"R&D is the foundation of IndianOil.." Mr. B. Ashok, Chairman
New Delhi 10-Mar-2015
Launch of special brochure on Indane NANOCUT.
Seen from L to R: Mr. BP Das, ED - R&D Centre;
Mr. Anish Aggarwal, Director (Pipelines); Mr. B Ashok,
Chairman; Mr. Verghese Cherian, Director (HR)
In an impressive function held on the occasion of the 44th Foundation Day of IndianOil R&D, Chairman, Mr. B Ashok was effusive in his praise commending the excellent work being done by Team R&D. Amidst loud applause from a packed auditorium, he said, “R&D is the foundation of IndianOil. It provides IndianOil with a distinct competitive edge.
Since inception in 1972, IndianOil R&D is now at its peak performance.” Commending the commercialization efforts of R&D Centre, he said, “We are eagerly awaiting the commissioning of the INDMAX unit at the upcoming Paradip refinery, which is being built on indigenous technology developed by the R&D Centre. After this, the world will sit up and take notice.”
Reposing complete faith in the capability of IndianOil R&D to deliver, he said, “I truly believe that R&D (Centre) will deliver in a brilliant way and a big chunk of our revenues will come from in-house research,” he added.
The well-attended function was graced by Mr. Verghese Cherian, Director (HR); Mr. Anish Aggarwal, Director (Pipelines); Dr. RK Malhotra, former Chairman & Director (R&D); Mr. PK Das, ED, Punjab State Office, former Directors and EDs of R&D Centre, and senior officials from Marketing HO and Punjab State Office. Mr. BP Das, ED, R&D Centre, led Team R&D in re-dedicating themselves to making the IndianOil the ‘Technology Provider of Choice’.
On the occasion, Mr. B Ashok, Chairman also launched IndianOil’s first nanotechnology product - “NANOCUT”. “NANOCUT” High Therm Indane Cutting Gas is nano-additized LPG for high temperature industrial applications which has been developed by IndianOil R&D after extensive research and testing.
It is the fastest nanotech product that has covered the journey of lab-to-market in just three years. NANOCUT is designed to provide a thermal temperature much higher than that of LPG or other commercially available LPG based products, and thus is technologically superior product. A specially designed brochure on Nanocut was also unveiled.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Verghese Cherian said, “This is a day to reflect and reaffirm our commitment.”Urging R&D team to stay the course, he said, “I firmly believe that R&D will put IndianOil in the world space. Keep doing good work and leave your imprints on the sands of time,” he added.
Mr. Anish Aggarwal enumerated several technologies developed by IndianOil R&D that are being extensively used by the Pipelines Division to the Corporation’s benefit. He said, “Pipeline operation is becoming difficult nowadays due to rising instances of pilferage. IPIG and material analysis by R&D Centre has helped us check corrosion in a large measure. The Drag Reducing Agent, developed by IndianOil R&D, is another good technological application that improves flow rate and saves valuable foreign exchange,” he added.
Reiterating the need to focus on commercialization of indigenous technologies, Mr. BP Das, Executive Director (R&D), said, “I am happy to share that IndianOil is planning to set up an approx. Rs. 100 crore Unit at Panipat to manufacture catalysts based on indigenous technology for captive consumption. We expect this to be commissioned in the next two years. We are also developing new catalysts and refinery processes to provide the desired quality and product mix to the refiners at lower cost.”
Sharing IndianOil R&D’s plan in alternative energy, Mr. Das further said, “In association with MNRE, we are setting up a Centre of Excellence Hydrogen and Fuel Cell at Gwal Pahari, Gurgaon. A Fuel Cell Test Lab including Hydrogen infrastructure such as Hydrogen production, compression and storage for 550 bar pressure is at final stage of commissioning. Work is underway to prepare a detailed project report for IndianOil Centre for Alternative & Renewable Energy (i-CARE) so that various priority projects can be taken up for further implementation. We are also scouting for a suitable land parcel for future expansion of our core research areas”, he added.
In the function, Achiever of the Year awards were also given away to the winners.
