Rudramoorthy Rangasamy

PSG Centre for Academic Research and Excellence · Director

The relevance of Industry 4.0 has been widely discussed at a governmental level, from academic literature, and at specialists’ industrial events, yet the specifics of what Industry 4.0 entails and how to introduce students to this discipline remain unclear. As a joint research collaboration, PSG College (Coimbatore, India) and Newcastle University...

Parabolic Trough Concentrators (PTC) and Linear Fresnel Concentrators (LFC) are widely used for solar thermal applications. LFC's were developed as an alternative to counter the high manufacturing cost of parabolic collectors. The manufacturing cost of LFC is lower but it either reduces the output power or is larger in size. A hybrid collector comb...

The paper presents experimental data and results from a prediction tool for the performance of a desiccant loop cooling system. The experiments are performed under a variety of high humidity and hot ambient conditions and the system performance is described. One of the experimental conditions is typical of many Indian cities and the systems appropr...

Vibrations of a wind turbine blade have a negative impact on its performance and result in failure of the blade, therefore an approach to effectively control vibration in turbine blades are sought by wind industry. The small domestic horizontal axis wind turbine blades induce flap wise (out-of-plane) vibration, due to varying wind speeds. These fla...

Increasing population and decreasing sources of conventional energy sources has resulted in decreased availability of energy per person. In this context, the role and relevance of solar energy has been increasing at a very rapid pace in the recent times. It is common knowledge that the output of a solar panel increases with irradiation. However inc...

Coal is used as the main source of heat energy in brick firing. Since the current utilisation of coal is not ideal in brick kilns, pollution of the environment and gross inefficiency have become its characteristics. The analysis of the contribution of the life cycle stages of building brick to the overall environmental load, using the software Sima...

As the need for energy is rising, the generation capacity has to be improved. While increasing the generation capacity, it is very important that the generation methods do not spoil the environment. Wind energy is a clean green and a renewable energy source, which was available in much concentrated form. The wind turbines which convert the availabl...

In Asia, two wheelers are popular mode of transportation to a large group of people because of their relative affordability and ability to maneuver in heavy city traffic. However, the rate of fuel consumption and emission contribution by them, especially in urban areas need more attention to improve sustainability of energy and air quality. Recentl...

This paper focuses on the single stage and multistage performance characteristics of centrifugal mixed flow submersible borewell pump. This study reveals that the performance of single stage pump is higher than that of multistage pumps. The head, input power and efficiency of single stage pump are higher than the per stage head, per stage input pow...

This study focuses on the effect of surface coating on the impellers and diffusers in improving the efficiency of mixed flow submersible borewell pumps. It consists of two parts. In the first part, a 3 stage pump was constructed with uncoated bronze impellers and cast iron diffusers having a surface roughness value of 2.5 mu m Ra and tested for pum...

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the aerodynamic performance of the rotor blade with the deployed slat inspired by the wing shape of owl with the aid of NACA 0012. The deployed slat airfoils created, analyzed using CFD and are then compared to the normal airfoil. NACA 0012 is selected as the airfoil shape as it has low speed perfo...

Modifications were done in the impeller meridional shape and vane curvature of a mixed flow submersible borewell pump to reduce impeller losses and improve the efficiency. The first part of this paper gives the numerical simulation of existing pump performance by using Ansys Fluent. In the second part the meridional shape of the impeller and vane c...

Prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) has a safety grade decay heat removal system whose performance depends on the effective functioning of natural convection heat exchangers called sodium to air heat exchangers. The development of Representative Elementary Volume (REV) model for the sodium to air heat exchanger is necessary to envisage its design...

Ultrasonic welding horn is half wavelength section or tool used to focus the ultrasonic vibrations to the components being welded. The horn is designed in such a way that it maximizes the amplitude of the sound wave passing through it. The ends of the horn represent the displacement anti-nodes and the center the ‘node’ of the wave. As the horns per...

Solar photovoltaic (PV) plays a major role in the renewable energy sector in the field of power production. Production of electricity from solar PV is gaining rapid importance due to its cleaner energy production capacity and it’s adaptability to various climatic conditions. PV cells suffer noticeable drop in efficiency as their operating temperatu...

The purpose of this paper is to present an experimental study of simple geometries representing the electrical contact in automotive connectors when current passes through them. The starting system is designed to provide the vehicle operator with a convenient, efficient and reliable means of cranking and starting the internal combustion engine used...

Engineering discipline is a prominent and promising field for decades for the students to select as a career path. In addition, this discipline provides a wide range of engineering career opportunities, better salary, and well respected in society. Therefore, it is imperative for engineering institutions to provide quality engineering education to...

The starting system failure causes engine staring problem and influences emission and drivability of the vehicle. In case of medium duty commercial vehicles involve frequent short journeys, regular inspection of the starting system is advisable. If there is a fault in the starting system, the equipment is usually first tested in the vehicle, suppos...

Ultrasonic horns are tuned components designed to vibrate in a longitudinal mode at ultrasonic frequencies. Reliable performance of such horns is normally decided by the uniformity of vibration amplitude at the working surface and the stress developed during loading condition. The horn design engineer must pay particular attention to designing a to...

Starter motor converts electrical energy through a battery into mechanical rotating energy. These motors work under heavy load. They produce big power in a short time and in a small volume. If the starter motor fault occurred, the vehicle cannot be run, especially in emergency vehicles (ambulance, fire engine, etc.). Starter motor conveys its rotat...

Engine start is a very crucial phase in the operation of automotive engines and the starter motor plays a vital role in this short transient period. The quality of engine start influences emission and also the drivability of the vehicle. If a fault occurs with the starter motor, the engine cannot be run, especially in emergency vehicles like Ambula...

In Asia, three-wheelers (auto rickshaws) represent a very important mode of intermediate public transport and serving as an effective feeder to the mass transport system. However, the significant contribution to pollution levels by three wheelers has demanded for a possibility of a future solution to ensure better air standards in urban areas where...

The higher levels of fuel consumption and emission contribution of low powered two-wheelers especially in urban areas need more attention in order to improve air quality and sustainability of transportation energy. Recently, plug-in hybrid technology has been emerged as one of the promising alternative to reduce petroleum consumption and emission r...

Engine start is a very crucial phase in the operation of automotive engines, the starter motor plays a vital role in this short transient period. However, a complete exhaustive model of the combined engine starter system has not appeared to date in open literature. As a typical mechanical and electric device relating to efficiency, safety to passen...

This study considers possible annual petroleum saving and greenhouse gas emission reductions in India from the two-wheeler segment in the next decade. A survey was conducted in Coimbatore, India to estimate the average daily kilometers travelled and the distribution of travel ranges by ‘‘two-wheelers’’. Forecasting suggest that a 37% reduction in c...

Recently plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are emerging as one of the promising alternative to improve the sustainability of transportation energy and air quality especially in urban areas. The all-electric range in PHEV design plays a significant role in sizing of battery pack and cost. This paper presents the evaluation of battery energy a...

This study addresses the impact of an actual drive pattern on the sizing and cost of a battery pack for a plug-in hybrid electric two-wheeler. To estimate the daily average travel distance in fixing the allelectric range of two wheelers, a study conducted in Coimbatore city is presented. A MATLAB simulation model developed for estimating the energy...

Electric vehicles are more energy efficient and have zero tail pipe emission in urban driving conditions. They also have the ability to take the advantage of off-peak hour grid electricity, which offers improved power generation efficiency and environmental benefits. In this paper a theoretical model of a mid-sized electric car has been proposed fo...

Diesel engines are used in automotive and stationary applications. The main problem with diesel engines is emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates. In order to minimize the emissions, it is necessary to design the diesel engine with better in-cylinder flow (air-fuel mixing) and combustion process. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simu...

Flow distribution headers play a major role in heat exchangers. The selection of header diameter, branch pipe diameter, branch pipe spacing etc. is based on the designer's experience and general guide lines. The proper selection of the header dimensions will yield uniform flow distribution in heat exchangers, which in turn will enhance the heat exc...

Automobile drivetrain hybridization is considered as an important step in reducing greenhouse gases and related automotive emissions. However, current hybrid electric vehicles are a temporary solution on the way to zero emission road vehicles. Recently there has been a lot of interest in the concept of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, which have g...

Continuous and sustained growth of small and medium scale units in Indian textile garment sector has resulted in increased CO2 emission and effluent discharge. A methodical study and analysis of processing units in Tirupur (a South Indian city which is one of the oldest centers of textile processing in India, particularly for knitted cotton hosiery...

A realistic and reliable estimation of future energy demand of a district is an important step in energy planning, both at the micro and at the macro levels. A number of analytical and mathematical models are available for making the estimation at the macro level. However, due to lack of adequate data, these models have to be simplified so as to ar...

Growth of Indian textile industry has resulted in increased CO2 emission and other related pollution. In this study, CO2 emission from Indian textile sector (SMI) has been estimated based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines. CO2 reduction options proposed in this research work are operation and maintenance, technology and...

Cryogenic treatment has been acknowledged in several researches as a means of extending the tool life of many cutting tools. Studies on cryogenically treated (CT) cutting tools show microstructural changes in the material that can influence the life of the tools significantly. Tungsten carbide cutting tools are now commonly used in the industry. So...

Cryogenic treatment is an inexpensive one time permanent treatment affecting the entire section of the component. It has been acknowledged as a means of extending the performance of the cutting tool material. So far, most of the studies are conducted pertaining to the cryogenic treatment of high speed steel (HSS). Presently, as the industries becom...

Polyethylene (PE) is an extremely versatile plastic and has the largest sales turnover than other plastics. With new uses for PE, researchers continue to find innovative technologies to process and join the material. Ultrasonic welding is one such process that is rapidly emerging as a major joining process for thermoplastics because of its reliabil...

The amount of water used in various wet textile processing mills vary depending on the equipment, process adopted and types of fabric. However, improper operation and lack of maintenance have resulted in excessive water usage in these units. A recent study on water audit in selected textile processing unit at Tirupur cluster have confirmed this fac...

This paper evaluates efficiency of air heater and discusses system modifications carried out in air heater used in one of the tea units. Field trials indicate that these driers are operating at very low efficiency due to age-old design and improper selection of materials. Operational system changes have improved performance of heater and firewood c...

Analytical and experimental studies were made to evaluate the notched tensile and pin bearing strengths of the woven glass fiber reinforced (GFR)-epoxy composite laminates. The symmetric glass/epoxy woven mat cross-ply laminates containing 16 woven mats were prepared using hand lay-up technique with 45% of volume fraction. The laminates were cut in...

Interest is growing in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that can be recharged using standard wall outlets, because of their fuel economy, near zero emissions and the ability to take the advantage of off-peak hour grid electricity, which offers improved power generation efficiency and environmental benefits. In this paper a theoretical model has bee...

The different joint designs used by the industry for far-field welding of semicrystalline polymer high-density polyethylene (HDPE) has been studied in terms of its interface temperature, load at fracture, melted height, and energy absorbed during welding. ANSYS was then utilized to develop a temperature distribution model that will be used for vari...

In a knitwear industry, wet processing consumes significant amount of thermal energy, which is generated by burning fuels in boilers or in thermic fluid heaters and there is a significant amount of CO2 which causes atmospheric pollution. In addition to CO2, SO2, CO and oxides of NO2 contribute to the air pollution to a limited extent. In Tirupur, t...

This paper presents wear reduction of existing chain used in 100 cc motorcycles. Elongation of chain is calculated and compared with the field result. In an alternate design developed, theoretical evaluation for elongation is made applying the same conditions used for evaluating the existing chain. Fatigue properties of existing standard chain comp...

Increasingly stringent emissions and fuel economy standards have long remained a source of challenges for research in automobile engine technology development towards the more thermally efficient and less polluting engine. Spark ignition (SI) engines have lower part-load efficiency when compared with the diesel engines. The greatest opportunity for...

New model cars are rolled out with advanced technology to reduce emission, fuel consumption, weight, noise and to improve the stability of the vehicles. Engine performance is predicted based on cylinder diameter, stroke length, fuel supply, combustion methods, speed and compression ratio. Designing of a new engine is based on experience about the e...

Use of engineering plastics in structural and non-structural applications is rapidly increasing. As the demand for plastics increases so does the requirements for joining. Of the many techniques that are available for joining of thermoplastics, ultrasonic welding is one of the preferred processes. Thermoplastic polymers are categorized according to...

The determination of the parameters in ultrasonic welding (USW) of plastics can be used for designing new products. In order to transform the 50Hz power supplied to the device to a higher ultrasonic frequency, a lead zirconate titanate electrorestrictive element is needed which expands and contracts at the resonant frequency. A horn is used to tran...

Deformation of discharge ring in the bulb turbines, installed in a run of river LMHEPH under Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, due to cavitation is reported. It was found that the top and bottom sides of the discharge ring have been enlarged in size from the designed dimensions which are measured during erection of the turbine. The left hand side and r...

In the bulb turbine, main shaft and stay column play important role. Main shaft is positioned horizontally. More stress concentration occurs near the junction of stay column with concrete at the top and bottom, since the entire load is being taken care of by stay columns at the top and bottom. A finite element analysis (FEA) has been made using ANS...

Design of joints for ultrasonic welding of plastics was discussed. The materials that are to be welded should be selected on the basis of compatibility chart. A small initial contact area between the mating surfaces ensures efficient energy concentrations and decrease the weld time and weld pressure. This type of joint should be preferred while joi...

Deformation of outer distributor cone in the bulb turbine due to cavitation is reported. Top and bottom sides of the outer distributor cone enlarged in size from the initial dimensions at the time of erection of the turbine. The left and right hand side dimensions reduced from the erection data. The geometry of outer distributor cone became ellipti...

In gears, the temperature at the conjunction zone between the meshing tooth faces governs the imminent scuffing failure. Failure due to high tooth temperatures can be prevented with the knowledge of temperature distribution in gear teeth under operation. In this work, the prediction of bulk and surface temperatures of the gear tooth is carried out...

This paper focuses on the problems involved in a deep setting bulb turbine in a hydro- electric power plant and possible solutions to avoid cavitation. Analysis is carried out based on the measured data on the distortion in the guide vane assembly. To eliminate cavitation and distortion in these turbines, suggestions are evolved between the deep se...

Energy audit is a preliminary activity towards instituting the energy control programmes in an establishment. Energy audit increases awareness of energy related issues among plant personnel, making them more knowledgeable about proper practices that leads to cost reduction. A medium scale spinning mill at Coimbatore has been selected for the study...

Model for prediction of temperature distribution of water sources, which receive waste heat from energy conversion facilities, requires extensive laboratory and field experiments for its validation. In order to minimise the field measurements, which are laborious and time consuming, a method is proposed in this work which interpolates all the in be...

The prediction of temperature distribution of water sources, which receive waste heat from energy conversion facilities, is an important requirement to improve their conversion efficiency and also to have an acceptable environment. Modelling, supplemented by laboratory and field experiments, is the best hope for improving predictive capabilities; o...