Date:24/03/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/03/24/stories/2005032402360200.htm

Back BHEL to set up Centre of Excellence in surface coatings

M. Somasekhar

Hyderabad , March 23

BHEL is setting up a Centre for Excellence (CoE) in surface coatings here, with an investment of Rs 8.4 crore.

This will be the fourth CoE and has been taken up by BHEL after its assessment that the three set up over the last two years have made a strong impact, said the Executive Director, Mr S. Balagurunathan.

The existing CoEs address the areas of Permanent Magnet Machines, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Performance Analysis Diagnosis Optimisation. BHEL has invested nearly Rs 20 crore in these ventures.

The Surface Coatings Centre is expected to be ready by next March. It will feature, among other things, test facilities and a workshop with laser hardening, Mr Balagurunathan told Business Line. Laser hardening of steam turbines offers huge business opportunities, therefore we are investing up to Rs 3 crore on that, he said. Other application areas of surface coating are in the power sector, industrial applications and space.

There are also plans to set up a CoE on Industrial Automation and Robotics.

The performance of BHEL's CoEs has attracted the attention of US universities, which are seeking joint collaborations, both to train students and execute projects.

Giving an example of the success of the CoE model, Mr Balagurunathan said, while the investment of creating the PADO was around Rs 3.8 crores, in one year, it bagged orders worth Rs 12 crores, from corporations like the NTPC.