Development of an Optical Character Recognition system for poor quality document images of News articles and Advertisement pages in global English Newspapers

Development of an Optical Character Recognition system for poor quality document images of News articles and Advertisement pages in global English Newspapers

We propose to identify the Geomechanical causes of the problem encountered during reservoir development and help to identify production and completion guide lines to minimize or to prevent casing failure and to guide future activities. The proposed work consists of taking part in the following work:
1. Field data compilation as provided by CEWELL and Neelam and Heera Asset of ONGC for the specific block, pertinent literature, a survey of structural and casing collapse problems that can be associated with uplift and compaction
2. Building a Mechanical earth model (MEM) for the areas of interest using data from as many wells as available. We will use available data including continuous logs of rock properties, seismic, geological information, stress and pore pressure (leak off data) and direction of stresses in the area. We will also need to identify faults.
a) Set up 1D MEM for several wells
b) Constructing the 3D MEM using all 1D MEM and seismic data
c) Verify the model with existing data and modify as needed
3. Characterization of the reservoir and bounding layers (Geomechanical) and identifying injection/production scenarios conducive to collapse through lab measurements and numerical modeling –
a) Review and analyze Geomechanical information
b) Carry out laboratory tests of core samples
c) Carry out simulation to simulate the observed deformations
The broad scope of work is divided into several missions:
• Study and overview of structural and casing collapse problems that are associated with uplift/compaction
• Development of 1D MEM models
• Development of 3D MEM models
• Seismic inversion and calculation of geo mechanical properties from seismic data
• Models for stress distribution and orientations
• Calculation of strength of rocks and stress measurements between the wells
• Possible deformation maps by way of Brittle-Ductile and intermediate vulnerable layer characterization
• Recommendations to arrest future upliftment/subsidence issues for a new well including specific drilling fluid to be used, method of well casing, method of packers if required in such highly vulnerable Geomechanical cases etc.
• Determining the potential for uplift /compaction for different production/injection scenarios and assessing the possibility of structural problems such as casing collapse using finite element modeling

To estimate the root Geomechanical cause of the problem encountered during the uplift/subsidence at shallow depth of North Heera field in Western Offshore
Scope of Work
The stress distribution associated with injection and depletion can make engineering wells a technical challenge in soft and /water sensitive formations. Well design and completion and operation are significantly impacted by the mechanical behavior of the reservoir. We assume that the upliftment/subsidence might have resulted due to variations in pore pressure associated with fragile rocks. As the casing is cemented to the reservoir, it will follow the local rock displacements and therefore would fail if the imposed strains exceed a critical level. This is a tailor-made extremely short-term project covering a span 10 months where ONGC has sought consultant advice for a burning problem targeting the subsidence and upliftment of offshore wells from IIT Madras.

The oceanographic research vessel is fitted with a bow mounted sonar dome which gives a oversized bulbous bow. This resulted in unduly high rise in vessel resistance. CFD analyses were carried out to optimise the dome size with reference to the powering aspect.

Study the hydrodynamic performance of oceanographic research vessel fitted with a bow mounted sonar dome.

The paradigm shift from the conventional resources to the unconventional resources is the consequence of a global increase in energy utilization. Conventional resources can be defined as those formations where the recovery of hydrocarbons is possible without any specialized method. Unconventional resources can be defined as those formations in which hydrocarbon recovery is not economically possible without the implementation of specialized stimulation treatments such as matrix acidizing or fracturing. Therefore, the recovery of hydrocarbons from the unconventional resources in an attractive economic proportion requires state-of-the-art well stimulation and completion technologies. Unconventional resources such as the tight sands are examples of formations that needs stimulation for economical production. Stimulation techniques include hydraulic fracturing, foam fracturing, explosive shooting, and more recently the pulse fracturing. Pulse fracturing is a relatively new stimulation technique in which a controlled dynamic release of fluid energy pressurizes a wellbore to initiate multiple fractures and extend them by fracture pressurization. Pulse fracturing can be achieved by many ways such as explosive shooting, thermochemical fluids, dynamic loading and or by high energized gas

Developing new innovative technologies to overcome operational and technical challenges involved in horizontal wells multistage fracturing, the alternative way to increase SRV is by creating multiple radial fractures by performing pulse fracturing. Pulse fracturing is a relatively new technique, can serve as an alternative to conventional hydraulic fracturing in many cases such as to stimulate naturally fractured reservoirs to connect with pre-existing fractures, to stimulate heavy oil with cold heavy oil production technique, to remove condensate banking nearby wellbore region, and when to avoid formation damage near the vicinity of the wellbore originated due to perforation.

An industrial building structure made of a 3D RC moment frame has only the perimeter moment frame. It was experiencing severe torsion and non-uniform lateral deformation of the columns. The building has no interior columns and has a heavy gantry girder along one direction.

A specialist building for the national agency was experiencing an unduly large lateral response. The consultancy organization sought help to mitigate the same.

GPR- continuous, high resolution cross-section depicting variations in the electrical properties of the shallow subsurface
Non invasive geophysical tool used to probe beneath the ground before the excavation of a potential site
The boundary between peat and the underlying mineral sediment is clearly identifiable because of the strong EM wave reflection resulting from the sharp reduction in the volumetric moisture content between the peat and the underlying mineral soil . Techniques for detailed study:
Velocity analysis (by 2D – CMP method)
Petrophysical or CRIM model (by 2D – CMP method)
‘EM Blanking’
Gas Percentage and volume estimation by CRIM model
Biogenic methane (92%)

One of the marked features of coastal Holocene sequences in many parts of the world, the tropical coastlines in particular, is the occurrence of organic deposits termed as peat.
Our objective was to carry out for the first time i.e. focused on onshore geophysical measurements, analysis and interpretation by integrating Ground Pent rating Radar, Seismic refraction, analysis of peat samples. We have also constrained the data by way of core data, log data along the Kerala and Konkan coast 

The following scope of work is proposed for geometry.
• Simulations of basin heave decay tests.
• Simulation of basin imposed heave motion tests in vertical body.
• Simulation of basin imposed heave motion tests for inclined body.

The following scope of work is proposed for the complete tri-floater without bracings and for a given geometry of column.
• Heave decay test for several initial amplitudes (structural masses will be given later).
• Pitch decay test for several initial amplitudes (structural masses will be given later).
• Regular wave test for different periods and amplitudes.

The following scope of work is proposed for the complete tri-floater with bracings and for a given geometry of column.
• Heave decay test for several initial amplitudes (structural masses will be given later).
• Pitch decay test for several initial amplitudes (structural masses will be given later).
• Regular wave test for different periods and amplitudes.

(a) Experimental studies on hydrodynamic response of vertical cylindrical hulls with damping elements used in floating systems
(b) CFD simulation and design related studies with regard to damping coefficients and hydrodynamic response using suitable software such as Flow3D.

Detailed microstructure analysis was carried out on high strain rate tested samples of Ti-64 alloys received from GTRE. Bangalore.

Studying the deformation mechanisms through microstructural analysis of Ti 64 alloy subjected to high strain rate deformation

1. To model the hot gas flow in the furnace at different zones taking into account of the burners kept at several orientations.
2. To study the heat transfer to the slab at different zones in a time dependent manner.
3. Understand and optimize the flow parameters to homogenize the temperature distribution on the slab and in the furnace.

Thin slabs after casting are heated in the tunnel furnace to about 1150oC before rolling. The furnace also acts as a buffer to store and hold the slabs at required temperature in the events of downstream rolling mill breakdown. Uniform temperature of the slab is desired at the exit of the furnace for achieving better finished product quality during rolling. For this, the reheating phenomenon inside the tunnel furnace need to be studied and modified as required. The heating of the slab due to combustion gases by convection and radiation has to be studied in detail. The heating of the slab including the combustion system of the tunnel furnace in heating and soaking/buffer zones need to be studied to predict the slab temperature distribution along the length, width and thickness. The flame characteristics and the flow pattern of the hot gases inside the furnace are important for achieving uniform temperature distribution. It is also important to find any hot spots/cold spots are formed on the slab surface due to the flame. The oxide scale formation on the slab surface due to the furnace environment also to be studied to reduce scale losses.

A numerical study of combustion of tar-oil in an industrial furnace is carried out to understand the flow, temperature distribution and flame characteristics. The geometry of the furnace with the actual dimensions is modelled and the flame characteristics are studied.

Dismantling the batteries:
The battery cycling at appropriate conditions will be carried out at MahindraElectric Mobility Ltd. and they will shipped out to IIT-Madras for postmortem analysis. It is essential to carry out the postmortem analysis in the inert atmosphere so as to avoid the decomposition of the materials. In the proposed project, either a nitrogen filled glove bagor box will be used to dismantle the batteries. The mechanical dismantling of batteries using appropriate cutting tools will be employed. We propose to discharge the battery completely before cutting them open, to avoid potential flame/fire hazard due to short-circuit. After the cells are cut open, theirvisualsimages will be captured using standard DSLR camera. Samples of appropriate size for cross-sectional SEM/EDAX imagingwill be prepared.The prepared samples will be transferred to SEM/EDAX machine using inert atmosphere box/dessicator to prevent the decomposition while transit.
Microscopic (SEM) imaging and elemental mapping:
The samples from the dessicator/inert-atmosphere box will be transferred immediately to the SEM sample stage and care will be taken to ensure minimal ambient exposure during sample transfer. All the necessary adjustments will be made to find the appropriate location within the sample to identify appropriate crosssection to clearly view negative-electrode/SEI and positive-electrode/SEI layer. Once a clear image with best possible magnification/resolution is achieved, elemental mapping will be carried out using Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectropscopy. It is recommended to provide IIT-M team with the possible elements to visualize in the mapping. This would facilitate us focus on select set of elements that Mahindra Electric Mobility Ltd. in interested in. IIT-Madras imaging team will put in best efforts to provide two microscopic images (negative-electrode/SEI and positive-electrode/SEI) per cell and their respective elemental mapping with EDAX.

The lithium ion batteries used in the electric vehicles are predominantly tested under standard testing conditions. However, the load profile being encountered by the batteries under real conditions are significantly different. In the proposed project, Mahindra ElectricMobility Ltd. will carry out appropriate battery charge-discharge measurements as per the requirements of their R

It is proposed to use rotational rheometer with various fixtures for development of test methodologies for rheological characterization of composite propellant under high shear and extension. Following three different techniques will be used to characterize the rheological properties of composite propellant suspensions.
a. Thin Gap Rheology: For measurement of rheological properties under high shear rate
b. Squeeze Gap Rheology: For measurement of rheological properties under extensional flow
c. Hyperbolic Contraction Technique: For measurement of Extensional flow property; the feasibility of this method for rheological characterization of propellant is to be studied.
Following methodology will be used for development of test:
a. High shear rate rheology
Initial trials will be conducted with model systems consisting of suspensions based on binder and filler with volumetric loading simulated with actual composite propellant. It is proposed to carry out Couette flow rheology using several gaps/lengths. The overall analysis will involve the following steps:
• Preliminary characterization of suspensions response at large gaps
• Systematic investigation of the dependence of gaps on raw signals (torque, position and rotation/oscillation rates) from the rheometer
• Measurement of normal force difference and its relation with strain rate
• Calibrate the gap errors at narrower gaps
• Development of fluid mechanical solutions of linear momentum balances with example constitutive models
• Comparison of experimental and theoretical raw signals for a given set of experiments
• Modification of constitutive models
• Coarse-grained simulations to understand the microstructure and effect of shear at different gaps
• Exploration of microstructures at different gaps using optical rheological techniques; which would involve optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and light scattering.
b. Squeeze flow rheology
• Development of appropriate lubrication for achieving extensional flow in a rheometer
• Squeeze flow rheology of propellant dispersions
• Quantification of extensional viscosity at different squeeze rates
c. Hyperbolic contraction technique
Propellant suspensions being visco-elastic in nature, both shear and extensional behavior need to be characterized. One of the techniques for characterization of extensional properties for thick suspensions is Hyperbolic Contraction Technique involving contraction flow of suspensions through hyperbolic nozzle at specified displacement and measurement of exerted forces using load cells. A hyperbolic geometry is used to generate extensional properties based on pressure drop measurement using numerical methods.
A feasibility study of this method is to be carried out for rheological characterization of propellant and related numerical simulation code is to be formulated for measurement of extensional viscosity and dependence of extensional viscosity in extension rate.
d. Constitutive modeling
In the present proposal, some of the models will be identified based on preliminary rheology analysis. The selected models then will be used for simulating high shear rate, squeeze flow and hyperbolic contraction technique.

Rheology of Composite Propellant Suspension under high Shear and Extension
HEMRL is involved in development of composite propellant for various applications. Mixing of propellant suspension is one of the most critical steps in processing of composite propellant. Various batch types of mixers viz., vertical planetary mixers and sigma are being used for mixing of propellant suspensions. Further, HEMRL is developing a continuous mixing system based on twin screw mixer for such applications.
The mixing of composite propellant is a complex phenomenon involving various types of actions viz., shear, extension, compression, cutting, folding, pumping, etc. The extensional flow and shear flows are reported to govern the mixing and dispersive mixing index is proposed in the literature based on the strength of extensional and shear flow during the mixing. To understand these flows, it is necessary to determine the flow properties of propellant suspension under the shear and extension rates prevalent during the propellant mixing.
Presently, the rheological properties of propellant suspensions are measured under low shear rate < 1s-1 using the torsion rheometer. However, for studying mixing in twin screw mixers, the rheological data is required under high shear and extension rate. These data will be very useful for comparing various configurations of mixers, design of screw elements and numerical simulation of propellant mixing. Hence, it is proposed to develop test methodology for determination of rheological properties of composite propellant suspensions under high shear and extension.

The central idea of this concept revolves around the in vivo reduction
of benzoquinones, a class of organic compounds, to produce hydrogen equivalents in the form of hydroquinones from the photosynthetic machinery of Synechococcus elongatus BDU 70542, a marine photosynthetic organism, and other photosynthetic hosts. Currently, the work is focussed on increasing the duration of
photosynthetic reduction of various quinones in the order of hours and days.

The current over indulgence of fossil fuels by humankind has resulted in many environmental and sustainability challenges. To adhere to the Paris Climate Change deal and keep the average global temperature within 2 degree Celsius of the pre-industrial age, there should be a transition from fossil fuels to renewable fuels at a
meaningful scale. Vaayuneer Sciences, a startup recognized under the Startup India scheme, intends to generate hydrogen and freshwater from marine photosynthesis on a large scale by building upon the work done by one of the founders of the company, Mr. Sai Saranga Das M.

Oxalate decarboxylase (OxDc) catalyzes the conversion of oxalate to fumarate in the presence of Mn2 ion. The functional unit of OxDc from Bacillus subtilis is a hexamer with each monomer harboring two Mn2 ions coordinated by spatially close histidine residues within a large cavity. Apart from these histidines, there are 8 other histidine residues and several Asp/Glu residues distributed throughout the structure that potentially determine the pH sensitivity of OxDc in the pH range 5-8.

pH dependent stability in proteins is determined by the overall electrostatic interaction energy changes between charged residues determined by their respective pKa values. Accordingly, we expect to address the pH dependent stability (could be local stability) that is linked to activity by combinatorially generating hundreds of thousands of mutations of charged residues employing the charge-shuffling procedure that eliminates electrostatic frustration. We have developed an algorithm that does this in silico using a single structure as input. An experimentally consistent web-server that does this is in scalable manner is already available for smaller proteins (http://pbl.biotech.iitm.ac.in/pStab).

Since OxDc is a larger protein (at least 372 residues as per the PDB structure 1UW8), the number of pairwise interactions increases exponentially requiring us to tune the algorithm. We expect the modified algorithm to more robustly sample the mutational space (up till pentuple mutants). The charge-shuffling procedure will not mutate residues at the interface, active-site residues or residues that already exhibit significantly favorable charge-charge interaction energy. The genes corresponding to the mutants we provide as deliverables can then be synthesized, protein purified and characterized.

To identify single- and/or multiple-point mutations in silico that can shift the catalytically optimum pH of Oxalate decarboxylase (Bacillus subtilis) from pH 5 to pH 7.

The project aims to measure the corrosion rate under several conditions and come up with a model to estimate the corrosion rate at a given condition.

Estimate the corrosion rate of buried pipelines under AC induced corrosion conditions under various conditions.

Particle adhesion forces to glass surfaces were analyzed in the presence of charge, and as a function of size and composition.

Glass surfaces in buildings get contaminated by the dust and other atmospheric contaminants around them. there is a need to keep glass dust-free as long as possible.

Experiments were conducted on various material substrates at various input parameter levels, and particle removal efficiencies were quantified using laser particle counters.

Particle removal efficiency of ultrasonic and megasonic systems as a function of various input parameters ()frequency, power level, etc.) has never been systematically studied.

ZnO particles of sizes varying from microns to nanometers were synthesized. Stability of the suspension of ZnO was analyzed and optimized. Flowability characteristics of ZnO suspensions were studied. Toxicity assessment of Zinc Oxide was performed.

1. Develop the technology for producing suspensions of zinc oxide suitable for fortification of fertilizers, with particle size in the range of micron to nano.
2. Obtain the toxicological data for soil suspension of the same zinc oxide particles