Locally produced product to detect defects in diesel engine injector saves foreign exchange
The National Science Foundation (NSF) which has been providing grants to innovative projects and creations recently provided a grant to S.I. Uyanahewa of Sandanee Industries who has turned out a local 'Diesel Injector Pump Test Bench (DIPTB)".
The Business Times (BT) serialises in its pages of unique innovations and inventions supported by the NSF accompanied Ms Nadeeja Wickramarachchi, Scientific Officer, NSF, last week to meet Mr. Uyanadewa at Pamnuwa, Maharagama to observe the progress of the project.
At his workshop, Mr. Uyanadewa was involved in completing the manufacture of a DIPTB and giving it a final test run.
He told the BT that when the parts of the injector pump are wasted various defects crop up in the diesel engine and the best way to find out the defects is through a DIPTB. He showed how the injector pump is coupled to the DIPTB. The injector pump is run at varying speeds to gauge the defects.
DIPTBs are not new inventions and imported to Sri Lanka. But Mr. Uyanahewa's product using local material saves foreign exchange and provides the user the same results as an imported machine at a much lower cost.
He said that DIPTBs imported from Thailand, Korea or China costs around Rs. 3 million while the same product imported from countries like England or Germany would cost around Rs.10 million. His creation costs only Rs. 800,000 to Rs.1 million.
The capacity of his DIPTB is 8 cylinders. He said that when the coupled injector pump is run at varying speeds there are indicators in the test bench to show the delivery of fuel to each cylinder and when one cylinder gets low fuel supply then the 'plunger' of that cylinder is wasted and needs to be replaced. Likewise all other defects are detected.
He said that he has undergone training at the German Training School from
1964 to 1968 at Werahera (now in Ratmalana) and passed out as the 'Batch Top' and was employed in the same school as a demonstrator. From there he moved from one workshop to another and in 1977, ended up in West Asia, the El Dorado for many Sri Lnnkans.
He returned to Sri Lanka in 1984 and started manufacturing the 'Test Bench'.
Since then he has manufactured a large number of these machines which have been sold in many parts of the country.
Ms. Wickramarachchi while inspecting the progress with regard to their grant told the BT that Mr. Uyanhewa has fulfilled the conditions under the 'Support for Technology Development' scheme. She said that before their grant Mr. Uyanhewa was manufacturing manually operated Test Benches.
She pointed out that their grant was for the introduction of the 'AC inverter' that provides the advantage of easy control of speed variations, minimising power loss, reducing the space required as the pump drive system is directly connected to the motor shaft unlike other systems with belt or variable pulleys.
Explaining expansion plans, Mr. Uyanahewa said that there is potential in African countries and he is planning to export these Test Benches to such countries. He sought some support in terms of advice and information to find out the export potential in foreign countries.