Shanmuga Priya Selvanathan

Manipal Academy of Higher Education | MAHE · Department of Chemical Engineering

The reliance on grid electricity generated from fossil fuels in many countries continues to contribute to annual CO 2 emissions. Implementing renewable energy systems helps reduce the carbon footprint and enhances local grid stability, particularly in areas with high demand where power outages are frequent. This study used the Hybrid Optimization o...

The experimental study is aimed at analyzing photovoltaic module’s thermal and electrical performance (PV) with back surface cooling under Malaysian tropical climate conditions. The performance of a passively cooled PV module integrated with biomaterial (moist coconut fiber) was compared with a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system with water circulati...

This work investigates process simulation and optimization as an efficient approach to mitigate global warming using carbon dioxide hydrogenation to methanol. Modeling and simulation of hydrogenation to methanol were studied using Aspen Plus V8. Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst is used to optimize parameters to enhance the reduction of CO2 to methanol. The ef...

This study interprets the effect of using sand or gravel as energy storage unit in solar chimney power plants. The effect of using low-cost materials is evaluated. Based on the Manzanares pilot plant, a 3D CFD model is created. Geometric parameters are kept constant in simulations performed with ANSYS FLUENT engineering commercial software. By simu...

Metal organic framework (MOF) are widely used in adsorption and separation due to their porous nature, high surface area, structural diversity and lower crystal density. Due to their exceptional thermal and chemical stability, Cu-based MOF are considered excellent hydrogen storage materials in the world of MOFs. Efforts to assess the effectiveness...

The study focuses on the application of natural fruit extract of blackberry in dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSC) as a photosensitiser. The widespread availability of the fruits and juices, high concentration of anthocyanins in them ease of extraction of anthocyanin dyes from these commonly available fruits, enable them as a novel and inexpensive ca...

Over the years, the world has been battling global warming issues caused by excess carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. There is a need to reduce, convert and utilize the emitted CO2 to the atmosphere. One of the efficient approaches is to convert CO2 to fuel through photocatalysis. The present work concentrates on process modeling and simulatio...

Research on reducing the working temperature of PV modules is gaining attention to improve their electrical performance, efficiency, and life especially in warm climatic conditions. This study describes the use of novel heat-protective film based on holographic coating with a total internal reflection prism layer applied to maintain the operating t...

COVID-19 or novel coronavirus is not only an international emergency for public health but also has significant consequences on energy, economy, and environment. Although much of the World’s attention is understandably focused on COVID-19’s human toll, the outbreak’s economic toll also potentially has catastrophic implications and has disrupted all...

Solar photovoltaics and the associated applications are now considered the most promising technologies for a sustainable future. The performance of the PV power plants is not studied in detail with respect to the influence of various weather parameters like rain, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure on energy generation. The objective of thi...

The world’s demand for electricity will double by 2050. Despite its high potential as an eco-friendly technology for generating electricity, solar energy only covers a small percentage of the global demand. One of the challenges is associated with the sustainable use of land resources. Floating PV (FPV) plants on water bodies such as a dam, reservo...

The exhaustion of fossil fuels causes decarbonized industries to be powered by renewable energy sources and, owing to their intermittent nature, it is important to devise an efficient energy storage method. To make them more sustainable, a storage system is required. Modern electricity storage systems are based on different types of chemical batter...

Energy security, as well as global climate change, are the two interlinked concerns that demands attention. Solar-assisted CO2 conversion potentially alleviates these problem by providing an efficient mode for storing energy. Among the several available methods, solar assisted phototechnology is notably an effective approach, as it takes a small am...

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is a rapidly evolving sustainable approach for CO2 reduction and renewable fuel production. The photocatalytic conversion efficiency of CO2 depends on many operational aspects. This review focuses on some of the important operational and intrinsic parameters that significantly influence CO2 photocatalytic reduction effi...

Hydrogen can be a promising clean energy carrier for the replenishment of non-renewable fossil fuels. The set back of hydrogen as an alternative fuel is due to its difficulties in feasible storage and safety concerns. Current hydrogen adsorption technologies, such as cryo-compressed and liquefied storage, are costly for practical applications. Meta...

This paper addresses the energy consumption of distillation process via an actuator, which is a challenging problem in process industries. Precise control action would enhance energy consumption and improve the productivity. This paper is an experimental validation of EPC-PI control algorithm and analysis of distillate purity of a lab-scale distill...

Due to global warming and shortage of energy, the demand for sustainable energy sources has been increased over the years. Among all, carbon emission has a significant contribution to the problem of global warming thus, it is required to convert it into sustainable energy. This opportunity can be targeted with a green chemistry route and incorporat...

In today's world, where global warming is one of the greatest human challenges, sustainable energy generation is becoming increasingly relevant. The use of green and clean energy sources is the best way to minimize CO 2 , CO, NO X and other emissions of conventional energy usage. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are more beneficial and an exciting a...

A simple control technique based on centralized and decentralized structure is discussed here for a tray temperature along with pressure developed inside the column for a pilot plant distillation column. The flow rate of vapor condenser cooling water is used to control the pressure (P) developed inside the column. The flow rate of the water to cond...

This paper is concerned with design of predictive PI control algorithm for nonlinear cascade process. Conical tank level process and flow process are considered as inner and outer loops of cascade blocks, respectively. Control algorithm is extended version of smith predictor which reflects actuator action, whereas cascade approach deals with distur...

Air conditioners (ACs) use an enormous amount of energy as they are widely used to provide people with favorable indoor conditions. In recent years, liquid desiccants have received considerable attention as they can reduce the energy consumption of ACs in particular. This paper examines the different liquid desiccant materials, properties, operatin...

The present study proposes a new PI controller tuning method using extended predictive control (EPC). The PI controller parameter values are calculated using the EPC controller output and its closed-loop response. This provides a simple and an effective tuning strategy which results in an improved closed-loop response compared to conventional tunin...

Net Zero building is becoming a global trend as a strategy to reduce the carbon footprint. In order to achieve Net-Zero building design in hot and humid climates, efforts must be put to reduce the overall energy use to the maximum extent by integrating appropriate building technologies into the architectural designs. In this paper, the latest ideas...

Heating and cooling systems around the globe are the largest energy consumer and with the ever-increasing population and development the need for heating and cooling systems is increasing. Control systems in solar assisted desiccant cooling are especially important as they allow the solar fraction to be increased when paired with thermal storage. L...

The ever increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere calls for immediate action and required remediation. A number of techniques for CO2 capture have been used for quite some time including amine based scrubbing, absorption, membranes, zeolites etc. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have come across as worthy candidates for carbon dioxide capture, st...

Sequential auto-tuning based model identification is a closed loop approach, which has an extensive benefit compared to conventional methods because of user defined manipulated gain to the process within the verge of instability. Model parameters estimation of multi input multi output process is challenging because of existence of multivariable int...

The need to cut out issues like global warming, ozone layer depletion and excessive power consumption has led to an alarming upsurge of digging out alternative ways to reach out the increasing demands of human comforts. In recent times, solar aided desiccant cooling system is an appreciable method to extirpate moisture content from air whereby reac...

Sequential auto-tuning based model identification is a closed loop approach, which has an extensive benefit compared to conventional methods because of user defined manipulated gain to the process within the verge of instability. Model parameters estimation of multi input multi output process is challenging because of existence of multivariable int...

A simple robust control technique based on centralized Proportional Integral is proposed for a multivariable process. The study is undertaken to improve the performance of the multivariable system in presence of plant model mismatch. The method considers Steady State Gain Matrix and process parameters like time delay and time constant for the contr...

Measurement of global solar radiation is particularly required for proper design of solar energy conversion systems. This study investigates the use of software tools like neural networks and fuzzy inference systems for modelling so as to predict global solar radiation using different input parameters based on available weather data. Advantages inc...

The environmental concerns have led to the urge of the usage of non-conventional energy resources like solar, wind, thermal, geothermal etc. which provide enormous source of energy without causing any further diminution of the environment. Instead of the conventional HVAC systems that cause colossal environmental perils, usage of liquid desiccants...

The environmental concerns have led to the urge of the usage of non-conventional energy resources like solar, wind, thermal, geothermal etc. which provide enormous source of energy without causing any further diminution of the environment. Instead of the conventional HVAC systems that cause colossal environmental perils, usage of liquid desiccants...

The demand for more efficient and environmentally benign, non-conventional sources of energy came into picture due to increasing demands for human comforts. Solar energy is now the ultimate option. In this paper, the instruments used to measure the solar radiation at Innovation Centre, MIT Manipal were connected to a Raspberry Pi to access the data...

This article presents a Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm based on integral action. Level control in process industry is challenging because of nonlinearity presents in the shape of the tank, actuators etc. The conical tank system is taken as benchmark process in the present study. It is Single Input Single Output (SISO) nonlinear system who...

Recently, desiccant cooling systems are well thought of as a competent method of controlling the water content in the air. Solar flat plate collector has been used as it decreases the dependency on non-renewable resources. Utilization of solar aided liquid desiccant systems to reduce the dependency of air conditioning systems on non-renewable sourc...

The article presents a decentralized Proportional Integral (PI) controller for a pilot plant binary distillation column and discusses, the basic theory of the decentralized control technique. The Relative Gain Array (RGA) approach is used for input output pairing. The PI controller is designed based on process parameters such as time constant and t...

Usually chemical processes are non-linear in nature with two or more variables of interest. Distillation process is one among those processes which plays an important role in separation of two or more components through the phenomena of evaporation or condensation. Variable of interest depends on the product requirement. In this paper tray’s temper...

The article discusses centralized PI control techniques and its implementation on a pilot plant binary distillation column. More specifically, the paper presents two centralized control methods. The first method is designed based on the Steady State Gain Matrix (SSGM), whereas the second method is designed based on the SSGM along with time delay...

This paper demonstrates the use of unconstrained Dynamic Matrix Control (DMC) to control the process transfer function with time delay. The selection of tuning parameter is challenging task in predictive control algorithm. The DMC scheme is designed and it is used here to control the process transfer function, First Order Plant with Dead Time (FOPD...

Background/Objectives: We have intended to investigate air velocity, CO2 concentration and temperature distribution by computational fluid dynamics software for comfort issues. Methods/Statistical Analysis: For designing purpose, the experimental data on temperature, humidity and CO2 concentration were collected for an internet room. The same geome...

Industrial wastewater poses a hazard to our nature, mostly to the water bodies, due to the presence of various complex chemicals in it. Petrochemical wastewaters are most problematic because they contain phenols, sulphides, oil, grease and other organic components which are said to be recalcitrant i.e. they continuously cause problems to the natura...

The advent of solar energy as the best alternative to traditional energy sources has led to an extensive study on the measurement and prediction of solar radiation. Devices such as pyranometer, pyrrheliometer, global UV radiometer are used for the measurement of solar radiation. The solar radiation measuring instruments available at Innovation Cent...

An attempt has been made to design a decoupling controller for system with more inputs and more outputs with dead time in it. The process of distillation column is explained briefly. The decoupler is designed for the 3×3 distillation column. It is shown that smith predictor incorporation in the decoupling structure to implement the method of absolu...

We have fabricated and analysed three different types of front pass natural circulation solar air heating collectors in test conditions of Manipal, Karnataka. Based upon the models constructed and the experiments conducted, analysis of data has been done which helps us to conclude about the most efficiently erected solar air heater. Different param...

The non-square matrix control is very much important in process industry as most of the plant transfer functions are non-square in nature. The controlling is challenging due to the complexity involved while solving for its performance and robustness. The distillation column transfer function with right half plane zeros is considered here for the co...

Photolysis and photo-catalysis are two classifications of advanced oxidation processes for treating toxic wastes. Stark-Einstein law and Lambert-Beer's law equation are widely used to explain the kinetics of the photolytic reactions. The optical density influences the rate of reaction. The influence of optical density on transmittance and order of...

The study of solar photovoltaic panels was carried out with the main objective of increasing their performance efficiency. Methods studied include cooling effect (using liquid, generally water) on Solar P.V. panel, cooling effect (using air) on Solar P.V. panel, Shading effect of a Photo-Voltaic panel and Reflection and focusing of sunlight on Phot...

The feasibility of design and performance evaluation of solar trickle down photocatalytic reactor for degradation of cypermethrin pesticide was examined. The optimum operating conditions for treatment of aqueous solution containing 100 to 600 mg L-1 of cypermethrin were observed to be H2O2/COD molar ratio 2, and pH 3. The TiO2 catalyst was coated o...

Solar photocatalytic degradation of phenol has been studied under solar irradiation at Manipal test conditions. The experiments were carried out with 0.1 g/l of TiO2 for different concentrations of phenol ranging from 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 mg/l. In this study, two different UV transparent materials were tested namely Borosilicate Glass an...

This paper represents how to eliminate the undesired effect occurred in the PI or PID controller called integrator-windup by using four different methods. These different methods are known as anti-windup strategies. A Simulink-Matlab program has been used to investigate the results and the performance of the four anti-windup strategies, using the p...

The technique of harnessing solar energy for drying offers significant potential to dry agricultural products such as food grains, fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants, thereby eliminating many of the problems experienced with open-sun drying and industrial drying, besides saving huge quantities of fossil fuels. A great deal of experimental work...

Most of the processes in real time industries are multi input multi output (MIMO) in nature. Normally RGA method is used to decouple the interference between the process loops. The decouplers can be easily designed for the stable processes with dead time. As a special case we will also obtain the mathematical model of certain systems as a non-squar...

In India the performance of buildings may take a greater significance in near future with the constraint of limited resource availability, domestic and international targets for the reduction of green house gas emissions. For India, annual cooling degree days are 3120 and annual heating degree days are 80. In this study, cooling degree days for Tir...

Photolysis of phenol has been carried out in a batch reactor using 8W (253.7 nm) UV lamp at initial concentrations of 600 ppm, 400 ppm, 300 ppm, 200 ppm, and 100 ppm in aqueous solution. The transmittance (T) was found to be unity for 600 ppm and was decreasing for other concentrations. The rate of degradation was found to be constant and was indep...

Quantity of water use in India is very high compared to other countries. Inefficient water use by industry in India creates a lot of problems. This quantity could be reduced to a minimal by recycling the water after sufficient treatment. The available treatment processes do not aim at sufficient treatment required for recycling of water but it conc...

Present work is a case study on sugar industry and economics is worked out for advanced cogeneration power system. By replacing low efficiency mill turbines with hydraulic drives and DC motors, cogeneration power increases in sugar mill to operate at high efficiency (65-70%). This replacement can aid increase of power to grid, resulting in addition...

In this study, experiments were performed to find out how the thermal performance of a wickless copper solar heat pipe was affected by using different working fluids and different inclination angles. A series of experiments were carried out to find the influence of the above parameters on heat transfer characteristics of a two-phase closed thermosy...