About ASTeC

Automation Systems Technology Centre

This is a national level R & D programme involving Research, development, demonstration and Technology transfer leading to production and commercialization.

The overall objective of the project is to provide the country with the capability to become a significant player in the area of Automation Technologies. The project has applications in process industries, power plants, metallurgical industries and Electricity Boards etc.

The programme envisages technology generation in the following areas:

• Colour and Level Sensor Systems
• Intelligent Actuators for Process Control
• Wireless Sensor Network System
• Advanced Control Algorithms, Optimization Algorithms, Plant Models and Data Fusion Models
• Recognition and Decision-making System for Diagnosis and Root Cause Evaluation of alarm and process faults in Process Control Systems.
• Multi Agent System to provide operator guidance for fault detection, isolation and restoration
• General Purpose Embedded Controller and Intelligent IO modules
• Single Board Controllers
• Low Power Controllers
• Communication Configurator
• Flexible open SCADA Software
• SCADA Security Tools
• Network protocol and Associated Software

The above Research and Development is structured in four Technology programmes:
Programme – 1 : Perception
Programme – 2 : Control
Programme – 3 : Learning
Programme – 4 : Systems

The benefits of the technologies generated will be illustrated with the help of Demonstrator and Explorative projects.

Likely end users and sponsers for the project includes Process Industries, Power plants, Metallurgical Industries, Electricity boards, Water Authorities, Railways, Defence etc.

Processing and manufacturing industries world over are moving towards advanced automation system Technologies and knowledge management to optimize production systems. The ASTeC programme will provide this kind of new Automation System Technology to the nation.

The project is with an outlay Rs 2492 lakhs for a duration of 5 years. There is lot of potential for ToT & IPR. The project was approved on 30-03-2007.