Department of Atomic Energy and University Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai on the occasion of signing of MoU between the two Organisations to

http://www.dae.gov.in/press/uictpress.htm

In the 21st century, where knowledge economy propels a nation, higher education is the major contributor to the economic growth of the country. In India the number of Engineering Technology Ph.D.'s per year 1,000,000 persons is 0.8, which is much smaller compared to other developed countries; for example, the number is 33 in Japan, 30 in the USA and 3 in China. Further, the number of Ph.Ds in Engineering and Technology is dismally small compared to that in Basic Sciences. The number of Ph.D.s that is directly proportional to the GDP of the country needs to be enhanced to 3000. There is indeed a wide gap to be filled up.
The other key driver of the economy is the energy production: each rupee invested in the energy sector increases the output by ten to fifteen rupees. Evidently, India has to harness all forms of renewable and non-renewable energy sources to increase its energy production. Solar, wind, bio energy are as important for widely distributed production and the uses as are coal, hydrocarbon and nuclear energy for centralised production, especially for metropolitan areas and industrial sector. The scenario of energy mix has to gradually shift towards nuclear energy as the major component in order to cut down carbon dioxide emission and reduce global warming. In future, nuclear energy can totally eliminate carbon dioxide emission in the transport sector by producing hydrogen fuel in the most energy efficient manner. The massive R&D programme launched by the Department of Atomic Energy towards design and manufacture of higher capacity power plants and nuclear fuel breeding reactors, commencing the thorium fuel cycle, employing high temperature reactors for direct hydrogen production, and initiating work on the accelerator driven inherently safe nuclear reactor and prototype fusion reactors. These efforts require a pool of talented, motivated and highly qualified personnel: engineers and technologists with deep insight into science, and scientists with competence in engineering to convert research output to technology.
Chemical engineering with a multidisciplinary base has played a major role in shaping the technologies for the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear reactors, and many advanced energy conversion technologies. University Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai (UICT) is one of the foremost academic institutions in India with a proven track record in training high quality manpower and in conducting research in Chemical Engineering and Technology. While UICT is a major resource institution in terms of technology development and fundamental research at the cutting edge on the global scale, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), in particular, Bhabha Atomic Research· Centre and Indira Gandhi Centre of Atomic Research have demonstrated over decades their ability to conduct multi-disciplinary, mission oriented R&D leading to a large number of indigenous and innovative chemical engineering processes, equipment and instruments, and technologies. DAE and UICT are joining hands to launch the DAE­UICT Centre for Chemical Engineering Education and Research to impart education at the Ph. D. level, where interdisciplinary character of Chemical Engineering Education is the essence. With an annual intake of ,20 Ph. D. students per year from various streams, namely, M.Sc. in basic sciences, M. Tech/B. Tech in Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical/Materials Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, the Centre will support 100 Ph. D. students, all engaged in research in the energy sector This scheme will also provide opportunity to the young research scholars, who will be trained with broad based curricula covering basic sciences and chemical engineering, to carry out their experiments in the state of the art laboratories of QAE institutes, especially of BARC and IGCAR.
This Centre has another major function. It will boost the Collaborative Research Programme between DAE institutions and UICT, by adding in a major way to the existing research projects commissioned through the Board of Nuclear Sciences and the Centre for Knowledge Based Engineering (CKBE). Many of the DAE funded projects have been successfully completed. They are in the areas of process simulation of heavy water plants, ion chromatography for zirconium decontamination and recycle, annular centrifugal extractors for efficient solvent extraction, software for non-destructive radiometric investigation of chemical plants, etc. For the Research Projects under the Centre, the scientists of BARC and IGCAR in consultation with the faculty members of the UICT have identified several advanced topics of research in Chemical Engineering, which will provide understanding of various phenomena, and help in developing novel technologies and in improving the efficiency and reliability of the existing processes. 'Examples of such research areas are: Computational fluid dynamics modelling of fluidised bed with chemical vapour deposition on the particles, two phase flow in diverse systems: liquid metal flow in fast reactors, gas driven liquid metal flow in Accelerator Driven System targets, pulsed extraction columns, cavitation in sodium pumps, etc. It also includes the cutting edge technologies, such as, molecular modelling for developing specified solvents and ionic liquids, Development of novel processes for radioactive decontamination by gel, hydrogen generation by iodine-sulphur process for combining with high temperature nuclear reactor, and pyro-electrochemical reduction of actinide oxides and their separation. These knowledge and understanding will contribute immensely to the nuclear energy programmes in Nuclear fuel production, Fuel reprocessing technologies, Radioactive Waste management, Energy conversion technologies, Thermal hydraulics of fast breeder
A new building will be constructed in the existing premises of UICT, which will house teaching laboratories, lecture halls, CAD - CAM laboratory and computer centre, research laboratories, and pilot scale equipment testing facility. The Centre will also support upto six faculty positions. The Centre initially will be funded to the tune of Rs 75 crores by DAE during the XI and XII Five Year Plan periods.
The benefits that will accrue from this centre are manifold. The important ones being several independent research projects will be completed, with deliverables linked with energy programmes; A pool of young talented and dedicated Ph.D. level engineers with a multidisciplinary perspective will be created with a potential to be absorbed in the DAE units. It will provide a platform for interactions between R&D scientists of DAE and academic personnel from UICT. The new knowledge and the technologies generated in the centre is expected to fulfill atleast partially, the urgent need of our country and society in terms of wealth generation and national security in various sectors.