Dr. H. Lekshminarayanan

Chemical Engineering · B.Tech CIT · M.Tech IIT Kharagpur · Ph.D. IISc · Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of Waterloo

About

Dr. H. Lekshminarayanan

Dr. H. Lekshminarayanan is a distinguished Chemical Engineering expert with over four decades of invaluable experience in the field. His career is marked by significant contributions to the petrochemical industry and leadership roles in prominent organizations.

Following a successful tenure as Vice President at Essar Group until March 2010, Dr. Lekshminarayanan's career highlights include serving as the General Manager at Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd for nearly 15 years, where he spearheaded major projects and innovations in petrochemical processes.

Retired from Essar Group in 2010 after serving as Vice President for 5 years
15 years as General Manager at Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd
Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Waterloo
Gold Medal for best Thesis during Ph.D. at IISc, Bangalore
M.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Professional Journey

Consultant

Essar, Mumbai | 2011 - March 2016

Vice President

Essar, Mumbai | September 2005 - March 2010

  • Led a team for the proposed petrochemical complex
  • Coordinated with various agencies for business development and environmental impact assessment
  • Managed technology selection and licensing agreements

General Manager

Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd, Kolkata/Haldia | 1991 - August 2005

  • Managed a grass-root Petrochemicals Complex
  • Responsible for technology selection, project management, and operations support
  • Led teams for various petrochemical processes and plant optimizations

Engineering Manager

Tata Chemicals, Gujarat | 1990 - 1991

Professor

University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq | 1990 - 1991

Engineer

Engineers India Limited, New Delhi, India | 1988 - 1989

Projects Handled

  • Revamping of BPCL Reformer
  • IPCL Polyolefins Pilot Plant-Process Design, Engineering & Project Co-ordination
  • Basic Package for Furnace Test Rig
  • Fluidised-bed Incinerator & Rotary Kiln for Engineering Research Centre
  • Ethylene Dimerisation Plant: Scale up, Process design & Basic Engineering
  • Mobile Combustion Laboratory
  • Demonstration Gas Cracker
  • Hydro de-waxing Trickle Bed Reactor
  • Simulation of Reactors: Steam Reformer, Reaction Heaters, Dehydrogenation Reactors
  • Research at Waterloo: Participated in Research, Teaching and Supervision of Design / Research Projects. Set up a unit for studies on coke formation in thermal cracking of hydrocarbons. Effects of ageing on reactivity and morphological properties of coke deposits examined using TGA, BET, SEM, XRD, etc.

Education

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore | 1975 - 1982

Awarded Gold Medal for best Thesis

M.Tech in Chemical Engineering

IIT, Kharagpur | 1973 - 1975

Specialization: Petroleum Refining & Petrochemical

3rd position in the class

B. Tech, Chemical Engineering

Coimbatore Institute Technology, Madras University, Coimbatore | 1971 - 1973

1st Class 72%

Selected Publications

  • Chem Eng. Sci 34 1415, 1979.
  • J Chem Eng Japan 10 (6), 435, 1977.
  • Carbon 27 (3), 1989.
  • Cand J Ch E 68, 327, 1990.
  • Paper Presented in ACS Symp. Los Angeles, September 1988.
  • Paper Presented in IIChE Conf Cochin, 1977.
  • J Petrochem Industry, 1977.

Doctoral Thesis

Area:
Multiphase Reactors / Reaction Engineering
Title:
Studies on Trickle-Bed Reactors (A healthy blend of theory and experiment)

Participation in Conferences

  • Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) Cochin, Kerala, India
  • IIChE Conference Bombay, Maharashtra, India
  • Catalysis Workshop Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
  • Symp. On Synthetic Fibres IIT Delhi, India
  • Catalysis Symposium Kingston, Canada
  • AIChE Conference New York, USA
  • Secretary, Chem Eng Ass., Editor of Wall Magazine

    Participation in Social and Cultural activities

    Indian Institute Of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    1976 - 1978

  • Delivered lectures in Reaction Eng. Summer School

    Indian Institute Of Science

    Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    1979

Visits

  • British Petroleum Research Centre, Sunbury
  • University of Gent, Belgium
  • Shell Laboratorium (KSLA), Amsterdam
  • University of Karlsruhe FRG
  • Selected for a high-level Fellowship of French Government to work in CNRS, Nancy (1985)
  • Lummus
  • Toyo
  • IFP
  • Lurgi
  • Rurh
  • Oel
  • Veba
  • Basf
  • Mitsubishi

Miscellaneous

  • Completed a Research Project on Mass Transfer in Pulsed and Unpulsed Bubble Columns as a part of M. Tech Program
  • Analysed Convective Mass Transport with Surface Reaction in Multiparticle Systems
  • Experience in setting-up and operation of Laboratory / Bench Scale Trickle Bed Reactors, Rotating Catalyst Basket Reactors (RCBR) and Slurry Reactors