Six research projects including two sponsored, and four internal projects were completed during the year.  Brief summary of the work done in two sponsored projects are given below: 

4.1  Project No: SP 012-107
“Development of Fibre – Optic based Hot Spot Sensor for Electrical Equipment” (Sponsored by Govt. of Gujarat) 

Loading capability of power transformers depends mainly on winding insulation temperature which is generally not uniform.   The loading is limited by the hottest section of the winding, known as hotspot.  In this project, an attempt has been made to measure directly and accurately the winding temperature using the Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor.  The sensor was incorporated in a 25 kVA, 11/0.433 kV, 3Φ transformer and temperature rise was monitored.  The observed readings match well with theoretically estimated values. 

4.2    Project No: SP 045-031 

“Rotating - Bending Fatigue Life Characteristics of Shafting Steels for Application in Electrical Rotating Machines”(Sponsored by Ministry of Power, Govt. of India – Under RSOP Scheme)

The major objective of the project has been to determine the effect of major surface engineering techniques on the fatigue strength of alloyed shaft steels.  Simulation technique was used to conduct the fatigue studies (testing) and upon completion of the fatigue testing, fractographic and metallographic studies were undertaken on the facture surface and zones near crack propagation. The results obtained were correlated with various physical processes.