Sponsored Research (As Principal Investigator)

S. No.	Client/Organization's Name	Nature of project / Title of the project	Duration of Project	Amount of grant (Rupees)
Ongoing
1	MHRD under RUSA Research & Innovation	“Sustainable Energy Technologies - Efficient renewable energy power generation with energy storage for sustainable smart grid” - Principal investigator	2017-2019 (Ongoing)	15 Cr.
2	MNRE, Govt of India	Design and Development of Smart Solar Train for short distance mobility - Principal investigator	In Principle approval accorded	7.83 Cr
3	DST (Building initiative - IPHEE)	User friendly functional Simulation tool development through experimental validation for the integration of PCM in energy efficient buildings for thermal management Principal investigator	2017 - 2020 (Ongoing)	85.67 Lakhs
4	DST (Material initiative)	Development of Functional Phase Change Materials for Enhanced Energy Efficiency of Thermal Energy Storage System Co-principal investigator	2017 - 2020 (Ongoing)	49 Lakhs
5	Department of Science and Technology	Desalination through waste heat recovery from solar PV operated VCR system -  Principal Investigator	2016-2019 (Ongoing)	35.35 Lakhs
6	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPRSC - UK)	Adsorption Cooling-energy Conversion with Encapsulated Sorbents -  Project Partner	March 2016 to February 2019. (Ongoing)	£ 609,488,
7	Department of Science and Technology	Role of Nano technology in augmenting thermal performance of solar collector system integrated with PCM based thermal energy storage system for space cooling applications -   Principal Investigator	2015 - 18. (Ongoing)	Rs. 61 lakhs
8	Ministry of New and Renewable Energy	Investigations on small capacity wind turbine with compressed air energy storage system -  Principal Investigator	2014 - 16. (Ongoing)	Rs. 45.32 Lakh
Completed
9	UGC- UKERI	Performance enhancement of solar water heater integrated with latent heat thermal storage system using nano-enhanced phase change materials -  Principal Investigator	2014 - 16.  (Completed)	Rs.11.5 Lakh
10	Indira Gandhi Centre of Atomic Research (IGCAR)	Baffle Configuration for primary sodium spherical header of future FBR -  Principal Investigator	2012-13 (Completed)	Rs.10.0 lakh
11	Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)	Effective thermal management system for solid state laser devices using thermal energy storage technology Effective thermal management system for solid state laser devices using thermal energy storage technology -  Principal Investigator	2012-13 (Completed)	Rs.10.0 lakh
12	Centre for Wind Energy Technology (CWET)	Wind turbine CFD Modeling and analysis -  Principal Investigator	2010 - 12. (Completed)	Rs.7.0 Lakh
13	Indo-German Co-operation Project, funded by DST BMBF	Phase Change material based thermal storage system for solar air heating applications -  Principal Investigator	2008 - 10. (Completed)	Rs.7.56 Lakh
14	Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA), Govt. of Tamil Nadu	Design & development of Energy Efficient Buildings using solar Passive Architecture -  Principal Investigator	2006 - 10. (Completed)	Rs.10. 0 Lakh
15	Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA), Govt. of Tamil Nadu	Solar Cooker based on thermal storage system for cooking during night/early morning hours -  Principal Investigator	2006 - 10. (Completed)	Rs.10. 0 Lakh

• Sponsored Research Project 15
  
  Development of solar cooker based on thermal storage system for cooking during night / early morning

Funding agency	Tamilnadu energy development Agency (TEDA), Chennai & Anna University, Chennai
Duration	2006-2009
Amount	10.00 Lakhs

• Though the solar cookers are successfully implemented in few of the large-scale community buildings, the use in residential buildings and in rural areas has not yet successfully commercialized mainly due to its availability varies widely with time.
  
  
  Experimental setup – Solar cooking unit integrated with TES
  
• Outcome

  • A pilot scale solar cooking unit integrated with thermal storage tank was developed and demonstrated even for
    late evening/early morning hours.
  • Ph.D. completed : 1
  • Research Publications: 2 (International Journals)
  

• Sponsored Research Project 14
  
  Design and Development of Energy Efficient Buildings using Solar Passive Architecture

Funding agency	Tamilnadu energy development Agency (TEDA), Chennai & Anna University, Chennai
Duration	2006-2009
Amount	10.00 Lakhs

• A Comfortable home with minimum energy consumption is the dream of the common man, governments and researchers. Thermal storage particularly using PCM plays an important role in the building energy conservation.
• The objective of the project was to design a storage type of PCM based regenerative heat exchanger for free cooling application.
  
  Passive cooling of buildings
  
  
• Outcome
  • The concept of free cooling was demonstrated to achieve comfort conditions inside the building cabin by using excess hot energy
    available during summer day using solar flat plate collector and by storing cool energy available during early morning in a cool storage system.
    
  • Ph.D completed : 3
    
  • Research Publications: 6 ( International Journals)
    

• Sponsored Research Project 13
  
  Design and development of phase change material based thermal storage system for solar air heating applications
  
  

  Funding agency	INDO-GERMAN DST BMBF
  Duration	2008 – 2009
  Amount	7.56 Lakhs

  
  
  • In solar dryers the drying process largely depends on the varying local weather conditions, resulting in a poor quality of the dried product. The objective of the project was to eliminate the fluctuations in the temperature of the hot air, solar collectors are integrated with the Phase Change Material (PCM) based thermal storage unit.
    
  • Outcome
    • A solar dryer was developed, and the feasibility of using a latent heat storage, to store the excess solar energy, and release it when the energy availability is inadequate during poor weather conditions was demonstrated to extend the period of utilisation beyond the sunshine hours.

      
      

    • Ph.D completed : 2
      
    • Research Publications: 3 (International Journals)
      
      
• Sponsored Research Project 12
  
  Wind Turbine CFD Modeling and Analysis
  

  Funding agency	National Institute for Wind Energy
  Duration	2011-2012
  Amount	6.62 Lakhs

  • Wind turbines extract energy from the wind to produce electricity; therefore, the wind leaving the turbine must have a lower energy content than the wind upstream of the turbine, which considered as wakes.
    
  • The objective of the project was to consider these wake effects in the design of a wind farm in order to maximize the energy output and lifetime of the machines.
    
  • Outcome
    • In this project, the wake behavior downstream of the wind turbine was numerically studied to achieve the highest possible efficiency from the wind, and to install as many as possible wind turbines within a limited area.
      
    • Ph.D completed : 1
      
    • Research Publications: 2 (International Journals)
      
      
• Sponsored Research Project 11
  
  Effective Thermal Management system for solid state LASER Devices using Thermal Energy Storage Technology

Funding agency	Science & Technology centre (LASTEC), DRDO Delhi & Anna University, Chennai
Duration	2012 – 2013
Amount	10.00 Lakhs

• Efficient thermal management is a crucial factor in the solid-state lasers to increase its power performance at a higher temperature and reduce the lasing wavelength shift. Also, there is a need to maintain the operating temperature within in a relatively narrow range in a pulsed solid-state laser, which generates an intermittent heat with respect to its pulsing rate.
  
• The objective of the project is to design and develop an effective thermal management system for high power solid state laser devices using Thermal Energy storage system.

  

• Outcome
  
  • A pilot scale Thermal management system (1.5 kW) using PCM based cool thermal energy storage unit for a high-power LASER device was developed.
    
  • Ph.D. completed: 1
    
  • Research Publications: 2 (International Journals)
    
    
• Sponsored Research Project 10
  
  Baffle Configuration for Primary Sodium Spherical Header of Future Fast Breeder Reactor

  Funding agency	Indira Gandhi Centre For Atomic Research (IGCAR), Government of India, Kalpakkam
  Duration	2012 – 2013
  Amount	9.2 Lakhs

• The pressurized sodium from primary sodium pump (PSP) enters into spherical header via discharge pipe which is send to the main core through four cooling pipes originating from a single header area of different lengths due to its layout limitations.
  
• The objective was to achieve Optimum baffle arrangement to avoid vortices being formed and also to reduce the pressure loss coefficient (<1.2) in the header and to achieve uniform flow through the four cooling pipes originating from the header using CFD analysis.



• Sponsored Research Project 9
  
  Performance enhancement of solar water heater integrated with latent heat thermal storage system using nano-enhanced phase change materials.
  

Funding agency	UGC-UKIERI
Duration	2014-2016
Amount	11.5 Lakhs

• This is an Indo - UK exchange program to build long term collaboration in research.
  
• The objective is integrating both hot and cool energy storage system with solar and refrigeration system. Anna University is more focused on cool generation and storage, whereas that in Birmingham is more on heat generation and storage.
  
• Outcome
  • 4 researchers from AU visited Birmingham University (BU) and 4 from BU visited AU.
    
  • This project lead to receive a DST funded project to execute the experimental work
    
  • M.S. completed: 1 : Joint Research Publications: 2 (International Journals)