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Dr. Om Prakash Singh

Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT(BHU)
Phone No(s): 9816661166
Email: opsingh.mec@iitbhu.ac.in
Area of Interest: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Design and Innovation, Solar Energy, Renewable Energy, Solar thermal and Pumped hydro energy storage systems, Green buildings, Double-diffusive convection, Intellectural Property Rights (IPR)
                    Vist my Website

 

Brief profile

Dr. Om Prakash Singh currently holds the position of Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the esteemed Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, U.P., India, where he has been serving since 2016. Prior to his current position, Dr. Singh served as an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, H.P, India, for  about 5 years. He also possesses significant industry experience, having worked in an automotive industry as a Senior Manager (R&D) at TVS Motor Company Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, for six years after completing his Ph.D.

Dr. Singh's academic journey began in 2001 at the renowned Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, where he obtained his M.S and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. His doctoral research, focused on computational fluid dynamics (CFD), made significant contributions to the field. Throughout his career, he has secured research project funding from prestigious organizations such as the SERB core grant, CARS (Center for Aerospace Research and Design Organization) project, DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organization), and BRNS (Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences) under the Department of Atomic Energy. Dr. Singh actively collaborates with industry partners on CFD modeling projects related to pumped storage hydro energy  systems. In addition, Dr. Singh has been granted several patents and has published numerous research articles in high-impact journals.

Career path

  • 2024 – cont.: Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, U.P., India
  • 2016 – 2024: Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, U.P., India
  • 2012 – 2016: 5 years at IIT Mandi: Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, H.P, India.
  • 2006 – 2011: 6 years post-PhD in industry: Senior Manager (R&D), TVS Motor Company Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore.
  • 2001 – 2006: Masters and PhD at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India.
  • 2000 – 2001:  Faculty at DRIEMS Engg. college, Orissa, India.
  • 1996 – 2000: BTech, Mechanical Engineering, JIET, Utkal University, India.

Lab development / Research fund

  • SERB core research grant, 55 lakhs
  • CARS, DRDO, 30 lakhs
  • Seed grant project, 10 lakh
  • BRNS, Dept of Atomic Energy, 22 lakhs (Co-PI)
  • CFD lab, cost: 20 lakhs
  • Rapid prototyping lab, 35 lakhs
  • Aakash tablet development lab, MHRD, Rs 50 lakhs (Co-PI)
  • Design innovation lab, MHRD, Rs. 1.3 crore (PI)
  • IC Engine lab, 3.5 crore

Research Guidance

  • PhD students: 7 (5 completed, 2 ongoing)
  • MS/MTech : 15

Research interest

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Solar Energy, ​Renewable Energy
  • Pumped  Storage Hydropower
  • Green Building Design
  • Finite Element Method (FEM)
  • Double-diffusive convection
  • Design and Innovation
  • Intellectual property rights 
  • Photovoltaic-thermal System
  • Phase change materials/energy storage

Courses offered

  • Applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) 
  • Advanced CFD
  • Applied finite element method (FEM) 
  • Reverse engineering 
  • Engineering drawing
  • Energy conversion devices
  • Fluid Mechanics 
  • Transport phenomena
  • Convective heat and mass transfer
  • Advanced fluid mechanics
  • Engineering thermodynamics
  • Universal human values
  • Internal Combustion Engine
  • IPR and patent procedures
  • Research Methodology
  • BioDesign Innovation (coordinator)

Accomplishments

  • Awarded for Consistent Quality Teaching, IIT Mandi, 2014.
  • Young Scientist Award at Portugal, Aveiro, 2005.
  • MHRD fellowship for Master and Doctoral degrees, IISc Bangalore, 2001-2006.
  • Three times best research paper award: year 2003, 2005 and 2007.
  • College topper, 1st sem, BTech, 1996 (120 students).
  • Second topper with distinction, BTech degree, 2000.
  • Qualified Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), 2001.
  • Consecutively 3-time topper in Numerical Analysis among 200 students, IISc 2001.
  • Class topper, Council of Higher Secondary Exam (CHSE), 12th board exam, 1995.
  • 2nd position, district-level debate competition, All India Cooperative Week, 1994.
  • Qualified National Mathematics Olympiad contest, 1992.
  • Zonal topper in mathematics (CBSE), 1992.
  • Class topper in CBSE, 10th board exam, 1992.
  • Qualified All-India Junior Talent Search Contest, 1991.
  • Awarded MCL scholarship, Odisha, 1991-1993.
  • Runner-up, inter-departmental Chess Championship, 1998.
  • Cricket captain, 7th –10th class, 1988-1993.
  • Cricket captain, Inter-IIT sports meet 2018, reached the final, IIT BHU.
  • Won many Man-of-the-Match awards in cricket.
  • As a lawyer, represented and won a case against a bank from district court to supreme court, 2008-13.

        Recent 10 granted patents (17 granted, 11 under review)

        1. Solar air heater, Patent Number: 429893, date of grant: 25.04.2023.
        2. Cooling apparatus mounting for fan-cooled internal combustion engine, Patent Number: 365262, date of grant: 25.04.2021.
        3. A two-stroke internal combustion engine with provision for enhanced cooling, Patent Number: 350090, d.o.g: 26.10.2020.
        4. An automotive drum brake system with provision for enhanced cooling, Patent Number: 342541, d.o.g: 27.07.2020.
        5. Axial fan for an internal combustion engine, Patent Number: 329768, date of grant: 21.01.2020.
        6. Cylinder head for internal combustion engine, Patent Number: 337778, date of grant: 02.06.2020.
        7. Exhaust pipe for a vehicle, Patent Number: 329693, date of grant: 20.01.2020.
        8. Cooling system for automobiles, Patent Number: 345816, date of grant: 01.09.2020.
        9. Drum brake arms, Patent Number: 340133, date of grant: 01.07.2020.
        10. Wheel assembly for drum brake, Patent Number: 322680, date of grant: 14.10.2019.

           More patents on my personal website.

        Recent  publications - I

        1. Study of vortex dynamics in a solar tower vortex generator, Jaydeep Singh, Ankit Kumar, Ajeet P. Singh, O. P. Singh, Energy Conversion and Management (Elsevier), vol. 316, 2024.
        2. Convective structures of salt fingers at a neutrally buoyant density interface, Deepak Kumar, O. P. Singh, Environmental Fluid Mechanics (Springer), 2024.

        Past 10 publications - II

        1. Vertical limit reduction of chimney in solar power plant, Ajeet P. Singh, Jaydeep, Amit K., O. P. Singh, Renewable Energy (IF: 9), 2023.
        2. On the evolution of layer dynamics and critical power laws in double-diffusive finger convection at neutral bouyancy, Deepak K. Singh, O. P. Singh, International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer (IF: 7) 2023.
        3. Performance characteristics of a new curved double-pass counter flow solar air heater, Amit K., Akshayveer, Ajeet P. Singh, O. P. Singh, Energy (IF: 9),vol. 239, 2022.
        4. Investigations for efficient design of a new counter flow double-pass curved solar air heater, Renewable Energy (IF 9), vol. 185, 2022.
        5. Effect of new overhead phase change material enclosure designs on thermo-electric performance of a photovoltaic panel, Journal of Energy Storage (IF 8.9), vol. 46, 2022.
        6. Effect of channel designs and its optimization for enhanced thermo-hydraulic performance of solar air heater, Amit K., Akshayveer, Ajeet P. Singh, O. P. Singh, Journal Solar Energy Engineering (ASME), vol. 144 (5), 2022.
        7. Thermal Energy Storage Design of a New Bifacial PV/PCM System for Enhanced Thermo - electric Performance, Akshayveer, Amit K., Ajeet P. Singh, O. P. Singh, Energy Conversion and Management,  (IF:9.9), vol. 250, 2021.
        8. Effect of Integrating High Flow Naturally Driven Dual Solar Air Heaters with Trombe, Ajeet Singh, Amit K., Akshayveer, O. P. Singh, Energy Conversion and Management (IF: 9.9), vol. 249, 2021.
        9. A novel concept of integrating bell-mouth inlet in converging-diverging solar chimney power plant, Ajeet P. Singh, Amit K., Akshayveer, O.P. Singh, Renewable Energy (IF: 9), pp. 318-334 vol. 169,  2021.
        10. Performance enhancement strategies of a hybrid solar chimney power plant integrated with photovoltaic panel, Ajeet Singh, Amit Kumar, Akshayveer, O.P. Singh, Energy Conversion and Management (Elsevier, IF: 10.4), vol. 218, 2020.

        Past 10 publications - III

        1. Curved vs. flat solar air heater: performance evaluation under diverse environmental conditions, Ajeet Singh, O. P. Singh, Renewable Energy (IF: 8.7), vol. 145, 2020.
        2. Efficient design of curved solar air heater integrated with semi-down turbulators, Ajeet Singh, Amit K., Akshayveer, O. P. Singh, Int. J. of Thermal Sciences (IF: 4.5), Vol. 152, 2020.
        3. Effect of Novel PCM Encapsulation Designs on Electrical and Thermal Performance of a Hybrid Photovoltaic Solar Panel, Akshayveer, Amit K., Ajeet  Singh,O. P. Singh, Solar Energy (IF: 6.7), vol. 205, 2020.
        4. Efficient designs for double-pass curved solar air heaters, Amit Kumar, Akshayveer, Ajeet Singh, O. P. Singh, Renewable Energy (IF: 8.7), 2020.
        5. Natural convection solar air heater: Bell-mouth integrated converging channel for high flow applications, Ajeet Singh, Amit K., Akshayveer, O.P. Singh, Building and Environment (IF: 7.4), vol. 187, 2020.
        6. Designs for high flow natural convention solar air heaters, Ajeet Singh, Amit K., Akshayveer, O. P. Singh, Solar Energy (IF: 6.7), vol. 193, 2019.
        7. Thermo-hydraulic performance enhancement of natural convection convex-concave solar air heaters, Ajeet Singh, O. P. Singh, Solar Energy (IF: 6.7) vol. 183, 2019.
        8. Performance enhancement of curved solar air heater using CFD, Ajeet Singh, O. P. Singh, Solar Energy (IF: 6.7), vol. 174 (2018), 2018.
        9. Role of Rayleigh numbers on characteristics of double diffusive salt fingers, Faria Rehman, O. P. Singh, Heat and Mass Transfer (Springer, impact factor: 2.46), 54, 2018.
        10. Effect of eigenvalue solution on characteristics of double diffusive salt fingers, Faria Rehman, Manoj Dhiman, O. P. Singh, J. Mech.  Sci.  Technol., 30(6) (Springer, IF: 1.5), 2016.

        Past 10 publications - IV

        1. Effect of Rayleigh numbers on the evolution of double‐diffusive salt fingers, O. P. Singh, J. Srinivasan, Physics of Fluids (AIP, IF: 4.4), 26(6), 2014.
        2. The Effect of rubber dampers on engine's NVH and thermal performance, O. P. Singh et al., Applied Acoustics (Elsevier, impact factor: 3.4), 75(1), pp. 17-26, 2014.
        3. Piston seizure investigation:  experiments, modeling and future challenges, O. P. Singh et al., Engineering Failure Analysis (Elsevier, IF: 4.4), 28(1), pp. 302-310, 2013.
        4. Effect of  cooling system design on engine oil temperature,  O. P. Singh et al., J.  Applied Fluid Mechanics, (impact factor: 1.09) 6(2), pp. 61-71, 2013.
        5. Spalling investigation of  connecting rod, S. Khare, O. P. Singh, K.B. Dora, C. Sasun, Engineering Failure Analysis(Elsevier, IF: 4.4), 19(1), pp. 77-86, 2012.
        6. Effect of muffler mounting bracket designs on durability, S. P. Senthilnathan, O. P. Singh et al., Engineering Failure Analysis(Elsevier, IF: 4.4) ,18(3), pp. 1094-1107, 2011.
        7. Thermal seizures in automotive drum brakes, O. P. Singh et al., Engineering Failure Analysis (Elsevier, IF: 4.4), 17(5), pp. 1155–1172, 2010.
        8. On the relationship between finger width, velocity, and fluxes in thermohaline convection,  K. R. Sreenivas, O. P. Singh & J. Srinivasan,  Physics of Fluids, 21(2), 2009.
        9. Effect of thermo‐mechanical behavior on drum brake labyrinth design, O. P. Singh, S. Mohan, V.  Mangaraju and R. Babu, SAE International,  Technical paper 2008–32–0066, 2008.
        10. Optimization of Air‐cooling system of 4-stroke scooter engine, Vishal Kumar, O. P. Singh, M. Garg and Y. V. Chaudhary, SAE  International,  Technical paper  2008–32–0071, 2008.

        More publications on my personal website.

              Recent 10 talks

              1. IPR and its importance for economical development of country in FDP on  Entrepreneurship at Rajarshi School of Management & Technology, Varanasi.
              2. One day training session for faculty on Intellectual Property Rights, Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Patna.
              3. 3 days traning program on Design and Topology Optimization using Finite Element Method, IIT (BHU).
              4. Two-day workshop on Product design and Innovation, IIT Mandi.
              5. Intellectual property rights, how to draft patent claims and reverse engineering, Workshop on product design and innovation, IIT Mandi.
              6. Product design, Innovation, Reverse engineering and Leadership, JN Gov. Engg. college, Sundernagar, H.P.
              7. Teacher's role in students development: How What and Why?Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalay, Pandoh, Mandi.
              8. Rheology: the mystery of non-Newtonian fluids, Training course on snow-avalanches, RDC SASE, DRDO, Chandigarh.
              9. How to teach mathematics to school children, Orientation course for trained graduate teachers, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalay, Pandoh, H.P. Mandi.
              10. How to develop scientific temper among students, Orientation course for trained graduate teachers, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalay, Pandoh, Mandi.

                      More information on visit my WEBSITE

                We carry our consultancy projects using CFD/FEM on Pumped storage Hydropower systems, heat transfer and fluid flow problems, natural water bodies such as river, optimise designs etc.

                 

                Pumped Storage Hydropower Projects (PSP) are long-term infrastructure assets, typically designed for lifespans exceeding 100 years. However, inefficiencies introduced due to inadequate hydraulic design can compound into substantial operational losses over the decades—often far outweighing the modest investment required for a rigorous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study during the planning phase. At IIT (BHU), Varanasi, we specialize in high-fidelity CFD modeling and analysis of PSP systems to ensure optimal hydraulic performance, safety, and efficiency. Our consultancy work has already contributed to several major PSP projects across states including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. By combining domain expertise with state-of-the-art CFD tools, we provide time-bound, technically robust solutions to address flow-related challenges in PSP design—ranging from intake performance and vortex formation to air entrainment and flow uniformity under variable operating regimes.

                What we do?:

                As part of our consultancy services, we undertake a detailed CFD-based hydraulic analysis for PSP projects. Here's a summary of the key tasks we typically perform:

                1. Evaluating Overall Hydraulic Performance

                  We carry out a comprehensive assessment of the upper and lower intake structures under various operational conditions, including both pumping and generation modes. This includes quantifying head losses, discharge capacity, and hydraulic efficiency. We also study how the intake geometry and overall configuration impact system reliability and performance. For this, we use advanced CFD simulations and, where necessary, validation with physical model studies to accurately predict internal/open channel flow behavior.

                2. Characterizing General Flow Conditions

                  We analyze flow dynamics inside the intake structures during both operational modes. This includes identifying flow concentration zones with high velocities, mapping uneven flow regions, and detecting any reverse flow that could signal inefficiencies. We assess velocity profiles across intake sections and examine swirl intensity to evaluate potential cavitation risks or uneven loads on the turbine-pump units. Flow separation zones are also studied to understand energy losses or mechanical wear.

                3. Studying Vortex Formation and Air Entrainment

                  We investigate both surface and submerged vortex formations under different operating levels. This helps evaluate the risk of air getting entrained into the system, which can be detrimental to turbine and pump performance. We use CFD tools to simulate such scenarios and recommend design enhancements—like anti-vortex devices or optimized geometry—to mitigate these risks.

                4. Methodology and Analytical Tools

                  We rely on validated CFD platforms to simulate flow behavior, including velocity fields, pressure distributions, and swirl patterns. Parametric studies are also conducted to understand how changes in flow rates, reservoir levels, or intake angles influence hydraulic performance. These simulations are complemented with advanced flow visualization for detailed interpretation.

                5. Deliverables Provided

                  My consultancy delivers a comprehensive technical report outlining all key hydraulic metrics—head losses, flow efficiency, and system stability. The report is supported by high-resolution visualizations of flow features such as concentration zones, reverse flows, separations, and swirls.We also include an evaluation of vortex risks and air entrainment, along with practical mitigation strategies and validation of CFD results against empirical data, when available.

                6. Other Aspects Considered

                  We assess how varying reservoir levels—minimum, normal, and maximum—affect flow behavior. My analyses align with national and international standards like CRIEPI, BIS, ASCE, and USACE. Additionally, we consider potential environmental impacts, especially concerning aquatic ecosystems, and propose mitigation where needed.