The mandate of the division is to carry out basic and applied research of excellence and relevance to Water cooled nuclear reactors to minimise corrosion to ensure integrity of structural materials in the primary, secondary and tertiary circuits, to minimise corrosion product and activity transport in the PHT circuits by stringent water chemistry control and modelling, decontamination of PHT system to reduce the man-rem problem of maintenance people of water cooled reactors, to minimise Steam Generator fouling to maintain better heat transfer efficiency in secondary circuits and to minimise biofouling and its control in tertiary cooling water circuits to avoid the failure of condenser tube materials. Advance the frontier of environmental sustainability of operational nuclear plant through biofouling research and deployment of spinoff technologies for societal benefits. Besides all these activities, based on R&D, waste water treatment methodology developed and engineering facilities are devised to apply to societal needs.
Super-hydrophobic surface, which has a water contact angle (CA) larger than 150°, is an ideal water-repellent surface due to the property of ultralow water affinity. Super-hydrophobic surfaces were created with Graphite nanoparticles by depositing on polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) surfaces during the curing stage to achieve super hydrophobic surfaces and were exposed to Navicula species a micro-algal diatom. A series of super-hydrophobic surfaces when tested showed good adhesion up till 122° contact angle by the algae. Beyond 164 ° contact angle, no settlement of algae was observed. Further studies are in progress to test other organisms settlement/adhesion.
Imidazolium ionic liquid compounds with –dodecyl and –hexadecyl alkyl groups showed potential antifungal activity on Candida albicans 10231 and two other clinical isolates. The compounds were found to be effective against fluconazole resistant strains.
Biofilm formation by Candida albicans strains was impeded in the presence of micromolar concentrations of ionic liquids with –dodecyl and –hexadecyl alkyl groups. Due to potential antifungal and antibiofilm activities, the effective imidazolium ionic liquids are promising for newer antifungal / hand sanitizer formulations.
Marine biofouling growth in the forebay vertical shaft of the MAPS cooling system was studied. A digital camera unit fixed onto a squid (Fig. a) was lowered to record the biogrowth at intervals of 5m up to 55m depth. A deep-sea SCUBA diving team (Fig.b) also inspected the forebay shaft and collected the biofouling samples. Green mussels, oysters and brown mussels were the major biofouling organisms, upon which the bryozoan colonies grew (Figs. c, d). A biomass of 28 kg m-2 was estimated in the vertical shaft or forebay well.
Alkylimidazolium salts were found to exhibit lethal and anti-settlement activities on barnacle larvae at micromolar and nonomolar concentrations, respectively. High LC50/EC50 (>15) values are good indicators for developing prospectively effective and environmentally benign antifouling formulations.
UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
HPCL – ultimate 3000 , Water
Inductively couple atomic emission spectroscopy covering spectral range of 190 nm – 700 nm
Particle size ad zeta-potential measurement ( ZS nano Malvern
532nm and 785nm Laser with CCD detector covering a spectral range of 100-4000cm-1 (LABRam HR 800)
An essential tool for Micro Structure analysis
Muffle Furnace & Autoclaves - Furnace set-up for Molten Salt Studies
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The hgSBR is a compact biological wastewater treatment system for effective removal of contaminants from domestic and industrial wastewaters. It utilizes the unique features of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technology and bio granules for effective wastewater treatment in a single tank without requiring secondary clarifier. A method has been developed for cultivating bio granules directly from the native microbes of wastewater and patented by BARC. This method enables reliable cultivation of biogranules dominated sludge in the SBRs.
This technology provides sustain release of chlorine dioxide for water disinfection.
The NOx releasing dressing was developed for non-healing diabetic foot ulcer. It eliminates infection and helps in accelerated wound healing ( wound closure)
Barnacles are notorious fouling organisms in power plant cooling water systems and maritime activities, settles on material surfaces in their larval stage (Cypris) and continue to lead whole life in sessile mode. We have evaluated some ionic liquids for larvicidal, anti-settlement and metamorphosis-modulating properties. The tested ionic liquids were effective in preventing barnacle larval (cypris) settlement in in vitro assays at nanomolar concentrations.
Full Scale 150 KLD capacity plant for Kalpakkam township sewage treatment
First of its kind in India ( Advance wound care). Capable of in –situ generation and delivery of therapeutically optimized NOx to wound bed. Shelf life 2.5 years at 37 °C and 80% humidity. Specifically designed for India, highly cost effective
Biological treatment in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is mainly achieved using flocculent activated sludge which requires a dedicated secondary clarifier, faces sludge bulking and complex process design for nutrient removal. Due to superior settling properties and functional capabilities, biogranules are promising for next generation WWTPs for sustainable wastewater treatment. hgSBR based WWTPs promises effective removal of contaminants, lower land footprint and costs.
