Indian Oil is first oil and gas PSU to achieve this milestone! What is it?

Established in 1972, the Centre is a pioneer in downstream petroleum sector R&D and has received wide acclaim for indigenising lubricants technology by launching the SERVO brand. With over 5,000 formulations and over 800 active grades covering all conceivable applications, including rail-road and marine oils, SERVO has grown to be the largest selling lubricant brand in India.

From being the birth-place of the highly successful, fuel-efficient 'Nutan' kerosene wick-stove in the late 70s, the R&D Centre has come a long way in the past four decades. According to Dr SSV Ramakumar, Director (R&D), IndianOil, the Centre has been focussing on developing high-quality, environment-friendly products and innovative refinery processes that boost resource efficiency, enhance refinery-petrochemicals integration and offer flexibility in product pattern and yields in line with market demand.

With 50 percent of its active patents in the refining category, followed by 16 percent in biotechnology, the R&D team has made considerable progress even in the highly IP-crowded field of Ziegler-Natta catalysts, used in the production of polymers (plastics). "We have not only created white space here but succeeded in earning a rich haul of patent grants that are well recognised by global majors," adds Dr Ramakumar.

In line with IndianOil's business agenda, the R&D Centre has expanded its research domain to cover petrochemicals, nano-technology, alternative fuels, energy storage solutions and Hydrogen-based fuel cell research, among others.

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