Career Episode 1

a) Introduction
CE 1.1
This career episode discusses a project undertaken at the St. Joseph’s College of Engineering and
Technology named as “Low-Cost Generator Automation”. In this project, I worked as an
Undergraduate student in Electronic and Electrical Engineering. It was located in Palai, in the
state of Kerala in India. The total duration of this project was 6 months. It was started in Oct
2015 and completed in Mar 2016.
b) Background
CE 1.2
St. Joseph's College of Engineering and Technology-Palai, an esteemed institute in the field of
Engineering education and management studies was established in the year 2002. This college is
an ISO 9001:2008 certified institution which regularly conducts internal and external audits. The
project was based on a controller that was proposed to eliminate the manual operation in the
engagement of the user was required for turning the generator on and off and shifting the load
between the generator and the grid. The controller monitored the grid voltage and when there
was no voltage, the controller disconnected the load from the grid, started the generator, and
shifted the load to the generator and when the grid voltage came back on the system it turned off
the generator and transferred the load to the grid.
C.E 1.3
The objective of the project was to carry out the modeling of a cost effective generator
automation system consisting of an automatic transfer switch (ATS) for small buildings that
would automatically change the power supply between grid and generator. Temperature sensor,
fuel level sensor, and battery backup guarantee lifespan and protection to the equipment. GSM
technology was also provided which gave master control to the user.
C.E 1.4
The key roles and duties for which I was responsible are mentioned below:
 Analyzed the working of existing power system and proposed the idea of implementing a
new technique for the advancement of the prevailing system
 Identified the flaws in the present electrical system and proposed a rough idea to
overcome those problems
 Designed the microcontroller program and flowchart based on the existing model to
easily identify the working principle
 Planned, designed, and implemented the circuit diagrams and electric installations
  Estimated the cost and scheduled timeline considering the timeline and financial budget
using a Gantt -Chart
 Prepared reports and presentations by using latex software for report preparation and MS-
Power-point for presentations
 Managed team and focused on productive working

C.E 1.5
The hierarchy of this project is shown below:

Head Of
Head The
Of The
Department
Department

Project
Project Co-
Co-
ordinator
ordinator

Project Guide

Team Leader
(Myself)
(Myself)

Technical
Technical
Team
Team

c) Personal Engineering Activity

CE 1.6
The entire system was working based on the process of instantaneous sensing of grid voltage and
automatically provided alternate supply using a generator, whenever the grid supply fails. For
this, I designed a grid voltage sensing circuit which acted as the base of the project. In that
circuit, I used an input supply of 240 Volt, 50HZ AC, a 240V/12V step down transformer, a fuse
of 1A, a bridge rectifier using 4 IN4001 diodes, capacitors for filtering purpose, LM7805 IC, and
an output display. I designed this circuit in such a way that when grid power was active, the
voltage sensing circuit provided 5V DC and when the grid power failed, the voltage sensing
circuit gave 0V at its output. The step-down transformer sensed the grid voltage of 240V AC and
converted it to 12V AC. It was then converted to DC using a bridge rectifier. I used filter
capacitors for removing the voltage spikes and to get a smooth DC waveform. Then I converted
a filtered waveform to 5V DC by using LM7805 IC. Whenever the transformer was connected to
grid, I always obtained an output of 5V and when power failure occurred grid supply was
disconnected and hence 0V was obtained as output. Even though this circuit was available in the
market as a kit, I insisted on designing it myself in order to reduce the cost and for making it
easy for any changes to be made in the future.
CE 1.7
I used Simulink to obtain the simulated output of the circuit I designed and found it satisfactory.
Then I implemented the hardware and calculated the capacitance of the filter capacitor using the
formula, Capacitance (C) = I*t/ΔV. Whenever there was a break in the grid supply, I provided
the back up by the use of a generator. When the supply failed for a long time, the generator was
also operated for a long time. In such cases where the continuous working of the generator was
involved, there were chances of heating of coils. Thus, anticipating such situation, I designed a
temperature sensing circuit. I used LM35 IC sensor for sensing temperature in this project. I
referred the datasheet and pin diagram of this IC to obtain its specifications so as to design the
circuit accordingly. I was gone through a number of designs of this circuit in the internet to select
a preferred one for my project. I used LabVIEW simulator software to simulate my temperature
sensor circuit and found it to be good. Apart from this, for presenting the output of my entire
hardware unit, I simulated the same using Proteus software.
C.E 1.8
As per my studies, the temperature could be measured by the use of an LM35 integrated circuit
sensor which produces an electrical output in proportion to the change in temperature (℃). The
perceived variation in temperature by the sensor is instantly linked to the analog to digital
converter for processing and conversion. As the name implies, I used the analog to digital
converter to transform the analogous output of the machine temperature into digital form so as to
provide input to the microcontroller. In this project, I set the temperature limit of LM35 as 40℃
so that after this particular temperature was reached, the generator turned off for a time period of
10 minutes for cooling down. One calculation I used was to find the temperature for which
considered the output of the LM35 as 10 mV (0.01 volts) per degree Celsius according to the
data sheet. Thus, at 40°C, I got 40 x 0.01 = 400 mV or 0.4V as output. After sensing this voltage
of 0.4 volts such as 40°C, the generator turned off for cooling purpose.
C.E 1.9
I encountered a major problem during the local power outage. Even after the utility power was
back, the generator was still feeding the load connected to it. After a detailed investigation, I
detected a problem with the timer unit in the Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) which was
causing the backup generator to be in ON condition even after the grid power was back. The
timer was set in such a way that in any case of sudden fault in the power supply, the timer would
restart. This fault condition could have caused serious impacts like increased operating cost,
improper network stability, and deteriorating system reliability. To solve the issue, I gave
instructions for removing the ATS from the circuit after disconnecting all AC power and ensured
the generator was off. I then replaced with new ATS in working condition and set the timer for
the proper delay needed.
C.E 1.10
During the tenure of my project, another problem that I faced was the oil leakage from time to
time. After consulting with some of the local generator operators and going through some
learning materials, I understood the reason behind this issue. I studied that usually generators are
designed in such a way that they work most efficiently when running at 70% to 80% of rated
output. But in this project, the load ran on generator on different times was different and
sometimes the load connected was much less causing combustion temperature to be low and thus
engine started to over fuel causing a situation called ‘wet stack’. Due to this, unburned carbon
particles got collected in the exhaust system along with many other unwanted oil, acid and water
effluents due to low combustion chamber temperature. After completely understanding the
situation, I cleaned the whole loading unit and exhaust system. After that, I loaded the unit for
around 80% so as to burn off excess fuel in the system. After consulting a technician about the
issue, I came to a conclusion of pairing the generator with an automatic load bank. This helped
me to place a false load on the generator system which kept the engine properly loaded and thus
prevented the ‘wet stack’ condition in future.
C.E 1.11
At first, the system was designed in such a way that whenever the utility power supply failed, the
backup generator would come into action simultaneously. But in some occasion’s power from
grid got ON/OFF simultaneously for some time which caused the instantaneous switching
between grid power and generator backup. This caused instability and thereby power fluctuations
in the system. This also caused some problems with the relays in the ATS (auto transfer switch).
In order to solve this problem, I planned about a provision of a timer for providing a time delay
within which the generator would not start when the supply from the grid failed. If the user
needed to operate the generator before this time period, a provision was made available using the
GSM technology, which allowed the user to start the generator by sending a message. After
implementing these techniques, the system started to operate smoothly and stability was
achieved. Moreover, the fuel wastage associated with the unwanted starting of the generator was
also avoided. The life of the auto transfer switch was also increased as the simultaneous
switching between the power supplies was limited by using a timer.
CE 1.12
I observed the latest trends and changes in the market and procured the raw materials and
equipment directly from the manufacturers in a very low cost. Moreover, I used float sensor as
the generator was intended to work only in leveled areas and thus the sensing would be almost
accurate. I used Microsoft project application to monitor my budget and schedule.
CE 1.13
The special technique that I incorporated in the project was GSM technology. When the fuel
level was of the optimum level then the generator was started by the activation of the relay coil.
If the generator was not working then it was triggered three times. Still, if it was not started then
an error message was being sent to the user via GSM. The generator was switched off
automatically by the user through necessary command to the microcontroller. In my project, the
microcontroller sends the information about the state of a generator to the user via RS-232
channel and modem. Whenever the fuel level was not adequate or the system heated up after a
preset value of 40 degrees or if there was any malfunction then automatically a message was sent
on the user’s mobile phone. The user sends back the required command by the same channel to
the microcontroller to perform the control process. As a result, GSM technology provides master
control to the user.
CE 1.14
One of the calculations that I performed was to find the capacitance of the smoothing capacitor
used in the voltage sensing circuit. I calculated the capacitance using the formula,
Capacitance(C)= I*t/ΔV, where I is current and t is time. Since the capacitor is usually used at
the input of a regulator, the current discharging it is constant. If powered by the AC line,
assuming full-wave rectification, the capacitor must supply current to the regulator for 1/2cycle.
The charge Q (Coulombs) removed from the capacitor is Q=I*t.
CE 1.15
I used MATLAB Simulink for the design as well as programming purpose. I utilized AutoCAD
and PC schematic for preparing the electrical design. I used Electrical Estimating Software for
the estimation purpose and Microsoft Office for documentation purposes. I used adobe premiere
pro for editing some videos of my project and to present it more effectively in front of the project
analyzing panel.
CE 1.16
I used appropriately insulated rubber gloves, goggles, and safety shoes while working on an
electrical circuit. As an Electrical Engineer, I considered myself responsible and accountable for
the environmental safety. I took special care to recover used goods and disposed them safely. I
insisted suppliers to use packaging which could be recycled.
C.E 1.17
I referred to the internet as well as a lot of books like journals and technical magazines. I read a
monthly magazine provided by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to
update my technical knowledge. I attended a 2-week training in MATLAB and AutoCAD
software for the design purpose of the project. I also attended a seminar conducted by Kerala
State Electrical Engineers forum.
C.E 1.18
I followed the codes and standards of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) during the project,
CEA Regulations 2014 for technical standards for connectivity to the grid, CEA amendment
regulations 2015 for safety requirement, and CEA regulations 2013 for connectivity of the
Distributed Generation (DG) resources. I also followed the IEEE Standard 315-1975, which
consist of a listing of several Class Designation codes to be considered while working on
electrical and electronic assemblies and Graphic Symbols to be used for Electrical and Electronic
Diagrams.
C.E 1.19
I divided the entire team into 4 such as technical side, presentation department, purchase
department, and report preparation department. I periodically monitored their work and made
sure they were following the time schedule. I delivered power point presentations every week to
highlight the progression. It was like an open discussion where I got suggestions from my
colleagues and teachers. It helped me to improve my presentation skills and boosted my
confidence level. I met my head of the department twice in a month so as to present him the
percentage of project completion.
C.E 1.20
I delivered two presentations in front of my project guide panel to get the approval for hardware
implementation. At first, I presented a prototype of my project so as to give them an idea of what
I was planning to do. Then, I presented the design and implementation of each and every
hardware components. The panel was impressed by the presentation and design details and gave
approval with some minor modifications. Before implementing the hardware, I needed to prepare
an initial project report including the literature survey and handover a soft copy to the project
guide for validation. I prepared the report according to a basic format.
d) Summary
C.E 1.21
At all stages of the project, I was really satisfied with the progress. The project was completed
according to the planned timescale and with utmost quality. As individual care was given in
designing each area of the project, the quality of work was excellent, and the system worked
almost without any faults. The successful completion of the project made me really elated and
felt accomplished. I considered it my biggest achievement to complete the project on time with
an exorbitant quality. Proper planning and conscious action helped me to complete the project
successfully on time. The project presented me a platform to showcase my engineering and
management skills to a great extent. I gained confidence in working with my teammates and
improved my intellectual and subject knowledge.
 Career Episode 2

a) Introduction
CE 2.1
My second career episode is a detailed description of my project named as “Grid-Connected
Photovoltaic System with Energy Management Scheme”. I accomplished this project in the
institution ‘St. Joseph’s College of Engineering and Technology -Pala located in Pala, India. I
undertook this project as an Undergraduate student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
The project was started in June 2016 and accomplished in Oct 2017.
b) Background
CE 2.2
St. Joseph's College of Engineering and Technology-Pala, an esteemed institute in the field of
Engineering education and management studies was established in the year 2002. The College
was set up under the management of Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Pala, located in Pala,
Kerala, India and is recognized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
CE 2.3
A photovoltaic system connected to the utility grid with an energy management scheme was
accomplished in this project work. The energy management scheme was incorporated with the
grid-connected PV system to maintain the power balance in the system. Grid-connected PV
system consists of solar panel, inverter, and boost converter. The solar energy harvested from the
PV panel was utilized to power local loads. If the energy generated from the PV system was not
sufficient to meet the local load demand, additional power was taken from the grid. This system
allowed the bidirectional flow of power between the grid and PV system. The energy
management module helped to monitor the energy usage and controlled the inverter operation
and managed the energy demand of the loads.
CE 2.4
The objective of this project was to connect a photovoltaic system to the grid, incorporating the
idea to supply the excess energy generated from photovoltaic panel to the grid, and to take power
from grid whenever the energy generated from the photovoltaic system was not sufficient to
meet local needs and thereby allowing a bidirectional flow of power between grid and PV
system.
CE 2.5
Being the team leader, the major responsibilities I performed were:
 Planned and designed basic working block diagram of the project
 Planned, designed, and implemented the circuit diagrams (power supply, boost converter)
and electric installations
  Carried out testing, evaluated the results, and modified the design according to the
requirement by using the Matlab Simulink and also tested the electrical connections to
analyze the desired output
 Interpreted specifications, journals, standards, and regulations related to the components
used
 Estimated the cost and scheduled timeline considering the timeline and financial budget
using a Gantt -Chart
 Designed the PCB using eagle software for assembling the circuit components
 Prepared reports and presentations by using used latex software for report preparation

CE 2.6
The organogram for the project which indicates my position is as follows;

Head Of The
Department

Project Co-
ordinator

Project Guide

Team Leader
(Myself)

Technical
Team

c) Personal Engineering Activity

CE 2.7
In comparison with the grid voltage levels, the output from the photovoltaic array was found to
be very low. To meet the desired output levels, I designed a boost converter with a favorable
step-up gain and introduced it between the PV array and the load. I referred through a number of
journals suggested by my group tutor which dealt with the different types of converters. Before
implementing the hardware of the circuit, I used Matlab Simulink for the simulation purpose and found
the circuit to be working fine. I used two MOSFET as switches, a diode D, an inductor L, and an
output capacitor to design this circuit. I considered a resistor R as a load, and ‘I s’ is the current
flow through the circuit. I triggered the switch by the use of a pulse which I generated by PWM
technique. I used an astable multivibrator to generate the pulse width modulated signal in order to trigger
the switch. I found out that switch remained on during Ton cycle and off during Toff cycle so I
observed that triggering depends on the duty cycle. Vdc is the D.C. input voltage supply which
was taken from the bridge rectifier which converted A.C. input voltage into D.C output voltage.
Vout is the output of the boost converter which was larger than the input Vin. Using Laplace
Transformation, I calculated Vs and Vout and the voltage gain equation is given by; Vout/Vin = 1/
(1-D); where D is the duty ratio.
CE 2.8
I designed the solar tracking electronic control circuit, which rotated the Solar panels with the
direction of the sun to maintain the sunlight over panel for obtaining the maximum output. At
first, I used Creo sketch software to make a rough sketch of the design I was planning to implement. Then
I created the single line diagram of the circuit using Auto CAD software. I consulted with one of my
teachers who dealt with the subject ‘Renewable energy sources’ in order to understand the various aspects
of solar energy collection. I implemented the hardware of the circuit was implemented using the LDRs
optical sensors, a differential amplifier, comparator operational amplifier, electromagnetic relays,
12VDC regulated DC power supply, LEDs, resistors, and capacitors of various ratings. I
installed the optical sensors on each corner of the panel and observed that when the light was
spread, the comparator outcome was zero and panel stayed at its position. Whereas in the case of
inequality of light on either side the comparator output issued signals to the motor and hence the
panel was moved around and stayed at a position where the outcome from the sensor was stable.
CE 2.9
One major problem I encountered after the installation of the overall system was the battery
bank’s voltage loss during night and batteries were not giving their calculated back up time.
When I diagnosed this issue, I found fault in debugging process that the reverse current was
flowing from battery to PV panel at night. During the debugging process, I found that in battery
charging systems, the PV module potential dropped to zero at night and the battery discharged all
night backward through the module. After referring a number of textbooks in library, I came to a
possible solution of connecting a diode in series between the battery and the module such that when
potential in the PV module is higher than that of battery, battery gets charged as the diode will be in
forward biased condition. But during night time, when potential of battery becomes greater than that of
PV module, diode acts in reverse biased condition causing obstruction for the reverse flowing current and
thus helped me in avoiding discharging of battery. I used conventional IN4001 diode for this purpose,
which was found blown after dealing with several such situations. I calculated the power generated for
IN4001 diode assuming Vf equal to 1.1V and load with current of 2A. Through these calculations, I
observed that the diode needed to be dealt with 2.2 watt wasted heat power and the diode was found
blown only due to the heat generated in the diode. After going through datasheets of different, I solved
this issue by replacing the faulty conventional blocking diodes in the circuit through Schottky diode
MBD101 which had a forward voltage Vf less than that of IN4001. I concluded that the higher the
forward voltage, the higher was the heat generated. Thus, by replacing the conventional diodes by a new
one, I was able to rectify the issue.

CE 2.10
During the process of the centralized solar project, I encountered a problem where I analyzed the
stand-alone PV system and pointed out its shortcomings. The problem was the lack of a
continuous power supply in all weather conditions and in cases of a blackout in the grid power.
After a detailed analysis and according to engineering perspective of the stand-alone system, I
proposed valuable solutions to the shortcomings of a stand-alone solar system for supplying
loads. I considered various parameters that included cost, size, and output power etcetera. I compared the
stand alone PV system with the new system and presented the idea using power point presentations. I
used MS PowerPoint to present various solutions, including; reduction in the preventive
maintenance by combining all the photovoltaic arrays at one place as a Solar Grid system,
construction of battery banks in series or parallel combination in specially designed cabins, and
supply of uninterrupted power to the loads through grid power during severe weather conditions.

CE 2.11
The effect of clouds shadow on a photovoltaic system was a significant problem as it caused grid
instability issues. I integrated Maximum Power Point Tracking technique in this system to make
sure that the photovoltaic panels produced the maximum output power working in a particular
point. However, it was a hectic procedure to maintain the panel at its maximum power yielding
point due to varying weather conditions In addition, an inverter operates at a particular DC
operating range and a simultaneous insolation causes the system to work outside the normal
voltage levels. This stopped the further operation of the inverter and thus the supply to the grid
was interrupted. Due to the simultaneous tripping of the inverter, there was a drastic change in
the output power of the photovoltaic cell. In order to solve this issue, I collected the various data
about generation of power and analyzed it to find out the largest rise and fall in power slopes
during different time period. Such variations in power slopes showed only a slight deviation of
larger and longer time delayed power fluctuations due to transients caused by solar irradiance. I
controlled the simultaneous hike in power by setting the arrangement in such a way, so as to
increase the power by certainly fixed increments using the inverter. By introducing extra
instrumentation devices such as storage batteries, I compensated the power loss in the system.
CE 2.12
I started preparing the budget after having a detailed analysis of the anticipated costs. I used
Gantt Chart for scheduling the work into different phases which helped me to complete the work
days before the deadline. Considering the amount that could be raised for the project, I planned
about the quality of the components that should be used. Observing the latest trends and changes
in the market, I procured the raw materials and equipment directly from the manufacturers at a
very low cost direct from the factory. The project was accomplished in a time period much less
than what was expected.
CE 2.13
I calculated the current through different elements in the equivalent circuit including shunt
resistance, diode and series resistance by using the equation given by, I= IL -ID -ISH, where I is
the output current given in ampere, whereas IL is the photo-generated current in ampere. ID is
the diode current (ampere), and ISH is shunted current (ampere). Another set of calculations that
I performed was to find the inductance (L) and a number of turns (n) of the inductor to be used in
the converter. I calculated the inductance and the number of turns if Bmax is the maximum flux
density (took as 0.2 T).
CE 2.14
I used MATLAB Simulink for the design as well as programming purpose. I used Creo sketch
software for the purpose of creating a rough sketch of the solar tracking electronic control unit. I
prepared the entire documents using Latex software sample report in MS Word and Excel and
presentations in PowerPoint. I used Eagle software for PCB designing and used Electrical
Estimating Software for the estimation purpose.

CE 2.15
I used appropriately insulated rubber gloves, goggles, and safety shoes while working on an
electrical circuit. Before starting the project, I gave a session on safety precautions and possible
hazards that could occur to my teammates. Whenever a fault occurred in the system, I insisted to
turn off the whole supply before correcting it to avoid electrical hazards. I took special care to
recover used goods and disposed of them safely.
CE 2.16
All my teachers, instructors, and colleagues were very helpful throughout the project work. I
referred to the internet as well as a lot of books like journals and technical magazines to enhance
my engineering knowledge. I read a monthly magazine provided by the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to update my technical knowledge. Moreover, I attended a
seminar conducted by EL-SOL Power Solutions Pvt.Ltd, Changanacherry so as to understand the
basic assembly of solar panels. I also trained for one month with a solar panel installation
technician in EL-SOL Power Solutions Pvt.Ltd, Changanacherry so as to get a basic concept of
installation of PV systems in houses and industries. I attended a 1-week training in Latex
Programming. I also underwent an online training to learn Eagle software which I used for PCB
design in the project.

CE 2.17
In my design, I followed the IEEE Standard 315-1975, which consist of a listing of several Class
Designation codes to be considered while working on electrical and electronic assemblies and
Graphic Symbols to be used for Electrical and Electronic Diagrams. I also followed IEEE 388-
1992 Standard for Transformers and Inductors in Electronic Power Conversion Equipment. I also
followed RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substance).
CE 2.18
I arranged daily and weekly meetings throughout the period of a project with my colleagues and
divided the responsibilities among them. I conveyed the instructions from the project guide
towards my group members on these meetings. I consulted with them on various design
modifications and gave importance to their suggestions. I was responsible for management of the
team, which ensured continuous development of individuals and the team. With my technical
expertise and administrative skills, I managed my team very well. I ensured that all activities
were performed side by side and was accomplished in a time period less than expected.
CE 2.19
From the beginning, I presented power point presentations every week to highlight the
progression in front of teammates, project guide, faculty members, and head of the department. It
was like an open discussion where I got suggestions from my colleagues and teachers. It helped
me to improve my presentation skills and boosted my confidence level.
CE 2.20
Before implementing the hardware, I prepared an initial project report according to a basic
format including the literature survey and handover a soft copy to the project guide for
validation. Along with that, I prepared a power point presentation for getting approval from the
project guide and head of the department. During the project period, I presented the design and
implementation of boost converter and PV module in front of the project guides panel so as to
get approval for my design. The panel was impressed by the presentation and design details and
gave approval with some minor modifications.
d) Summary
CE 2.21
At all stages of the project, I was really satisfied about the progress. The project was
accomplished according to the planned timescale. I used my management and interpersonal skills
to manage the resultant outcomes of the projects. I was responsible for planning, scheduling, and
implementing the project. The successful completion of the project made me really elated and
felt accomplished. The project presented me a platform to showcase my engineering and
management skills to a great extent. I also learned how to refocus the direction of the project and
gained confidence in working with my teammates and improved my intellectual and subject
knowledge.
 Career Episode 3

a) Introduction
CE 3.1
My third career episode describes my project named as “Scope of Energy Conservation at Bharat
Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) 1t Ambalamukal, Kochi”. I worked on this project
during my undergraduate studies in St. Joseph’s College of Engineering and Technology located
in Palai, India. The project was accomplished by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
at Ambalamukal, Kochi, India. It was started in Feb 2017 and completed in April 2017.

b) Background
CE 3.2
Cochin refinery is one of the units of Bharat Petrol Corporation Limited (BPCL) which was
established in the year 1996 with a production capacity of around 50000 barrels per day. This
firm was established in association with the Philips Petroleum Corporation in USA. The project
was related to different sectors in which energy wastage occurring in different sectors of BPCL
were identified and recommendations were given for energy conservation and improving the
overall efficiency of the system. The energy audit was done at BPCL at Ambalamukal near
Kochi. As there were no live metering devices to measure the actual power consumption at a
given time thus the load survey was on an assumption that the whole building was running near
to its connected load. The whole building consisted of only a single floor offering a great
opportunity to harness solar energy for internal lighting. The audit only sticks to the audit of
lighting and air conditioning loads and does not deal with any running motors in the building.
CE 3.3
The prime objective of the project was to perform pre-audit, audit, and post audit. The pre-audit
phase included planning and organizing the ideas about how to conduct the audit. Audit phase
included primary data gathering, conducting survey and monitoring, and conducting detailed
experiments and analysis of energy use. Post audit phase consisted of cost-benefit analysis,
reporting, presentation, and implementation.
CE 3.4
Being the team leader, the major responsibilities I performed were:

 Planned and designed basic single line diagram of the electrical system
  Prepared rough sketch of the area to be audited and all the electrical components were
marked
 Interpreted specifications, journals, standards, and regulations related to energy auditing
 Performed calculations related to the auditing such as payback period, total wattage, and
electrical installments
 Compared old system and highlighted the improvements that could be brought into the
system by involving new techniques
 Managed team and focused on productive working
CE 3.5
The hierarchy for the project is as follows;

Head Of The
Department

Project Co-
ordinator

Project Guide

Team Leader
(Myself)

Technical
Team

c) Personal Engineering Activity

CE 3.6
I performed auditing in the maintenance shop and warehouse of the refinery. The energy
consumption for lighting purpose was very high. It was then I got an idea about harnessing solar
energy for internal lighting. I used solar energy to compensate almost all the power requirement
of the building since men work over there only during daytime. I referred many books on ‘solar
energy harvesting’ and went through videos and animations to familiarize with some of the
conventional designs. I used ‘Solid works’ software for presenting a 3D design of the warehouse
using solar energy for lighting. I identified the most suitable place for placing solar panels was
identified by me after observing sunlight patterns at different times. One calculation that I used
was to find an approximate value of power that could be delivered by a solar panel at different
seasons. I estimated that the energy generated by solar panel is equal to power generation rating
of solar panel (watts) multiplied by hours exposed to sunshine. Apart from this, I designed a
daylighting panel to utilize maximum daylight so as to reduce the use of electric lights during
daytime and reflect the daylight into the room efficiently by absorbing the heat. This helped me
to reduce the energy used for electric lighting by 20 to 60 percent. I used the Aluminium metal in
the panel because of its good thermal conductivity and its property as a good light reflector. To
decrease the heat transmission into the room, I provided Aluminium fins at the bottom of the
panel which contributed as an air cooling system.
CE 3.7
During the energy audit period, I recognized that one of the main losses in the system was due to
harmonic losses. To get rid of the harmonic content in the system, I designed an active filter
circuit. Active harmonic filters not only rectify the harmonic content, but also condition them
which give them the name active power line conditioners. I used the FilterLab design software
for designing the circuit and Matlab Simulink to get the simulated output and waveforms. Then I
implemented the hardware after referring my project guide. As a result of introducing the active
harmonic filter, the harmonic current produced by the load was cancelled by the waveform
which was generated by the filter after the process of monitoring and sensing the disturbance in
the power system electronically. As the harmonic content was conditioned using these filters the
unbalanced load conditions also got avoided. The voltage source inverter which was
incorporated in the design of the active filter acted as the base for harmonic control. DC
capacitors played the role of supply source for the inverter. Switching of the inverter at a higher
frequency produced the signal which was used to counter the harmonic disturbance from the
non-linear load.
CE 3.8
During the project, I found another problem in BPCL about lighting. I observed that metal halide
lamps were used in the warehouse for lighting purpose and the workers told me that there was
colour blending problems and the maintenance associated with these lamps were high. I also
found that energy bills were high and the only reason behind that could be this lighting loads as it
was the only main load used in the warehouse. After a detailed analysis, I understood several
properties of the metal halide lamps as these were causing the problem. I observed that they were
not suitable for areas such as warehouse where one needed to switch lights on and off regularly
because they needed 20 minutes to cool down after they had been turned off. I monitored that the
lamp also needed at least 15 minutes to warm up and reach its full light output. The color
blending problem was due to the multilevel switching feature of this lamp. For this, I suggested
the replacement of these lamps with lower wattage LED HID lamp which offered higher
efficiency and longer life span. I observed that a regular metal halide lamp was rated at around
250W, which was replaced with LED fixture of rating 75-100 W and lumen output of 9000-1100
lumens and color temperature of 4000k. By the replacement of the existing system, I found the
payback period to be approximately 1280 days which was not a big deal considering the lifespan
of the LED HID lamps and the overall improved efficiency of the system.
CE 3.9
I faced another problem in the existing system that most of the motors used in BPCL were re-
wounded ones. This however reduced the cost of buying new motor but increased the operating
cost and reduced the efficiency of the overall system. The company management was in a state
of dilemma so as to buy new motor or to re-wind the old ones. It was then I suggested some new
ideas to reduce the operating cost and increase the efficiency. I considered the expense for
maintenance of existing motors, possibility of alternate motor, the lifetime of the motor, and
several other mechanical aspects along with the electrical design so as to finalize my decision. I
calculated the efficiency as per IE1, IE2, IE3, IE4, and IS 12615 standards of different motors
before and after re-wounding. The efficiency was seen to be reduced by 5 to 10 percentage after
re-wounding. I compared the characteristics of existed motors with IE3 standard ones and found
that these were having more efficiency and less operating cost. I calculated the payback period
and found to be approximately 5 months. As it was not a long time period, I found it to be more
effective to introduce new IE3 standard motors rather than to rewind the old ones. Considering
my findings and suggestions, the management agreed to replace some of the old motors which
increased the efficiency and reduced the overall operating cost so there was a large decrease in
the energy bills too.

CE 3.10
During the project, I came across another problem related to the inefficiency of air conditioning
in the warehouse and how it was leading to more energy losses. Due to this, the energy bills were
at its peak and it caused many other power quality issues and the HVAC associated repairs. To
rectify this problem, I planned to conduct a blower door test to analyze the airtightness of the
warehouse. I used a calibrated blow door which was fitted in the doorway to draw the whole air
out of the room using the blower in the door while the higher outside air pressure then flowed in
through all unsealed cracks and openings. I attached the pressure gauges to calculate the pressure
of air leaving and entering the room. Then I fired a smoke pencil to smoke the house which
helped me to identify the spots through which air was infiltrating the building. I determined all
such spots in the warehouse and the air leakage was mainly through cracks. I used caulking to
seal most of the cracks as it dried faster and did not leave any trace of insulation. As a result of
this, the room was air tightened completely and the workers themselves told me that the air
conditioning was better and later the energy bills too got reduced.

CE 3.11
My primary aim in this project was to collect data and gather knowledge about those areas where
energy wastage was occurring. I prepared a presentation on energy conservation and gave many
suggestions such as replacement of metal halide and mercury vapor lamps with LED, use of
natural daylighting, methods to avoid harmonics, replacement of AC, ceiling fan, and rewound
motors with star rated units. I also prepared a comparison chart between the existed system and
the changes that could be made by introducing the new system clearly showing the payback
period and savings that could be made by following several energy conservation measures.
CE 3.12
I designed a heliostat which incorporated a mirror that kept on moving according to the motions
of the sun so as to track the sunlight and reflect those radiations towards a particular point which
was determined earlier. The major components that I used for the assembly were; a light
collector, a light pipe to pass on the light to different sections with very minute loss of light and
color dissipation, and a light diffuser to give away the light which effectively took the light
available during day time to the shadowy corners and improper roofing capped areas. It helped
me to prolong the sunny hours in the warehouse and maintenance shop of BPCL and distribute
constant brightness across the area all over the day.
CE 3.13
I mainly did two calculations which were total power consumption. I assumed the connected
loads to work only during day shift. The total connected load of the maintenance shop and
warehouse considering only the lighting and air-conditioning load equal to 136.656 kW.
Therefore, daily demand for energy if these components run for 9 hours a day would be equal to
1229.904 kWh. I performed payback period calculation and for this first, I noted a total number
of particular electrical equipment in warehouse and maintenance shop and the average usage
time of this equipment per day. Then I calculated wattage rating of the existing system and
identified the installation cost of single unit. I also found a total number of units and calculated
power consumed by this load and total cost on this unit.
CE 3.14
I utilized AutoCAD and PC Schematic for preparing the single line diagram. I used solid works
software for 3D designing purposes and FilterLab software for designing a filter circuit. I used
Electrical Estimating Software for the estimation purpose. I prepared documents using MS Word
and Excel and presentations using PowerPoint. I used adobe premiere pro for editing some
videos of my project and to present it more effectively in front of the project analyzing panel.

CE 3.15
I followed a set of safety precautions for in my project and before starting the project, I gave a
session on safety precautions and possible hazards that could occur to my teammates. I insisted
suppliers to use packaging which could be recycled. I followed the IEEE Standard 315-1975,
which consist of a listing of several Class Designation codes to be considered while working on
electrical and electronic assemblies and Graphic Symbols to be used for Electrical and Electronic
Diagrams. IEEE-519-2014 guidelines were also followed.
CE 3.16
I referred to the internet as well as lot of books to enhance my engineering knowledge. I attended
1-week training in AutoCAD software which helped me to design the single diagram of areas to
be audited during the course of my project. I also attended a 1-day seminar held by BPCL, Kochi
which discussed the topics of ‘Energy conservation and importance of using renewable energy
sources’. I attended the instruction class held by my Head of Department on the methodology to
be taken to complete the project and a 1-day class on different safety precautions.
CE 3.17
I held daily meetings throughout the project with my colleagues and divided different
responsibilities among them. I was responsible for management of the team, which ensured
continuous development of individuals and the team. During my project work in BPCL, I got the
chance to interact with the company manager, staff, and technical team which helped me to
improve my interpersonal skills. I arranged meeting with my project guide at regular interval of
1-week so as to update him with the progress of the project and present various design
calculation and received alterations and modifications.
CE 3.18
I prepared an initial project report including the literature survey and the methods I was going to
adopt for conducting energy audit. Along with that, I prepared a power point presentation in
which I presented that how I was going to replace the existing power system in the warehouse
and maintenance shop of BPCL so as to get approval for my design. The panel was impressed by
the presentation and design details and gave approval with some minor modifications.
d) Summary
CE 3.19
I was very satisfied with the progress of the project. Through proper literature survey, analysis,
and comparison of various aspects I was able to get into a conclusion easily. I managed the
project in such a way that it did not cost much and was accomplished in a time period less than
what was expected. Each phase of the project was progressive and went exactly like how it was
planned. The overall project was a success as I achieved my goals on time. The concept of
energy auditing helped me to gather ideas for energy conservation and implement it on this
particular site for improving overall efficiency and reducing energy cost. The project made me
professionally capable of facing all the technical challenges as well as gave me the confidence to
innovate and contribute new ideas.