History of Cryogenic Engineering Centre

On the recommendation of Nayudamma Committee for the advancement of low temperature research in science and engineering in India, Cryogenic Engineering Centre was established in the year 1976 at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Cryogenic engineering is an interdisciplinary subject comprising three major disciplines, namely, Physics, Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering. Cryogenic Engineering Centre had the privilege of organising the annual conference of Indian Cryogenic Council in the very year of its inception. The Centre started its journey under the able leadership of Professor S. K. Dutta Roy as the founder Head of the Centre. Prof. Dutta Roy, before becoming the Head of the Centre, was an eminent Professor in the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. The contribution of Prof. Dutta Roy, through his vision and dynamic leadership, to the creation, structuring and growth of the Centre, is enormous. Low temperature activities of the Centre began with the production of liquid nitrogen using an old Philips Liquid Nitrogen Plant PLN-106 which Prof. Dutta Roy had arranged from CWISS of IIT Kharagpur. Later, the liquid nitrogen production facility was augmented with PLN-430. Prof. Dutta Roy also created the liquid helium facility and an in-house workshop. Assistance from Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), India was obtained while creating these facilities. Prof. Dutta Roy brought a team of young scientists from various branches of science and engineering, thus laying the foundation of a thriving academic centre that is contributing to the realm of Cryogenics in National and International arena. With the sad demise of Professor Dutta Roy in 1991 shortly after his superannuation (1989), Cryogenic Engineering Centre lost a great thinker and a well wisher of the Centre. Subsequent to Prof. Dutta Roy, Cryogenic Engineering Centre continued its steady progress under the leadership of Prof. V. R. Kalvey, Prof. S. K. Sarangi, Prof. T. K. Dey, Prof. S. S. Bandyopadhyay, Prof. K. Chowdhury and Prof. V. V. Rao. They have opened up new directions in research activities through both teaching and projects. While Prof. Sarangi helped to consolidate mechanical engineering research, Prof. Dey contributed in low temperature physics/materials research. Prof. Bandyopadhyay initiated chemical engineering research of Cryogenic Engineering Centre. Prof. Rao established the Applied Superconductivity laboratory in the Centre and Prof. Chowdhury has focussed on imparting technical know-how on air-separation and oxygen safety. Various teaching laboratories and research laboratories of the Centre were gradually developed. Financial as well as technical support from Germany through a significant Indo-FRG cooperation project (1990-1999) helped a lot towards developing the Centre to its present state. Prof. G. Klipping (University of Berlin), as the principal coordinator of the Indo-FRG project, helped the Cryogenic Engineering Centre immensely all the time. Under this collaboration, Prof. Dey took special initiative to purchase the modular nitrogen liquefier MNP-12, which is serving the Institute at present. Cryo-refrigeration Laboratory, Vacuum Teaching Laboratory and Cryogenic Heat Transfer were also built up with the financial assistance of Indo-FRG project, under the active supervision of Prof. Chowdhury , Prof. Rao and Prof.S.C.Pattanayak respectively. Mr. V. Narasimham, Assistant Engineer, assisted in establishing all these facilities.