7th June 2022 | Classical and Emerging areas of Science & Technology: Value addition by Science & Technology, Current Science & Technology developments in India and importance of Science & Technology as an engine for National Development; Industrial development & Urbanization.

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Syllabus- Classical and Emerging areas of Science & Technology: Value addition by Science & Technology, Current Science & Technology developments in India and importance of Science & Technology as an engine for National Development; Industrial development & Urbanization.

Number of questions- Mains: 02, Prelims – 10

Mains Questions of the day-

1.For the First Time, Physicists have achieved Superconductivity at room temperature. What are the potential applications of Superconductivity?

Introduction:

Write briefly about superconductivity and its uses

Body:

Mention its potential applications

Conclusion:

This is the one of the emerging technologies, this type of innovations has the potential to reduce the cost of material available to the poor people. So that, it would promote more inclusiveness and increase the accessibility and affordability of the poor.

Content:

Superconductivity:

  • Superconductivity is a state in which a material shows absolutely zero electrical resistance.
  • Electricity is essentially the movement of free electrons in a conducting material like copper. While the movement of electrons is in one particular direction, it is random and haphazard.
  • They frequently collide with one another, and with other particles in the material, thus offering resistance to the flow of current.
  • In a superconducting state, however, the material offers no resistance at all.
  • All the electrons align themselves in a particular direction and move without any obstruction in a “coherent” manner.
  • It is akin to vehicles moving in an orderly fashion on a superhighway.
  • Because of zero resistance, superconducting materials can save huge amounts of energy, and be used to make highly efficient electrical appliances.
  • The problem is that superconductivity, ever since it was first discovered in 1911, has only been observed at very low temperatures, somewhere close to what is called absolute zero (0°K or -273.15°C).
  • Creating such extreme conditions of temperature and pressure is a difficult task.
  • Therefore, the applications of superconducting materials have remained limited.
  • But for the first time, physicists have achieved the resistance free flow of an electrical current in a material at room temperature 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit).
  • Although, the sample sizes used were microscopic and the pressure at which superconductivity emerged are still rather impractical.
  • This achievement will pave the way forward for generation of superconductivity in atmospheric conditions.
  • Superconductivity is a phenomenon in which the electrical resistivity suddenly drops to zero at its transition temperature (Tc).
  • It consists of two key elements:
  • Zero electrical resistance: Usually, the flow of an electrical current encounters some degree of resistance. The higher the conductivity of a material, the less electrical resistance it has, and the current can flow more freely.
  • Meissner effect: It is the expulsion of a magnetic field from a superconductor during its transition to the superconducting state when it is cooled below the critical temperature.

Potential applications of Superconductors:

  • Superconductors already have drastically changed the world of medicine with the advent of MRI machines, which have meant a reduction in exploratory surgery.
  • Power utilities, electronics companies, the military, transportation, and theoretical physics have all benefited strongly from the discovery of these materials.
  • Maglev (magnetic levitation) trains- 
  • These work because a superconductor repels a magnetic field so a magnet will float above a superconductor– this virtually eliminates the friction between the train and the track.
  • Superconducting magnets have been used to levitate trains above its rails. They can be driven at high speed with minimal expenditure of energy.
  • However, there are safety concerns about the strong magnetic fields used as these could be a risk to human health.
  • Large hadron collider or particle accelerator- 
  • The latest and biggest large hadron collider built in Switzerland by a coalition of scientific organisations from several countries. 
  • Superconductors are used to make extremely powerful electromagnets to accelerate charged particles very fast (to near the speed of light).
  • SQUIDs (Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices):

These are used to detect even the weakest magnetic field. They are used in mine detection equipment to help in the removal of land mines.

  • The USA is developing “E-bombs”- 
  • These are devices that make use of strong, superconductor-derived magnetic fields to create a fast, high-intensity electromagnetic pulse that can disable an enemy’s electronic equipment.
  • These devices were first used in wartime in March 2003 when USA forces attacked an Iraqi broadcast facility.
  • They can release two billion watts of energy at once. fast digital circuits (including those based on Josephson junctions and rapid single flux quantum technology).
  • Powerful superconducting electromagnets used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) machines, magnetic confinement fusion reactors (e.g. tokamaks), and the beam-steering and focusing magnets used in particle accelerators.
  • RF and microwave filters (e.g., for mobile phone base stations, as well as military ultra-sensitive/selective receivers)
  • High sensitivity particle detectors, including the transition edge sensor, the superconducting bolometer, the superconducting tunnel junction detector, the kinetic inductance detector, and the superconducting nanowire single-photon detector.
  • Superconductors are also used in high field scientific magnets.
  • Superconducting magnetic propulsion systems may be used to launch satellites into orbits directly from the earth without the use of rockets.
  • High-efficiency ore-separating machines may be built using superconducting magnets which can be used to separate tumour cells from healthy cells by high gradient magnetic separation method.
  • Since the current in a superconducting wire can flow without any change in magnitude, it can be used for transmission lines.

The use of superconductors under development (future uses)- 

  • Very fast computing
  • low-loss power cables
  • Other impacts of superconductors on technology will depend on either finding superconductors that work at far higher temperatures than those known at present or finding cheaper ways of achieving the very cold temperatures currently needed to make them work.

2.India’s green future, built on Hydrogen, Explain.

Introduction:

Write about importance of Hydrogen as an energy-fuel.

Body:

Mention the reason why India’s Green Future built on Hydrogen.

Conclusion:

India has a huge edge in green hydrogen production owing to its favorable geographic conditions and presence of abundant natural elements. With appropriate capacity addition to renewable power generation, storage and transmission, producing green hydrogen in India can become cost effective which will not only guarantee energy security, but also ensure gradually self-sufficiency.

Content:

  • Hydrogen, nature’s lightest and most abundant element, can be used as energy after being taken out from
  • coal (brown hydrogen),
  • natural gas (grey hydrogen),
  • renewable energy (green hydrogen) and
  • water (blue hydrogen).
  • Governments and companies making hydrogen an important part of their carbon neutrality goals.
  • National Hydrogen Mission to meet the larger goal of self-reliance in energy production by the 100th Independence Day in 2047.
  • The thing that is going to help India with a quantum leap in terms of climate is green hydrogen and also make India a global hub for green hydrogen production and export.
  • Hydrogen will drive economies not now but in near future.
  • Today’s electrolysers (used to separate hydrogen from water using cathode, anode and membrane) consume 40-50 units of electricity to split water and generate 30-35 units. Energy consumed is more than energy produced
  • For energy, India is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2070, the path to energy security goes through a mix of oil, coal, blended fuels, natural gas, renewables and electricity.
  • At present India’s $3.12 trillion economy needs 1,650 billion units (BU) of power made from nearly 400 GW of capacity. Of this, green electricity is only 17%.
  • When the economy touches $5-7 trillion in the next decade, it will need at least 3,000-4,000 GW.
  • Further, the energy import bill will triple by 2040.
  • The only way out of these massive challenges is tapping as many green and locally available energy sources as possible.
  • It has estimated that net zero emissions by 2070 will require:
  • 5,630 GW solar capacity
  • 99% reduction in coal use between 2040 and 2060 and
  • 90% fall in crude oil consumption between 2050 and 2070.
  • By that time, it is estimated that green hydrogen should meet 19% of industry’s needs.
  • India requires $10 trillion (₹750 lakh crore) energy investments, including $8.4 trillion for augmenting renewable capabilities. Another $1.5 trillion will be required for creating a green hydrogen ecosystem in the industrial sector.
  • The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) estimates 23 MT hydrogen demand by 2050.
  • India’s current output is 6.7 MT, produced mostly from natural gas through steam-methane reforming process (methane reacts with steam under pressure in presence of a catalyst to produce hydrogen, carbon monoxide and a small amount of carbon dioxide).
  • The biggest consumers of this hydrogen are refineries, chemical companies and fertiliser plants.
  • Green hydrogen accounts for just 0.1% global hydrogen production.
  • India’s first integrated green hydrogen electrolyser gigafactory in Bangalore with the production of 20 MT green hydrogen.
  • India can produce green hydrogen from 15-20 GW installed capacity by 2030.
  • For that, it will need to invest $4-5 billion in electrolysers.
  • The government is working on a pilot on blue hydrogen, hydrogen CNG and green hydrogen.
  • The government are blending hydrogen with compressed natural gas for use as transportation fuel and industrial input in refineries.
  • The government is planning to blend 15% green hydrogen with piped natural gas for domestic, commercial and industrial consumption.
  • The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is also working on a policy document for the national hydrogen energy mission.
  • Corporate India has got the drift and is working overtime to tap the opportunity at hand.

Prelims Questions of the day:

1.Which of the following statement represents the Blue Skies Research?

  1. Scientific research that does not have a particular commercial aim.
  2. Many discoveries are made ‘by chance’ when scientists are trying to find out something else.
  3. Superconductivity is the best example of that.
  4. All the above

Answer: D

Explanation:

Blue skies research:

  • Scientific research that does not have a particular commercial aim in view is called blue skies research.
  • Many discoveries are made ‘by chance’ when scientists are trying to find out something else.
  • The discovery of superconductivity was made nearly 100 years ago but technological applications have really only become available in the last 10 years or so.

2.Under which of the following Act, the autonomous agency National Research Foundation?

  1. New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
  2. Science Technology Innovation Policy 2013 (STIP 2013)
  3. Science and Technology Policy 2003 (STP 2003)
  4. Technology Policy Statement 1983 (SPR 1958)

Answer: A

Explanation:

  • National Research Foundation (NRF): It is to be set-up as an autonomous body envisaged under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
  • It will look after funding, mentoring, and building ‘quality of research’ in India. The NRF aims to fund researchers working across streams in India.
  • The total investment in research and innovation has declined from 0.84 per cent of GDP in 2008 to 0.69 per cent in 2014.
  • Less than 0.5 per cent of Indian students pursue PhD or equivalent level of education.
  • Yet it is not the only issue, the number of students pursuing research is also less in India

3.Which of the following state, India’s first chip plant is coming up?

  1. Gujarat
  2. Maharashtra
  3. Telanagana
  4. Karnataka

Answer: D

Explanation:

  • Karnataka signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Israel-based ISMC Analog Fab Private Ltd for setting up the country’s first semiconductor plant with an investment of around Rs 22,900 crore ($3 billion).
  • The company is set to fully implement the project over the next 7 years. 
  • The Karnataka government is setting up an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster at Kochanahalli, located around 5 km from Mysuru Airport. The semiconductor plant is expected to generate 1,500 high-tech and high-quality jobs and at least 10,000 ancillary jobs

4.Which of the following terms expresses the speed of an object in air relative to the speed of sound?

  1. Frequency
  2. Acceleration
  3. Mach number
  4. Velocity

Answer: C

Explanation:

Mach Number:

  • Mach number expresses the speed of an object in air relative to the speed of sound.
  • For example, Mach number 6 here implies that the vehicle was moving at six times the speed of sound.
  • The local speed of sound, and hence the Mach number, depends on the temperature of the surrounding gas. The Mach number is primarily used to determine the approximation with which a flow can be treated as an incompressible flow. The medium can be a gas or a liquid.
  • Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft that can travel at hypersonic speed.
  • It uses hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology.
  • The vehicle travelled its desired flight path at a velocity of six times the speed of sound i.e., Mach 6.

5.Which of the following type of hydrogen extracted from the Coal?

  1. Grey hydrogen
  2. Green hydrogen
  3. Blue hydrogen
  4. Brown hydrogen

Answer: D

Explanation:

  • The Union Budget for 2021-22 has announced a National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHM) that will draw up a road map for using hydrogen as an energy source.
  • The initiative has the potential of transforming transportation.
  • Focus on generation of hydrogen from green power resources.
  • To link India’s growing renewable capacity with the hydrogen economy.
  • India’s ambitious goal of 175 GW by 2022 got an impetus in the 2021-22 budget which allocated Rs. 1500 crore for renewable energy development and NHM.

Type of Hydrogen:

  • Grey Hydrogen:
  • Constitutes India’s bulk Production.
  • Extracted from hydrocarbons (fossil fuels, natural gas).
  • By product: CO2
  • Blue Hydrogen:
  • Sourced from water(ocean).
  • By product: CO, CO2
  • By products are Captured and Stored, so better than grey hydrogen.
  • Green Hydrogen:
  • Generated from renewable energy (like Solar, Wind).
  • Electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.
  • By Products: Water, Water Vapor
  • Brown hydrogen
  • Brown or black hydrogen is created through burning coal or lignite.
  • It’s considered the least environmentally friendly, creating as much carbon dioxide as burning the source fuel would have in the first place.
  • For every tonne of brown hydrogen produced, around 10-12 tonnes of CO2 are produced.

6. Which of the following terms related to the Large Hadron Collider?

  1. CERN
  2. Higgs Boson
  3. Quarks
  4. All the above

Answer: D
Explanation:

  • The Higgs boson was discovered at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), particle physicists have recently observed how the elusive particle decays.
  • Higgs boson has been observed to decay into fundamental particles known as bottom quarks.

Large Hadron Collider (LHC):

  • It is a kind of atom smasher machine.
  • It is the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator.
  • It first started up in 2008,
  • It consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way.
  • CERN announced earlier this year that it is getting a massive upgrade, which will be completed by 2026.
  • India in 2016 became an associate member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
  • India’s association with CERN goes back decades with an active involvement in the construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), in the areas of design, development and supply of hardware accelerator components/systems and its commissioning and software development and deployment in the machine.
  • India was inducted as an ‘Observer’ at CERN in 2004. Its upgrade as associate member allows Indian companies to bid for lucrative engineering contracts and Indians can apply for staff positions at the organization.
  • The associate membership would cost India Rs. 78 crores annually though it still wouldn’t have voting rights on decisions of the Council.
  • Indian scientists have played a significant role in the A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) and Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiments that led to the discovery of the Higgs Boson.

7.With reference to visible light communication (VLC) technology, which of the following statements is not correct?

  1. VLC uses electromagnetic spectrum wavelengths 375 to 780nm
  2. VLC is known as long-range optical wireless communication
  3. VLC can transmit large amounts of data faster than Bluetooth
  4. VLC has no electromagnetic interference

Answer: B

Explanation:

  • It is a wireless data communication technology that utilizes visible light between the intensity of 400-800 THz(from 380 nm to 750 nm) to communicate. Under this technology, fluorescent light is used to transmit signals at 10 kbit/s and LED lights are used to transmit 500 Mbit/s over a small distance.
  • High bandwidth – It can transmit a large amount of data in a short time.
  • Low power consumption – It consumes low power and emits low energy.
  • Signal confinement – As light cannot pass through opaque walls, it is easy to confine the signals in form of light in a single room which helps in the increased security of the network.
  • Safe in hazardous environments – In those environments where radio-frequencies are considered hazardous like aeroplanes, hospitals, mines, etc., VLC technology is a perfect alternative.

8. Rainbow is produced when sunlight falls on drops of rain. Which of the following physical phenomena are responsible for this? 

  1. Dispersion
  2. Refraction
  3. Internal reflection
  4. Both A and B

Answer: D

Explanation:

  • When sunlight falls on the drops of rain formation of a Rainbow occurs in the sky.
  • These droplets work as a prism for the rays coming from the sun.
  • When the sunlight gets through these droplets, it results in refraction and dispersion in seven colors known as VIBGYOR.
  • Then it goes to total internal reflection.

9.With reference to ‘Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. It is a contactless communication technology that uses electromagnetic radio fields
  2. NFC is designed for use by devices which can be at a distance of even a metre from each other
  3. NFC can use encryption when sending sensitive information.
  4. It is a short-range wireless connectivity technology that uses magnetic field

Answer: B

Explanation:

Near-field communication (NFC):

  • NFC is a short-range wireless connectivity technology that allows NFC-enabled devices to communicate with each other and transfer information quickly and easily with a single touch – whether to pay bills, exchange business cards, download coupons, or share a document.
  • NFC transmits data through electromagnetic radio fields, to enable communication between two devices. Both devices must contain NFC chips, as transactions take place within a very short distance.
  • NFC-enabled devices must be either physically touching or within a few centimetres from each other for data transfer to occur.
  • It is used in contactless banking cards to perform money transactions or to generate contact-less tickets for public transport.
  • Contactless cards and readers use NFC in several applications from securing networks and buildings to monitoring inventory and sales, preventing auto theft, and running unmanned toll booths.
  • It is present in speakers, household appliances, and other electronic devices that are controlled through smartphones.
  • It also has an application in healthcare, to monitor patient stats through NFC-enabled wristbands. NFC is used in wireless charging too.
  • NFC technology is designed for an operation between devices within a few centimetres from each other.
  • This makes it difficult for attackers to record the communication between the devices compared to other wireless technologies which have a working distance of several metres.

10. India is an important member of the ‘International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor’. If this experiment succeeds, what is the immediate advantage for India?

  1. It can use thorium in place of uranium for power generation
  2. It can attain a global role in satellite navigation
  3. It can drastically improve the efficiency of its fission reactors in power generation
  4. It can build fusion reactors for power generation

Answer: D

Explanation:

  • International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
  • International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a collaboration of 35 nations launched in 1985.
  • It is located in France.
  • It aims to build the world’s largest tokamak to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy.
  • The tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion.
  • Inside a tokamak, the energy produced through the fusion of atoms is absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel.
  • Like a conventional power plant, a fusion power plant uses this heat to produce steam and then electricity by way of turbines and generators.
  • The project is based on fusion which is also an energy source for the Sun and stars.
  • Every fusion reaction in the Sun, in which two hydrogen atoms fuse into one helium atom, releases two neutrinos.
  • ITER will be the first fusion device to maintain fusion for long periods of time and also to test the integrated technologies, materials, and physics regimes necessary for the commercial production of fusion-based electricity.
  • The ITER members include China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States.
  • According to the ITER Agreement (2006), the above mentioned seven members will share the cost of project construction, operation and decommissioning.
  • They also share the experimental results and any intellectual property generated by the fabrication, construction and operation phases.

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