strokes equations with standard k-ε turbulence model on hexahedral computational grids. Simulation validation was performed using data acquired through an environmental sensor. Results show that the layout of the building had no impact on the annual building energy consumption. However, the variation of layout did vary the air exchange rates through wind-driven natural ventilation, glazing health gain and the operative temperature. This indicates probable variation of thermal comfort ranges with the change in layout of these low-income tenement houses. Future work lies in quantifying these factors in terms of energy conservation measures, and prepare a guideline for urban renewal and rejuvenation of this low-income neighborhood.

17:05
Computational Assessment of the Performance of an Air Cooled Condenser Fan at different Blade Pitch Angles and Speeds

ABSTRACT. In the conventional thermal power plants, water cooled condensers are used which need gallons of water to take away the heat from the low pressure steam of the turbine exhaust. Due to scarcity of water in several regions of the world, Water Cooled Condensers (WCC) is not the viable option and hence can be replaced by Air Cooled Condensers (ACC). ACC leads to decrease the plant efficiency by 5% to 10%, but still it holds greater importance in terms of reduction in water consumption to a greater extent. The current study computationally assesses the performance of axial fans used in air cooled condenser for various pitch angles (PA) and speed ranging from 85 rpm to 94.9 rpm. Air flow rate of the fan is found to be the maximum at pitch angle of 40.9 degree. All these studies are performed using the commercial CFD codes of ANSYS Fluent 17.1. This study attempts to lay down the foundation to use different fans in the ACC fan grid at their optimum operating conditions and find a greater relevance in future applications for optimal design of the axial flow fans.

17:25
Cost Optimization of a Polygeneration Using Renewable Resources
SPEAKER: Avishek Ray

ABSTRACT. The development of renewable energy based electricity generating systems is an imperative need for sustainable development. If some other utility outputs can be generated along with electricity then the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) decreases due to better resource utilization. Solar, biomass and wind resources are the inputs to the considered polygeneration system. The outputs of this polygeneration system are electricity, ethanol and chill. Application of proper optimization algorithm is necessary for the proper design of the polgeneration systems. The optimization is carried out using linear programming method to determine the optimum size of the various components. The reliability of power supply and availability of the local resources are the constraints. The minimization of LCOE is the objective function. The results of the study show that the LCOE for this system in the present area of study is 6.49INR/kWh. The sensitivity analysis is carried out to assess the suitability of the system in varying price environment.

16:05-17:45 Session 7F: Biofuels 2
Location: VMCC 14
16:05
Two step modeling for growth of microorganisms in stirred tank photobioreactor

ABSTRACT. The objective of the present work is to implement the two time step approach to determine the growth rate of the photosynthetic microorganisms such as microalgae and cyanobacteria, in a stirred tank photobioreactor. The light intensity distribution is obtained from the CFD simulations for different concentration of the microorganisms in the photo bioreactor. The average light intensity is determined in the reactor for different cell concentrations in the culture. The photosynthetic rate is determined using the average light intensity in the reactor for different initial cell concentrations. The mean growth rate of the cyanobacteria in the log phase, i.e., the nutrient abundant condition is compared with the experimental observation.

16:25
Optimization of Process Parameters for dairy washed milk scum Biodiesel Production Using Response Surface Methodology
SPEAKER: H V Srikanth

ABSTRACT. In this studyoptimization of process parameters involved in production of dairy washed milk scum(DWMS) biodieselhave been carried. Influence of parameters like methanol/oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time were studied on biodiesel yield. These process parameters were optimised using response surface methodology (RSM) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The significance of the different process parameters and their combined effects on the transesterification efficiency were established through a full factorial central composite rotatable design (CCRD). An optimum yield of 92 (v/v%) was achieved with optimal conditions of methanol/oil molar ratio, 7.5:1; temperature, 55 °C; reaction time of 120 min and catalyst concentration (KOH) of 1.1 wt %.

16:45
Design and Optimization of Air-Biogas Mixing Device for Dual Fuel Diesel Engines

ABSTRACT. Biogas is a widely accepted and sufficiently available source of renewable alternative fuel, which can help to reduce the ever-rising demand of conventional fuel, particularly in internal combustion engines. The mixer design plays very vital role in combustion phenomena of biogas in engine, where biogas can be used as primary source of energy. A venturi type mixer is optimized for air-biogas mixing. In this study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling is used to investigate and analyze the influence of the number of biogas-inlets around the throat to provide homogeneous mixture at the outlet. Attention is focused on the effect of venturi mixer geometry on the pressure drop, distribution of velocity, turbulence kinetic energy and mixing quality. Based on the available results of venturi mixer with two biogas-inlets, the design is modified with three inlets for better distribution of biogas. The optimized design has improved pressure drop at the throat of 1026 Pa, and provides enhanced mixing with improved turbulence utilization in mixing of air-biogas species.

17:05
Effect of Preheating and Fuel Injection Pressure on Performance Parameters of Diesel Engine Running with Biodiesel
SPEAKER: Santosh Hotta

ABSTRACT. Recently, in many countries methyl ester B100 biodiesel oils are receiving a lot of attention as alternative for mineral fossil diesel fuel in diesel engines to fulfill the energy requirements and share a huge diesel fuel energy demands. Biodiesel is a renewable and carbon neutral source, however still it has a relatively high kinematic viscosity, high density, poor flow property and lower calorific value compared with diesel fuel. The direct use in diesel engine attains improper homogeneity in charge and fuel atomization, leading to decrease in the overall efficiency. In this experimental study, preheating devices is fabricated to improve the properties of pure biodiesel. The preheated biodiesel enhanced its fuel spray and atomization characteristics as a whole fuel injection characteristic. In this study first the effects of preheating of Castrol Oil Methyl Ester (COME) B100, Palm Oil Methyl Ester (POME) B100 and diesel fuel properties (viscosity and density) with varying fuel inlet temperature was thoroughly assessed and the optimum heating temperature which improves biodiesel fuel atomization has been identified. Afterward, the effects preheating tested fuels on diesel engine performance parameters with variation of fuel inlet temperatures are examined and compared.

17:25
Bioelectricity production using Plant Microbial Fuel Cell with grass species Eleusine indica

ABSTRACT. Plants deposit a considerable amount of organic matter into the soil by rhizodeposition. This fulfills the microbe’s need of substrate in the soil. Microbe’s convert the organic matter, producing electrons and protons. By considering these microbial reactions for electricity production we achieve sustainable source of energy, Bioelectricity by incorporating in a plant microbial fuel cell. Eleusine indica (Goose grass) plant species were considered for their availability. The plants were tested in a single chamber sediment type and a dual chamber cylindrical plant microbial fuel cell for the electricity production using carbon cloth and graphite sheets as electrode material. The plant species showed a considerable open circuit voltage of 587 mV for sediment type PMFC and 812 mV for cylindrical dual chamber PMFC.

17:45-19:45 Session 8: Poster Session

Poster Session Day 1

Location: VMCC 1st Floor - Foyer
17:45
Experimental investigations on the Performance and Emission characteristics of diesel engine under different biodiesels for various compression ratios
SPEAKER: G Akash

ABSTRACT. In the present work, a vertical water cooled four stroke diesel engine developing 3.75 kW is used to carry out experiments. Four non-edible oils,Pongam, Simaruba, Calophyllum, and Cotton Seed oils are transesterified to produce Pongam oil methyl ester (POME), Simaruba oil methyl ester (SOME), Calophyllum oil Methyl ester (COME), Cotton Seed oil methyl ester (CSOME).Experiments are conducted on the diesel engine for different compression ratio such as 18:1, 20:1 and 22:1 under POME, SOME, COME and CSOME modes of operation. The performance and emission characteristics are measured. The results show, moderate drop in fuel consumption under all biodiesel modes of operation when the compression ratio is changed from 18:1 to 22: 1. Under, POME, COME and SOME modes of operation, efficiency is increased by 20 % compared to normal diesel operation for the increase in compression ratio from 18:1 to 22:1.Further, there is a moderate drop in smoke density is seen when compression ratio is increased . It is concluded that CSOME, COME and POME are found to be the potential alternative fuels for pure diesel for the engine compression ratios of 18:1, 20:1 and 22:1 respectively in terms of performance and emission characteristics.

17:45
CO2 Capture Using Crude Glycerol Derived Deep Eutectic Solvents
SPEAKER: Alok Ranjan

ABSTRACT. Biodiesel produced by transesterification of the oil with methanol yields about 8-11% glycerol as a by-product. A cost-efficient and eco-friendly method have been researched to convert the byproduct glycerol into a deep eutectic solvent (DES). This DES has been used to study the absorption of CO2 via carbamate formation upon the reaction between their hydrogen bonding donor units and CO2. DES made of crude glycerol – choline chloride exhibits a low CO2 uptake of 0.377 wt. % with initial kinetics (0.123 wt. % up takes within 20min). The given DES also shows sustainable activity in the presence of water and decent activity against temperature rise. The observed capture of CO2 using DES suggests that crude glycerol as candidates to replace hydrogen bond donor (HBD) in the conventional DES system. Crude glycerol-based DES CO2 absorption technology is worth to explore further.

17:45
Multi –Objective Optimization of Performance and Emissions characteristics of CI engine using Cottonseed Oil as an Alternative Fuel

ABSTRACT. Over the years Biodiesel has emerged to be an eminent alternative fuel to be used in CI engine. Many researches have been carried out in order to know the feasibility of the biodiesel fuel to be used in CI engine. To carry out such an extensive experiments it is necessary to design it first which can easily be done using Taguchi design of experiments. This helped researchers with simplified experiments. In this paper, the performance and emission characteristics of CI engine are optimized using multi objective optimization. Grey relational analysis (GRA) was used to determine the optimum combination of input parameters. Input parameters taken were Load, Blending Ratio and Compression Ratio. The parameters were varied to three levels. It was concluded that GRA method was useful for optimization of performance and emissions characteristics.

17:45
Effect of Forced Convection Cooling on Performance of Solar Photovoltaic Module in Rooftop Applications

ABSTRACT. Photovoltaic (PV) module converts a small fraction of the incident irradiation to electricity and the remaining is mainly turned into waste heat in the cells raising the module temperature hence the efficiency of the module drops. A photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) system has been designed, fabricated and investigated experimentally to actively cool the PV module, a parallel array of channel with inlet/outlet manifold designed for uniform airflow distribution was attached to the back of the PV panel. The forced convective fan cooling provided with two types of cooling arrangement and each arrangement consists of two PV modules. in one arrangement below one panel air channel provided which is made of conducting material and another panel is reference panel without cooling arrangement. Similarly in second case non-conducting material provided in the place of conducting material and other is same as a reference panel. the purpose of present study is on the comparison of the electrical efficiency of the PV module with and without cooling by varying the air channel duct material in order to improve the design of photovoltaic installations placed in roof applications ensuring low operating temperatures which will correct and reverse the effects produced on efficiency by high temperature.

17:45
Synthesis and characterization of Cu loaded mixed phase TiO2 nanoparticles

ABSTRACT. Cu loaded TiO2 nanoparticles was prepared using sol-gel method with 1 wt% Cu concentration. Structural and optical properties were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), UV–Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectrophotometer (UV-DRS) and Raman spectroscopy analysis. XRD spectra reveals the formation of mixed phase of anatase and rutile structure of TiO2 and with increase in the calcination temperature, the ratio of phase composition also changes. EDAX analysis confirms the presence of Cu with TiO2. UVDRS study revealed redshift in the absorption spectrum compared to bare TiO2. Formation of mixed phase of TiO2 and the composition is also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Band sifting and homo interface of anatase and rutile in Cu-TiO2 is advantageous for optoelectronic based device application.

17:45
Comparative Performance Assessment of a Solar Hybrid Dryer with Traditional Drying Techniques

ABSTRACT. Among all the drying techniques solar drying is one of the most ancient and simplest forms of drying known to mankind, used even today especially in developing countries. However, drying products directly under the open sun has many drawbacks such as rain, insect infestation, decolourisation. Such problems can be eliminated by using dryers run by solar energy. Thus, there is a need to make the solar dryers more efficient and cheaper. The study presented here describes a comparison of solar dryer with open sun drying. A solar hybrid dryer is fabricated for experimental purpose with the provision of operating in three modes- indirect solar mode, electric mode and hybrid mode. The experiment was conducted as active system by the using of blower. The hot air generated is supplied by the blower to the drying cabinet. An air mixing cabinet is also introduced for proper mixing of hot air from the two sources (in case of hybrid dryer). The temperature profile of the dryer is studied and compared with normal open sun drying. The results shows better performance as approximately 35%, 15% and 25% more moisture is removed in electric, indirect solar and hybrid mode compared to open sun drying.

17:45
Numerical analysis of composite phase change material for enhancement of thermophysical properties

ABSTRACT. Enhancement of thermophysical properties of phase change material with dispersed nanoparticles is reported in the present work. A bounded domain of square geometry was considered in the numerical study. The resulting composite phase change material shown that enhanced thermophysical properties compared to base materials at different volume fractions up to certain limit. It is seen that, nanoparticles in terms of enhancement above the certain limit gives the adverse effect on thermal energy storage applications. The presented results concludes composite phase change materials with optimum concentration has the great potential towards the energy conservation opportunities.

17:45
Thermohydraulic Performance of Packed Bed Solar Air Heater

ABSTRACT. An experimental investigation has been carried out as per ASHRAE standards on a high porosity packed bed solar air heater. Packed bed is generally used to enhance the heat transfer area and also for storage of thermal energy. The work covers a particular range of design and operating parameters. Design parameters includes packing Reynolds number (900-8000), porosity (0.9 and 0.8) and equivalent diameter of packing material (1.55 mm). Operating parameters includes a wide range of mass flow rate ranging from 0.01 kg/s to 0.04 kg/s. It was found that both the heat transfer coefficient and friction factor are strong functions of geometrical parameters of the porous packed bed. A decrease in porosity level increases the volumetric heat transfer coefficient. A maximum of 91.7% instantaneous thermal efficiency was achieved at a mass flow rate of 0.04 kg/s and at a porosity of 0.8

17:45
Study of Effects of Knurling on Heat Transfer of Rectangular Fins through Forced Convection

ABSTRACT. This paper is an attempt to improve the heat transfer co-efficient of a rectangular plate fin through a Milling process called as Knurling. In this study, different types of knurling that can be done on rectangular plate fins are identified. These fins are modeled using Solidworks and the simulations of various conditions are run on Ansys Fluent. All the fins have equal mass as the comparison is primarily based on the idea of subjecting a rectangular plate of fixed dimensions through different types of knurling, where the length of fins varies, while maintaining constant width. It is assumed that forced convection heat transfer takes place in a channel of rectangular cross-section and the flow is turbulent. Heat transfer coefficients of knurled fins are compared among themselves and with normal rectangular fin while varying the air flow velocity in the duct, also consistency of the values is verified by varying the base temperature fin and the channel.

17:45
Techno-Enviro-Economic Feasibility of CdTe and Micromorph based thin film PV Systems
SPEAKER: S. Manikandan

ABSTRACT. In this paper, the techno-economic feasibility and environment impact of CdTe and micromorph based PV technologies has been assessed. The CdTe and micromorph based grid connected PV systems have been simulated on PVSyst software including thermal, electrical, optical losses and inverter losses. The yearly energy generation from the system is used to determine the discounted payback period and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) incorporating the yearly degradation rate of the system. The viability of CdTe and micromorph based system has been compared with conventional wafer based multi-crystalline silicon PV technology. The impact of deployment of thin film PV technologies on environment has been investigated. The embodied energy and CO2-equivalent emission of thin film PV system has been determined. The carbon footprint, energy payback time (EPBT), energy return on investment (EROI) and CO2 mitigation of CdTe and micromorph based thin film PV technologies has been evaluated for Indian conditions. A comparison of environmental impact of these technologies with multi-crystalline silicon PV technology has been presented.

17:45
Experimental studies on Thermal and Hydraulic Performance of a Cylindrical Parabolic Concentrating Solar Collector

ABSTRACT. The present work deals with the experimental investigation on heat transfer and friction factor characteristics in cylindrical parabolic concentrating solar collector fitted with and without twisted tape inside the absorber tube for twist ratios 5, 7, and 9. Reynolds number varied from 2940.990≤ Re ≥ 3772.7825, using the water as the working fluid. Over the Reynolds number range, the Nusselt number increases and friction factor decreases with increase in Reynolds number. Thermal efficiency, water outlet temperature, and Nusselt number are found the comparatively higher value for twisted tape inserts absorber tube than the same results are obtained from the plain absorber tube. The experiment is performed at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, India between 9.00 AM to 4.00 PM on an hourly basis in the clear sky with the help of precision instruments fitted with the setup for recording the temperature, volume flow rate and intensity of radiation

17:45
Reactivity & Kinetic Study of High Ash Indian Coal and Biomass blends
SPEAKER: Ankit Kumar

ABSTRACT. Due to rapid depletion of fossil fuels and environmental concerns over pollution and global warming researchers all over the world are trying to find out alternative ways for sustainable energy generation. There are many technologies for sustainable energy generation and gasification is the best among these techniques. It is a thermochemical process in which solid fuels react with air, oxygen, steam, carbon dioxide, or a mixture of these gases at a temperature exceeding 700 0C, to yield a gaseous product suitable for use either as a source of energy or as a raw material for the synthesis of chemicals, liquid fuels or other gaseous fuels. But due to non renewable nature of fossil fuels and there low reactivity it has many limitations. We can overcome these problems by blending it with biomass to make it a more viable option. Biomass is a renewable in nature, it is abundantly available, it is more reactive and above all it is carbon neutral in nature. In the present study we have carried out kinetic and reactivity study on pure as well as biomass blends to find out viable options to obtain the most efficient results

17:45
Techno-Economic Potential of Pre-Combustion CO2 Capture in Bio-Energy Pathways

ABSTRACT. Integration of CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) with biomass based energy production can play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by achieving negative emissions of CO2. This paper analyzes two key bio-energy pathways, ‘biomass gasification based hydrogen production’ and ‘anaerobic digestion for biogas production’ for their integration with CO2 Capture (CC). Each of these pathways has been analyzed based on the available literature so as to compare the following parameters: pre-combustion CO2 captured per unit of energy production, fraction of total carbon captured from the biomass feedstock, cost of energy production with and without CC, and cost of CO2 capture. It has been found that biomass gasification based H2 production offers a possibility to capture the majority of CO2 on pre-combustion basis itself. While bio-CNG production is a pathway with a relatively lower cost of energy production and lower cost of CO2 capture as well, it offers a significantly lower amount of CO2 available to be captured on pre-combustion basis.

17:45
Numerical Analysis of Heat Transfer Enhancement in Artificially Roughened Solar Air Heater
SPEAKER: Sharad Patil

ABSTRACT. The lower heat transfer coefficient between absorber plate and flowing air in the duct leads to decrease in thermal performance of solar air heater. To improve the performance of air heater, turbulence is created on the underside of absorber plate by providing artificial roughness in the heat transfer zone. In this paper, the performance of solar air heater is presented with five different types of artificial roughness such as Rectangular rib, Triangular rib, Dimpled, Chamfered rib and Inclined rib using ANSYS Fluent software. The result shows that amongst selected different roughness triangular rib roughness provided maximum heat transfer. Maximum pressure drop is obtained for inclined rib roughness. The thermo-hydraulic performance for rectangular, triangular, dimpled, chamfered, inclined ribs roughness is between 0.87-0.86, 1.02-1.24, 0.99-0.96, and 0.96-0.84 respectively.

17:45
Design and Performance Investigation of Wind Turbine Blade for Solar Updraft Tower under Low Wind Speeds

ABSTRACT. The functioning of a turbine for solar updraft tower (SUT) power plant mainly relies upon the wind properties of the site and the streamlined structure of the blades. The power and torque generated by the rotor are determined by the rotor blade geometry. In this turbine blade design, few elements are different from a large wind turbine. For example, lower Reynolds number streams happen in the small wind turbines than the substantial ones, along these lines larger scale wind turbine airfoil blades may perform ineffectively in little applications. The small turbines are self-begun at lower wind velocities, in this way the hub (centre part of a turbine) and tip parts are essential for the beginning up torque which ought to have the capacity to vanquish the resistance of the generator and the mechanical system. This paper shows the direct method of approach (BEM theory) for small scale wind turbine blade design of SUT. The tip speed ratio, optimal chord length and solidify ratio, power, lift force (FL) and drag force (FD), relative wind angle and blade pitch angle for different air velocities are evaluated and presented. At higher wind speeds, the performance of turbine was enhanced and vice versa.

17:45
Heat Transfer Augmentation in Solar Air Collector with Fins and Twisted Tape Inserts
SPEAKER: Rajesh Kumar

ABSTRACT. The present paper is an attempt to augment the heat transfer in air heating solar collector by means of attaching fins to the absorber surface and inserting the twisted tapes of twist ratio Y=2.66 in between the fins. Two similar collectors: smooth absorber and absorber with fins and twisted tapes are tested in outdoor condition for the mass flow rate ranging from 0.007 to 0.0158. Experimental results revealed that the collector with fins and twisted tape inserts performs better than that of smooth absorber solar collector. The outlet air temperature and the thermal efficiency of smooth absorber solar collector increased by 1.5 times and 1.6 times respectively at air flow rate of 0.012 kg/s.

17:45
Copper oxide synthesis on Cu foam by chemical bath deposition method with surfactants for supercapacitor

ABSTRACT. Nanostructured CuO has been synthesized by surfactant assisted chemical deposition method. The copper foam has been used as a conductive substrate for CuO deposition, which can be used as binder free electrode for supercapacitor. Due to the addition of organic surfactant Triton X-100, there is a tremendous change in structure, morphology, surface area and electrochemical property of copper oxide. The nanostructured CuO was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR). The electrochemical study was conducted through cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge testing. The XRD peaks showed that monoclinic CuO formed. The SEM images revealed the formation of flower like structure by connecting many nanosheets together. The FTIR graph confirms the formation of CuO. The binder free electrode developed using this nano petals flower CuO exhibits a high specific capacitance of 400 F/g at scan rate 5mV/s, and excellent power performance and cycling stability. This study revealed that morphology plays an important role in the supercapacitor.

17:45
Performance and Emission Analysis of Blends of Diesel and Rice Bran Oil
SPEAKER: Ramesh Kumar

ABSTRACT. This paper presents experimental studies conducted on a diesel engine using blends of Rice bran oil and Diesel . The effect of varying engine loads at constant speed on brake power, brake thermal efficiency, and fuel consumption have been observed. The variation of exhaust emission with different percentage of blends of Rice bran oil and Diesel also been observed. Comparison of diesel alone and blends of diesel+Rice bran oil was carried out and found that the values of brake thermal efficiencies were very close. Further CO2 emission is low in blends and NOx emission is high. Among the different percentage of blends, the optimum performance is given by the 20% rice bran oil and 80% diesel blend

17:45
Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis of air based Photovoltaic thermal system
SPEAKER: Sandeep Joshi

ABSTRACT. This paper presents CFD study of air based photovoltaic thermal system (PVT) with forced circulation of air. A PVT systems is a combination of photovoltaic and solar thermal system that simultaneously generates electricity and produces low grade heat. Till now, huge research work has been carried out for the performance enhancement of PVT systems; though, very few PVT systems are commercially available. The high overall cost of the PVT system, unavailability of long term performance data, unawareness about the benefits of the PVT systems to the customers and production of low grade heat; are some of the important factors responsible for less availability of PVT systems in the commercial market. In this study, CFD analysis of PVT system has been carried out for its thermal performance enhancement using radiation model available in commercial software ANSYS Fluent. The temperature distribution at the PV surface and thermal efficiencies of PVT systems are compared with the experimental results available in the literature and found to be in good agreement.

17:45
A simple flow meter for fluids at high temperature

ABSTRACT. High temperature and corrosion are the challenging obstacles for any device to be used for molten salt flow measurement. Existing flow measuring devices have limitations due to operating temperatures above 550°C, corrosion, maintenance and high cost. We have introduced a simple and an economical method of high-temperature flow measurement which involves measuring the time interval between changes in temperature of successive K-type thermocouples. The device is calibrated using cold and hot water, within the selected range of temperature 30˚C to 80˚C, and the non-dimensional thermophysical properties of molten salt and water are nearly matched. The results obtained show the device is capable of measuring the flow rates with less than 10% error.

17:45
Studies on Biomass Torrefaction and Pelletization for Energy Densification of Fuel
SPEAKER: Jay Pandey

ABSTRACT. Torrefaction of selected biomass samples, both powdered and pelleted, was successfully carried out using an indirectly heated fixed bed reactor (FBR) under different reactor temperature (200-300oC) with heating rate of 10oC/min for 60 minutes. Highest energy density about 14430 MJ/m3, at 250˚C, was found for saw dust pellets (6 mm). Torrefaction were also performed on powdered rice straw and cotton stalk biomass samples (0.6 mm). With the increase in temperature from 200 to 300°C, bio-char yield reduced from 69 to 57.5% for rice straw and 94 to 44.1% for cotton stalk. On the other hand for the rice straw and cotton stalk biomass samples, the maximum energy density was 2393 MJ/m3 and 3736 MJ/m3 respectively much lower than the pelletized saw dust samples (6 mm) indicating that torrefaction of pelleted biomass fuel is good for enhancing the energy yield and energy density of biomass materials.

17:45
Issues pertaining to Energy Conservation In Railway Workshops
SPEAKER: Suresh Mane

ABSTRACT. This study focuses on two Carriage Repair Workshops (CRW) one located at Hubli and the other at Mysore in the state of Karnataka, India which are into PoH of coaches since several decades. The study delves in two aspects viz. the drives which have promoted the ECM and the barriers which are impeding the implementation of ECM. Prioritization of barriers helps in focused attention and efforts in the process of overcoming them. The main stakeholders (officers and engineers) of CRWs are interviewed and the various dimensions pertaining to drivers and barriers are collected by face to face interviews. Totally 124 respondents which comprises of one third of the population including both the CRWs were involved in the study. Questionnaire was developed to rank the drivers and factor analysis approach was adopted to group the variables representing barriers into manageable factors and rank them. Forced ranking method was employed to rank the drivers and Factor scores for prioritizing the barriers. The top most driver for ECM was ‘the drive by the workshop management’ and the top most barrier factor was ‘motivation of employees’. This underscores the need for policy reforms by IR for aggressive implementation of ECMs in CRWs.

17:45
Experimental Investigation on the Feasibility of Sugarcane Bagasse for Gasification
SPEAKER: Joel George

ABSTRACT. Energy security and environmental apprehension, the major concerns in the energy sector have compelled the policy makers to consider energy generation from the biomass, a carbon neutral sustainable energy resource. Biomass gasification technology has a prominent role among the different technologies for converting biomass into energy. Considering the thrust on biomass based renewable energy programmes in India, gasification of agricultural crop residues has a larger scope. In this context feasibility of gasification of sugarcane bagasse in a fluidized bed, gasifier has significance and it is assessed based on biomass characterization and experimental investigation. Biomass characterization is carried out by analyzing the proximate and ultimate compositions in the biomass. A thermogravimetric analysis is also conducted to study the behavior of the biomass during thermochemical conversion process occurring during gasification. Characterization of sugarcane bagasse identified the feasibility of considering it as a feedstock for gasification. In the experimental investigation, gas yield especially the hydrogen yield obtained in air gasification under different operating conditions is analyzed. During the investigations hydrogen yield in the range of 8-11% was obtained under different operating conditions. Sugarcane bagasse is judged as a feasible feedstock for biomass gasification from its performance as a feedstock during gasification.

17:45
Steam generation using solar parabolic dish.
SPEAKER: Abhinav Singh

ABSTRACT. For medium and high temperature applications, solar concentrators are used for variety of applications. Solar concentrator steam based cooking system fabricated and tested for variety of food cooking. The experiments were done for different input parameters, which show the average efficiency of the system was 18% and the average time taken for three whistles is about 35min which is good enough for cooking. Three different food items cooked was dal, rice and vegetables. The Cooking time is evaluated for change in inlet water temperature, day of cooking, amount of water content and time of day. The experimental result suggests that the minimum thermal efficiency obtained when vegetables cooked is for dal and similar efficiency obtained for vegetables.

17:45
A case study on damage detection of wind turbine composite blade

ABSTRACT. The need for fossil fuel alternatives has triggered a vast amount of research and development in the areas like solar, biomass, tidal and wind energy. In this regard, a lot of effort has been made to harness electrical energy from the wind energy and increase efficiency in power output by adopting newest design, materials and manufacturing process. This paper describes an advanced damage detection procedure after the manufacture of wind turbine composite blade especially joints on the assembled blades by using infrared and ultrasonic inspection. Using infrared images the type of defects like lack of adhesive webs, glue voids and uncured bonds are identified. Further inspection of adhesive joints between the blade shell and main webs and detection of its size is also carried out using ultrasonic B-scan method. The defect thermographs and ultrasonic test scans of defects are also shown to show the accurate identification of the defects after manufacturing of the turbine blade. Finally, the defects like dry laminate, delamination and wrinkles identified in the turbine blade are repaired by following the appropriate methods and standards.

17:45
Thermodynamic Analysis of Diesel Engine Primed Trigeneration Configurations
SPEAKER: Sunil Bagade

ABSTRACT. Diesel Engine trigeneration systems are designed for recovering the energy from exhaust gases by integrating the engine with double effect absorption chiller. Other configurations of diesel engine trigeneration systems are not well researched. To explore the possibilities of various trigeneration configurations a careful analysis from energy, exergy and economic perspective becomes necessary. Data on diesel generator was generated by experimentation and is used as an input to Trigeneration model. Decision making tool and design guidelines for choice of appropriate trigeneration system are presented in this work to aid selection of trigeneration system.Sizing guidelines for optimum trigeneration performance based on review of available configurations are as follows. The part loading conditions of the diesel generator should be minimized and the diesel generator should be allowed to operate closer to its rated capacity. Sizing of diesel engine based trigeneration system should aim for minimum exergy destruction per TR of refrigeration.

17:45
Optimizing the stoichiometry to reduce secondary phases in earth abundant Cu-Zn-Sn-S solar cells

ABSTRACT. Cu-Zn-Sn-S(CZTS) based solar cells have intensively grabbed the research interest owing to its high absorption coefficient, optimum band gap and its eco friendly nature. The challenge lies in the synthesis of CZTS absorber film of a desired stoichiometry with diminished co-existed secondary phases. The present contribution shows the optimization of compositional ratios in CZTS absorber layer with minimal secondary phases. CZTS absorber film was co-sputtered using ZnS, SnS2 and Cu targets at fixed sputtering power for SnS2 and Cu and varying ZnS sputtering power. ZnS sputtering power was effectively controlled to get appropriate Cu/Sn and Zn/Sn compositional ratios that are critical in describing the film composition. We have successfully grown CZTS film with least number of secondary phases. It was observed that Cu/Sn ratio more than 2 leads to the formation of highly metallic Cu2S secondary phase, confirmed from XRD and Raman spectroscopy. Whereas, Cu/Sn ratio less than 2 makes Cu2S formation least favorable, independent of other composition ratios present in the CZTS layer. We have also optimized the annealing condition with a two step sulphurization process in quartz tube furnace. Finally, Al/AZO/i-ZnO/CdS/CZTS/Mo/SLG solar cell devices were fabricated with optimum stoichiometry and resulted 1.65% device efficiency without any anti-reflecting coating.

17:45
Thermo-hydraulic performance of solar air heater duct provided with conical protrusions rib roughnesses
SPEAKER: Tabish Alam

ABSTRACT. Thermal performance of Solar Air Heater (SAH) considers only useful energy gain to air, propelling through SAH duct provided with artificial roughness. Effective efficiency takes into account of energy lost due to pressure drop in the duct as well as thermal energy gain in air. In this context, an attempt has been made to study the effect of roughness parameter of conical protrusion ribs on effective efficiency. Effective efficiencies of SAH duct have been computed using developed correlations of Nusselt number and friction factor. Plots of effective efficiencies of smooth and roughened duct have been presented as a function of temperature rise parameter and Reynolds number. Based on effective efficiency criteria, values of roughness parameters have been optimized for different ranges of temperature rise parameter at different insolation. It is found that there exits sets of roughness parameters which depend on the range of temperature rise parameter.

17:45
Experimental Studies on Spherical Solar Power Generator

ABSTRACT. The objective of this study is to make a prototype of spherical solar power generator, and to experimentally study its performance. Concentrating the solar rays using optical devices will focus the sunlight to small area thus increasing the intensity. By placing multi-junction concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar cells in this small area more power can be obtained. CPV solar cells can be operated with the concentration ratio of 1000 suns, provided the cell temperature does not exceed 110°C. In this study, a single CPV triple-junction solar cell of dimension 10×10 mm2 was used and experiments were conducted for three days in the month of May 2017 with the concentration ratio of 98 suns. The heat exchanger was designed to have serpentine flow path through the aluminium case in order to extract more heat from the solar cell placed over the circuit board. A maximum power of 1.96W was obtained with an open circuit voltage of 2.51V and short circuit current of 0.78A. The result shows that the power obtained is maximum during 12 noon when the solar insolation was high during the day time. The maximum efficiency of the spherical solar power generator obtained was 18.94%.

17:45
Optimization of Spray Characteristics of Biodiesel fuel by Varying Injection Pressure Using Taguchi Method
SPEAKER: Dyanesh M

ABSTRACT. The combustion process in Internal Combustion engines is greatly influenced by the fuel injected into the chamber and its interaction with the air. Investigation of which involves analyzing injection process from the structure point of view of the fuel spray. In addition, optimizing the spray conditions is highly important in reducing the pollutant emissions and improving the engines, performance and combustion characteristics. The main objective is to optimize the various parameters of spray for different blends of biodiesel and Injection pressure mainly with respect to Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD), Spray cone angle and Spray tip penetration using the concept of Taguchi and also identifying its contribution using Analysis of Variance commonly known as ANOVA with the help of “Minitab 14.0” software where the optimum levels of the parameters were found using higher Signal - Noise ratio.

17:45
Study of performance of solar flat plate collector using Al2O3/water nanofluids
SPEAKER: Pankaj Raj

ABSTRACT. The present paper investigates the performance of solar flat collector using Al2O3/water nanofluids. The enhancement in performance of solar collector when using Al2O3 (20nm) nanofluid in comparison to base fluid has been studied here. The mass flow rate is varied from 0.5l.p.m to 2.5l.p.m (0.5,1.0,1.5,2.0&2.5) and volume fraction of nanofluid is varied from 0.01vol.% to 0.15vol.% (0.01,0.02,0.04,0.075&0.15). Experiments are carried out with stable nanofluid. The optimum condition for maximum efficiency is found to be 2.0l.p.m and 0.15vol.%. The efficiency is found to increase from 46.3% for water to 73.1% for 0.15vo.%Al2O3 nanofluid at 2l.p.m flow rate. A maximum rise in temperature of 22OC was obtained for 0.5l.p.m and 0.15vol.%.

17:45
Understanding the Trends in Electricity Supply and Its Implications on Rural Residential Feeders
SPEAKER: Sneha Swami

ABSTRACT. GoI has a target to provide 24 hours electricity supply to all the consumers by March 2019. It is important to understand the effect of supply availability on the feeder parameters where load shedding has been already removed. The present study analyses the feeder parameters of rural residential feeders in the Kalyan region, where the load shedding has been removed from June 2015. This study undertakes the analysis of rural residential feeders under 3 substations of Kalyan regions, where feeder parameters such as electricity consumption, all types of interruptions (duration and frequency), AT&C losses and bill collection efficiency are analyzed. The effect of reduction in load shedding on the availability of electricity supply and consumption pattern is analyzed. Statistical tests were conducted to see the changes in AT&C losses, mean consumption and bill collection efficiency pre- and post- load shedding period. Electricity is an important driver in the overall development of the region. This study intends to reflect upon the impacts of reliable electricity supply and its effects on feeder parameters.

17:45
Investigation on performance and emission characteristics of SI engine fuelled by hydrogen rich syngas and biogas
SPEAKER: Vikram Rathod

ABSTRACT. This study aimed to investigate the performance and emissions of single cylinder SI engine fuelled with biogas and hydrogen rich syngas. The syngas consist of varying volume percentage of H2, CO, CH4 and CO2. The experimental work on single cylinder four stroke air cooled engine fuelled with Biogas, Syngas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Pipe Natural Gas (PNG). The performance parameters were engine load, Gas consumption, Brake Specific Gas consumption and Thermal efficiency. Primary focus of this research was on investigating engine performance fuelled with biogas and syngas. For purpose of the comparison with conventional fuel, LPG and PNG were also considered as reference fuels. The composition of syngas and biogas were taken as (H2: CO: CH4: CO2 = 25: 25: 25: 25) and (CH4 : CO2 = 60: 40) by volume respectively. The emissions measured during the experiments were CO (ppm), CO2 (%),NO (ppm) and NOx (ppm). The engine operated at maximum of 44% load with Syngas and 40% load with biogas. At full engine load performance of engine was superior for PNG than LPG. Exhaust emissions suggest lower levels of CO, CO2, NO, and NOx for syngas compared to biogas.

17:45
Solar PV for Irrigation in India: Developing a framework for determining appropriate pump characteristics for a region
SPEAKER: Namita Sawant

ABSTRACT. Solar photovoltaic (SPV) pumps for irrigation are being used widely across the world for various reasons like increase in green energy, reduction in diesel usage, and a reliable source of energy to provide livelihoods to farmers. In this work we develop a framework based on secondary datasets, to determine appropriate pump sizes and characteristics for a district to address the needs of the appropriate demographic of farmers. We conduct primary surveys in two districts of Maharashtra (Akola, Buldhana) where the government has implemented an SPV pumps scheme to verify the efficacy of the framework. We find that the pump sizes being promoted are quite large and under-utilized by the typical small farmer. Through this same framework we also determine the seasonality of unused energy that could be fed back into the grid by net-metering. The framework could be used to determine seasonal tariffs that encourage water efficiency, yet prevent gaming. We analyze the current SPV pumps scheme being implemented in Maharashtra.

17:45
Experimental Investigation of Thermosyphon Heat Pipe Collector with and without Integrated TES Unit

ABSTRACT. Solar energy is a clean abundant and easily accessible form of renewable energy.Its intermittent and dynamic nature makes thermal energy storage(TES) systems highly valuable for many applications.In present work two identical collectors consisting of serpentine type 3 loop thermosyphon,of which one is integrated with a back container of TES unit is designed.Outdoor experiments are carried out to demonstrate benefits of Heat Pipe collector with TES and without TES unit for water heating application. These collectors are tested for different tilt angles and varying working fluids (Distil-water, (Al2O3-water) nano-fluid with concentrations(0.05, 0.25 and 0.5 by wt ) , (Al2O3-water) + surfactant , water + surfactant ).The highest efficiencies are obtained at 50˚ tilt angle in their range for both the collectors. Water+surfactant, Surfactant-Nanofluids, nanofluids as working fluid in the heat pipe collector bestowed better performance as compared to pure water. Performance Enhancement trend is observed with increase in the concentration of the nanofluid. Collector with TES unit comprising paraffin wax as PCM bestowed higher performance compared to collector without TES unit, with an extended output of 3 to 4 hrs during off shine period. This paper presents comparative study for instantaneous efficiency,Energy release rate,Effectiveness for collectors with and without TES unit.

17:45
Improving the Short-Wavelength Spectral Response of multi-crystalline Silicon Solar Cells by ZnS Downshifting phosphor Nanoparticles

ABSTRACT. The present paper focuses on down shifting properties of ZnS Nanoparticles(NP) phosphors. ZnS Nanoparticles (NP) phosphors successfully synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method. The down-shifting of ZnS Nanoparticles (NP) phosphor is designed to overcome the energy losses due to spectral mismatch when a high energy photon is incident on the Si-solar cell. Phase identification and surface morphology were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques respectively. The down-shifting Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum has been studied using 300 nm excitation wavelength. The phosphor exhibits emission at 500 nm in the visible region. The UV-Visible transmittance spectra show some absorption dips at UV and near the visible area as well as help to determine the bandgap of the ZnS Nanoparticles(NP). The prepared ZnS Nanoparticles(NP) were applied over the anti-reflection coating multi-crystalline(mc) silicon solar cell along with PMMA in ex-situ form and the Quantum Efficiency spectra results are compared in between the bare solar cell and ZnS Nanoparticles(NP)/PMMA coated mc-Si photovoltaic cell

17:45
Development of Framework to Estimate Crop-wise, Region-wise Electricity Usage for Irrigation

ABSTRACT. In this work we develop a framework to estimate region-wise, crop-wise, electricity usage, for irrigation using secondary datasets. The main secondary datasets considered were electricity consumption in agricultural feeders, Minor Irrigation Census data for water sources, Groundwater Survey and Development Agency data on well depth, theoretical crop water requirement, cropping area and rainfall recordings from the Department of Agriculture. Three case studies in Nasik, Nanded and Kolhapur district of Maharashtra were done to verify the efficacy of the framework at the village level. In these cases, we find that the amount of irrigation water used by farmers largely abides by the theoretical requirement. Hence the cropping pattern and total electricity used in a region, whether at feeder level, taluka level or district level, can be used to find average energy consumption per acre by a particular crop within that geographical boundary. We find that farmers use water sources in many indirect ways which complicates their use in the framework. Also the secondary data on water sources is unreliable, hence water heads and sources cannot be used to calculate energy usage. The method developed here can be used in states with a dominant number of irrigators supplied by agricultural feeders.

17:45
Thermo-hydraulic Performance of Solar Air Heater Roughened with V-Shaped Ribs combined with V-Shaped Perforated Baffles

ABSTRACT. A 3-D CFD numerical investigation of solar air heater roughened with V-shaped ribs and V-shaped perforated baffles have been presented in this study. A Numerical study has been carried out in ANSYS FLUENT by employing RNG k-epsilon turbulence model with enhanced wall treatment condition. CFD results are validated with previous experimental work. The Reynolds number varied from 4000 to 18000 and open area ratio (β) is varied from 12% to 36%. In this study, energy balance has been used to obtain the value of the Nusselt number and thermal efficiency of solar air heater which results that, the thermal performance of roughened solar air heater is much better than the smoother one. The maximum value of the Nusselt number and thermal efficiency correspond to open area ratio (β) of 12%.The maximum value of thermo-hydraulic performance parameter obtained for open area ratio (β) of 24% at all Reynolds number . Airflow behavior has been analyzed by velocity contour and turbulence kinetic energy contour.

17:45
Thermal Performance Analysis of a Heat Pump Based Photovoltaic/Thermal System
SPEAKER: Vaishak S

ABSTRACT. Increased energy consumption and environmental pollution have necessitated the use of renewable energy sources. Among the various renewable energy sources, solar energy seems to be the most promising one that can meet the energy demand in the nearby future. Photovoltaic (PV) is the best-known method for generating the electricity from solar and these modules have an efficiency in the range of 6-18%. The efficiency of the PV module mainly depends on the cells semiconductor material, irradiation and temperature. For effectively utilizing the available solar radiation and to improve the performance of the module, it is required to extract the heat accumulated on the PV module and use it for other applications. It was identified that a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system which simultaneously produced heat and electricity have greater potential to be used as a hybrid system for domestic and commercial applications. Based on this, here the thermal performance of a heat pump based PV/T was evaluated and analyzed via a steady-state numerical model.

17:45
Performance evaluation of PV assisted solar dryer for drying ber (Zizyphus mauritiana) fruit

ABSTRACT. Recently photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar collectors are popular technologies towards harvesting solar energy. A PV/T collector is a combination of photovoltaic and solar thermal components integrated into one system that capable of producing both electrical and thermal energy simultaneously. For the fulfilling our purposes, a new PV assisted solar dryer was designed and developed at CAZRI, Jodhpur to dry perishable arid agricultural produces. In this paper, the performance of a PV assisted solar dryer was evaluated with ber fruit because it is one of the popular seasonal fruit in India but highly perishable in nature. During the performance evaluation, the maximum stagnation temperature inside the drying chamber was observed 70°C and on loading with 18 kg ber it reduced to 60°C, while outside ambient temperature was 23°C on a clear sky condition (from 08:00 hr to 18:00 hr) in the month of January, 2017. During the drying process, moisture content of ber fruits was reduced from 80% (wet basis) to about 24% within 8 days. The performance of the hybrid dryer was compared with that of open sun drying. The efficiency of this dryer was found 16.7%.

17:45
Tuning the Solar Power Generation Curve by Optimal Design of Solar Tree Orientations
SPEAKER: Sumon Dey

ABSTRACT. The paper presents a new design of a solar tree where solar panels are appropriately positioned similar to the leaves of a tree. Compared to fixed orientation solar panels, the main advantage of a solar tree is the ability to optimize the orientation of individual solar leaves in order to tune the power generation curves as required, for example, increasing the energy production during the winter months when solar insolation is low. Since orientation of solar panels is key to achieving the maximum productivity of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants, data driven and location specific approach is employed to determine optimal orientation of 5 solar panels for solar tree structure for 7 locations covering a large latitude range. Compared to the commonly employed latitude tilt orientation for solar PV modules, optimal solar tree design shows the feasibility of tuning the power generation curves to increase the power production in winter months or any other desired months. Locations having high DNI and high standard deviation in the solar insolation curve show higher potential for such tuning. Also, higher number of solar panels in a solar tree provides higher degrees of freedom and hence larger flexibility to tune the power generation curve.

17:45
Kinetic study of polyamine activated aqueous diethyl ethanol amine solutions for carbon dioxide absorption

ABSTRACT. Aqueous solutions of polyamine activated diethyl ethanol amine are energy efficient solvents for the chemisorption of carbon dioxide. In this study polyamines such as (methylamino)propylamine(MAPA) and diethylenetriamine(DETA) were used as activators. DETA was found to have better kinetic characteristics than MAPA. Experiments were conducted in a stirred cell reactor under fast pseudo first order conditions. Studies were carried out with activator concentration in the range 0.1-0.5M and temperature range 303-313K. The activation energy in the temperature range of study for MAPA and DETA was calculated to be 36.41 kJ/mol and 30.92 kJ/mol respectively

17:45
Biomass Gasifier Powered Adsorption Chiller for Atmospheric Water Harvesting: Prospects in Developing World

ABSTRACT. Availability of drinking water is one of the emerging challenges of 21st century. This problem is more acute in arid, semi-arid regions and population centers because of continuous dropping of ground water levels and increasing pollution of surface water bodies. In this regard, atmospheric water harvesting (AWH), i.e., cooling of the ambient air for moisture condensation is a promising alternative. AWH allows us to obtain clean drinking water in regions geographically far away from sea, rivers and other water bodies. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop relevant off-grid and environmental friendly AWH systems. Here we investigate the potential of a biomass-gasifier powered adsorption refrigeration system for AWH. We develop a thermodynamic model to estimate the water harvesting performance of this adsorption based AWH system. Ambient weather conditions and surplus biomass availability in various developing countries are considered to quantify the AWH potential of this system. We show that the proposed AWH system can fulfil the basic (drinking and cooking) water needs of around 19, 16, 12, 4 and 7% of the populations in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and India, respectively.

17:45
Electrochemical Study of Solid State Supercapacitor with Activated Carbon Electrodes
SPEAKER: Ranjitha V P

ABSTRACT. Preparation and characterization of activated carbon electrode is proposed in the present work, activated carbon powders were coated on copper foil with a polymer binder. The electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffractometer and zeta particle analyzer. The AC electrodes further characterized with cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy for the assessment of supercapacitor application, was found to be 152 F/g and 265 F/g in aqueous and gel Na2So4 as electrolyte respectively, to propose this electrode as a potential candidate for future AC electrode based supercapacitor for applications in electronics.

17:45
Thermodynamic analysis and Optimization of NH3-H2O Absorption Refrigeration System Based on Energy and Exergy Perspectives
SPEAKER: Vinay Sharma

ABSTRACT. This study presents thermodynamic analysis and optimization of single effect aqua-ammonia absorption cooling system. Mathematical models have been derived from thermodynamic theory to compute the optimum performance parameters. In this study, cut off temperature to operate system has been obtained at various operating temperatures. Analysis depicts that on rise in evaporator temperature from -5 to 5 C, the required cut-off temperature decreased from 72 to 59 C. By means of realistic comparison between thermodynamic first and second law analysis, optimum generator temperature corresponding to maximum COP and minimum exergy destruction has been evaluated. It is found that optimum generator temperature relative to exergy approach is lower by 11 C compared to energy approach. . Optimum generator temperature is strong function of evaporator and condenser temperature. Thus, it is feasible to determine optimum generator temperature for certain ranges of evaporator and condenser temperatures. Optimum generator temperature contours for several combinations of condenser and absorber temperatures have been also depicted.

17:45
Performance Comparison and Thermodynamic Analysis of Solar Powered LiBr-H2O and NH3-H2O Absorption System for Residential Cooling

ABSTRACT. This study represents the comparison of thermodynamic performance and parametric optimization of solar powered vapour absorption system with working fluids as LiBr-H2O and NH3-H2O for residential cooling. A model of 20 kW is analysed in Engineering Equation Solver (EES) from energetic and exergetic perspectives using steady state conditions. Flat plate collectors (FPC) are integrated with a thermal storage tank that fuelled the absorption chiller to produce refrigeration at 5 °C in evaporator. Both pairs are investigated parametrically at various operating temperature and different ambient conditions. Required solar collector area to operate the chillers has been evaluated. Final result shows that LiBr-H2O working fluid pairs performs thermodynamically better in comparison to NH3-H2O under identical conditions. Appealing analysis revealed that the required solar collector area for LiBr-H2O pair is about 30 % lowers than NH3-H2O pair to meet the cooling demand and optimum heat source temperature for LiBr-H2O cycle is about 2.5 C lower than NH3-H2O cycle for all ambient conditions

17:45
Some Investigations of External Shading Devices on Thermal and Day lighting Performance of a Building
SPEAKER: Kishor Mane

ABSTRACT. Solar heat gain through windows is a significant factor in determining the cooling load of buildings. External shading devices are extensively used in buildings to reduce the cooling load. However, use of shading devices reduce illuminance level inside the room which in turn increases the use of artificial lighting. A case study is carried out to study the impact of four different types of shading devices on solar gain, cooling load, lighting gain and illuminance level in four rooms facing west facade at hostel building located in coastal area near to Mumbai. A computerized simulation tool (IES) is used to carry out the investigations. The results indicate that egg crate and diagonal fins shading devices performs better compared to other shading devices. Peak cooling load is reduced by about 28% with egg crate shading device with 500 lux illuminance level.

17:45
Exergy and Energy analysis of a packed bed thermal energy storage system using different heat transfer fluids.
SPEAKER: Ambuj Punia

ABSTRACT. The requirement for energy is increasing at a very high rate, fulfilment of which is nearly impossible with the help of fossil fuels or conventional sources of energy. Also, the heavy exploitation of fossil fuels has become a major contributor to global warming. Renewable energy sources can help to mitigate this situation. But being intermittent in nature, there arise a need to store them. This paper focus on the storage of solar thermal energy. In the present study, exergy and energy evaluation of a packed bed solar thermal energy storage using different heat transfer fluids namely air, water and oil has been carried out. From the experimental investigation, it has been observed that, the average exergy and energy efficiency when air is used as the heat transfer fluid is better than when other two fluids are used. While for individual case of charging and discharging, water shows a sharp temperature profile followed by oil and air. The overall exergy or second law efficiency and total energy efficiency for the system has been tabulated. Further, future scope of study has also been given which can be done with the help of different heat storage materials and innovative heat transfer fluids.

17:45
Mathematical Modeling of Heat Losses from Cylindrical Cavity Receiver in Solar Parabolic Dish
SPEAKER: Ramola Sinha

ABSTRACT. The recent experimental investigations on model receiver with constant heat flux boundary condition have studied that the temperature distribution along the cavity walls is seen to vary with cavity inclination. This paper presents a mathematical analysis of heat losses from cylindrical cavity receiver subjected to constant heat flux boundary conditions. The empirical correlations for the radiation and total heat loss Nusselt numbers and its influencing parameters like Grashoff number (Gr), cavity tilt angle (θ), temperature ratio (T_a⁄T_w ) and conductance parameter (γ)were proposed. The mathematical analysis and empirical correlations is based on experimental results in previous published data. In mathematical analysis, the natural convection heat loss is observed to be more sensitive to the cavity tilt angle in comparison to radiation and conduction heat losses. The radiation and conduction losses are not constant as initially estimated; they increase with increase in cavity inclination. It led us to conclude that it may not be accurate to predict convection heat loss using previously developed correlations based on the isothermal wall condition. Secondly, even though the variation in radiation and conduction heat losses with cavity inclination is small, it needs to be considered for accurate design of solar parabolic dish receiver system.

17:45
Numerical Investigation of Total heat loss from Cylindrical Solar Cavity Receiver under Wind Conditions
SPEAKER: Ramola Sinha

ABSTRACT. Design of solar parabolic dish-cavity receiver system has been a subject of interest for the renewable energy community. Thermal and optical losses affect the performance of a solar parabolic dish-cavity receiver system. The total heat loss from cavity receiver in parabolic dish system is the main parameter. So the main aim is to minimize the convection Total heat loss and harnessing the maximum amount of solar energy. Till today many researchers have worked on wind test and considered wind effect for experimental investigation only; in authors information very few have considered wind effect for numerical investigation of cylindrical cavity receiver. This study examines numerically the Total heat loss from a cylindrical solar cavity receiver model under wind conditions. In this study, numerical investigation of the steady state Total heat losses occurring at wind conditions from a cylindrical cavity receiver for fluid inlet temperatures of 50ºC and 70ºC is carried out. Wind velocity 1m/s and 3 m/s have been considered. Total heat loss is 10.24% higher at 3 m/s as compared to 1 m/s in case of 50ºC investigation, 4.96% higher in case of 70ºC inlet temperature for downward facing cavity receiver. Numerical results are in good agreement with experimental result.

17:45
An experimental study on Late PCCI technique for reducing NOx and smoke under optimum operating conditions on DI diesel engine

ABSTRACT. Authors have made attempts to study late premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI). The late PCCI type is found better than early fuel injection strategies, since it is characterized by the near TDC injection timings, thus reduction of unburnt hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide due to less wall impingement. In the work done, the fuel injection pressure was maintained constant 500 bar along with 30% EGR. The experiments were carried out by retarding the fuel injection timings from 3480 to 3560 crank angles. In PCCI, burning of most of the fuel is happened in the premixed combustion phase. From the heat release rate graphs, it was observed that the second stage combustion peak is continuously reducing as the injection timings are retarded. This indicates the formation of a well premixed mixture, and reduction of smoke formation. It was also observed that, as the peak of premixed combustion increased, the emissions like smoke and NOx decreased. The concluded remarks noted that the different emission, combustion and performance characteristics were studied and an optimum injection timing 3560 was observed to offer reasonably good results in terms of reducing smoke, NOx, CO.

17:45
Effect of Hydrogen Addition on the Performance of Biodiesel (Pongamia Pinnata) Fueled Compression Ignition Engine Using EGR
SPEAKER: Karrthik R S

ABSTRACT. In recent decades, the handling of conventional fuel increased dramatically due to the increase in automotive and industrial sector. In order to overcome the depleting fossil fuels, alternative fuel is considered, which a reliable source in the upcoming decades. Pongamia Pinnata is an ideal alternative fuel and hydrogen is expected to be an attractive alternative fuel in the near future to meet the stringent emission norms. This paper investigates the performance and emission characteristics of four stroke single cylinder compression ignition engine with pongamia pinnata as an injected and hydrogen as an inducted fuel with EGR. In order to improve the performance of the engine, the experiment is conducted for different flow rate of hydrogen induction in the intake manifold with different EGR ratios. The performance and emission parameters were investigated with pongamia pinnata biodiesel fueled CI engine with variable flow rate of hydrogen induction with different EGR ratios. In the present study it was observed that, the brake thermal efficiency was reduced by 1.31% and the emissions like NOx, HC, CO was decreased by 2.22 %, 10.52%, 95.45% respectively for 10% EGR at full-load conditions with 10 LPM of hydrogen induction, when compared with diesel operation.

17:45
Comparison of Different Photovoltaic Array Configurations under Partial Shading Condition
SPEAKER: Vandana Jha

ABSTRACT. The objective of this paper is to compare the performances of different photovoltaic (PV) array configurations under partial shading condition (PSC). The array output characteristics for different PV array configurations: Series (S), Parallel (P), Series-Parallel (SP), Total-Cross-Tied (TCT), Bridge-Linked (BL), Honey-Comb (HC) and hybrid configurations: Series Parallel-Total Cross Tied (SPTCT) and Bridge Linked-Total Cross Tied (BLTCT) are generated under uniform irradiance condition (UIC) and PSC corresponding to a particular shading pattern with and without bypass diodes. The performances of all these configurations have been compared by considering their maximum powers, fill-factors and relative power losses for a particular shading pattern. The single-diode model of PV module is considered in this paper for modeling of PV module and PV array and the overall procedure is implemented by MATLAB programing. The obtained programing results of different PV array configurations give useful understanding regarding the performances of these configurations under PSC.

19:45-21:00 Session : Dinner
Location: VMCC Ground Floor Foyer/ Outside