department of chemical engineering indian institute of technology, madras chennai 600 036 2008 @...

Department of Chemical Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

Chennai 600 036

2008

@

Chemical Engineering

IIT Madras

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Iitmlogo.png

Chemical Engineering IIT Madras @

A Message from the Department Head

Shankar Narasimhan Ph.D.

Professor and Head

April 2007


The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, is one among the foremost of institutes of national importance in higher technological education and in basic and applied research. In 1956, the German Government offered technical assistance for establishing an institute of higher education in engineering in India. The first Indo-German agreement in Bonn, West Germany for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology at Madras was signed in 1959. The Institute was formally inaugurated in 1959 by Prof. Humayun Kabir, Union Minister for Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs. In 1961, the IITs were declared to be institutions of national importance. The IIT system has seven Institutes of Technology located at Kharagpur (established. 1951), Mumbai (established. 1958), Chennai (established. 1959), Kanpur (established. 1959), Delhi (established. 1961), Guwahati (established. 1994) and Roorkee (established. 1847, joined IITs in 2001).

The IIT Madras is a residential institute with nearly 360 faculty, 4000 students and 1250 administrative & supporting staff, is a self-contained campus located in a beautiful wooded land of about 250 hectares. It has been growing from strength to strength ever since it obtained its charter from the Indian Parliament in 1961 and has established itself as a premier centre for teaching, research and industrial consultancy in the country.

The Institute has fifteen academic departments and a few advanced research centers in various disciplines of engineering and pure sciences, with nearly 100 laboratories organized in a unique pattern of functioning. A faculty of international repute, a brilliant student community, excellent technical & supporting staff and an effective administration have all contributed to the pre-eminent status of IIT Madras.

The campus is located in the city of Chennai, previously known as Madras. Chennai is the state capital of Tamilnadu, a southern state in India.

The Institute


The Bachelor of Technology programme in Chemical Engineering was introduced as the first programme when the department was established in 1959. The first set of graduands were awarded their degrees in 1964. Currently the department offers degrees in undergraduate as well as postgraduate level. A strong research programme complements the academic activities.

The chemical engineering department has a dedicated and motivated team of faculty actively involved in industrial consultancy and sponsored research at the fundamental level. The faculty is involved in a diverse fields of work including Transport Processes, Reaction Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Process Control, Polymer Engineering and Particle Science.

Collaborations exist between the faculty of the department with those from other departments across the Institute as well as with Industry/Government Organizations on Research Based Consultancy Projects. Sophisticated experimental and computational facilities are available both with in the department and with in the institute.

The Department

Academic Programs

The academic programs of the department include

• B.Tech (4 -year program)

• Dual Degree (5 year Integrated M.Tech. program)

• M.Tech. (2 year program with emphasis on coursework)

• M.S. (1.5 - 3 year program with emphasis on thesis)

• Ph.D.


Faculty & Research Areas

The faculty, research scholars and students conduct research in a wide range of areas in chemical and related fields. Often the research work is interdisciplinary and there is active collaboration with faculty from other departments across the Institute as well as with Industry/Government Organizations. The table here provides a broad classification of the research areas and the faculty working in these areas. The pages that follow provide details of the research work carried out by individual faculty.

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Abhijit P Deshpande

Ananth M S

Arun K Tangirala

Balakrishnan A R

Chidambaram

Kannan A

Krishnaiah K

Murthy D V S

Nagarajan R

Niket Kaisare

Panda T

Pushpavanam S

Ramachandra Rao V S

Ramanathan S

Ramnarayanan R

Ravi R

Ravi Krishna R

Sai P S T

Shankar Narasimhan

Sreenivas Jayanti

Swaminathan T

Susy Varughese

Tanmay Basak

Upendra Natarajan


Abhijit P Deshpande

Ph.D. (University of Washington) +91-44-2257 4169 [email protected]

Polymers, Rheology, Composites Processing, Flow Visualizaton

Research Areas: Current focus is on the rheology of complex fluids involving macromolecules and amphiphilic molecules. Evolution of flow structures is being investigated in non-Newtonian and two phase systems. Microscopic observations are being utilized to examine spreading of fluid drops on porous media. Natural fiber composites and their applications are also being investigated. Selected Publications:• Balakrishnan, S., S. Varughese and A. P. Deshpande, Micellar characterisation of saponin from Sapindus

mukorossi, Tenside, surfactants, detergents, 43 (5), pp 262-268 (2006).• Sriram, S., A. P. Deshpande and S. Pushpavanam, Flow behaviour of a Newtonian fluid in a periodically

driven cavity, Journal of Fluids Engineering, 128, pp 413-420 (2006).• Kumar, M. S. and A. P. Deshpande, Dynamics of drop spreading on fibrous porous media, Colloids and

Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 277 (1-3), pp 157-163 (2006).• Deshpande, A. P., A. Srikanth and N. Praveen, Quantitative estimation of permeability with lattice

Boltzmann simulations: Representative porous media from composite processing, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 83 (5), pp 808-815, (2005)

• Maharudrayya, S., S. Jayanti, A.P. Deshpande, Pressure losses in laminar flow through serpentine channels

in fuel cell stacks, Journal of Power Sources, 138, pp 1–13, (2004)

M. S. Ananth

Ph.D. (University of Florida)

+91-44-2257 4153 [email protected]

Thermodynamics, Mathematical Modeling, Engineering Education

Selected Projects: Universal viscometric functions for a dilute solution of polymers in a good solvent (Department of Science and Technology). Awards and Recognition:• Herdillia award for excellence in basic research in chemical engineering (IIChE, 1994)• Fellow, Indian Institute of Chemical Engineering (1994)• Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineering (1998)

Selected Publications:• Sunder Ramachandran and M. S. Ananth , “A simple two zone mathematical model of the Inred process”, I.I.M.

Transactions,40, 407-414 1987 (Awarded a gold medal for the best paper in IIM Transactions in the year 1987)• K.R. Sundaresan and M.S. Ananth, , “On unsteady moving boundary problems for nonplane geometries” , Int. J.

Engg. Sci., 1992, 30(7), 847-859. • A modified SCLC model for the thermodynamic properties of single and mixed electrolytes, K.V. Narayanan and

M.S. Ananth, Fluid Phase Equilibria, 1996, 114, 89-121


Arun K. Tangirala

Ph.D. (University of Alberta) +91-44-2257 4181 [email protected]

Controller Performance, Data Mining, Wavelet Applications, Fault Diagnosis, Fuel Cells

Selected Publications:• H. Liu, W. Jiang, A.K. Tangirala, S.L. Shah (2007). An Adaptive Regression Adjusted Monitoring and Fault

Isolation Scheme. Journal of Chemometrics (In Press).asas• A.K. Tangirala, J. Kanodia and S.L. Shah (2007). Applications of on-Negative Matrix Factorization to Plant-

Wide Oscillation Detection & Diagnosis. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, v. 46(3), 801-817• H. Raghavan, A.K. Tangirala and S.L. Shah (2006). Identification of hemical processes with irregular output

sampling. Control Engineering Practice, v. 14(5), 467-480.• A.K. Tangirala, S.L. Shah and N.F. Thornhill (2005). PSCMAP: A new tool for plant-wide oscillation

detection. Journal of Process Control, v. 15(8), 931-941.• A.K. Tangirala, D. Li, R. S. Patwardhan, S. L. Shah and T. Chen (2001). Ripple-free conditions for lifted

multirate control systems. Automatica, v. 37(10), October, 1637- 1645.

A. R. Balakrishnan

Ph.D. (University of Waterloo) +91-44-2257 4154 [email protected]

Heat Transfer & Computer Aided Design

The primary focus of the recent research work has been directed towards addressing the concerns of energy and the environment.This includes among other work energy storage, liquid desiccant dehumidification of air and gases, augmentation of boiling heat transfer using enhanced surfaces and boiling of multi-component liquid mixtures.

Selected Publications:• K. Aparna, Tanmay Basak and A.R. Balakrishnan, Role of Metallic and Composite (ceramic-metallic) Supports on

Microwave Heating of Porous Dielectrics, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, (In press).• B.R. Vijayarangan, S. Jayanti and and A.R. Balakrishnan, Pressure Drop Studies on Two-Phase Flow in a Uniformly

Heated Vertical Tube at Pressures up to the Critical Point, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 50, 1879-1891, 2007.

• T. Basak, S. Roy and A.R. Balakrishnan, Effects of Thermal Boundary Conditions on Natural Convection Flows within a Square Cavity, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 49, 4525-4535, 2006.

• B.R. Vijayarangan, S. Jayanti and A.R. Balakrishnan, Studies on Critical Heat Flux in Flow Boiling at Near Critical Pressures, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 49, 259-268, 2006.

• Vijayarangan, B. R. Jayanti, S. & A.R. Balakrishnan, “Studies on Critical Heat Flux in Flow Boiling at Near Critical Pressures”, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, (in press).

• Vijayan, M. Jayanti, S. & A. R. Balakrishnan, “On Axial Coherence of Interfacial Waves in Countercurrent Flow”, AIChE Journal, 51, (2005) 2098-2102.


M. Chidambaram

Ph.D. (Indian Institute of Science) +91-44-2257 4155 [email protected]

PID Controller Tuning, Multivariable Controller Design, Periodic Operation of Reactors

Selected Publications:• Padma Sree, R. & M. Chidambaram, “Set Point Weighted PID Controllers for Unstable Systems”, Chem.

Eng. Comm., 192, (2005), 1-13.• Sathe Vivek and M. Chidambaram, “Identification using single symmetrical relay feedback test”, Computers

& Chemical Engineering, 29(7), (2005) 1625-1630 .• Sivakumar, E. Sathe, V. & M. Chidambaram, “Improved Saturation Relay Test for Systems with Large Dead

Time”, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 44(7), (2005), 2183-2190• Padma sree, R. Srinivas, M. N. & M. Chidambaram, “A simple method of tuning PID controllers for stable

and unstable FOPTD systems”, Computers & Chemical Engineering”, 28(11), (2004) 2201-2218.• Padma sree, R. & M. Chidambaram, “Simple method of calculating set point weighting parameter for

unstable systems with a zero”, Computers & Chemical Engineering, 28(11) (2004) 2433-2437

A. Kannan

Ph.D. (McMaster University) +91-44-2257 4170 [email protected]

Separation Processes Software Development

Recent Projects:• Object Oriented Design of Multicomponent Distillation Processes (AICTE, India)• Development of Design Methodology for Reactive Distillation Processes (MHRD, India)• Optimization of Sonochemical Reactors (IIT Madras)• Verification of Multiple Steady states in Azeotropic Distillation Processes (MHRD, India)

Books Authored• Applied Process Control, Allied Pub., 1998.• Computer Control of Processes, Narosa Pub., 2003.• Control of Unstable Systems, Narosa Pub., 2005.

Selected Publications:• Varma MN and Kannan A, “CFD studies on natural convective heating of canned food in conical and cylindrical

containers”, Journal of Food Engineering 77 (4): 1024-1036 (2006).• Mahesh Varma and Kannan A., “Enhanced food sterilization through inclination of the container walls and

geometry modifications” Int. J. of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 48(18) 3753-3762 (2005).• S. Ratheesh and Kannan. A., “Holdup and Pressure Drop Studies in Structured Packings with Catalysts”, Chem.

Engg. J. 104, 2004, pp. 45-54.• Kannan and Sadhi Khan Pathan, “Enhancement of Solid Dissolution Process”, Chem. Engg. J. 102, 2004, pp. 45-

49.


K. Krishnaiah

Ph.D. (Indian Institute of Technology , Madras) +91-44-2257 4156 [email protected]

Chemical Reactor Analysis and Design, Fluidization

Selected Publications:• Renganathan, T. & K. Krishnaiah, “Voidage characteristics and prediction of bed expansion in liquid–solid

inverse fluidized bed”, Chemical Engineering Science, 60, (2005) 2545-2555.• Renganathan, T. & K. Krishnaiah, “Stochastic Simulation of Hydrodynamics of a Liquid-Solid Inverse

Fluidized Bed”, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 43(15), (2004) 4405-4412.• Bruce, A.E.R. Sai P.S.T. & K. Krishnaiah, “ Characterization of liquid phase mixing in turbulent bed

contactor through RTD studies”, Chemical Engineering Journal, 104, (2004) 19-26.• Renganathan, T. & K. Krishnaiah, “Liquid phase mixing in 2-phase liquid–solid inverse fluidized bed”,

Chemical Engineering Journal, 98, (2004) 213-218.• Bruce, A. E. R. Sai P. S. T. & K. Krishnaiah, “Liquid holdup in turbulent bed contactor”, Chemical

Engineering Journal, 99, (2004) 203-212

D.V.S. MurthyEnvironmental Engineering, Particle Technology & Mineral Processing

Recent Projects:• Fine particles monitoring and control of VOC's (benzene, toluene, xylene) in Chennai city

(Sponsored by Swedish International Development Agency)• Environmental audit for M/S Orchid Chemicals&Pharmaceuticals (P) Ltd.,Chennai• Ambient air pollution study for expansion of Cement plants(M/S Madras Cements Ltd.)

Selected Publications:• Mahesh Varma and Kannan A., “Enhanced food sterilization through inclination of the

container walls and Performance evaluation of a compost biofilter treating toluene vapours, Eldon R. Rene, D.V.S. Murthy, T. Swaminathan, Process Biochemistry, 40, 2005, 2771-2779.

• Application of anaerobic fluidized bed reactors in wastewater treatment; a review R.Saravanan and D.V.S.Murthy, Enviornmental Management and Health, Vol 11, Nos2 and 3, 2000, pp 97-117.

• Performance evaluation of common effluent treatment plant for tanneries at Pammal-Pallavaram Tamilnadu (India), P.Shanmugasundram and No.5, Nov 2000, pp 431-434

The research focus has always been to improve the performance of a particular Chemical Engineering Equipment or to develop new Equipment for high performance after understanding the basic hydrodynamics, transfer processes and kinetics of the system. The Major field of research is application of Fluidization to solve Environmental Engineering problems covering Gas-Solid, Liquid-Solid and Gas-Liquid-Solid systems


The recent focus of research is in the area of non conventional wastewater treatment and sponsored research in air pollution monitoring& control projects


R. Nagarajan

Ph.D. (Yale University) +91-44-2257 4158 [email protected]

Fine Particle Science and Technology, Chemical Vapor Deposition, Ultrasonic Cavitation

Selected Publications:• Proceedings of ESTECH-2005, Use of Ultrasonic Cavitation in Surface Cleaning, Chicago, IL, 2005.• CHEMCON-2004, Particle Science and Technology Initiatives at IIT-Madras, Mumbai, Dec 2004.• IDEMA Micro contamination Standard M3-98, Contaminant Transport Mechanisms in Hard Disk Drives, 1998• IDEMA Micro contamination Standard M9-98, Particulate Contamination Test Methods for Hard Disk Drive Components,

1998• Chemical Integration and Contamination Control in Hard Disk Drive Manufacturing (with L. Nebenzahl et al.), Journal of

the IEST, pp. 31-35, Sep/Oct 1998• Design for Cleanability, chapter in Supercritical Fluid Cleaning (J. McHardy, S.P. Sawan, editors), Noyes Publications,

Westwood, NJ, pp. 38-69, 1998• Survey of Cleaning and Cleanliness Measurement in Disk Drive Manufacture, Precision Cleaning, pp. 13-22, Feb 1997. • SEMATECH SEMASPEC Technology Transfer No. 94052358A-STD, An Extractive Method for Determining Particulate

Contamination Levels of Wafer Carriers Using Ultrasonic Extraction,

Niket Kaisare

Ph.D. (Georgia Institute of Technology) +91-44-2257 4176 [email protected]

Microreactors, Fuel Processing, Fuel Cells, Process Intensification, Process Control, Approximate Dynamic Programming

Selected Publications:• Kaisare N. S., J. M. Lee and J. H. Lee (2003), "Simulation based strategy for nonlinear optimal control:

Application to a microbial cell reactor," Int. J. Robust and Nonlinear Control, 13: 347-363. • Kaisare N. S., J. H. Lee and A. G. Fedorov (2005), "Hydrogen generation in a reverse-flow microreactor: 1.

Model formulation and scaling," A.I.Ch.E.Journal, 51: 2254-2264. • Lee J. M., N. S. Kaisare and J. H. Lee (2006), "Choice of approximator and design of penalty function for an

approximate dynamic programming based control approach," J. Process Control, 16: 135-156. • Kaisare N. S., J. H. Lee and A. G. Fedorov (2005), "Operability analysis and design of a reverse-flow

microreactor for hydrogen generation," Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 44:8323-8333. • Kaisare N. S. and D. G. Vlachos (2007), "Optimal reactor dimensions for homogeneous combustion in small

channels," Catal. Today, 120: 96-106. • Kaisare N. S. and D. G. Vlachos (2007), "Extending the region of stable homogeneous micro-combustion

through forced unsteady operation," Proc. Combust. Inst., 31: 3293-3300.


S. Pushpavanam

Ph.D. (University of Florida) +91-44-2257 4161 [email protected]

Mathematical Modeling and Simulation, Nonlinear Dynamics, Flow Visualization

Selected Publications:• Balasubramaniam, P. Pushpavanam, S. & A. Kienle, “Effect of delay on the stability of a coupled reactor flash

separator system sustaining an elementary non-isothermal reaction”, accepted for publication in Industrial and Engineering Chemsitry Research, (2005)

• Haefele, M. Disliuslu, I. Kienle, A. Krishna, V. M. Pushpavanam, S. & C. U. Schmidt, “Nonlinear behavior of tubular polyethylene tubular reactor separator recycle system”, European Symposium for Computer Aided Process Engineering ,Barcelona Spain, (2004)

• Anil, P. A. Pushpavanam, S. & A. Kienle, “Steady state behavior of coupled Reactor Separator systems: effect of different separators”, accepted for publication in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, (2004)

• Vamsikrishna, M, Pushpavanam, S. & A. Kienle, “Effect of conversion dependent viscosity on the non-linear behavior of a reactor with fixed pressure drop”, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 43(26), (2004) 8284-8292.

T. PandaBiochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Protoplast Fusion Technology

Selected Publications:• Panda, T. & B.S. Gowrishankar, “Production and applications of esterases”, Applied Microbiology &

Biotechnology, 67 (2005) 160-169• Panda, T & V. Amutha Devi, “Regulation & degradation of HMGCo-A reductase”, Applied Microbiology &

Biotechnology, 66 (2004), 143-152. • Panda, T., Sushma R. Nair & M. Prem Kumar, “Regulation of synthesis of the pectolytic enzymes of

Aspergillus Niger”, Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 34 (2004) 466-473• Rana, D.S., K. Theodore, G. Sathya Narayana Naidu & T. Panda, “Stability and Kinetics of b-1,3-glycanase

from T. Larzianum”, Process Biochemistry, 39 (2003) 149-155.• Muralidhar, R., G.S.N. Naidu, V.V. Dasu & T. Panda, “Statistical analysis of some critical parameters

affecting the protoplast formation from the mycelium of P. griseofulvum” Biochemical Engg. Journal, 16 (2003) 229-235

Ph.D. (Indian Institute of Technology , Delhi) +91-44-2257 4160 [email protected]


S. Ramanathan

Ph.D. (Clarkson University) +91-44-2257 4171 [email protected]

Surface Reactions, Chemical Mechanical Polishing

Selected Publications:• M. Suryasekhar and S. Ramanathan, "Characterization of copper chemical Mechanical polishing (CMP) in nitric

acid - hydrazine based slurry for microelectronic fabrication", Thin Solid Films, 504 (2006) 227• Y. Nagendra Prasad and S. Ramanathan, "Role of amino-acid adsorption on Silica and Silicon Nitride surfaces

during STI CMP", Electrochem. Solid-State Lett., 9(12), (2006) G337-G339.• R. Srinivasan, Y. Tian and I. I. Suni, "Surface Plasmon Effects on Surface Second Harmonic Generation During

Au Deposition onto H-Si(111)", Surf. Sci., 490, 308, 2001

Selected Patents:• Y-S. Her, R. Srinivasan, S.V. Babu, S. Ramarajan, "Chemical-mechanical polishing slurry and method",U.S. Patent, 7,101,800, (Sep 2006)• R. Srinivasan, S.V. Babu, W.G. America, Y-S. Her, "Slurry for chemical Mechanical polishing silicon dioxide",U.S. Patent 7,091,164 (Aug

2006)• Y-S. Her, R. Srinivasan, S.V. Babu and S. Ramarajan, "Chemical-mechanical polishing slurry and method",U.S. Patent 6,702,954 ( Mar 2004)

V. S. Ramachandra Rao Internal Model

Control , Adaptive Control

Selected Publications:• Yamuna Rani K. and Ramachandra Rao V.S., Control of Fermenters-A Review, Bioprocess Engineering, 21,

77-88, 1999.• Saha P., Patwardhan S.C., and Ramachandra Rao V.S., Maximizing Productivity of a Continuous Fermenter

using Nonlinear Adaptive Optimizing control, Bioprocess Engineering, 20, 15-21, 1999.• Panda R.C., and Ramachandra Rao V.S., Dynamics of a Continuous Fluidized Bed ryer, Iranian Journal of

Science & Technology, 22, 3, Transaction B, 219-231, 1998.• Ramesh Kumar V., Balaraman K.S., Ramachandra Rao V.S., and Ananth M.S., Modelling of Hydrotreating

Process in a Trickle-Bed Reactor, Petroleum Science & Technology, 15/3-4, 283-295, 1997



R. Ravi

Ph.D. (Purdue University) +91-44-2257 4167 [email protected]

Statistical Thermodynamics, Process Control of Integrated Systems, Property Estimation of Liquid Metals

Understanding transport properties of complex systems through a combination of theory and simulation. The main objective is to predict the macroscopic properties from microscopic parameters such as the inter molecular potential. Current work is focused on developing a corresponding States Theory for transport properties of liquid metals and also examining correlations between transport properties and excess entropy. Efforts are also underway to investigate the transport properties of supercritical fluids.

Selected Publications:• M.S. Ananth and R. Ravi, "The Optimal Use of Entropy and Enthalpy", Journal of Science Education, 6, 67-81, 2001.• C. Jayaram, R.Ravi and R.P. Chhabra, "Calculation of Self-diffusion Coefficients of Liquid Metals Based on Hard Sphere

Diameters Estimated from Viscosity Data", Chemical Physics Letters, 341, 179-184, 2001.• R. Ravi, "Undergraduate Process Control: Clarification of some Concepts", Chemical Engineering Education, Spring

Issue, 148-151, 2001.• S.A. Adelman and R. Ravi, "Irreversible Motion on Macrosopic and Molecular Timescales and Chemical Dynamics in

Liquids", Advances in Chemical Physics, 115, 181-243, 2001.

R. RamnarayananElectrochemistry, Integrated chemical systems, Scale-out, Appropriate Science and Technology

Selected Publications:• R. Ramnarayanan, Benny C. Chan, M. A. Salvitti, T. E. Mallouk, Falaah M. Falih, Jason Davis, Douglas B. Galloway,

Simon. R. Bare, and Richard.R. Willis, "Directed Sorting method for Synthesis of Bead-based Combinatorial Libraries of Heterogeneous Catalysts," J. Combi. Chem., 2006, 8(2), 199.

• H. Liu, R. Ramnarayanan and B. E. Logan, "Production of electricity during waste water treatment using a single chamber microbial fuel cell," Environmental Science and Technology, 2004, 38, 2281.

• U. Turaga and R. Ramnarayanan, "Catalytic Naphtha Reforming: Revisiting its importance in the modern refinery," Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research, 2003, 62 (10), 963.

Selected Proceedings:• R.Ramnarayanan, R. Rajagopalan, H. Foley, and T. E. Mallouk, "Using nanoporous carbon membranes in fuel cells,"

Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, 2004, 801 (Materials and Technology for Hydrogen Economy), 185.

Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University) +91-44-2257 4174 [email protected]


P. S. T. Sai

Ph.D. (Indian Institute of Technology, Madras) +91-44-2257 4163 [email protected]

Chemical Reactor Analysis & Design, Rotary Kilns

Selected Publications:• A model for residence time distribution of solids in a rotary kiln, Loni Dinesh V. and P.S.T. Sai, Can. J. Chem. Eng. (in

press)• Sharif Hussein Sharif Zein, Abdul Rahman Mohamed, & P. Sesha Talpa Sai, “Kinetic Studies on Catalytic

Decomposition of Methane to Hydrogen and Carbon over Ni/TiO2 Catalyst”, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 43(6), (2004) 4864 – 4870.

• Sindhu, H. & P. S. T. Sai, “A model for pressure drop and liquid saturation in gas–liquid cocurrent upflow through packed beds”, Chemical Engineering Journal, 93, (2003) 135-142.

• Liquid holdup in turbulent bed contactor, A.E.R. Bruce, P.S.T. Sai and K. Krishnaiah, Chem. Eng. J. 99, 203-212, 2004.• A model for pressure drop and liquid saturation in gas-liquid cocurrent upflow through packed beds, H. Sindhu and

P.S.T. Sai, Chem. Eng. J. 93, 135-142, 2003.• Liquid phase mixing of turbulent bed contactor, A.E.R. Bruce, P.S.T. Sai and K. Krishnaiah, Chem. Eng. Sci., 58, 3453-

3463, 2003.

R. Ravi KrishnaContaminated Sediment Remediation, Contaminant Fate and Transport, Air Pollution

Selected Publications:• M. Ren, R. Ravikrishna, K. T. Valsaraj, “ Photocatalytic Degradation of Gaseous Organic Species on Photonic Band-Gap Titania”,

Environ. Sci. Technol. 40 (22), 7029-7033 (2006).• R. Ravikrishna, M. Ren, K. T. Valsaraj, “Low-temperature synthesis of porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds using polyaphron

templates”, Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology 38 (2), 203-210 (2006).• R. Ravikrishna, S. Yost, C. B. Price, C.A. Hayes K. T. Valsaraj, J. M. Brannon, “Vapor phase transport of explosives from buried

sources in soils”, J. Air. Waste Manage. Assoc.. 54 (12), 1525-1533 (2004).• R. Ravikrishna, S. Yost, C. B. Price, K. T. Valsaraj, L. J. Thibodeaux and J. M. Brannon, “Volatilization of contaminants from

suspended sediment in a water column during dredging” , Journal of Air and Waste Management Association, 52 (10), 1214, (2002).

• K.T. Valsaraj, R.Ravikrishna, B. Choy, D.D. Reible, L.J. Thibodeaux, C.B.Price, J.M.Brannon and T.E.Myers, “Air emissions from exposed, contaminated sediments and dredged materials”, Environmental Science and Technology, 33 (1), 142, (1999).

Ph.D. (Louisiana State University) +91-44-2257 4175 [email protected]


Sreenivas Jayanthi

Ph.D. (Imperial College) +91-44-2257 4168 [email protected]

Computational Fluid Dynamics, Combustion, Fuel Cells

Selected Publications:• Maharudrayya, S. Jayanti, S. & A.P. Deshpande, “Flow distribution and pressure drop in parallel-channel configurations of

planar fuel cells”, Journal of Power Sources, 144(1), (2005) 94-106.• Karunakumari, L. Eswaraiah, C. Jayanti, S. & S. S. Narayanan, “Experimental and numerical study of a rotating wheel air

classifier”, AIChE Journal, 51(3), (2005) 776-790• Suresan, H. & S. Jayanti, “The case of an oscillating manometer with variable density and dissipation: experimental and

numerical study”, Nuclear Engineering and Design, 229, (2004) 59-73.• Maharudrayya, S. Jayanti, S. & A.P. Deshpande, “Pressure losses in laminar flow through serpentine channels in fuel cell

stacks”, Journal of Power Sources, 138(1-2), (2004) 1-13.• Kishore, B. N. & S. Jayanti, “A multidimensional model for annular gas–liquid flow”, Chemical Engineering Science, 59, (2004)

3577-3589. • Shekhar, S. M. & S. Jayanti, “Mixing of power-law fluids using anchor impellers: Metzner-Otto concept revisited”, AIChE J ,

49, (2003) 30-40.• Shekhar, S. M. & S. Jayanti, “Mixing of pseudoplastic fluids using helical ribbon impellers”, AIChE J., 49, (2003) 2768-2772.

Shankar Narasimhan Data Mining, Fault

Diagnosis, Process Design

Selected Publications:• Prakash, J., S. Narasimhan, and S.C. Patwardhan, “Integrating Model Based Fault Diagnosis with Model

Predictive Control,” I&EC Research (2005).• Vachhani, P., R. Rengaswamy, V. Gangwal, and S. Narasimhan, ”Recursive estimation in Constrained Nonlinear

Dynamical Systems,” AIChE J., 51 (3), 946-959 (Mar 2005).• Shivakumar, K and S. Narasimhan, “A Robust and Efficient NLP Formulation Using Graph Theoretic Principles

for Synthesis of Heat Exchanger Networks,” Comput. Chem. Engng , 26 (11): 1517-1532 (Nov, 2002).• Prakash J, S.C. Patwardhan, and S. Narasimhan, “A supervisory approach to fault-tolerant control of linear

multivariable systems,” Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 41, 2270-2281 (May 2002).• Renganathan T, and S. Narasimhan, “A Strategy for Detection of Gross Errors in Nonlinear Processes,” Ind

Eng Chem Res , 38, 2391-2399 (Jun 1999).

Ph.D. (Northwestern University) +91-44-2257 4165 [email protected]


Susy Varughese

Ph.D. (Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur) +91-44-2257 4172 [email protected]

Polymers and Elastomeric Materials

Selected Publications:• S.Balakrishnan, Susy Varughese and Abhijit P.Deshpande, Micellar characterisation of saponin from Sapindus

mukorossi, Tenside, Sufactants and Detergents, 43, 5, 262-268, 2006• D.Murugan, Susy Varughese and T.Swaminathan, Recycled polyolefin-based plastic wastes for sound absorption,

Polymer-Plastics Technology & Engineering, 45, 885-8,2006• Susy Varughese and D.K.Tripathy Effect of mode of filler addition and concentration on the dynamic mechanical

properties of epoxidised natural rubber - cis-1,4-polybutadiene rubber blend, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 49, 6, 1115 (1993)

• Susy Varughese and D. K.Tripathy, Effect of plasticizer type and concentration on the dynamic mechanical properties of epoxidised natural rubber vulcanizates J. Elastomers and Plastics, 25 , 4, 343, 1993

• Susy Varughese and D.K.Tripathy, Rubber-filler interaction studies-A dynamic mechanical thermal analysis approach, Plastics, Rubber and Composites - Processing and Applications, 17 , 4, 219, 1992

• Susy Varughese and D.K.Tripathy , Chemical interaction between epoxidised natural rubber and silica-studies on cure characteristics and low temperature dynamic mechanical properties, J. Appl. Polym. Sci, 10, 1847, 1992

Physics and mechanics of polymeric materials, Polymeric Nanocomposites and filler-polymer interacations, Dynamic behaviour of

elastomers, Plastic waste recycling, Polymers for devices, Diffusion in polymers .

T. SwaminathanEnvironmental Management, Biotechnology, Membrane Technology

Selected Publications:• Biological & photocatalytic oxidation techniques for elimination of volatile organic compounds Elldon R. Rene,

K. Jagannathan and T.Swaminathan, Chemical Engineering World, 39, 42 – 50, (2004)• Heterogenous photocatalytic oxidation – A versatile technique for removal of hazardous pollutants- K.

Jagannathan, Rahul A.Damodar T. Swaminathan, Chemical Engineering world, December 2004• Novel Photoreactors for heterogenous photocatalytic wastewater treatment – D.Praveena and T.Swaminathan,

Annali di chimca, 93, 805 – 809, 2003• Performance of BTX degraders under substrate versatility conditions –Shihabudeen M. Maliyekkal, Eldon

R.Rene, Ligy Philip, T.Swaminathan, Journal of Hazardous Materials, B109, 201 – 211, 2004.• Response surface modeling and optimization to elucidate and analyze the effects of inoculum age and size on

surfactin production - Ramkrishna Sen and T. Swaminathan, Biochemical Engineering Journal, 21(2), 141-148 (2004).

• Continuous biosorption of Pb, Cu and Cd by Phanerochaete chrysosporium in a packed column reactor – K. Pakshirajan and T. Swaminathan, Journal of Soils and Sediments (in press). (2004)

Ph.D. (Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur) +91-44-2257 4166 [email protected]


Awards and Recognition: • CSIR Young Scientist Award (2003)• Materials Research Society of India (MRSI) Medal (2006)• Included in Marquis Who is Who in the World (2007 ed.), Marquis Who’s Who in Asia (1st ed. 2007)

Upendra Natarajan

Ph.D. (University of Akron) +91-44-2257 41784 [email protected]

Computational Materials Science, Statistical Mechanics, Molecular Simulation, Macromolecules, Nanomaterials

Selected Publications: • R. R. Tiwari, U. Natarajan, Influence of Organic Modification on Mechanical Properties of Melt Processed Intercalated

Poly(methyl methacrylate)-Organoclay Nanocomposites, J. Appl. Poly. Sci., in press, 2007• M.S. Sulatha, S. Sivaram, U. Natarajan* "Optical Anisotropy of Structurally Modified Polycarbonates having Cyclohexylidene

and Methyl Substituents Using the Rotational Isomeric State Method" Macromolecules 36, 2944-2955 (2003).• M.S. Sulatha, S. Sivaram, U. Natarajan* "Theoretical Calculation of the Optical Anisotropy of Substituted Cyclohexanes and

Associated Bisphenyl Molecules Using Experimentally Derived Group Polarizabilities" J. Phys. Chem. A. 107(1), 97 –103 (2003).

• A.S. Ijantkar, U. Natarajan* "Atomistic Simulations of the Structure and Thermodynamic Properties of Poly(1,2-Vinyl-butadiene) Surfaces" Polymer 45(4), 1373-1381 (2004). (Special Issue on Chain Conformations & Spatial Configurations)

• S. Kumar, J.P. Jog, U. Natarajan* "Preparation and Characterization of Poly(methyl methacrylate)–Clay Nanocomposites via Melt Intercalation: Effect of Organoclay on the Structure and Thermal Properties" J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 89, 1186-1194 (2003).

Tanmay BasakFinite Element Methods Computational Electromagnetics, Microwave Assisted Transport

Selected Publications:• M. Thilakavathi, T. Basak, T. Panda, Modeling of Enzyme Production Kinetics, Applied Microbiology and

Biotechnology, 73, 991-1007 (2007). • S. Chatterjee, T. Basak, S. K. Das, Microwave Driven Convection in a Rotating Cylindrical Cavity: A

Numerical Study, Journal of Food Engineering, 79, 1269-1279 (2007).• M. Sathiyamoorthy, T. Basak, S. Roy, I. Pop, Steady Natural Convection Flows in a Square Cavity with

Linearly Heated Side Wall(s), International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 50, 766-775 (2007).• T. Basak, A. Meenakshi, A Theoretical Analysis on Microwave Heating of Food Slabs Attached with Ceramic

Plates: Role of Distributed Microwave Incidence, Food Research International, 39, 932-944 (2006).• M. Thilakavathi, T. Basak, T. Panda, Simplified Approach for Developing the Rate Expressions for Enzyme-

Catalyzed-Reactions, Biotechnology Letters, 28, 1889-1894 (2006).

Ph.D. (Indian Institute of Science) +91-44-2257 4173 [email protected]

Selected Awards/Honors:• Diamond Jubilee Young Achievers Award (Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers) - 2007• UKIERI Research Fellowship (UK-India Education and Research Initiative) - 2007• Young Engineer Award (Indian National Academy of Engineering) – 2005

Research Facilities• Biochemical Engineering Lab

– Bioreactors– Refrigerated Centrifuge– Gas chromatograph

• Environmental Engineering Lab– Aerobic and Anaerobic Waste water

treatment systems– Ambient Air Quality Monitors– Gas, Liquid & Ion Chromatograph– ICP - AAS– Ion electrodes, Sox, Nox analyzer– UV Spectrophotometer– Reverse Osmosis & Electro Dialyzer

• Polymer Engineering Lab– Particle Image Velocimetry– Dynamic Shear Rheometer– Goniometer: GBX Digidrop– Universal testing machine with temperature

chamber– Shearing Cell and hot stage with optical

microscope• Particle Science Laboratory

– Class 100 and Class 10K clean rooms– Ultrasonicators with various frequencies – Cavitation and Intensity meter– Airborne/ Liquidborne/ Surface Particle

Counters & Size Analyzers– TSI Multi-parameter monitoring systems for

Cleanrooms– Chemical Mechanical Planarizer– Filmetrics Thin Film Analyzer– Advanced Electrochemical Workstations

• Process Control Lab– Process Simulators (ASPEN, HYSIS,

BATCHCAD)– Experimental setup for liquid level, pH and

temperature measurement and control• Reaction Engineering & Transport Processes

Lab– Thermo Gravimetric Analyzer– High Performance Liquid Chromatograph,

Gas Chromatograph– Pilot plant scale distillation columns– UV-Visible Spectroscopy


The Department also has a dedicated DCF (Departmental Computer Facility) with Relevant Chemical Engineering and other Software

Apart from these, the institute provides common analytical (SEM, AFM, NMR, XPS, Auger, XRD, ICP-OES etc.) and computational facilities

Recent Major Projects (Since 1999)

o Advanced control and monitoring of a CSTR using control network (DST)

o Boiling and two phase flow studies of cryogenic fluids (ISRO)

o Control system design using wireless devices (Honeywell Technology Solutions Ltd., Bangalore)

o Development of a laboratory for polymer engineering (MHRD)

o Development of methods for leak detection and isolation in gas pipelines (GAIL)

o Emission inventory and source apportionment studies of air pollutants in Chennai city (CPCB)

o Effect of additives on chemical mechanical planarization slurries (DST)

o Electrochemical characterization of copper chemical mechanical polishing for microelectronic fabrication (MHRD)

o Erosion modeling (CUMI Ltd.)o Experimental and theoretical studies in flooding and

dehydration in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (DST)

o Experimental verification of multiple steady states in azeotropic distillation (MHRD)

o Modeling propellant slurry flow during the casting of solid rocket motors (ISRO)

o Non metallic joint evaluation (BHEL)o On-line roll gap control of reversing plate mill (SAIL)o Optimization of proton exchange membrane cell stack

design using advanced computational techniques (MNES)

o Particulate and VOC monitoring in Chennai city (SIDA)o Recycling of printed circuit board materials (MHRD)o Separation of Marcasite from pulverized lignite using

fluidized beds (CMPDI)o Simulation and optimization studies on micro fines

classifier (CSIR)o Surface tension driven gas-liquid flow under micro

gravity conditions: Measurements and CFD predictions (ISRO)

o Ultrasonic cleaning (Crest Ultrasonics Inc)o Ultrasonic de-stratification (ISRO)o Wetting dynamics on porous and particulate solids

(MHRD)

BHEL – Bharat Heavy Electricals LimitedCMPDI – Central Mine Planning & Design InstituteCPCB – Central Pollution Control BoardCSIR – Council of Scientific and Industrial ResearchCUMI – Carborundum Universal LimitedDST – Department of Science and TechnologyGAIL – Gas Authority of India LimitedISRO – Indian Space Research OrganizationMHRD – Ministry of Human Resource DevelopmentMNES – Ministry of Non-conventional Energy SourcesSAIL – Steel Authority of India LimitedSIDA – Swedish International Development Agency



Workshop Staff:

(Left to Right)

R. Palanivelu, J. Desinghu, A. Joseph,

K.Thirunavukkarasu

Laboratory Staff:

(Left to Right)

K. Narayanan Rao, S. Venkatesan,

D. Meganathan, K. Krishnamurthy


Student Amenities Accommodation The IIT Madras being a residential institute provides accommodation to all its students in 13 independent hostels. Each room in a hostel is provided with a cot, a table, a chair, a bookshelf, and a ceiling fan. A washing machine is available in every hostel for use by the residents. Every hostel is provided with telephones and internet connectivity. Each hostel has a mess which functions for its inmates during the working semester. During the winter and summer vacations, special messes are run for students who are required to stay in the hostels or pursuing academic, sports or cultural activities. In addition to the normal messes, there are 2 large, modern, common mega messes catering to a group of hostels.

Sports and Recreation:

To ensure overall development of every student, the institute provides all the required facilities for sports and recreation. There is a large Gymnasium, a swimming pool, a football field, a tennis court, a hockey field and a cricket stadium. Each year students participate in the Inter-IIT sports meet. Students can join various clubs existing on the campus. These are Music Club, Astronomy Club, Photography club, literary club, Astronomy club, Hiking Club, Wild-life club, etc.

Medical facilities:

The institute hospital on the campus is well equipped with a dispensary, clinical laboratory and an operation theatre to provide medical care to all the residents round the clock. There are two ambulances to attend to any emergencies. All the students have to register their names at the hospital to avail group medical insurance.

Shopping:

The Students' Facilities Centre (SFC) makes available a variety of consumer goods and day-to-day requirements of the students like stationery, toiletries etc. In addition, there is a tailoring shop, a hair cutting saloon, a xerox centre, a telecom centre, and a memorabilia stores selling IIT branded items. There is also a book stall on the campus near the residential zone.

Cultural activities:

A number of literary and social activities take place on the campus through out the year. 'Saarang' is one of the biggest events on the campus every year. In addition, music festivals and other cultural festivals are organised regularly.

Others:

The campus has a Post office, a Telecom centre, two Nationalised Banks with ATM facilities and three Restaurants. The campus has a large open air theatre (OAT) where the film club screens movies every Saturday.


Indian Institute of Technology MadrasVisionTo be an academic institution in dynamic equilibrium with its social

ecologicaland economic environment striving continuously for excellence in

education,research and technological service to the nationMission· To create and sustain a community of learning in which students acquire knowledge and learn to apply it professionally with due consideration for ethical,ecological, and economic issues· To pursue research and disseminate research findings· To provide knowledge-based technological services to satisfy the needs of

society and the industry· To help in building national capabilities in science, technology,

humanities,management, education and researchQuality PolicyTo pursue global standards of excellence in all our endeavors namely

teaching,research, and consultancy and continuing education and to remain

accountable inour core and support functions, through processes of self-evaluation and continuous improvement.Core Values· Develop human resources to serve the nation· Recognize teaching as a unifying activity· Nurture integrity, creativity and academic freedom· Retain a willingness to experiment with new paradigms

Department of Chemical EngineeringIndian Institute of Technology Madras

Chennai-600 036, IndiaPhone : +91-44-2257 4150

Fax : +91-44-2257 4152E-mail : [email protected]

Web : http://www.che.iitm.ac.in/

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