Estimation of economic benefits from structural modifications of auto-coupler unit in hot metal ladle cars Gurjeet Singh, Sumit Taneja Discover Mechanical Engineering, 2026 The Hot Metal Ladle Cars (HMLC) is frequently employed for transportation of molten iron at elevated temperatures from furnace to Steel Production Units (SPU). It moves along the railways with the help of traction equipment and tilted with a winch or crane to pour the liquid metal at designated place. It basically consists of bearing frame, railway carriages, ladle and automatic-coupler. The current research involves the design modification of the body of auto-coupler attached to the HMLC; to prevent its frequent breakdowns and increase its life and structural stability, which leads to reduction in reducing repair costs and circuit time. In connection to the same, auto-coupler body has been simulated and structurally analyzed for three configurations incorporating Rectangular Slot (RS), Circular Slot (CS) and Ellipsoid Slot (ES) under equivalent static loading 3 MN Compressive as well as 2.5 MN Tensile. It has been identified from the detailed diagnosis that auto-coupler body having ellipsoid slot, adjudged to be most stable amongst all aforementioned configurations owing to least value of resultant stress (327 MPa and 272 MPa) under the action of compressive and tensile loadings respectively. Besides that, the highest fatigue life (5186 cycles) was reported for the same configuration which generates an aggregate economic savings of 25.02 Crores per annum or 2,428,578 Euro per annum.
Exergetic and exergo-economic assessment of orange juice pasteurization unit Munish Kumar, Gurjeet Singh, S. K. Mangal, Sumit Taneja Discover Applied Sciences, 2026 Pasteurization of orange juice is a critical food safety measure commonly achieved through heat treatment of the same at 92 °C for 20 s so as to secure microbial inactivation to provide better shelf life. Pasteurization, being an energy intensive process, consumes 0.932 MJ/kg of thermal energy which causes considerable amount of exergetic degradation. In light of this, the objective of present research endeavor is to get in – depth understanding of energy, exergy and exergo-economic aspects of pasteurization activity by way of unearthing all associated derivatives such as energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, energy improvement potential, exergy improvement potential and sustainability index of the Orange Juice Pasteurization Plant. The specific application of second law of thermodynamics along with its integration with economic formulations from Specific Exergy Costing Method (SPECO) generates a platform where thermodynamic and thermo-economic outcomes are summarized for better diagnosis of operational deficiencies. Further, the exergy efficiency, specific exergy destruction and specific exergy improvement potential were computed as 75.97%, 125.22 kJ/kg and 74.88 kJ/kg while, thermo-economic derivatives such as levelized cost rates, specific cost of exergy destruction, cost rate of exergy destruction, total operating cost rate and specific manufacturing cost, were computed as 44.89 Rs./hr., 0.026 Rs./kJ, 1700.06 Rs./hr., 1744.95 Rs./hr. and 3.29 Rs./kg respectively. The present assessment develops a clear picture of energy related degradation along with detailed information about energy saving potentials available with the plant. It is pertinent to mention that a systematic approach aimed at energy conservation would consequently lead to improvement in sustainability as well as economic characteristics of plant. Thermodynamic and Thermoeconomic Analysis have been performed in current research initiative. The First and Second Law Efficiencies were calculated as 91.95% and 75.97% respectively. The Second Law based Cost of Exergy Destruction is computed as 0.026 Rs. /kJ. Hourly Operational Cost of Orange Juice Pasteurization Plant was calculated as 1744.95 Rs. /hr. The Specific Cost of Processing raw Orange Juice was estimated as 3.29 Rs. /kg.
Empirical Modeling of Industry 4.0 Enablers: Insights from Indian Manufacturing Through PLS-SEM and CB-SEM Rupen Trehan, Kuldip Singh Sangwan, Perminderjit Singh, Sumit Taneja Sustainability Switzerland, 2025 The article’s main focus is on identifying the key enablers that are making Industry 4.0 adoption easier, utilizing structural equation modeling via SPSS version 26. A comprehensive examination of previous studies led to the identification of 10 main enablers and 35 associated sub-enablers. Data collected from 182 manufacturing companies in India, selected by simple random sampling, was used for quantitative research. The analysis basically depends on PLS-SEM and CB-SEM (Partial Least Squares and Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling) path modeling. The findings indicate that technological enablers such as data analytics and artificial intelligence, computational power and connectivity, technologies that integrate physical and digital systems, and other enabling technologies are crucial to Industry 4.0 adoption. Additionally, organizational enablers (including a supportive organization, government efforts and promotions, and human resources) are also found to be significant contributors to Industry 4.0 implementation. Additionally, the study identified a significant mediating effect between technological and organizational enablers, emphasizing the importance of collaborative visualization mechanisms, established through bootstrapping with bias-corrected confidence intervals. Strengthening technological, organizational, and collaborative capabilities through Industry 4.0 adoption allows firms to attain improved operational performance while advancing sustainability objectives. These results contribute to the present understanding of Industry 4.0 adoption by offering useful implications for policymakers and industry practitioners. These insights guide managers and policymakers in structuring digital transformation initiatives.
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOLAR AIR HEATER WITH FLUID FLOW CHANNEL ABOVE & BELOW A WAVY-SHAPED ARCHED ABSORBER PLATE Rahul Khatri, Sumit Taneja Proceedings on Engineering Sciences, 2025 Solar thermal energy is abundant and freely available, making it a valuable resource for sustainable energy solutions.Systems like solar air heaters are commonly used for both space heating and drying applications.However, the overall thermal performance of solar air heaters is often limited by inefficient heat transfer between the absorber plate and the air.In this study, the fabrication and performance analysis of a solar air heater with wavy absorber plate has been carried out.The study presents a comparative analysis of the thermal performance of a solar air heater with two distinct fluid flow channels: one between the glazing and the absorber plate, and the other between the absorber plate and the bottom surface.The wavy design of the absorber plate promotes air turbulence and vortex formation, disrupting the laminar sub-layer near the absorber surface and thereby enhancing heat transfer within the system.Four configurations were examined: fluid flow in the upper channel with and without an arch in the absorber plate, and fluid flow in the lower channel with and without the arch.During the experiments, a constant air flow rate of 5 m/s was maintained using a blower.Results indicated that the temperature difference achieved with the fluid flowing above the absorber plate was higher than that of the fluid flowing below by approximately 10-20%.However, when the absorber plate was arched, there was a notable improvement in the performance of the fluid passage below the absorber plate.
A detailed review of the design parameters for augmenting the latent heat in a thermal energy storage system Himanshu Kumar, Ankit Yadav, Gurjeet Singh, Sumit Taneja Energy Harvesting and Systems, 2025 Purpose The purpose of this study is to critically analyze various parameters that improve the latent heat transfer in heat exchangers. There has been a continuous increase in greenhouse gases because of industrial activities across the world. Consequently, it has become critical to harness renewable energy as a powerful substitute for meeting future energy needs. Thus, phase change materials (PCM) and heat transfer fluids have been instituted as alternatives for activities related to heat transfer enhancement employing heat exchangers with different fin configurations. Methodology The present work deals with the comparative analysis of thermal performance of longitudinal and circular finned heat exchangers. For creating a detailed summary of various computational cum experimental endeavours, efforts have been made to compile a refined picture of design variations and thermal performances of PCM-based latent thermal energy storage system (PCM – LTESS). Findings The comparative analysis of longitudinal as well as circular finned tube arrangement revealed that the latter has better thermal characteristics. However, various fin arrangements have also been explored as part of this review. Originality A significant improvement in heat transfer is observed when heat sinks clubbed with PCM-based arrangement are integrated with pin fins. These are frequently instituted for heat transfer enhancement or thermal energy management of various electronic goods with optimum number and size of fins.
A Review on the Prospects of Various Gaseous Fuel as an Automotive Fuel and for Reducing Environmental Pollution Divjyot Singh, Jhashanka Dadhich, Yash Bhadoriya, Sumit Taneja Evergreen, 2023 For many decades, Ethanol has been used as Engine fuel as it has properties very similar to petrol, that make ethanol usable in engines with minor hardware modifications. It burns cleaner and is being blended in various ratios with petroleum origin transportation fuel all over the world. To overcome the ethanol shortage and in search for clean fuels, manufacturers shifted towards gaseous fuels like Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), Natural Gas, Methane, etc. Gaseous fuels are preferred over solid/liquid fuels as they give very less emissions. Biogas produced from organic waste is a promising alternative and renewable gaseous fuel which can be explored for use in IC engines. This review work provides a detailed summary of the work done in the gaseous fuel domain and particularly Bio-gas domain for its uses in IC engines. A substrate of Cow Dung mixed with other biowastes like rice husk or vegetable peelings can satisfactorily achieve a yield hike of 44% under controlled conditions. Presence of certain special microbes or catalyst the augments biogas generation. Biogas digesters fed with a substrate of 25% cow dung and 75% food waste reported 80% higher yield. Results of using this biogas mixed with CNG in engines is also elaborated.
Green Hydrogen as a Clean Energy Resource and Its Applications as an Engine Fuel † Sumit Taneja, Ankur Jain, Yash Bhadoriya Engineering Proceedings, 2023 The world’s economy heavily depends on the energy resources used by various countries. India is one of the promising developing nations with very low crude reserves actively looking for new renewable energy resources to power its economy. Higher energy consumption and environmental pollution are two big global challenges for our sustainable development. The world is currently facing a dual problem of an energy crisis as well as environmental degradation. So, there is a strong need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. This can be achieved to a great extent by universally adopting clean fuels for all daily life uses, like ethanol or liquified natural gas (LNG), as these burn very clean and do not emit many pollutants. Nowadays, green hydrogen has emerged as a new clean energy source, which is abundantly available and does not pollute much. This article explores the various benefits of green hydrogen with respect to fossil fuels, various techniques of producing it, and its possible use in different sectors such as industry, transport, and aviation, as well as in day-to-day life. Finally, it explores the use of green hydrogen as fuel in automobile engines, its blending with CNG gas, and its benefits in reducing emissions compared to fossil fuels. On combustion, green hydrogen produces only water vapours and is thus a highly clean fuel. Thus, it can potentially help humanity preserve the environment due to its ultra-low emissions and can be a consistent and reliable source of energy for generations to come, thereby ending the clean energy security debate forever.
