~=:'~~ME S S A G E~e a Common heritage. We~~!~heritors of a great edzfice:Jlmrethana hundred years old. From~ftionwe are moving into a high"leC1imodern environment withoutwg{ls. And we are connected by a'ne/Work' bonding our relationshipstronger than evel:

As you are aware, I amtrying to create imaginative andeffective working systems so that youcan look beyond competence andteamwork and search for the moreelusive positive energy and passion.

Sh. M. Anbunathan, Chief Controller of Explosives with other officers atJheIndependence Day function at Central Testing Station, Gondkhairi, Nag pur

INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS AT HEADQIIAR~RS

This in-house Newsletternestling in your hands is not justlink between us but a bridgeconnecting our families and mayeven go beyond building

relationships.

The 581h Independence day was celebrated with great fervour by the Department~l~ff~~!~and staff at the Central Testing Station, Gondkhairi, Nagpur. On the occa~,~

M.Anbunathan, Chief Controller of Explosives unfurled the National Flag at a~~~function. In his address to the Departmental officers and staff on the occasion,hecalIOOupon them to put in sincere and dedicated efforts to take the Department to new heightScHesaid that with the globalisation of the Indian economy and consequent infusion Qfnewtechnologies and concepts, there is a need for the Department to re-evolve itselftObe.:a1)1e:to meet the challenges of the future. New concepts and methodologies need to be:~so that the work of the Department is purposeful. He also stressed upon the needm:::re:;;::engineer the work procedures so that the Department's work is not only.more tran~parem;:

..-",-~-but also public friendly. Shri Anbunathan informed that he has a roadmapIe~fnr:

achieving above goals and sought cooperation from all officers and staff in this en~

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1 constantly endeavour to render efficient, prompt and courteousle transparency in their working through optimum utilization ofeeping in view National Interest and Safety as First motto.

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Chief Controller of Explosives, Nagpur and his tservices to all licensees, public and industry wit

available human resources and e-technolog

HIGH EXPLOSIVES INDUSTRY MEETIN-HOUSE INTERACTIVE

FOUNDATION COURSE FOR

OFFICERS OF THE DEPARTMENT An interactive meeting between therepresentatives ofHigh Explosives manufacturers andChief Controller of Explosives was held on 26/08/04 atS.B. Hall, National Geophysical Research Institute,Hyderabad. The meeting which was attended by over40 representatives from the High Explosivesmanufacturing units besides specialists in theexplosives field, discussed various problemsconfronting the High Explosives Industry.

Shri. M. Anbunathan, Chief Controller ofExplosives, while addressing the meeting stressed

You can dream, create, design and build the

most wonderful organization in the world but it

requires people to run and sustain the organization.

Realising this, the Department's top most priority,

declared by Chief Controller of Explosives, will be

training and development of officers. Keeping the

above. in view, Chief Controller of Explosives has

assigned the task of designing and conduct of an

Interactive Foundation Course to

Shri P.K.Mukhopadhyaya, Dy.CCE. It is pertinent to

point out that Shri P.K.Mukhopadhyaya is an

authorised OSHA Outreach Trainer & also DOT

authorized Instructor to impart training on "Multimode

Transportation ofHazardous Materials."

upon the need to modernize the Explosives Industry.He said that many of the existing units employedprimitive technology. Such technology wasdetrimental to safety and resulted in production ofinferior quality products. There was an urgent need tointroduce automation and built-in safety interlocks inthe explosives manufacturing processes. Such a stepwould reduce human interface in the manufacture andlead to overall safety. He emphasized the need toemploy modern safety management concepts toenhance and develop safety culture in the Explosives

Industry.

Accordingly, a two day 'In-house Interactive

Foundation Course' was organised in the Circle offices

of the Department located at Chennai, Mumbai,

Faridabad and Kolkata. 37 entry level officers having

less than 7 years of experience in the Department and

drawn from various Circle/Sub-Circle offices attended

the programme. The focus of the training course was to

inculcate in the minds of the officers the spirit of the

rules administered by the Department and to hone their

inter personal skills. The course was also aimed at

upgrading the communication skills of the officers so

that they could synergise their skills in their day-to-day

work. At the end of the programme, the officers were

evaluated for their performance and for assimilation of

knowledge/skills imparted during training. The

evaluation data will be used to improve the training

methodology and to identify areas, that need more

focus in future.

Chief Controller of Explosives also expressedconcern over the pilferage of explosives and calledupon the manufacturers to be vigilant in this regard. Hesaid that the manufacturer's responsibility did not endwith the dispatch of the explosives. It was themanufacturers responsibility to ensure that theproducts being delivered by them find use for the right

purposes.

GUEST COLUMN may soon be ready. It is now for the industry to usethese packages for blast designs to optimize excavationcost of coal from the open-pit sector.USE OF SOFTWARE PACKAGES FOR

OPTIMIZING BLASTING COSTS IN MAJOROPEN-PIT COAL MINES

UNDERGROUND LPGSTORAGES

POINTS TO PONDER

In recent heavy rains in Gujarat, twounderground Propane tanks floated due to buoyancy,the pit and the installation area being full of rainwater. The anchor bolts fastening the tank tofoundation on one side were uprooted. RESULT: Inboth cases, the pipelines broke and entire LPGcontained in the tank escaped.

Dr. J. L. Jethwa, Emeritus Fellow, Department ofMining Engineering,Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology,NagpurFormerly-Director-grade Scientist, Central MiningResearch Institute

Coal mining and, therefore, safe and economicblasting operations in open-pit mines, will continue tobe critical in India since thermal power is foreseen toremain a major energy source till the middle of thiscentury according to a recent projection prepared byDAB. The cost of the social and the environmentalfactors will continue to rise and the open-door policywill continue to restrict the scope of raising theadministered prices of coal. The coal industry has tosurvive with these two constraints.

These incidents are an eye-opener for allconcerned. So far, this Department's focus was mainlyon mechanical & electrical integrity of the tanks,fittings & associated equipments. The adequacy ofcivil foundation and anchoring system did not receivethe attention it deserved. The decisions taken are: --

I) While seeking approval for mechanical designof underground tank, design appraisal by 3rd PartyInspector should cover both mechanical design as percode as well as adequacy of civil foundation, structuresand anchor bolts to prevent floatation of the tank due tobuoyancy as a result of sub-soil water, considering theworst condition i.e. 'empty tank' and 'no cover ofsoil/concrete'. Henceforth only those inspectingAgencies having expertise in civil/structuralengineering will only be authorised to apprise and vetdesign documents of underground and mounded tanks.

Studies by CMRI and NIRM on excavationcost from major open-pit mines of India have shownthat loading and transportation constitutes about 70 percent while blasting accounts for about 10 per cent. Thestudies demonstrate that the loading and transportationcosts can be reduced by 15 to 20 per cent by using about5 per cent more explosive for better fragmentation.Notwithstanding these studies, powder factor remainsa priority without a serious concern for fragmentation.While the world is using image analysis technique,these mines depend on eye-assessment offragmentation. 2) The 'competent person' engaged for issue of

safety certificate under rule 33 forunderground/mounded storage installations shall alsobe made conversant with civil design and involvedfrom the stage of soil testing, excavation right throughthe entire process of civil foundation/structure, pit,installation of tank, fastening arrangements, cathodicprotection etc. and subsequent installation ofmechanical and electrical equipments and all testingsof different sub- systems. Competent persons havingrequired expertise in these activities will only beauthorised to issue safety certificate for suchinstallations.

Blast design for optimum fragmentation, onone hand, and accuracy of its execution in terms ofdrilling and charging, delays and pre and post-blastbench geometry, on the other, are essential forsustainable mining. Intelligent blast design packagesare necessary for blast optimization to cater tochanging ground conditions and physical constraintsof the mine site often dictating the priority of blastperformance parameters while optimizing the costs ofthe total excavation operation.

CMRI developed image analysis packageFRAGALYST is already commercially available forthree years while an intelligent blast design package

DOUBLE WALLED FRP TANKS FORPETROLEUM RETAIL OUTLETS

integrity are fabricated for use in petroleuminstallations. UL standard 1316, extensively deals withthe requirements for manufacture of FRP tanks andtesting procedures required to be followed during itsmanufacture. The standard also identifies theminimum physical parameters such tanks shouldadhere to.

Petroleum leakage constitutes a majorenvironmental hazard. Incidents of underground tanksleaking and contaminating the ground water have beencommon. Wth environmental regulations becomingstricter day by day, petroleum cQt:npani�s are realizingthat they can no longer take chances with regard to theintegrity of the petroleum storage tanks. Such leakageshave made petroleum companies pay hugecompensations for environmental damages.

.The MS underground tanks being extremelysusceptible to leakage as a result of erosion andcorrosion, petroleum companies in fudia have startedthinking of possible alternatives. Double wall steeltanks and FRP tanks have been tried as possiblesolutions. M/s. Shell fudia Pvt.Ltd., who has enteredthe petroleum retail market in India recently, has comeup with an idea of using a double wall FRP tank. TheFRP tanks have unique advantages over theconventional MS tanks. Being corrosion and erosionfree, such tanks reduce the possibility of leakage ofpetroleum considerably. At the same time, they retainand even exceed the structural strength ofMS tanks.Further, such tanks are almost maintenance free andlast the entire life of the installation. With thedevelopment of new manufacturing techniques, it isnow possible to fabricate FRP tanks of uniform qualityusing a process known as continuous filament windingprocess. Considering the numerous advantages ofFRPtanks, the Department of Explosives has recentlypermitted the usage of the tanks on a trial basis at theShell retail outlets.

FRP tanks, however, suffer a disadvantage inthat they cannot be leak tested by application ofhydrostatic pressure as required under rule 126 of thePR'2002. As testing with water can d~age such tanks,there was need to change the criteria of certification asprovided under rule 126 ofPR'2002. Chief Controllerof Explosives has, therefore permitted leak testing ofFRP tanks by pressurizing with air for 5 minutes at apressure of 5 Psi for tanks of dia 3m or less, and at 3 Psi,for tanks of dia above 3m. Such testing can be acceptedfor the purpose of certification under rule 126 ofPR'2002.

SEALED DELIVERY SYSTEM ON

ROAD TANKERS

The petroleum road transportation sector inIndia is witnessing rapid modernization. Newtechnologies and designs for road tankers are beingintroduc~d. A new system called 'Sealed DeliverySystem (SDS)' has been recently permitted to beinstalled on petroleum road tankers by the Department.This system has been developed by M/s. Civacon, USAand is marketed & installed in India by M/s.DoverIndia Ltd., Mumbai. The purpose of the system is toprevent pilferage and adulteration of petroleum in roadtankers. It provides electronic sealing of tankers andavoids use of dip sticks. The system can be interfacedwith other control systems to provide overfillprotection and assist in gantry control and monitoring.The system being intrinsically safe is suitable for use inhazardous areas.

The design of double wall tanks beingintroduced in India by M/s. Shell India Pvt.Ltd.,comprises of two walls ofFRP separated from eachother by a minimum gap of2mm. Each wall of the tankis designed to withstand not only the internal pressure,but also the external pressure due to the earth load andthe load of traffic, if any. Sensors have been provided inthe annular space between the two walls of the tank todetect any petroleum leakage which may take placefrom the inner wall of the tank.

The system essentially consists of sensorsplaced underneath the outlet valves, hatch domes andmaximum level points in the tanker compartments.These sensors sense the wet /dry condition of the outletvalve and level indicator and thus constantly monitorthe status of the tanker compartments. By using aspecially built in software, this information from thesensor is down loaded and stored in a console. Thesystem is provided with its own source of rechargeableintrinsically safe power source and a communicationinterface for communicating with other auxiliarysystems.

The use of such tanks for storage of petroleumhas became popular internationally as detailedstandards have now been formulated for theirmanufacture and testing. By adopting such standards,it is now possible to ensure that tanks of very high

Seismic Explosives find use in mineralexploration. The vibration generated due to shockwaves by their blasting are recorded using aSeismometer and interpretation of such data givesvaluable input on geological deposits. To carry outsuch studies under sea, special seismic explosives areemployed. Such explosives must detonate even underhigh hydrostatic pressures. With a view to evaluate theefficacy of such explosives under field conditions,specialized tests have been developed under simulatedconditions in the test laboratory at Department TestingStation.

COMPUTER NETWORKUPGRADATION

The online computer network of theDepartment of Explosives is a WAN Network ofMESH type topology comprising of 23 leased lines of64kbps capacity with built in redundancy for linkfailure. If one link fails, the work can continue using analternate link. Due to number of hops between thelocation of the main server i.e. Nagpur and downstream offices, some offices which are at the lower endof the network stream are able to access the data on themain server only at a very low speed. This reduces thework efficiency of such offices.

UN CLASSIFICATION TEST

FACILITIES -DEVELOPED BY DTS

The Departmental Testing Station located atGondkhairi, Nagpur has developed test facilities forconducting classification tests of dangerous goodsbased on UN model regulation for transport ofdangerous goods. The test criteria for suchclassification is based on the UN recommendations onthe transport of Dangerous goods Manual of tests &criteria. The facilities developed at DTS are only one ofits kind in the country.

.The purpose of UN model regulations is tobring uniformity in packaging of Dangerous goodsmoving ftom one country to another and to ensuresafety during their transportation. In absence of acertification ftom a competent authority confirming itsconformity to the classification as laid down under theregulation, the Dangerous goods cannot be shipped ingeneral cargo ships but only through special cargoships. U sing such mode of shipping entailsconsiderable extra expenditure and makes the productuncompetitive in the international market. Also, due tothe uncertainty in the availability of such ships, thedelivery schedule can get affected, leading to heavylosses to the exporter.

Now with the availability of such testingfacilities in the DTS, the manufacturers ofDangerousgoods can obtain a UN classification test report andapproach Director General Shipping, Govt.of India,Mumbai, the competent authority for issuing aclassification certificate. Based on such a certificate, aconsignment of Dangerous goods can be shipped in ageneral cargo ship. Such a facility can be extremelyuseful to Indian manufacturers of explosives who areexporting detonators and other explosives in largequantities.

An alternate proposal now under considerationof the Department involves setting up of Star typetopology with ISDN fall back lines. Such a networkwill comprise of an additional64kbps line from each ofthe Circle offices and one 64kbps line from each of theSub-circle offices to Nagpur. With this type ofnetwork,Circle offices circuit will be able to handle larger loadof work. The Sub-circle offices will also be able toachieve direct access to the Server at Nagpur. Such asystem will bring down dependency on one single line,besides avoiding congestion. The greatest benefit ofsuch a system is that it creates a single coordinationpoint with the service provider, as all lines will beterminating at Nagpur. Thus maintenance and upkeepof the system will be easier and more efficient. It willalso lead to considerable savings in the cost ofequipments and will give an advantage ofexpandability in future.

TEST FACILITIES FOR SEISMICEXPLOSIVES DEVELOPED AT

DEPARTMENTAL TESTING STATION

Recently, Departmental Testing Station hasdesigned and developed a specialized test facilitynamely 'Under Water Pressure Test' for SeismicExplosive Devices to meet the needs of the UserIndustres.

MOI)ERNISATION OF OFFICES ONLINE VALVE CHANGING SYSTEM

As an ongoing process of modernization ofvarious offices of the Department of Explosives, theoffice of the Dy. Chief Controller of Explosives,Hyderabad has been extensively revamped. Modularwork stations and cabins have been created in the officefor facilitating online working and providing rightambience for improved work flow and enhancedproductivity. The revamped office was formallyinaugurated by Shri M. Anbunathan, Chief Controllerof Explosives on 25/08/04.

View of Revamped South Block Wing,010 Jt. Chief Controller of Explosives, Kolkatta

The Chief Controller of Explosives alsoinaugurated the south block wing of the office of the It.Chief Controller of Explosives, Kolkatta on 22/06/04.This wing has also been completely revamped withprovision for 23 modular work stations equipped withfacilities for online working.

NG BASED EXPLOSIVESPROHIBITION DATE EXTENDED

The Govt. of India vide its Notification No.GSR-59(E) dated 21/01/2004 had prohibitedpossession, sale and use of NO based explosivesthroughout the country with effect from 01/04/2004.However, sizeable stocks of explosives remained withthe manufacturers and licensed dealers on the dayprohibition was imposed.

Now the Central Govt. after taking into accountthe hazard to ~ecurity and public safety due to possibledeterioration of such stock of explosives, have issued amodified Notification No. GSR 530(£) dated20/08/2004. Under this Notification, themanufacturers and dealers of explosives have beengiven time upto 30/11/2004 to liquidate their stockslying with them as on 01/04/2004 by sale and use.

In bottling plants, all LPG cylinders arechecked for leakage after filling with LPG. Theconventional method of rectification of the valve leakcylinders is to first evacuate the LPG from cylinders,unscrew the defective valve from the empty cylinder,screw in a new valve on to the cylinder and then finallyrefill the cylinder. This method is complex andinvolves significant equipment, space, time and effort.It is for this reason that separate shed is provided in abottling plant where such activity is carried out.

The new valve changing machine (VCM) nowdeveloped by M/s. Menon & Patel, Faridabad greatlysimplifies this operation because it can be used tochange the valve of the LPG cylinder without priorevacuation of the LPG .

The new machine accomplishes this byperforming the valve change after first isolating a smallsealed space around the top of the cylinder and thendoing the valve change operation within this space.The small quantity gaseous LPG released from thecylinder into this space when the valve is removednormally requires no refilling. The operation of themachine is simple, convenient and safe. It has beencalculated that about 4 grams ofLPG is released everytime a cylinder valve is changed. At a normal speed, themachine is able to conduct 30 operations per hour andthus about 120 grams of LPG is released in an hour,which is cold flared. The quantity of gas likely to bereleased into the surrounding areas is about the same asduring filling of LPG into a cylinder on a fillingmachine and therefore does not pose a significanthazard at the place where it is installed. It is for thisreason that the installation of such a machine ispermitted online in the filling shed.

Conventionally three separate ~heds are beingprovided in a LPG bottling plant. One shed beingexclusively for evacuation of leaking LPG cylindersand valve changing. Now with the introduction of anonline valve changing system, the requirement foradditional shed can be avoided. This saves lot of cost interms of avoiding provision of evacuation bench andreduces risk involved in operating an evacuationprocess system. Further, the need of flaring of morethan 100 grams of gas per cylinder every time a valve ischanged using a conventional system is avoided. Theonline installation also enables immediate use of thecylinders, as such a cylinder can be fed to the carousalimmediately after effecting valve change.

The fIrst such VCM was installed at the BPCLbottling plant at Loni, U .P. and is now increasinglybeing introduced in the other bottling plants by thepublic sector oil companies.

PERSONNEl

TRANSFERS:

I Shri S. Bhattacharya, Dy.CCE Asansol to BhopalI Shri P.C. Srivastava, Dy.CCE Kolkata to AgraI Shri G.M. Reddy, Dy.CCE Rourkela to ChennaiI Shri B. Rengasamy, Dy.CCE Cochin to RourkelaI Shri Sanjoy Sen, CE Hazaribagh to ChandigarhI Shri R.K Maindola, CE Gondkhairi to FaridabadI Shri K.L. Silawat, CE Chandigarh to AllahabadI Shri M.K. Jhala, CE Bhopal to WardhaI Shri M. Manohar, CE Allahabad to FaridabadI Shri A.K. Kunj, CE Faridabad to AgraI Shri A.P. Singh, CE Hazaribagh to AsansolI Shri Waji-ud-din, CE Wardha to JaipurI Shri R. Venugopal, CE Bhandara to ChennaiI Dr. T.L. Thanulingam, Dy. CE Gomia to ChennaiI Shri A.B. Tamgadge,Dy. CE Hyderabad to BhandarnI Shri M.K. Pandey, Dy. CE Asansol to GomiaI Shri A.K. Yadav, Dy. CE Agra to HazaribaghI Shri V.B. Minj, Dy. CE Kolkata to HyderabadI Shri P. S. Subramanian, UDC Vellore to Sivakasi.

NEWS FROM CIRCLES

EAST CIRCLE

8hri Ajai Nigam JT.C.C.E. appointed as a.Member of the Task Force set up by Govt. of WestBengal to inquire into a major incident of fire whichoccurred a~ Rajbandh Oil Terminal, Dist.Burdwan,W.B on 03/06/2004.

A two day Inhouse training programme onComputerized Government Accounting Proceduresheld at Kolkata for the benefit of staff members of the8ub-circle offices of the East Circle.

Re-orientation programme for officers of theEast Circle organized on 26th & 27th Ausust, 2004 at0/0 Jt.~CE, EC, Kolkata.

8hri 8.8. Gupta, JT.Director (Hindi), Ministryof Commerce & Industry visited 0/0 Jt.CCE, EC,Kolkata on 18/06/2004 for inspection onimplementation ofHindi as official language.

PROMOT]ONS

Smt. Arti Chakrabarty, Steno Gr-II to Steno Gr-IMumbai, Shri N .N .N andanwar & Shri W.K. PittalwarAsstt. to Office Supt. Nagpur, Shri Baldev Arora,Asstt.to Office Supt., Agra. Smt.A.N .Bhave and ShriP.K. Verma, LDC to UDC, Nagpur.

NORTH CmCLE

A presentation on CCOE regulations given byShri P.C.Kataria, JT.CCE, Faridabad at IndianManagement Academy, New Delhi todelegateslinvitees from Oil & Gas Industry.

The 010 the JT.CCE, NC, Faridabad awardedRaj Bhasha Shield and cash award of Rs.4001- asSecond Prize for outstanding work in Hindi.

Shri Surajit Das, Accountant, Kolkatta appointed asFinance Officer in Aryabhatta Research Institute ofObservational Science, Nainital.

DEPARTMENTAL TESTING STATION

RETIREMENTS

Shri K.P. Satpute, Office Superintendent & Shri B.SRawat, Asstt., Nagpur retired on 31/07/2004

The Departmental testing station atGondkhairi, Nagpur has developed new facilitiesfor test of petroleum metal containers based on /

IS 2552:1989&IS 1784:1998.

Vide Clause 3 of Explosives (Amendment)Rules, 2002, sub rule 6 (A) has been inserted inExplosives Rules, 1983 naming the Testing Station asDEPARTMENTAL TESTING STATION. Dr. Soumyadip Ghosh, Son of Shri K.N.Ghosh,

JT.CCE, Nagpur awarded Doctor of Philosophy byComell University, New York, USA for his thesis on"DEPENDENCE IN STOCHASTIC SIMULATIONMODELS".

FILLING UP OF POSTS

The Screening Committee headed by the CabinetSecretary and the Departmental Screening Committeehas approved filling up of20 posts ofDy. Controller ofExplosives.