FUELLING

FRUGAL INNOVATION
IN INDUSTRY

Technical Seminar on Engineers Day-2013 Institute of Engineers, Bareilly Chapter

by GAGAN GOEL & SHOBHIT AGARWAL DEPUTY MANAGER AONLA UNIT, BAREILLY

What is Frugal Innovation?

Frugal innovation or frugal engineering is the

process of reducing the complexity and cost of a good and its production. Frugal innovation responds to limitations in resources, whether financial, material or institutional, and turns these constraints into an advantage through minimizing the use of resources in development, production and delivery. Frugal innovation results in dramatically lowercost products Dr. and R. A.services Mashelkar & a better way of doing a job. Successful frugal innovations are not only lower in cost, but outperform the alternative, and can be made available at large scale.

Frugal Innovation =
Value for

Money

Value for

Many

Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, President of Global Research Alliance, (former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR))

Why Frugal Innovation is

Important?
Improve people welfare
Drive the economic growth of nations Sustain Organizations

FRUGAL Innovation in India ..

Jugaad is a colloquial Hindi word

that roughly translates as an innovative fix; an improvised solution born from ingenuity and cleverness. Jugaad Innovation is about: Less, but better it concentrates on the essential aspects and not burdened with non-essentials back to purity, back to simplicity. Jugaad applications include finding new uses for everyday objects Indian kitchens are replete with empty bottles reused as ad-hoc containers for dried legumes or condimentsor inventing new utilitarian tools using everyday objects, like a makeshift truck cobbled together with a diesel engine slapped onto a cart (makeshift vehicles).

FRUGAL INNOVATION - EASY COST EFFECTIVE DAILY SOLUTION

MittiCool Fridge

Washing Machine without Electricity

Jugaad Espresso Coffee Maker

Believe it or NOT Indian Jugaad is MOST HAPPENING Thing for the world

MANAGING INNOVATION A WESTERN APPROACH

In the 20th century, as North American and

European economies expanded, Western corporations began to institutionalize their innovation capabilities, creating dedicated R&D departments and standardizing the business processes needed to take their ideas to market. They focused on managing innovation, just as they managed any other business activity. This industrialization of the creative process led to a structured approach to innovation with the following key characteristics: big budgets, standardized business processes, and controlled access to knowledge. But this structured innovation approach, which helped Western firms become highly successful in the second half of the twentieth century, has three clear limitations in the fast pace and volatility of the twenty-first century:
1. 2. 3.

The structured approach is too expensive and resource consuming The structured approach lacks flexibility The structured approach is elitist and

Natural Resources Capital Land Skilled Labor Infrasctructure

Diversity
--------------------------------------------

Geographic Cultural Social Economic

Biological

Interconnectivity
Cloud Computing Mobile Social Media

Velocity
--------------------------------------------

Technological Market Competitive

Globalization
--------------------------------------------

Emerging Markets
More Consumers Greater Strain on Existing Resources Frugal Innovation

THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF FRUGAL INNOVATION

Find more opportunity in adversity.

Do more with less.

Think and act flexibly. Keep it simple. Include the margin. Follow your heart.

IFFCO Aonla
Producing 1.21 lacs Bags having 50 kg Urea. Plant is continuously running & DOWNTIME is not desirable. 1 day DOWNTIME cost = Production Loss of Rs.6 crore + Shutdown & Startup Energy Loss of Rs.2 crore. Shutdown Planning is a mega activity in the continuous running plants so that all activities can be completed within a specified span of time.

A Brief of IFFCO Aonla

Certified for following Management System ISO-9001 Quality ISO-14001 Environment OHSAS-18001 Helath & Safety ISO-16001 Energy ISO-26001 CSR

"IFFCO Employees Suggestion Scheme"

IFFCO has always encouraged frugal innovation, novel ideas

and creative thinking on the part of employees. "IFFCO Employees Suggestion Scheme" is yet another step towards utilizing employees creativity and potential for improved organizational performance. The Scheme is aimed towards an objective of providing a wellstructured and formal platform for nurturing, supporting and rewarding creative ideas of employees.

Computerization

Growth of IFFCO Suggestion Scheme

1200

1133 969 924 802 Number of Employees Number of Suggestions Received No. of Suggestions Impleented 156 28 157
50

1000 800 600 400 200 0

897

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

FRUGAL INNOVATION-1
Reduction in inspection time of Ammonia Converter (S-200 ) by providing prefabricated multi-storied inspection cage.
THE JOB: Inspection of inside wall of Ammonia Convertor which involved
NDT (DP/UT/Hardness/etc) of 6 nos. of C-Seam weld joints and 5 nos. of L-Seam joints.

To reach different levels of C-seam and L-seam joints, it is necessary to have

scaffoldings
dia.

inside the vessel of about 26 meters height and 3.0 meters

It involves 150M3 of scaffolding which takes 02 days to erect and 01 days to dismantle. Additionally 01 day required for Inspection .

FRUGAL INNOVATION-1

Conventional Scaffolding

Basket support ring

FRUGAL INNOVATION-1

In nut shell Reduction in scaffolding activity and

inspection activity

can reduce the Shutdown

time by 3days to match production targets.

Something very different and

can only help in this situation.

innovative idea

FRUGAL INNOVATION-1

The Idea struck was :

Why not to Fabricate and use a multi-storied platform to help the Inspection activities inside the Ammonia Synthesis Convertor Pressure Vessel.

This will allow inspection of all Cseam joints of all 6-levels at a time i.e. Inspection time is reduced.
More safe Installation and removal is

one

hour each only.

FRUGAL INNOVATION-1

This scaffolding structure was actually erected into vessel in 1 hour instead of

2days.
Inspection was carried out through out the vessel in a time in 12 Hrs instead 24hrs due to easy access.

FRUGAL INNOVATION-1
The scaffolding was de erected from the vessel in 1 hour instead of 1 day

The whole inspection activity

completed with in 16 hrs instead of 4 days

Net saving of 3 days

FRUGAL INNOVATION-1

This innovative idea Reduced shut down time by 3 days

9,090 MT More Urea Production (@ 3030 MT Per day)

More profit on the production approx. Rs. 1.5 Crore.

Other Benfits :
The fabricated structure can be utilised for such applications with slight modification
The used material can be reclaimed and re-utilised.

FRUGAL INNOVATION-2
REDUCTION IN REPAIR TIME OF Syn-loop boiler (E-1501) Ammonia-1

IMPORTANCE:
Use waste heat of syn gas coming from

converter (Exothermic Reaction). Produce HP steam

OBSERVATION:
Tube leakage.

EFFECT:
Boiler steam conductivity running higher

than normal and Loss of syn gas.

FRUGAL INNOVATION-2

Repair Procedure with Hydro Testing

Shell has to be Hydro tested at max at 80

kg/cm2 to find out leaks and than carried out repair. If repair having some defect repeat hydro test in iterations till all leak points

repaired.

Tubes were plugged with Inconel plugs and welding was done with TIG process using Er Ni Cr3 filler wire of 1.6 &2.4 mm size. Tube to

tube sheet leakage was also repaired by

welding overlaying process.

FRUGAL INNOVATION-2

Difficulty in hydro testing Procedure:

In hydro test DM water was being used and after leak detection this

water required to be drained from shell for leakage repairing.

Complete cycle of one hydro test (Filling, pressurization and draining) takes min. 10 hrs
Leakage repairing was done by TIG welding, which require clean

and dry surface. This condition was not achieved in presence of water, which results difficulty in welding.

Note : Through this procedure more time required and also difficulty in welding.

FRUGAL INNOVATION-2

PNEUMATICALLY LEAK DETECTION INSTEAD OF HYDROTEST,WAS CONCEPTUALISED TO

SAVE TIME & WATER FREE WELD

REPAIR

FRUGAL INNOVATION-2

New SYN LOOP BOILER TESTING ARRANGEMENT

Synthesis Loop Boiler Pneumatic Testing Scheme
Pr. Gauge

E-1501 Synthesis loop boiler

To Bimetallic Stripper

AMMONIA PLANT

Air (80 kg/cm2)

COMP

MOTOR K-3 Passivation Air Comp. for Bimetallic Stripper

UREA PLANT

FRUGAL INNOVATION-2

Repair Procedure with Pneumatic Testing:

Shell was PNEUMATICALLY tested at 3kg/cm2, 7.0 Kg/cm2,

25 kg/cm2 and max at 62 kg/cm2 and repair was carried out in

each iterations.
Tubes were plugged with new modified Inconel plugs and welding

was done with TIG process using Er Ni Cr3 filler wire of 1.6 &2.4 mm
size. Tube to tube sheet leakage was also repaired by welding overlaying process.
During last S/D -2012, 04 nos. leaky plugs were removed by grinding

and new plugs provided and welded. Tubes to tube sheet weld joint were repaired by welding.

FRUGAL INNOVATION-2

BENEFITS 1.Time saving 2. Defect free welding The above suggestion has given a Tangible Benefit of 3,00,00,000/- (one time) and other benefit like reduction in overall plant shut down period.

CD Cell AB Cell

View

FRUGAL INNOVATION - 3

Use of Special Jig for handling more than one catalyst Tube

Primary Reformer - Ammonia Plant

FRUGAL INNOVATION-3

Earlier approach
Single catalyst Tube removal

& insertion time was approx. 30 min. (One crane operation)

Total 288 Crane operations

would be required by conventional method.Catalyst Tube removal & insertion was done on single tube basis (conventional method).
Total time taken for tube

removal & insertion comes out

= 288x30 min = 8640 min = 6 days

FRUGAL INNOVATION-3

The Idea struck was :

Why not to Fabricate and use fixtures/clamps for removal & insertion of two or more Catalyst tubes. This will reduce the total no of crane operation and would reduce total time taken for removal & insertion of catalyst tube. More safe.
Conventional Fixture for single tube Removal/insertion

New Fixture for two tubes Removal/insertion

Optimum capacity.

utilization

of

Crane
New Fixture for three tubes Removal/insertion

FRUGAL INNOVATION-3

IMPLEMENTED APPROACH
The Suggestion was

implemented by fabricating new Jigs & Fixtures in house using the scrap structural & piping material.

Sr no

Activity

Conventional Fixture for Single catalyst tube 288

New Fixtures for two or three catalyst tubes

% Reduction

Total crane operation (Usage of Crane)

50-AB Cell 74-CDCell

60%

Total time taken

=288x30min =6 days

=124x50* min =4.3 days

28.3% (1.7 Days saved)

Safety

Groove for Two part Stopper cleats for two More safe ring But no Bolting part ring and fixtures were Bolted Note: *Extra time for single crane operation with new fixtures was due to Bolting & dismantling of clamps, difficulties in alignment & removal of old catalyst tubes.

Out of box thinking

can only help in such situations

CONVERT YOUR IDEAS INTO ACTION THROUGH FRUGAL INNOVATION