In view of the continuing pandemic scenario, this year we will not have students physically present in our facility at Jamshedpur to do their project work. We would be seeking the technical applications as per the revised format (refer ‘Rules’ tab) and schedule (refer ‘Schedule’ tab).
Stay Tuned!
If you’re as smart as you think you are, here’s your chance to win the opportunity to be mentored by top R&D experts at Tata Steel for a 2-month internship. Launched in 2014, Mind over Matter challenges the sharpest and smartest engineering students in the country’s top institutes, with real-life problems related to steel-making. The winning teams are then invited to Tata Steel to create prototypes of their ideas under the mentorship of the Tata Steel R&D team.
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Select College NameBE ShibpurBIT MesraBIT SindriBITS, PilaniCET BhubaneswarCOE, PuneCV Raman College of Engineering, BhubaneswarDelhi Technological UniversityIISC BangaloreIIT BhubaneswarIIT BombayIIT ChennaiIIT DelhiIIT GandhinagarIIT GuwahatiIIT HyderabadIIT KanpurIIT KharagpurIIT PatnaIIT RajasthanIIT RoorkeeIIT-BHUISI KolkataISM DhanbadITER, BhubaneswarJadavpur UniversityKIIT BhubaneswarMNIT AllahabadNICMAR, PuneNIST, BerhampurNIT BhopalNIT DurgapurNIT JaipurNIT JamshedpurNIT PatnaNIT RaipurNIT RourkelaNIT SuratkalNIT TrichyNIT WarangalPSG CoimbatoreUPES, DehradunVNIT NagpurVSSUT, Burla
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Select Theme NameBioCoke for steel makingCO2 capture and in-situ conversion into value added productComposite additive manufacturing by in-situ addition of carbon nanoparticlesGreen H2 production from renewable resourcesNano-particles as collectors for coal flotationProtecting steel sheets during automotive Hot-Forming processSilent Steels for NVH Management in Lightweight VehiclesSynthesis of a novel Nano iron oxide based hydroxyapatite from non-metallic LD Slag fines and its possible applications in bio medical & Biosensors applications.Synthesis of Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide using the low grade Mn oresValue addition of Iron bearing superfinesZn coating of steels containing high amount of Si
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Rules
- Topics of research would be open to students of 3rd year engineering* campuses (*4-year degree courses only)
- Entries must be submitted individually or in teams of 2 participants.
- All participants in a team must be from the same college.
- Each team ideally comprises 2 members, but if only 1 member in a team of 2 is mentioned in the entry then it will be considered as a 1 member team entry.
- Entries should be submitted in .doc, .docx, .pdf and .ppt files, up to 2 MB only.
- All entries must be the original creation of the participants.
- Entries with plagiarized content will be disqualified.
- Incomplete entries will not qualify.
- No entries will be accepted after the final submission date.
- Students would be given a time frame of 2 months to conduct a research and come up with a solution to a challenge.
- Based on the submission, top team per challenge would be offered internship.
- Internship programme cannot be exchanged for cash rewards.
- For the students shortlisted, train fare, accommodation, food and local travel related expenses will be borne by Tata Steel.
- Any additional expenditure (meals other than those provided, etc.) will be borne by candidates.
- A final evaluation would be done at the end of the internship and basis that, the top three teams would be rewarded.
- A Pre-placement offer means that a student would not go through any shortlisting process and would directly be offered a job.
- The decision of the Jury shall be final, conclusive and binding and no contestation will be accepted.
Terms and Conditions
I agree and accept:
- My idea/ proposal/ research plan will be considered and evaluated on non-confidential and non-proprietary basis. Tata Steel does not intend to receive any confidential or proprietary information.
- Tata Steel will not treat the submitted idea/ proposal/ research plan as confidential and hence, Tata Steel is not restricted to use the submitted idea/ proposal/ research plan.
- I did not breach any confidentiality agreement between my institute and any third party and that, to the best of my information. Possession or use of the information by me does not misappropriate or infringe any intellectual property rights of others.
- Intellectual Property Rights: I understand that I must file for intellectual property rights (“IP Rights”) before disclosing idea/ proposal/ research plan to anyone on a non-confidential basis. In case I submit/ disclose the idea/ proposal/ research plan on a non-confidential basis before filing an IPR, I will lose the IPR protection as per applicable IP law. In case I have any concern associated with IPR protection, or need any help to understand the integrity of IPR related to my idea, I will contact Tata Steel IP – munish.sudan@tatasteel.com
- “Intellectual Property” means the legal rights relating to inventions, patent applications, patents, copyrights, trademarks, mask works, trade secrets, and any other legally protectable information, including computer software, first made or generated during the performance of the work at Tata Steel.
- In the event any inventions are made, arising from the work conducted at Tata Steel, which may be protected by any form of Intellectual Property Rights, the same will be in the name of Tata Steel Ltd. and Tata Steel Ltd. will own the complete Intellectual Property Rights. I will provide all the support to get the said Intellectual Property registered in the name of Tata Steel.
Winners
20192018201720162015
- Jyoti
BIT Mesra, Ranchi
Winner 
Rishi Raj
& Jaya BIT Sindri, Jharkhand
1st runners-up
Ashwini Kumar
& Anish Baranwal NIT Jamshedpur
2nd runners-up
Shreya Sinha & Anamika Sinha BIT, MESRA, RANCHI
Nisha Sinha & Shubham Sinha NIT, JAMSHEDPUR
1st runners-up
Shivani Agarwal & Vishal Dwivedi JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY
2nd runners-up
Niharaika Singh & Kayenat Farheen BIT, MESRA, RANCHI
Venkata Ravi Teja IIT, MADRAS
1st runners-up
Sankalp Sachdev & Kislay Jha BIT, MESRA, RANCHI
2nd runners-up
| Name | College | Project Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | Mr Mukesh Kumar and Mr Vijay Anand | IIT Kharagpur | Segmented and Stacked Thermoelectric Modules for waste heat recovery during Continuous Casting. |
| First Runner-up | Ms Priyanka Sinha and Ms Aarushee Agarwal | NIT Jamshedpur | Dephosphorisation of BOF slag using slag treatment and slow cooling techniques |
| Second Runner-up | Mr Manish K Chandan and Mr Sourav Agarwal | BIT Mesra, Ranchi | Use of Density Gradient Centrifugation (DGC) for separation of coal macerals. |
| Name | College | Project Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | Pranay Ranjan & Ambar Katyayyan | IIT Jamshedpur | Bio-Algal Gas Cleaning (Bio-AlGaC) System for Blast Furnace Mentor Name: Mr. Omkar Avinash Shinde |
| First Runner-up | Amlan Baishya & Gaurav Sinha | IIT Roorkee | Use 3D printing technology in refractory/high temperature ceramic application Mentor Name: Mr. Raj Kumar Prince |
| Second Runner-up | Sandeep Prasad & Sheeraz Zama Khan | NIT Jamshedpur | Pre-treatment of para-magnetic minerals for effective magnetic separation Mentor Name: Mr. Sunil Kumar Tripathy |
The Challenge
Nano-particles as collectors for coal flotation
Coal beneficiation process such as flotation is inevitable to treat coal fine of size -0.5mm. The coal flotation process requires several reagents to modify the coal particle surface for effective flotation. The collectors such as, kerosene, diesel oil, HSD etc. are commonly used to make the coal surface more hydrophobic. In this line, we invite innovative proposals to develop a methodology to identify and use the nano-particles as a collector for coal flotation to enhance the process efficiency.
( Mentor: Ms. N Gurulaxmi Srikakulapu, E-Mail: sn.gurulakshmi@tatasteel.com)
Synthesis of Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide using the low grade Mn ores
Tata Steel manganese mines in Joda, Odisha generates huge amount of low grade manganese ores every year and utilization of these fines/rejects is a challenge. A hydrometallurgical process like leaching is effective to extract metal values from low grade ores into liquid medium which on further processing leads to various manganese derivatives. Manganese oxides (MnO2, Mn2O3) are used as cathode material in battery industry and also, as a catalyst for hydrogen generation. Manganese dioxide (EMD) can be produced through electrolysis using these fines however the major challenges that needs to be addressed during the electrowinning is to produce a deposit that has only gamma form of MnO2 and no other structure /oxides and, obtaining a high purity deposit and with high current efficiency. So, we are searching for a methodology or additive which can provide a pure EMD during processing of these ores.
( Mentor: Mr. K V Krishnareddy, E-Mail: kallam.krishnareddy@tatasteel.com)
Value addition of Iron bearing superfines
The iron bearing superfines present in Iron Ore Slime, Blast Furnace Dust and Sludge, etc. have become a worry for the steel makers and environmentalists. The status quo involves beneficiation and recycling of such wastes. Since, this waste contains other important elements like Calcium, Alumina, etc. Therefore, the idea is to utilise the iron and other resources present in the waste to produce value-added products. Proposals are being invited to produce value added products from these iron bearing superfines.
( Mentor: Mr. Rohan Ohri, E-Mail: rohan.ohri@tatasteel.com)
BioCoke for steel making
Steel industry largely depends on coking coal to produce desired quality coke which is used as a reductant as well as heat source in the blast furnace. The scarcity of desired quality coals and environmental issues associated with coke making process compelling the industry to identify alternative raw materials and more environmental friendly processes. The huge quantity of biomass generated by industries and humans (wood residues, waste from food crops, horticulture, corn cobs, animal farming, etc) has huge potential to utilize it as a raw material for coke making. We are searching for a suitable methodology/process to convert these materials into a useable green coke for steel making.
( Mentor: Dr. Debjani Nag, E-Mail: debjani.nag@tatasteel.com)
Synthesis of a novel Nano iron oxide based hydroxyapatite from non-metallic LD Slag fines and its possible applications in bio medical & Biosensors applications.
LD Slag is a waste generated in the LD steel making process and after the recovery of metallic value, non-metallic portion of LD Slag fines finds very little industrial importance. LD Slag is very complex material containing majorly, Fe, Ca, P, Si etc., The main challenge is the extraction of Iron and Phosphorus from LD Slag fines and using them for the preparation of “Iron oxide based Hydroxyapatite Nano powder” for finding the possible applications in the field of biosensors and biomedical field. We are searching for a methodology to selectively remove the undesired elements during hydrometallurgical processing of LD Slag to produce these products.
( Mentor: Dr. Shrenivas Ashrit, E-Mail: shrenivas@tatasteel.com)
CO2 capture and in-situ conversion into value added product
There several technologies are available for CO2 capture from flue gases. However, capturing of CO2 will not going to reduce its GHG potential. Therefore, it is essential to convert CO2 in to value added product so that it can be sequestrated permanently. Some of research initiatives have been taken in this domain where CO2 is captured and simultaneously it is converted to different products by the catalytic activity of the capturing material. We invite the proposals to CO2 capture and in-situ conversion into value added products.( Mentor: Dr Niloy Kundu, E-Mail: niloy.kundu@tatasteel.com)
Green H2 production from renewable resources
Hydrogen is green fuel till date. However, in present scenario the route of production of hydrogen is driven by fossil fuel and eventually those processes are responsible for GHG emission. Several initiatives have been taken for green hydrogen production though most of those failed to catch up commercial viability. In steel industry, green hydrogen can be used as reducing agent as well as fuel. Therefore, we invite ideas to develop a process to produce green hydrogen.
( Mentor: Dr Santanu Sarkar, E-Mail: santanu.sarkar@tatasteel.com)
Composite additive manufacturing by in-situ addition of carbon nanoparticles
Addition of carbon nanoparticles (nanotubes, nanoplatelets, Graphene etc.) during additive manufacturing can be a route for manufacturing composite material components. Addition can be ex-situ or in-situ vis-a-via process and consumables. We ae looking for a feasible proposal to make it a scalable process.
( Mentor: Dr. Kanwer Singh Arora, E-Mail: kanwer.arora@tatasteel.com)
Zn coating of steels containing high amount of Si
Si is one of the important inexpensive alloying elements added in steel to increase both strength and formability. It is vital in development of special steels like carbide-free bainite steels. It is also an important deoxidizer during steel making. However, its addition in advanced high strength steels is restricted due to various problems during zinc coating/coatability. Research so far is focused on understanding the problem with Si addition on Zn coating. However, there are no solutions that allow addition of Si in the range of 0.5 to 2 wt.% without any detrimental effect to Zn coating or its quality. A solution to the problem will help to develop advanced high strength and crash resistance steels at lower cost. So, proposals are invited to effective Zn coating of steels containing high amount of Si.
( Mentor: Dr. Appa Rao Chintha, E-Mail: apparao@tatasteel.com)
Protecting steel sheets during automotive Hot-Forming process
Hot forming is a press forming and simultaneously hardening process of the formed components in contact with the water-cooled dies. High strength/ ultra-high strength steel sheets are heated up to the temperature about 950oC and quickly transferred to a forming press. The uncoated steel surface is oxidised and decarburised to a smaller extent (~ 3 micron) after hot forming. Also, the die life is affected by the oxide particles and the formed component has to be cleaned by additional sand blasting process. Widley acceptable solution to these issues are to coat the steel with Al-Si coating, which is a patented process. The challenge is to provide a viable solution to avoid these problems of hot forming without Al-Si coating. So proposals are invited to develop temporary coatings which can be applied easily before heating and removable (if required) after forming for subsequent painting processes.
( Mentor: Mr. Nemai Chandra Gorain, E-Mail: nemai@tatasteel.com)
Silent Steels for NVH Management in Lightweight Vehicles
The growing awareness on sustainability and environment consciousness lead to the more stricter norms of automotive emission. While EVs or Hybdrid vehicles are likely to be the long-term solution to this problem, the present situation demands chasing the target of reducing auto body weight even more aggressively. The lightweight automobiles will definitely help cut the IC engine emission but are also expected to maintain a certain level of passenger comfort and stability of the vehicle structure. This requires the steels or the materials used in manufacture of the modern cars to be resistant to Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Foams, laminates, sandwich panels are probably some of the best offerings in the current market for this segment but these materials are seldom used as in mass to manufacture automobiles. The present challenge is going to be all about imparting the NVH resistance as a specific differential attribute to the regular steel products available in the automotive market.
( Mentor: Dr. Sourabh Chatterjee, E-Mail: sourabhchatterjee@tatasteel.com)
Schedule
| Activity | Target Date |
|---|---|
| Entry Submission | 28th December 2019 to 15th March 2020 |
| Short listing of entries | 16th March 2020 to 17th March 2020 |
| Declaration of Winners | 18th March 2020 |
| Internship at Tata Steel | 21st September 2020 – 31st October 2020 |
| Grand Finale | 10th November 2020 |
Eligibility
All participants in a team must be from the same college
The Challenge is open only for students of 3rd year engineering* campuses (*4-year degree courses only)
Students of ‘Dual degree courses’ are not eligible
Participants must be students of the following engineering colleges
| Sr. No. | College Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | IIT Delhi |
| 2 | IIT Kharagpur |
| 3 | IIT Bombay |
| 4 | IIT Kanpur |
| 5 | IIT Chennai |
| 6 | IIT-BHU |
| 7 | BITS, Pilani |
| 8 | IIT Guwahati |
| 9 | Delhi Technological University |
| 10 | NIT Trichy |
| 11 | ISM Dhanbad |
| 12 | NIT Suratkal |
| 13 | IIT Hyderabad |
| 14 | BIT Mesra |
| 15 | NIT Warangal |
| 16 | PSG Coimbatore |
| 17 | NIT Rourkela |
| 18 | COE, Pune |
| 19 | BIT Sindri |
| 20 | VNIT Nagpur |
| 21 | IIT Roorkee |
| 22 | NIT Jamshedpur |
| 23 | BE Shibpur |
| 24 | NIT Durgapur |
| 25 | NIT Raipur |
| 26 | IIT Bhubaneswar |
| 27 | CET Bhubaneswar |
| 28 | KIIT Bhubaneswar |
| 29 | Jadavpur University |
| 30 | NIT Jaipur |
| 31 | MNIT Allahabad |
| 32 | NIT Patna |
| 33 | NIT Bhopal |
| 34 | IIT Patna |
| 35 | IIT Rajasthan |
| 36 | IIT Gandhinagar |
| 37 | ISI Kolkata |
| 38 | UPES, Dehradun |
| 39 | NICMAR, Pune |
| 40 | VSSUT, Burla |
| 41 | ITER, Bhubaneswar |
| 42 | CV Raman College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar |
| 43 | NIST, Berhampur |
| 44 | IISC Bangalore |
Mentors
Title : Nano-particles as collectors for coal flotation
Mentor : Ms. N Gurulaxmi Srikakulapu
Email :sn.gurulakshmi@tatasteel.com
Title : Synthesis of Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide using the low grade Mn ores
Mentor : Mr. K V Krishnareddy
Email : kallam.krishnareddy@tatasteel.com
Title : Value addition of Iron bearing superfines
Mentor : Mr. Rohan Ohri
Email : rohan.ohri@tatasteel.com
Title : BioCoke for steel making
Mentor : Dr. Debjani Nag
Email : debjani.nag@tatasteel.com
Title : Synthesis of a novel Nano iron oxide based hydroxyapatite from non-metallic LD Slag fines and its possible applications in bio medical & Biosensors applications.
Mentor : Dr. Shrenivas Ashrit
Email : shrenivas@tatasteel.com
Title : CO2 capture and in-situ conversion into value added product
Mentor : Dr Niloy Kundu
Email : niloy.kundu@tatasteel.com
Title : Green H2 production from renewable resources
Mentor : Dr Santanu Sarkar
Email : santanu.sarkar@tatasteel.com
Title : Composite additive manufacturing by in-situ addition of carbon nanoparticles
Mentor : Dr. Kanwer Singh Arora
Email : kanwer.arora@tatasteel.com
Title : Zn coating of steels containing high amount of Si
Mentor : Dr. Appa Rao Chintha
Email : apparao@tatasteel.com
Title : Protecting steel sheets during automotive Hot-Forming process
Mentor : Mr. Nemai Chandra Gorain
Email : nemai@tatasteel.com
Title : Silent Steels for NVH Management in Lightweight Vehicles
Mentor : Dr. Sourabh Chatterjee
Email : sourabhchatterjee@tatasteel.com
Rules (2nd Round)
- The 2nd round will be 4 to 6 weeks long and virtual mentoring will be provided to the project teams to prove their hypothesis/supposition.
- Teams will submit a project report to theoretically prove their idea using data available in literature/research papers, mathematical calculations, modelling and simulations tools (Thermodynamic, Fluid flow, Empirical models, Discrete element, Continuum models, Data mining, etc.), virtual models, lab test, etc.
- Tata Steel will not bear any unapproved expenditure made by the teams during execution of the project.
- Teams will be invited for online presentation in the finale for final evaluation.
- Internship programme cannot be exchanged for cash rewards.
- The final evaluation would be done at the end of the internship using a suitable online interaction platform (MS Teams, Skype, etc.) and basis that, the top three teams would be rewarded.
- The decision of the Jury shall be final, conclusive and binding and no contestation will be accepted.
Judges
Dr. Atanu Ranjan Pal
Chief, Product Research
A B Tech (Ceramics) graduate from Calcutta University, Dr. Pal has completed the General Management Development Programme from XLRI, Jamshedpur & even holds a Phd (Engg) Metallurgy and Material Science from Jadavpur University. He has been a part of core Human Resource Management Team of Tata Steel for 3years & boasts of a work experience that involves Research Management, Blast Furnace & Coke Oven Project Management, Coke oven, Blast Furnace and Steel making operation and refractory maintenance. He has even received the Refractories Technologist award from Indian Ceramic Society, for lifetime achievement in the field of refractories.
Dr. Saurabh Kundu
Chief Process Research
Dr. Saurabh Kundu has more than 18 years of experience in the area of product development in Tata Steel. He is having a PhD degree in Materials Science and Metallurgy from University of Cambridge and got the Young Metallurgist and Metallurgist of the Year award from the ministry of steel, Govt of India in the year 2003 and 2013 respectively. His research interest lies in the area of phase transformation and crystallography of steel and he is passionate about developing new and innovative microstructure.
Dr. S. K. Ajmani
IIT alumnus Dr. S. K. Ajmani has more than 25 years of working experience in the area of steel making and casting. Dr. Ajmani takes a keen interest in the area of physical and numerical modelling of iron making and steel making processes. He was awarded Metallurgist of the Year in 2011 by the Ministry of Steel, Government of India for his excellent contributions to metal research.
Dr. Veerendra Singh
Principal Scientist, FAM Research Group
Dr. Veerendra Singh has been working in research for the last 15 years. His research interests include mineral processing, artificial intelligence and CO2 Sequestration. He has published more than 60 research papers and filed more than 25 patents His list of accolades includes the Tata Innovista Award (2011, 2012, 2013), Ms. Kiren Devi Memorial award, 2017, by MEAI; R P Bhatnagar award (2014) by MGMI, and various Best Paper Awards. He is an active member of various national and international professional bodies (Indian Institute of Mineral Engineers, Mining Engineers Association of India, Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, USA, etc.).
The Reward
First Stage
6 weeks internship opportunity
Stipend during internship
Certificate of internship
Final Stage
Winner: ₹1,00,000 + Trophy + Certificate + PPI
1st Runner Up: ₹ 75,000/- + Certificate + PPI
2nd Runner Up: ₹ 50,000/- + Certificate + PPI
Note: A Pre-placement Interview (PPI) offer means that a student would not go through any shortlisting process and would directly appear in the Job interview.
| Title | Winners |
|---|---|
| Synthesis of novel reagent for oxidized coal | Name: Ashwin Kumar and Anish Barnwal Institute: National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur |
| Biodegradable surfactants for coal and iron ore beneficiation | Name: Jyoti Institute: BIT Mesra, Ranchi |
| Synthesis of new generation nanofluids from Iron ore slime | Name: Pranjal Chakraborty and Mayukh Das Institute: Jadavpur University, West Bengal |
| Novel refining of High Carbon Ferroalloy by physical or chemical processes. | Name: Rahul and Kumar Preetam Institute: BIT Mesra, Ranchi |
| Soil conditioner from the chemical processing of LD Slag fines | Name: Vidisha Jha and Arnab Biswas Institute: BIT Mesra, Ranchi |
| Energy efficient intelligent cooling tower | Name: Niket Kumar and Utkarsh Gupta Institute: Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT R), Uttarakhand |
| Smart system for prediction and elimination of surface defects in steel strip | Name: Pruthivi Raj Mohapatra, Sriman Ayashant Avtak Institute: CET Bhubaneswer |
| Suitable processing technique for alteration of properties of steels beyond conventional thermomechanical treatment | Name: Subhadip Midya and Rajrishi Sarkar Institute: Jadavpur University, West Bengal |
| Measurement of silica layer on cold rolled steel cleaned by Electrolytic cleaned process necessary | Name: Rishi Raj, Jaya Institute: BIT Sindri , Jharkhand |
| Addition of carbon nanoparticles into similar and dissimilar welds of steel and aluminium | Name: Anmol Agarwal and Dhruva Agarwal Institute: IIT BHU, Utter Pradesh |
| Bring disruptive change in steel making sub-processes | Name: Ashish Kumar, Manish Kumar Institute: ISM Dhanbad, Jharkhand |