HPCL & CSIR have developed BND that’s touted to be milestone for BS VI fuel. What is it?

The initiative will save vital foreign exchange through import substitution for Certified Reference Materials

New Delhi: HPCL and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR–NPL) achieved significant milestone by releasing 26 Petroleum BNDs (Bharatiya Nideshak Dravya or Indian Reference Material) on May 20 coinciding with the occasion of World Metrology Day, an official statement said.

BNDs will be of immense use BS VI fuels

The 26 Petroleum BNDs, jointly developed by HPCL and CSIR-NPL, will provide traceability for all vital parameters of Petroleum products testing and certification comprising of 13 physical properties, 2 Physicochemical properties and 11 Chemical properties, including BND for sulfur content measurement at lower concentrations which will be of immense use for BS VI fuels. The initiative will save vital foreign exchange through import substitution for Certified Reference Materials (CRMs).

The backdrop

Dr R Chidambaram, former principal scientific advisor to the government, released the BNDs at CSIR-NPL, Delhi in the presence of Dr Shekhar S Mande, Director General-CSIR & Secretary-Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr DK Aswal, Director, CSIR-NPL, Prof AK Grover, Research Council Chairman, CSIR-NPL & Former VC-Punjab University and other dignitaries.

HPCL has been in the forefront of producing CRMs in India for petroleum sector and has received the Prestigious Quality Council of India — DL Shah National Quality Award in Platinum Category in 2019 for CRM initiative.

CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIP-NPL) is the National Measurement Institute of India formed by Act of Parliament and is the custodian of the fundamental units of measurement.

The initiative for developing BNDs used in Petroleum sector in India will result in replacing the traceability to SI system through foreign National Measurement Institutes (NMIs) to Indian NMIs.