1. Collaboration in Research and Development of New Curriculum in Sound and Vibration
Under the joint research activity, a detailed literature review on ‘Low Frequency Vibration Comfort’ has been completed and it includes ride and activity comfort related to passengers traveling by rail vehicles. Based on the gaps identified in the literature review, a vibration test chamber has been designed, fabricated and installed at Mech. & Ind. Engg. Dept. The work to control temperature and humidity in the vibration chamber is in progress. Further an extensive survey of the courses in the area of Sound and Vibration across the world has been conducted. The survey of teaching and evaluation methodology in Indian and European educational systems has also been carried out and difference between the two systems has been clearly brought out.
2. Slurry Erosion Properties of Laser Cladding
The aim of this project is to develop laser cladding process for hard facing of relatively soft substrate to increase its erosion resistance. Two substrate materials namely, Aluminium alloy – AA6063 and steel alloy – SS304L have been selected to clad three different hard facing powders namely, Molybdenum, Tungsten carbide and Chromium carbide. A 10 kW CO2 laser system with co-axial nozzle powder feeder, available at CAT Indore, was initially used for clad formation on both the substrate materials, however, it was found that this procedure is not suitable for AA6063. Thus for Aluminum alloy, pre-pasted powders of Mo and WC in different proportion were applied to form Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) at the surface. It has been observed that surface hardness is increased sufficiently in both the cases. A pot tester has been designed and developed at IIT Roorkee for erosion testing of materials after extensive experiments on suspension of solids in a cylinder. The erosion resistance of the laser clad surfaces has shown little improvement however their abrasion and corrosion resistances have increases significantly. It has been observed that the erosion resistance of WC and Cr2C3 clad on SS 304L has increased approximately 1.5 times in comparison to that of the substrate. A 30:70 ratio mixture of Mo:WC on AA 6063 is found to give better results in terms of bonding and wear resistance. The experimental work of the project has been completed and its final report is to be submitted by July end of this year.
3. Cost-Effective Transportation of Bulk Solids Through Slurry Pipelines
A pilot plant for hydraulic transportation of solids through pipelines using centrifugal pumps has been developed. It consists of closed loop around 40 m long 50 mm NB pipe with a centrifugal slurry pump, mixing tank, measuring tank and stirrer arrangement. A magnetic flow meter is installed for flow measurement and pressure transmitters are to be used for pressure measurement. A non contact density monitor is installed in the vertical pipeline for monitoring the solid concentration of the slurry flow. The pump is capable to handle various slurries up to concentration of 60% by weight. A Pilot plant is set-up in the department to carry out investigations on flow of solid-liquid mixtures and related parameters. Such a facility will further get support from FLY ASH MISSION, DST also.
4. A Study of Forced Convection Condensation of Eco-Friendly Refrigerants Inside a Horizontal Tube
The conventional refrigerants viz. CFCs and HCFCs are going to be phased out owing to their ozone depletion properties and global warming effects. So, the new eco-friendly refrigerants have come into the market. The thermal behavior of these refrigerants during forced convection condensation inside a horizontal tube is little known. Therefore, an experimental investigation is proposed to be conducted to study the heat transfer during forced convection condensation of eco-friendly refrigerants inside a horizontal tube. The augmentation in heat transfer during condensation inside a horizontal tube by using passive techniques will also be investigated. A generalized correlation will be developed to predict the condensation heat transfer coefficient. The results of this investigation will facilitate the practicing engineers in designing a compact heat exchanger for new refrigerants. Further, this investigation will not only help in saving the construction material of condensers but also lead to a better performing unit
5. Influence of Low-Frequency Vibration on Activity Comfort While Traveling by Railway Vehicles
Recent studies have shown that vibration disturbs a significant number of passengers in performing their activities like reading, writing, and drinking while traveling by train. This is an important issue since most passengers use their traveling time for sedentary activities. Furthermore, most passengers like businessmen, employees, and students use the railway as a mobile office during their traveling time.
6. Channel Heat Up Experiments: Ballooning in Accidental Coolant Loss in Nuclear Reactor
In case of an accidental coolant loss in a nuclear reactor, the reactor is shut down immediately. The temperature of the reactor, however, rises at a rate of 3°C per second due to the decay effect of the radioactive nuclear fuel. With the above rate of temperature rise, the reactor can reach the melting point of the cladding material leading to structural failure and exposure of radioactive materials to the environment. Such a case is the worst kind of accidental scenario one can visualize in a nuclear reactor. Utmost care must be taken to avoid such an accidental scenario. The above project aims at simulating the ballooning of a pressure tube at the time of accidental coolant loss in the nuclear reactor. The behavior of these tubes will be noted at different temperatures of a pressure tube and at different rates of temperature rise of pressure tube as well, while the calandria tube will be maintained at the temperature of about 60- 70°C. These data will be used to validate PTCREEP and HEATCATS code available in BARC. In addition to the above, the contact conductance between the pressure tube (PT) and calandria tube (CT) will also be determined. The information obtained through this work will be quite helpful for the future development of nuclear reactors for power generation.
