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𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵: 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗗𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 ♻
Today, India is discussing two (2) different news. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for offshore wind energy projects at a total outlay of Rs. 7453 Crores, including an outlay of Rs. 6853 Crores for installation and commissioning of 1 GW of offshore wind energy projects (500 MW each off the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu), and grant of Rs. 600 Crores for up-gradation of two ports to meet logistics requirements for offshore wind energy projects. The successful commissioning of these offshore wind projects will produce renewable electricity of about 3.72 billion units annually, which will result in the annual reduction of 2.98 million tons of CO2 equivalent emission for a period of 25 years.
Earlier today, the Hon’ble PM inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University at Rajgir in Bihar, close to its ancient remnants. He also planted a sapling as he inaugurated the campus. The inauguration ceremony was attended by several distinguished individuals, including heads of missions from 17 countries. The campus is designed as a ‘Net Zero’ Green Campus, making it self-sustaining with the help of solar plants, domestic and drinking water treatment plants, a water recycling plant for reusing wastewater, 100 acres of water bodies, and numerous other environment-friendly facilities.
The common thread in both the news illustrated above, is the focus on a bright future for the people – education and environment – technology being an enabler. Contemplating these events of hope, the sight of a thermal power plant emitting harmful gases to the environment flashed, captured while visiting the city of Jhansi, more than a decade ago on an official assignment. It again reminds us of an urgent need to take urgent steps to abate the harmful impacts of the pollution by fossil by implementing suitable De-SOx or FGD, Decarbonisation measures, etc.
Incidentally, June 18 is a day of remembrance for Jhansi (and Bharat), famous for being the princely state whose legendaryQueen Laxmi Bai, dressed as a man, got killed in the combat while leading the war for independence against the British empire 166 years ago. Some believe that the Rani (Queen) did not want the British forces to capture her body and told hermit to burn it. She, among others, inspired generations of freedom fighters whose resolute struggles led to India’s independence.
The contemporary challenges facing us are diverse, and we, the society and our leadership, must strive for a sustainable habitat, cleaner air, and healthy living conditions for progenies. This will be our real tribute the ‘Rani’ 👸
Credits to Owners
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Engineering Drawing – A Quintessential Discipline 💯
Engineering Drawing, essentially a Mechanical Engineering subject, is probably the most talked about subject in any engineering institution. Maiden experience with Drafter & instruments, A1 sheet, First/ Third angle, Levels, Elevation/ Plan/ Side views, Scale/NTS and many more we encountered in the very first year of college. It is the language engineers and technicians use to interact with one another and deliver the desired product.
The technical drawings, conveying information about an object, can be categorized into various types, and a few are listed as:
1. Assembly: Popularly known as General Arrangement Drawing (GAD), It specifies the final product in a completely assembled condition. The drawing can have a Bill of Material (BOM) on the same/ separate sheet, as per the practice and extent of information shown in the drawing. Part drawings show the sub-assemblies, components etc. to be used in an assembly.
2. Layout: It depicts the placement of various facilities and equipments in a plant.
3. Piping & Instrumentation: Popularly known as ‘P&ID’, it shows the process piping, valves and instrumentations arranged in a sequence/ schematic. It, however, does not explain the arrangement/ dimensions of these components. Single-line diagram is its electrical equivalent.
4. Fabrication: A fabrication drawing provides information suitable for fabricating the component from raw materials like plates etc. Even, casting/ forgings can be kept in this category.
5. Machining: Information pertaining to converting a fabricated component into the machined component of the required dimensions in a machine shop is provided in this type of drawing. It also shows the surface conditions of the components.
6. Erection: Also, termed as Installation drawing, it is used by Site engineers to erect the components at a project site.
7. Architectural: It provides the detailing of any facility/ building and/or its elements from architectural aspects, such as how it will function and look, like type of materials used, doors/ windows/ shutters/ stairs/ elevators etc., when constructed.
8. Isometrics: It is a 3D representation of the piping routes across the equipments and interconnections. A 2D representation of an object is termed as Orthographic drawing.
9. Foundation: It specifies the requirements of casting a foundation of equipment/ facility and is a ‘Civil’ engineering domain. “Released for Construction (RFC)’ drawing is a final deliverable by the project team for use at site.
Sometimes, we use sketches or outlines for references. Companies employ 2D or 3D platforms to work on engineering drawings, as applicable. There is a set of standard Drawing Office Practices (DOP), integral to their winning strategy, being followed by every engineering organization.
This post is to disseminate the learning gathered over a period and any suggestion for improvement is most welcome.
Machinability – An Important Aspect in the Manufacturing Industry ⚙
An engineering student meets the shock of her life while entering the workshop in the very first year of college. Story continues & most engineering students, irrespective of their discipline, become aware of various mechanical operations like carpentry, foundry, machining, etc. by the end of their first year. Let us refresh our learnings of machining operation and its significance in the industry. Machining has been categorized as ‘Dividing’, one of the seven core techniques used extensively in the manufacturing industry, as per a comprehensive taxonomy created by McKinsey & Co, as per an article published a while ago.
Have you ever wondered what a symbol indicated on the right top corner in a manufacturing drawing means? A manufacturing engineer and the operator working in the workshop decide their sequence of operations on a given job/ workpiece based on a similar symbol and other details specified in the drawing.
This indicated that the surface finish of the component is to be obtained by removing the material by any machining process. If the horizontal bar is not indicated and it is left as just a tick mark (✔) consisting of two legs of unequal length. If the surface finish does not call for the removal of material, a circle is drawn in the basic tick mark symbol. This is important to note that many times designers decide to procure castings or forgings or fabricated components in either rough machined or finish machined depending on the job requirement and or the shop loading.
The surface preparation is critical from various points and depends on the requirement, availability of machine tools, skill of the operator, type of metal, painting requirement, cost sensitivity of the use, et al. Further, the property which majorly governs the surface finish is the ‘machinability’ which can be understood in such a way that the most machinable metal permits the material removal with the required finish at the lowest cost. It depends on the machine tool variables such as cutting speed, feed/ depth of cut, tool material/ form, cutting fluid, shape/ size of the job, etc. Further, the ease of machining is affected by the properties of the job material such as hardness, tensile properties, chemical composition, microstructure, strain hardenability, and degree of cold work, given other conditions remain the same. Generally, the order of machinability is – Magnesium alloys & Bearing Bronze being excellent and Wrought Iron & Stainless Steel as the poorest – in terms of relative machinability.
In the era of artificial intelligence & and machine learning, we explore & deploy systems for predictive analytics of the machine tools for proper planning & maintenance, for optimum use of resources and reduced downtime.
For further learning, students may refer to any standard book or journal on manufacturing technology and advancements therein.
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Constructive Feedback – A Prerequisite for Excellence
निंदक नियरे राखिए, ऑंगन कुटी छवाय। बिन पानी, साबुन बिना, निर्मल करे सुभाय।। — Kabir Das
Kabir Das, a 15th century Indian mystic poet and saint, emphasized the role of ‘critic’ in the development of human being. He states that we should invite our critic whose criticism guides us to work on the areas of improvement by the self only, without any external influence. Taking a cue from the great saying of Kabir Das, constructive criticism by mentor works as a feedback for the students and must be taken in the positive spirit only for self-development and not as an offence.
It is mentor’s responsibility to make her student better than before. Some of the points important for the students to note and internalize can be discussed as below:
-First Deserve, then Desire: There is nothing wrong in desiring anything, howsoever, impossible it may appear. It is, however, imperative to first work on the self to be ready for the same. Just wishful thinking would not take us any far. A concrete foundation is required to build a invincible fort of excellence. Dreams do not have any expiry date and we must have the courage to invest in our own self to improve.
-Life is about Celebration, not Regret: As is said, we must look at life with positivity and just a sphere of endless struggle. Life is all about success, failure, rejoice, sorrow, triumph, celebration and so on. Go with the flow, learn new skills and try to make it better every next moment. Our attempt should be to win over the difficult situations with a tact and have plan B for every plan A. Mentor’s words and experiences do come handy in such situations.
John C. Maxwell rightly says: “It’s said that a wise person learns from his mistakes. A wiser one learns from others’ mistakes. But the wisest person of all learns from others’ successes.” This must be our mantra in life.
-Competency is required along with Eligibility: A perfect blend of talent, interest and of course, with the needed opportunity is a sure recipe for anyone to achieve excellence in life. Many times, it is seen that students (and senior professionals as well) get frustrated when they do not get through a job. It is important to work on improving the competency. The world is a realistic place and achieving success is relative to our peers and competitors.
गुरु कुम्हार शिष कुंभ है, गढि गढि काढैं खोट। अंतर हाथ सहार दै, बाहर बाहै चोट।। — Kabir Das
Another gem of Kabir just illustrated, lays down the role of Guru (Mentor), who like the Potter, carves the best out of her mentee (Pot) by curing the flaws of the disciple with utmost care by developing her with inner strength while critiquing (pounding the pot) from outside.
This summarizes the essence of the relationship between Mentor & Mentee. Look forward to constructive criticism…
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Nuclear Energy – A Journey of 78 Years!
For 78 years, nuclear energy has been one of the most discussed and argued issues in the world. It is both a boon and a bane, depending on how we use it. Let us explore the journey.
On 16 July 1945, the world witnessed the successful testing of the first-ever nuclear fission in a remote desert location near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The first successfully detonated atomic bomb – the Trinity Test – created an enormous mushroom cloud some 40,000’ high ushering the world in the Atomic Age.
It was the culmination of the efforts referred to as the ‘Manhattan Project’ by the allies led by the USA. The project was started in 1939 by the USA after intelligence agencies suspected that scientists working for Adolf Hitler had already working on a nuclear weapon since the 1930s.
Scientists Enrico Fermi, Leo Szilard, Robert J Oppenheimer et al were an integral part of the program, making possible the radioactive isotope separation (uranium enrichment) and nuclear chain reactions. Project Y was the establishment of Los Alamos Laboratory on January 1, 1943. It is here the first Manhattan Project bombs were built and tested.
Two distinct types of bombs were developed: a uranium-based design called “the Little Boy” and a plutonium-based weapon called “the Fat Man.” The history witnessed the deadliest explosion on August 6, 1945, with the dropping of the as-yet untested “Little Boy” bomb over Hiroshima, causing unprecedented destruction and death. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the “Fat Man” bomb was dropped over Nagasaki with similar devastation. More than 100,000 people were killed and two Japanese cities were leveled to the ground affecting generations.
In 2023, the world is again staring at conflicts having the potential of escalating into nuclear detonation. It is important for mankind to work toward a peaceful resolution of conflicts and ensure that nuclear technology remains for peaceful use only.
It is incidental to mention that India’s first indigenous 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3, supplied by the BHEL-GE consortium, at Kakrapar in Gujarat, has become commercial on June 30, 2023. The Government of India has approved the construction of 10 indigenously developed PHWRs of 700 MW each in June 2017 to be built at a cost of Rs 1.05 lakh crore.
Just to glance back, the first commercial nuclear power stations started operation in the 1950s. Nuclear energy now provides about 10% of the world’s electricity from about 440 reactors. It is the world’s second-largest source of low-carbon power (26% of the total in 2020). Over decades, mankind has improvised every aspect of nuclear power plant- design, construction, operation & maintenance. The evidence shows that nuclear power is a safe means of generating electricity & the risk is low & declining. It is our bounden duty to ensure safer & cleaner energy and nuclear power fits into the pursuit of the same.
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HGI of Coal – A Throughput Determinant of Pulverisers
The grindability index signifies the ease with which the coal can be pulverized to the desired size. Coal with a higher index will be softer one to be ground and vice versa. If the coal used is of low grindability, the mill output would also reduce correspondingly.
In many ways, mill designers negotiate with the HGI value to specify mill capacity. Let us understand the behavior of a coal pulverizer in this context.
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Process Strategy: An Optimum Fit with Volume & Variety
Evey organization aims to deliver its output which is liked by the client and strives to do so in a way which is ethical and sustainable. A major decision for an Operations Manager is finding and executing the best way to produce the goods/ services so as not to waste resources. The process selected implemented will have a long-term effect in efficiency and flexibility of the production, as well as on the cost and quality of the offerings produced thus.
A process strategy is an organization’s approach to transforming resources into goods and services. Its objective is to build a methodology to produce the offerings that meets customer requirements and product specification within cost and managerial constraints.
Let us try to understand the basics of the four most accepted process strategies are defined by how they relate to levels of both volume and variety:
1) Process Focus: The process is suitable for low-volume, high- variety tasks. Such facilities are process focused in terms of equipment, layout and supervision. Large Projects, Machines, Restaurants, Hospitals, Job Shops some examples of this kind. Vast majority of the global production operates with this approach.
2) Repetitive Focus: This process strategy utilizing ‘modular’ design find extensive application in the assembly lines of Automobiles, Home Appliances, Fast Food etc. It uses ‘modules’ which are manufactured by ‘product-focused’ process thereby bringing the economic advantage and at the same time contributes the custom advantage of low-volume, high-variety model.
3) Product Focus: In facilities organized around ‘products’ where this process strategy find application, the goods are produced using a low-variety, high-volume process. The are also called continuous processes as they have very long, continuous production runs. Products such as glass, paper, lightbulbs, works canteen, bread loafs, tin sheets, potato chips etc. are produced using this process. The facility needs high fixed cost, but low variable costs.
4) Mass Customization: This is the rapid, low-cost production of goods/ services that fulfil increasingly unique customer desires. The demand for individualized items is growing with the rising number of affluent and informed consumers. The mass customization or build-to-order is not just about variety, it is about making precisely what the client wants and when it wants it economically. Custom-ordered Computers/ Cars, e-Commerce company’s offerings etc. use this strategy to meet customer’s requirement.
It is the responsibility of the Operations Manager to choose one or combination of these process strategies most suitable to their company’s goals and deployment of resources.
Courtesy: Operations Management, 12th Ed, Pearson
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