Posted on 20 Dec 2005


Assamese scientist gets patent for floating power plant
Guwahati: He doesn't believe in stemming the flow of the river. For him 'power' flows with the tide.

A 74-year-old Assamese scientist, Mahendra Nath Dutta recently got a patent for his work on a unique power plant, which can generate power without any dam on a river.

The retired engineer has invented the floating decentralised power plant in 1999 after three years of research.

He deposited the project report of his work to the Controller of Patent and Designs, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, Kolkata office, which granted the patent as published in its central gazette on November 18 last, Mr Dutta claimed.

Mr Dutta retired after serving as the head of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Jorhat Engineering College, Principal of the Dibrugarh Polytechnics and finally training and placement officer of the state government in 1996.

He started his research on the floating power plant after retirement.

In 1999 he completed research on floating water wheel turbine project using mainly timber and bamboo.

The state government also helped him in his work providing him manpower and materials, Mr Dutta said.

Later, the Build Worth India Privte Limited came forward to help Mr Dutta in giving final touches to his turbine machine.

He further revealed that several organisations in China, America and England have already experimented on the floating wheel turbines.

Mr Dutta said that his plant will produce 3 to 4 kilowatt of power not only on Brahmaputra river but also in all rivers having turbulent current.

There was no regular expenditure except minor repairing charges, he said. The plant can produce power in any river having only one metre depth of water. But the force of the river water must be 1.5 metre per hour, he claimed.

He further claimed that the plant will poroduce power from March to October in all rivers of Assam during the rainy season.

Now he is busy in researching whether the plant could work even during the winter season when the river water dried up.

He said that about 12 such floating decentralised power plant turbine will be sufficient to generate power to the entire Guwahati city. However, the total cost of twelve such turbines will be around Rs100 crores, he said.

On the other hand, Mr Dutta claimed the invention would benefit the cultivators immensely as the plant could also be used for irrigation purposes in the field.

He claimed that the plant could lift water upto 70 metres (height) even when there was only 1 metre of water in the river.

 http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=70522