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The imposition of strict lockdown to counter the spread of the highly contagious COVID19 virus brought the country to a sudden and grinding halt. Little was envisaged at that time of the plight that would befall the silent workforce that was engaged in building our nation. In this document, as a mark of respect to the people otherwise termed as “migrant labours”, we will term them as “guest workers” and present an overview of their condition in the Indian construction industry highlighting the challenges faced due to the informal and unorganized status of these people and the poor living, social and health conditions at worksites and much more.

Nigeria is the gas giant of Africa and certainly a leading crude oil producer in the World. With an estimated gas reserve of about 200 tscf (rank#1 in Africa) and production of slightly more than 8 bscf/day, its the largest gas producer in Africa. However, gas-based economy in Nigeria is yet to be fully realized. With its proximity to sizable markets in North America and Latin America, and its rich gas reserves, Nigeria is a dream destination for Nitrogen based fertilizer manufacturing.

During the first week of May 2020, after the partial lifting of lockdown, two major accidents occurred while restarting the two process plants – a polymer plant and, a paper plant. These accidents highlight the importance of safe restarting procedures after the plants have been shut down for long periods of time. A comprehensive, plant-specific restart procedure must be developed and approved by competent authorities prior to taking up the restart activity. As the country is slowly planning to come out of lockdown scenarios, this becomes even more important.

This article is a viewpoint that looks at what happens to the strategic goals and action plans in the current highly uncertain COVID19 scenario. An attempt has been made to try and estimate the business impact and possible precautionary measures to stay afloat and still focus on meeting the set goals. However, discussions in this paper are limited to Power sector and the domestic market alone.

The construction industry requires physical presence of workforce at the site for myriad activities, involving both skilled and unskilled workers, working in proximity to each other, in concentrated groups. The construction work itself happens in relay fashion with strong interdependencies between precedent and antecedent activities. Currently, the level of technology intervention in the field tasks is low even in projects with good construction practices and lower for public sector projects.

Forecasts have a notoriety of being unreliable even under normal conditions, and look all the more dubious in current times, as there are simply too many unknowable aspects.

The global automotive industry is on the verge of disruption. The transport sector is the highest consumer of oil and the second-highest contributor to CO2 emissions worldwide. Rapid developments in electric mobility will transform the automotive industry by addressing the growing concerns of environment and energy security in the transport sector.

Global climate change and the technologies to minimize the greenhouse gas emissions are at the centre of discussion in every global environmental forum. Carbon capture technology is one of such techniques which can be implemented to reduce atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide from industrial installations.

Economic scenario of the world is changing rapidly. Due to the volatility in oil and natural gas prices, there is still uncertainty in supply, demand and pricing of chemicals. Considering advancements in technology, new investments are happening in remote areas which are close to either raw material sources or to the end user.

Consistent technology maturity over centuries in industrial automation domain firing off from field instrumentation to control system(s) enables more plant productivity, more automation enabling stress free life for plant operators, remote monitoring and operation of plants including but not limited to critical data availability on mobile phones empowering supervision and expert advice/controls from anywhere across the globe with internet access.

Economic scenario of the world is changing rapidly. Due to the volatility in oil and natural gas prices, there is still uncertainty in supply, demand and pricing of chemicals. Considering advancements in technology, new investments are happening in remote areas which are close to either raw material sources or to the end user.

Continuous Annealing and Processing Line (CAPL) produces value added high quality advanced high strength CRCA (cold rolled close annealed) steel of varying thickness in the range of 0.4 mm to 2.3 mm which is mostly used in the automobile manufacturing industries. One of our customers intended to evaluate the useful life of the plant and machinery of a CAPL steel plant.

Power plants, chemical and industrial plants have very large requirements of raw water for their process needs. Water which is very scarce these days is got from a source nearest to the plant; which can be a river, lake or a dam reservoir and this water is then pumped and stored within plant limits in a raw water reservoir built by enclosing a low lying area within the plant boundary with the help of earthen bunds.

Coal fired thermal power plants generally require huge quantity of cooling water for the operation of plants. Water requirement increases with number of units and unit capacity. For coastal power plants seawater is a normal source of such cooling water. In one of the executed power plant cooling water requirement was in the order of 630,000 m3/hour for the total capacity of plant.

Stacker reclaimer is the equipment for raw material handling & management in Steel, Power, Cement and many other Plants. Stockpile of material is built to augment feeding when regular supply of the same is suspended. Stacker Reclaimer is mounted on wheels which travel on rails over a long stretch of stacking bed depending on the requirement.

This paper is to enable better understanding of the sewage network systems & it’s management in India. The reasonable gaps / challenges at broad level in this sector are identified and addressed with proper techno-economic approach and design criteria to enable this sector to develop on a sustainable basis.

The sustainment of all living things is due to a combination of gases in defined proportion that collectively form the atmosphere. Any increase or decrease in percentage of these gases will cause imbalance and can be harmful for survival. Emission of gases that contain Sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the main source of the acidifying substances in the environment. The pollution norms for these are becoming stricter day by day.

Steam & water analysis system (SWAS) is dedicated to analysis of steam & water in power plant to ensure protection of boiler and turbine from impurities; by preventing corrosion/salt deposition in boiler tubes and corrosion, salt/silica deposition, erosion in turbines blades. The measured parameters are pH, conductivity, silica, sodium, dissolved oxygen, chloride etc. Power plant SWAS system consists of 2 units. One is wet panel i.e., sample conditioning panel & other is dry panel with microprocessor based electronic analyzers.

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) is used to describe how well a device can function in its EM environment without causing any unwanted effects to the surrounding equipment. Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) is a result of electric or magnetic fields acting on the device causing it to malfunction. The absence of EMI in a system is called EMC. EMI can be due to all types of signals such as DC, AC, RF etc.

In one of the soda ash production facility, there was significant quantity of product loss in the drying process. The product was spilling from the inlet flanges of the rotary dryers. The target was to minimise the loss of product so as to enhance the production by minimising the down time of the dryers.

Greenhouse gases are generated from various industrial processes. Though power generation is a known major contributor of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, considerable amount of greenhouse gases are released from other energy intensive industries as well. The petroleum refining is one such energy intensive industry. The source of energy is mainly in form of fossil fuels which give rise to GHG upon combustion. Due to this, refining industry is considered as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Pipeline is the fastest and most reliable means of fluid transportation compared to other transportation modes like rail or road tankers. However, leakage is the main threat for pipeline transfer. The pipelines often carry hazardous materials and may pass through areas of human population. Any leak through the pipeline results in not only loss of product but also impacts environment and may pose a hazard to the nearby human population. Pipeline leak monitoring is also necessary to detect thefts. The leak detection techniques help to minimize the product losses.

Coal is primarily used as fuel in power generation. However, coal can also be used as an alternate source for making liquid fuels. Recent advancements in technology have successfully demonstrated conversion of coal into liquid fuels and into many other useful chemicals. CTL (Coal to liquid) technology can be considered as an alternate source to crude oil or natural gas in producing liquid fuels. The fuels made from coal are cleaner as compared to the fuels made using crude oil, owing to the process schemes followed.

Utilities such as air, water, gas, electricity etc. are required for process and manufacturing industry. The quantity of such utilities needs to be monitored in a precise way to ensure efficient usage. This can be monitored through Energy Management System (EMS) and controlled effectively to increase usage efficacy and reduce wastage. This will in turn help to reduce operating cost. EMS also provides readily available statistical data of utility systems, which will be very useful at the time of energy audit.

TCE provides services as Design engineering Consultant/ Owner’s engineer/ Project Management consultant for many industrial projects wherein the buildings are generally PEB. TCE plays a crucial role in conceptualisation and framing the specifications of the PEB structures so that client gets the best possible techno-economic solution from a holistic view point and not limited to specific considerations such as cost of PEB, lowest kg/sq mt etc.

Cable tunnels are mainly used for distribution of bulk power across large scale plants, substations and smart cities. Cables are routed through cable trays installed in tier formation on either side of the cable tunnels. Fire hazard is one of the major concerns in underground cable tunnels as it spreads rapidly causing accumulation of high temperature toxic smog. This makes the job of firefighting personnel extremely difficult to extinguish fire.

Process simulation is useful and powerful tool to model chemical process flowsheets of varying complexity. Modern day simulators are built with comprehensive pure component databank, exhaustive library of thermodynamic systems and physical property estimation methods, initial estimate generators, in built algorithms for every unit operation in a very user friendly graphical interface manner. These simulators have capability to solve and optimize virtually any flowsheet synthesis problem.

Emission regulations have become more stringent with the latest Notification issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest in Dec.’2015. Many operating power plants need to revamp their flue gas pollution control devices to meet the prescribed environmental norms. The most commonly used pollution control device in India to regulate particulate emission is electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The ESPs in many operating plants need upgrade to enhance their particulate collection efficiency in order to meet the latest pollution control norms.

Beneficiation plant in the Iron mines separates contaminants & finescalled tailings from the ore. These tailings in a slurry form are generally disposed in a vast area of land encompassed by embankment called as tailing pond.Under the present socio-political scenario with limited availability of land,capacity enhancement by upstream raising of the height of the embankment made partly/ fully of the tailings/ mine wastes is apreferred option.

In thermal power plants, Mill Reject Handling System (MRHS) is provided to evacuate mill rejects (Pyrites) from the pyrite hopper and convey it to the mill reject silo. The conventional methods of MRH system include Pneumatic type, Mechanical type (By Belt / Chain conveyors) and Hydraulic type. Pneumatic conveying system is more flexible in layout and requires less space but consumes more power. Mechanical system is a more positive system but is not flexible. Hydraulic system is generally not provided due to high water consumption.

Protection and strengthening of rock surfaces within optimum time, cost and with adequate reliability is among the challenges on the projects. This article shares TCE’s experience in protecting and strengthening of rock surfaces in deep excavation, valley and hilly terrain.

Slope stability analysis in soil strata helps in optimizing slope for cost and time effective construction. This article describes about procedure of carrying out slope stability analysis by using Geo-studio and Phase 2 software’s. Slope stability analysis has numerous application in various constructions such as of road embankments, sewerage pumping station, Master Balance Reservoir, Ash Ponds, Mining, slope beneath berthing structure, dredging, site grading, basements and structures like wagon tippler, pump house etc.

Coal fired utility power generation plants are primarily designed as base load units in India. In order to meet the load demand of future industrial growth large capacity power plants with super / ultrasuper critical technology are envisaged which offers higher efficiencies with lower emissions. In a power plant, Boiler Feed Pumps (BFPs) including its drives is one of the cost intensive auxiliaries and also consumes significant auxiliary power; about 3.5% of gross power generated.

Combined heat and power plant which is generally referred as cogeneration-plant produce both power and steam is installed to meet process plant requirements. Any change of demand in either power or steam would affect the other. In progressive process plants interconnection of units generating steam at various pressure levels is not uncommon. However, this makes the operation of the system more complex to handle especially during upset conditions.

The prestigious Robotic gallery is an iconic project, first ever of its kind in India. A world class facility to educate the people in the field of robotics and provide the young brains a platform to showcase their innovations. Built by the Gujarat Council of Science City, Department of Science and Technology, the gallery is an epitome of our honourable PM Sh. Narendra Modi’s Digital India movement .

Energy cost is one of the significant contributors of production cost for most of the Industries. Hence, reduction in energy consumption electrical, thermal or in any other form always helps in business sustenance and growth. Moreover, as most of the energy is derived from fossil fuels, any reduction in energy consumption would also mean conservation of natural resources and most importantly less environmental impact.

Conventionally in most of the thermal power plants, ash from the Economiser (ECO) and Air Preheater (APH) hoppers will be evacuated in slurry form and mixed with the Bottom Ash (BA) which is also extracted in slurry form for further disposal. The ECO and APH ash will not be mixed with Fly Ash (FA) as these are course and not useful for manufacturing the cement.

Digital Engineering and its visual simulation capabilities make it possible to look, see, experience and construct. However, this is just scratching the surface when it comes to application of these tools to engineering design. New business models and service delivery options are being discovered from plant engineering for power plants to steel and metal process industries and more. The challenge of the day is reducing cost and project time overruns. These two aspects are key for profitability.

Time bound construction is essential for any project to optimise the cost and for quicker reverse cash flows. Construction simulation using 4D model enables effective planning of construction activities, identify the problems during construction and helps planners to troubleshoot. The sequences of construction activities can be optimally planned through simulation , interferences can be identified in advance during the planning stage.

By Nitin Gupta & T. K. Pal, Mechanical, TCE - The term 'Pinch Technology' is a new set of thermodynamically based methods that guarantee the design of heat exchanging networks with minimum energy levels. The equations are primarily based on the First Law and the direction of heat flow is determined by the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This method is very useful for the large and complex industrial facilities and identifies the best energy saving opportunities. Pinch analysis is used in complex processes with extensive exchange of thermal energy.

By Sugata Bandyopadhyay, Instrumentation and Control, TCE - The concern for Global Warming and Climate change has already made a social impact on the planet earth and corporate strategy on mitigating plan needs to be adopted to restore ecological balance. While any economic growth is associated with Industrial developments, which will trigger a new concern to the environment, innovative adoption of various energy efficient processes will ensure better carbon foot print.

Creating a better tomorrow is all about working closely with our clients, industry visionaries, policy makers, public and financial institutions. It is about leveraging our past experiences, our partnerships and our key assets, our employees, in the best possible manner. However to be able to do this, one must be aware of the ecosystem, environment, market and few trends that will shape our future.

International Conference on " Sustainable Clean Ganga Mission " was held on 12 December 2014 in Delhi, organized by Everything About Water. About 150 delegates attended the conference including the officials from Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation, Upper Yamuna River Board, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Central Water Commission and IIT Kanpur.

Since dredging takes place in a natural environment, uncertainty and therefore risk has to be accepted. This uncertainty can be reduced by undertaking modelling or additional studies but in such a complex system it can not be eliminated.

Interruption of power supply and its impact can have serious repurcussions on the production cycle, facilities, equipment performance and human productivity. Power outage management is a critical area were technology solutions are required to mitigate the impact of power outages.

Generally the belt conveyors in the Indian Industries are low speed type with belt speeds in the range of 2 to 3 mps. There are few installations with speeds up to 4.5 mps. Most of the conveyors existing in India are short distance conveyors with length up to 1 km. There are few installations in the mines and ports with higher lengths.

In the fossil fuel fired power plants successful operation of once through steam generator technology and drive to achieve higher thermal efficiencies made possible for the development of supercritical steam generators. The paper discusses key factors to the success of supercritical technology.

This paper covers the aspects of the wagon loading and unloading system currently in vogue in the Indian Industry. Generally the wagon loading systems are required in the mines and ports for loading the material into the wagons for further transportation to the process plants.

Managing the coal stockpiling system under environment-friendly conditions.

Information technology can effectively be used to virtually operate a number of power stations as a single unit to improve the plant performance, plant availability and cost of plant operation.

The requirement of high efficiency in power generation and environmental considerations, installation of power plants with Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology with lignite as main fuel would be a techno economically viable option. This paper outlines the present status of CFBC technology and details of existing installations in India and abroad. .