THE FOUNDATION

Nainital, Uttarakhand

1st NLGI Lubricating Grease Conference, 1999

Nainital

Nainital is a picturesque hill station located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is situated in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas and is known for its serene ambiance, natural beauty, and charming colonial-era architecture. The town is situated around Naini Lake, considered the city’s heart and a popular spot for boating and picnics. The city also offers panoramic views of the Himalayas and is a popular destination for trekking, rock climbing, and paragliding. The city is also home to several historical and religious sites.

A Brief Overview

The First NLGI Conference was held under the guidance of president Dr. A.K. Bhatnagar, Director of the Indian Oil R&D Centre. His leadership and expertise in the field of lubricant research and development contributed significantly to the event’s success. Under his vision and direction, the First NLGI-IC Conference was held, attracting dignitaries worldwide. Thus, this Conference marked the beginning of an annual custom of NLGI-India Chapter conferences.

Technical Discussion And Key Takeaways Of The Conference

The idea for the formation of the India Chapter was seeded when the then President-elect of NLGI, USA, visited India in November 1995. After that, in the NLGI Annual meeting held at Scottsdale in October1996, the NLGI Board invited the Indian Oil and Balmer Lawrie representatives to participate in the NLGI Board Meeting when discussing the formation of India Chapter was taken up. Subsequently, with the support and encouragement of NLGI, the efforts of Indian Oil and Balmer Lawrie, and the help from other Indian companies, the India Chapter became a reality in 1998. Dr. A.K. Bhatnagar presented a keynote paper on ‘lubricating grease—a fertile area for technological excellence.’ A comprehensive review on the corrosion–Rust and Beyond was provided by Ms. Maureen E Hunter of King Industries. Prof. M.C. Dwivedi dealt with vegetable oil-based greases. Mr. Rolf Peter Heckler of Fuchs covered his experience with biodegradable greases. A case study of Ti-complex greases at TISCO, Jamshedpur, was presented by Mr. C.M. Misra. Dr. SSV Ramakumar presented on the durability studies of automotive gear oils. A paper on

Railway wheel flange lubrication – a new approach was covered by Dr. Deepak Saxena. Dr. Rajesh Shah of Koehler Instrument provided details of the new test development of a novel thin film oxidation test for the evaluation of greases. A paper on Saponification for lithium grease made easier was presented by Mr. A.T. Polishuk of Lithchem International. Discussions were held on the ways and means of rationalizing grease specification to combine many grades into a single product, which would help user industries to reduce their product inventories and costs. A case study on the investigation of pressure drop during grease transmission in the pipeline was narrated by Mr. A.K. Misra of SAIL RDCIS.