BPCL develops new friction tech

The Financial Express, Delhi,22 July 2010


The Rs 12,235-crore state-run oil refiner and marketer Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), which took a bold move to venture into upstream oil exploration & production in 2006, has lined up new business plans related to the new science of nanotechnology. In a move that could make the company the supplier of cutting edge technology to develop lubricants for automotive and industrial uses, BPCL, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has developed a technology that measures friction at the point of contact. The company is in the process of obtaining patent for the product and putting it into commercial purposes. A senior executive has said the move would be �a game changer� in the lubricants world, valued at $38 billion worldwide.

That is not all. Also in the pipeline are two projects that are expected to be completed and commercialized soon � a project to improve methods of storage of gas and the other is on next generation solar cells.

These projects had been spearheaded by Ashok Sinha, the CMD, who is demitting office next month. Sources say it is likely that Sinha will continue to associate himself with the technology initiatives, although not at BPCL. When contacted, Sinha, who holds an engineering degree from IIT Kanpur, in addition to a management degree in finance from IIM Bangalore, said, �My chief area of interest is technology. I cannot say what I would do post retirement, but I am not joining any other organization.�

A BPCL executive, on condition of anonymity, said work on these projects started three years back. The lubricant project is substantial, since none of the current friction measuring techniques used across the world measures friction at the point of contact. �Fundamentally, we have developed a new machine which finds the coefficient of friction at the point of contact. We have built models on how to predict it.� He said that the commercialization of the product is going to pose its own challenges, but has a potentially large market that could be tapped.

Automotive lubricants account for more than 60% of the total volumes of lubricants sold in the market. BPCL, under the brand name Mak Lubricants, offers automotive engine oils, gear oils, transmission oils, specialty oils and greases. The company has been investing around Rs 10 crore every year in R&D.

Sanket Singh, an analyst with Frost & Sullivan, is of the view that...