ICAR STO 2024-2025 (PRE.ONLY) (ICAR STO 56 AGRICULTURAL STRUCTURES & PROCESS ENGINEERING 2024)

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Eligibility

Master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering with specialization in Agricultural Structures / Aquaculture Engineering.
                                                                                 Or
Master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering with specialization in Agricultural Process Engineering / Food Process Engineering / Dairy Engineering. 

Exam Pattern

Online competitive examination (Computer Based Test) followed by Interview shall be conducted as per the following plan of examination:-
       Examination            Max. Marks      Duration
1. (a) Objective Type           150                2 hours                
    (b) Interview                      30  
 

Syllabus

56. AGRICULTURAL STRUCTURES & PROCESS ENGINEERING

Unit 1: Heat and Mass Transfer


Basic laws of thermodynamics, thermodynamic properties and processes, energy equations, heat, work, heat engine, heat pump, refrigeration and steam tables. EMC, sorption and desorption isotherms, water activity and psychrometry. Modes of heat transfer, heat exchanger. Mass transfer and mass-heat-momentum transfer analogies. Fluid statics, fluid dynamics, continuity equation and Bernoulli’s theorem. Dimensional analysis and simulation. Simulation models and mathematical modeling. Finite difference analysis, Finite element analysis.

Unit 2: Farm Structures and Farmstead Planning

Farmstead planning, survey and data collection for information bank. Analysis of data, Lay outs. Cost estimation and appraisal. Project development. Time, motion and input analysis, Flow charts & drawings, Case studies. Farm electrification, load estimation and selection of equipment. Standby power units, their selection, maintenance and operation. Electrical fencing, Safety devices including fire-fighting. Benefit-cost analysis. House hold electrical wiring. Illumination, transmission and distribution of electricity. Rural water supply and sanitary structures, sceptic tank design, Brooderhouse and incubation structures. Road culverts and nallah structures, Rat proof godowns, piggery, poultry and other livestock structures. Feed stuff storage structures, Farm workshop, Machinery and implement sheds. Fuel and chemical storage, biogas plant. Green house construction, environment control, operation and maintenance. Economics of green house production.

Unit 3: Storage Engineering

Storage environment and its interaction with stored product. Factors/parameters influencing the shelf life of the stored product, climatograph and deterioration index. Modeling of metabolic activities and prediction of storage life, quality deterioration mechanisms and their control. Storage practices (including fumigation) for food grains. Design of bulk storage and aeration system. Analysis of heat, moisture and gas transfer in bulk storage structures. Bag storage structures, their design and management. Storage of perishables in ventilated, refrigerated, controlled and modified atmosphere storage systems and their design, smart storage system. Quality analysis of stored produce. Storage structures for animal feed, silage etc. Chilling rooms, walk-in cooling rooms for perishables. BIS standards on practices and design of systems for food grains and other commodities, CAP storage, hermatic storage etc.

Unit 4: Material Handling Packaging and Transport

Bulk conveying equipments viz. belt conveyors, screw/auger conveyors, bucket elevators and drag/chain conveyors. Estimation of energy requirement, damage to products during mechanical handling. Operation and maintenance of conveying equipment. Packaging material characteristics and selection. Packaging techniques and equipment for liquid, powder and granular materials, and horticultural produce. Transportation of agro-produce by bullock-carts, trailers, trucks, rail wagons and containers. Refrigerated containers and trucks for perishable foods. Safety standards in handling, packaging and transport of agricultural produce. Types of packaging materials, barrier properties, CFB Boxes, modified atmosphere packaging, smart and active packaging, Edible films, Antioxidant and anti microbial packaging, Micro and nano-encapsulation cold chain management. Refrigerated containers and trucks for perishables. Damage and losses during transportation.

Unit 5: Post Harvest Operations

Grading, cleaning, washing, sorting, shelling, dehusking, decortication, milling, polishing, pearling, drying (Osmotic, evaporative and freeze drying), pasteurization and sterilization of liquid foods, size reduction cryogenic grinding, granulation, crystallization, filtration, membrane processing, microfiltration, ultra filtration, nano¬filtration, reverse osmosis, evaporation, distillation, mixing, clarification, coagulation, mechanical separation, sedimentation, pressing, expelling, leaching, extraction, palleting , extrusion and industrial fermentation

Unit 6: Processing Technology and Processing Equipment Design

Pre-milling/conditioning treatments. Theory of grain drying, thin layer and deep bed drying, Process technology and machinery for cereals, pulses, oil seeds, fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, condiments, plantation crops, animal products, sea-foods, fiber crops, animal feed, natural resins and gums, Bioprocess engineering, enzyme reaction kinetics, Industrial fermentation and processing, down-stream processing, bio-separation. Minimal processing of fruits and vegetables, high pressure processing, Ohmic heating, ultraviolet light, pulsed electric field, pulsed light field, micro and nano encapsulation of food ingredients, Food nanotechnology, Seed processing and technology, Agricultural byproducts/residue utilization, Waste disposal of food processing plants, different methods and equipment.

Design of grain cleaners, graders, dryers, parboiling plants, size reduction machines, bioreactors, fermenters, centrifuges, cyclones, heat-exchanger, evaporators, filters, extrusion cookers. Computer aided design and analysis of machines and machine components. Materials, manufacturing processes, design of elements and selection of standard parts (pulley, chains, sprockets, bearings, belts, fasteners, hydraulic components, pipes, hoses).

Unit 7: Engineering Properties & Quality of Biomaterials

Uniqueness of bio-materials and physical characteristics viz. size, volume, density, porosity, surface areas, friction, rolling resistance, angle of repose. Properties of bulk particulate solids viz. specific surface area, mean diameter, flow rate. Aerodynamics drag coefficient and terminal velocity. Pressure drop through packed beds. Thermal properties such as specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity. Dielectric properties viz. dielectric and microwave radiation, dielectric constant, energy absorption, heating. Optical properties and transmittance and reflectance. Rheological properties and stress-strain-time relationship, rheological models, visco-elasticity, Hertz’s theory of contact stresses. Food Quality and BIS specifications for quality of food materials, milling quality analysis, cooking and baking qualities. Organoleptic and sensory evaluation of product quality. Determination of protein, oil content, carbohydrates, color, hardness, texture, nutritive value, bio-availability and microbial loads, non-destructive quality evaluation techniques. Measurement techniques and instruments for food quality determination, destructive and non-destructive quality evaluation, UV VIS NIR spectroscopy, X-ray, CT, NMR, machine vision. Maturity, ripening stages and indices of fruits and vegetables.

Unit 8: Agri-Project Planning and Management

Project development, market survey and time motion analysis. Selection of equipment, technology option, techno - economic feasibility. Processing in production catchment. Product and process design, PERT, CPM, transport model, simplex, linear and dynamic programming, operation log book. Material balance and efficiency analysis, performance testing, performance indices, energy requirement and consumption. Marketing of agricultural products, market positioning. BIS/FSSAI/ISO standards / guidelines on best practices, equipment and their design and operation for handling, processing and storage of food / feed.

Unit 9: Aquaculture Processing Technology & Structures Design

Inland fish farming and associated considerations, Site selection for aquaculture design of dykes, sluice, channels etc, Fish Physiology and micro-climatic considerations, Aeration & feeding systems, Design of fish rearing structures, Hatcheries, containers for live fish, fingerlings, fish seeds. Aquaculture in recirculatory systems, oxygen and aeration, sterilization and disinfection. Recirculation of water, Reuse systems, water exchange, Design of re-use systems. Inlet and outlet structures, water treatment plants.

Unit 10: Dairy Engineering, Instrumentation and Process Control

Principles of dairy equipment design, Design of Vessels, Design of milk storage tank, Design considerations for Heat exchangers, Design of reaction vessels, evaporators, pasteurizers, cream separators, Homogenizers, Butter churn, Drum dryer, Spray dryer.
Vapour compression refrigeration system, Vapour absorption refrigeration system, Heat pumps, Design of refrigeration equipment, Design of cold storage and air conditioning system. Advanced dairy processes, their operations & design, UHT processing, Adsorption and Sorption processes, Electrodialysis, Aeration and gas transfer, Dairy plant maintenance.
Static and dynamic characteristics of lnstruments, Transducer elements, Intermediate elements, indicating and recording elements. Measurement of motion, force, torque, power, temperature, humidity, pressure and flow. Physical and chemical sensors, biosensors, Fuzzy logic, neural networks and control. Monitoring of plant parameters through internet, Data loggers, Data Acquisition systems (DAS). Introduction to Direct digital Control (DDC), supervisory control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA), Virtual Instrumentation.

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