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Centre for Energy and Alternative Fuels

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Overview of CEAF

Centre for Energy and Alternative Fuels (CEAF) has been established in Feb’ 2017 at VISTAS to promote multidisciplinary activities focused on various aspects of energy technology and systems in the form of research, teaching and consultancy. As the budding research center, the present research activities in the center are in the form of projects based research funded by various national funding agencies and Industries. By looking into the potential and application of different energy resources from the southern region of India, it is emphasized that the center gives priority to activities in the field of energy storage systems such as batteries and supercapacitors, microbial fuel cells, bio-sensors, alternative fuels and the efficiency studies of the energy systems etc.

In addition, eminent faculties from the various departments of the VISTAS are associated with the CEAF and use the facilities available in the centre.

Instrument facilities

Centre is well-equipped with basic infrastructural facilities for carrying out research works related energy storage applications as listed below. However, continuous research efforts are being made in equipping the CEAF with instruments necessary for thrust areas of the research.

 

1.CEAF is equipped with glove box, which is a prerequisite battery research.

2.Glove box (Model number Lab 2000) is procured from Etelux.
1.CEAF is equipped with Neware battery analyzer (~100 channels)

2.Electrochemical characterizations of coin cell batteries; supercapacitors; cylindrical cells can be done using the equipment
CEAF is furnished with Biologic electrochemical workstation (BP 300), which can be used for basic electrochemical studies of batteries and supercapacitors.
Vacuum oven (~200oC), procured from Sigma Scientifics, Chennai connected with table top vacuum motor is available in CEAF.
CEAF is also equipped with Muffle furnace with operating temperature (~900oC)
 CEAF is furnished with hot press rolling machine (TOB China), which is used for electrode preparation
CEAF is also equipped with pouch cell assembling unit (TOB China).

In addition, CEAF is also equipped with

  • Automatic coating machine,
  • Cell assembling and disassembling units,
  • Oil baths,
  • Electrode cutting machine and
  • Weighing balances

Patents

CEAF has published sofar five patents in last five years and several patents relative to energy materials are in pipe-line

Some key research areas where the patents have been filed includes

  • Hemp fibre derived carbon nanosheets for energy storage applications
  • Biomass derived carbon and energy applications

 

Contact

Dr. R.A. Kalaivani

Dean, IPR & Patents

Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS),

PV Vaithiyalingam Rd, Velan Nagar, Pallavaram, Chennai – 600 117, Tamil Nadu, India