Inauguration of STI Hub, MERU, SIGMA Hall - NIT Puducherry - Live

The STI-Hub came up as the part of the project titled “STI Hub for Socio - Economic Empowerment of SC community of Union Territory of Puducherry through Technology Assisted Fish Farming, Fish Processing and Value Addition’’ funded by DST-SEED Division, Govt. of India, with an overall sanctioned amount of 99.98 Lakhs. The facility has advanced Fish Processing Equipment such as Solar Fish Dryers with various backup options for Heating, Cold Storage, Fish Mincer, Batter Breading Machine, Ice Flakers etc., for providing the training to the beneficiaries who are mainly from the SC community and weaker sections of society. The goal is to provide training in Fish Processing and Value Addition for skill-enhancement and financial upliftment. Under this project research work is going on in the field of design and development of AI based Water Quality Monitoring Systems for aquaculture. Two of the inventions as the part the project, were filed for patent. Dr. Harigovindan V P, Associate Professor and Head, Dept. of ECE, NIT Puducherry is the Principal Investigator of this project. Co investigators of this project are: Dr. Amrtha Bhide, Associate Professor & HoD, Dept. of Physics, NIT Puducherry; Dr. Manoj P. Samuel, Executive Director, CWRDM, Kerala; and Dr. Sathish Kumar K, Scientist, Fish processing, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Cochin. Mr. Rahul Gandh is the Junior Research Fellow working under this project.
Mechanical Engineering Research Utility (MERU)
MERU, under the Department of Mechanical Engineering, NIT Puducherry, is a facility that exclusively houses research and industrial consultancy equipment.
Presently, MERU comprises the following facilities.
1. Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) is used to determine the dynamic mechanical properties of materials at high strain rates. (Cost: INR 38 lakhs). This equipment is used in collaboration with the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
2. Geared Lathe, used for executing metal shaping tasks. Geared Lathe basically has a gearbox with a lead screw and feed shaft that increases its machining capacity. (Cost: INR 18 lakhs).
3. Solar Concentrator Training System (Solar Parabolic Trough) and Solar Parabolic Cooker, used to perform experiments on heat transfer, parabolic trough characteristics, and heat loss at different parts of the system and enables users to learn about Solar thermal technologies. (Cost: INR 06 lakhs).
The following facilities will be installed in MERU in February and March 2024.
1. A Dynamic Universal Testing Machine is used to test the strength of materials used in a variety of engineering applications. The capacity of this machine is 25 tonnes (250 kN). (Cost: INR 3.2 Crores). This is one of the unique facilities in terms of capacity (i.e., 25 tonnes), and such high capacity is available only at NIT Puducherry.
2. Gear Test Rig is used to test and assess the capability and performance of gears used in heavy engineering applications. (Cost: INR 75 lakhs). This is a state-of-the-art gear testing facility and the first of its kind available in an educational institution across South Asia. This equipment is used in collaboration with the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
SIGMA HALL
SIGMA Hall is a Seminar Hall for the Departments of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Humanities, and Social Sciences of NIT Puducherry with a seating capacity of 120 persons. It is an air-conditioned hall equipped with a Video Conferencing Facility with suitable Audio arrangements. The SIGMA hall shall be used for multiple purposes, such as conducting seminars, conferences, meetings, and training programs.
More information: nitpy.ac.in
More information: nitpy.ac.in