Speakers

Randy Moore

Vice President - American Water Works Association Board of Directors, AWWA

“The Importance of Corrosion Control for Water & Wastewater Infrastructure Asset Management & Sustainability”

The water & wastewater sector continues to embrace and deploy asset management and sustainability best practices. Corrosion control plays a critical role in achieving the objectives of infrastructure asset management and sustainability.  The objective of asset management is to achieve the lowest life-cycle cost by extending the service life of the asset.  Effective corrosion control strategies will extend the service life and at the same time result in the most sustainable solution.

AMMP and AWWA have put in place a water & wastewater corrosion collaboration to advance corrosion control best practices.  The AWWA Manual of Practice M27 “External Corrosion Control for Infrastructure Sustainability” which is focused on corrosion control for the water & wastewater sectors.  AWWA will soon be releasing a recently updated edition of the M27 which will provide useful information for water & wastewater utilities.  Both AMPP and AWWA will be conducting educational training around the content of the M27.

About Randy More  
Randy Moore was Director of Sales – Agency Development and Industry Affairs for Tnemec Company Inc., a leading manufacturer of high-performance coatings and linings, has been elected as Vice President of the American Water Works Association Board of Directors (AWWA). His term ended in 2020, he now runs a consulting business.

Since joining AWWA in 1982, Moore has been a regular creator and moderator of technical webinars and a frequent contributor to the association’s magazine for operators, Opflow. As creator and current Co-Chair of the Innovation Initiative he is nationally recognized as an innovation industry thought leader in the water sector.

Ramesh Kumar Roy

Deputy General Manager (DGM) - Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL)

“Smart Water Management: Digital Transformation in Water & Wastewater Utilities”

As water utilities face mounting challenges from climate change, population growth, aging infrastructure, and resource constraints, digital transformation has emerged as a game-changer. This 15-minute session will explore how smart technologies such as IoT sensors, real-time monitoring, digital twins, and AI-driven analytics are revolutionizing water and wastewater systems.

 Attendees will learn about successful global and Indian case studies, how to improve leak detection, optimize treatment processes, and enhance asset management using data.

The session aims to empower municipal bodies, industries, ETP and utility operators to embrace scalable smart water solutions for sustainability, efficiency, and resilience.

About Indian Oil Corporation
Born from the vision of achieving self-reliance in oil refining and marketing for the nation, IndianOil has gathered a luminous legacy of more than 100 years of accumulated experiences in all areas of petroleum refining by taking into its fold, the Digboi Refinery commissioned in 1901.

The refining capacity is 70.25 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) (the largest share among refining companies in India), with an approval to further enhance it to 87.9 MMTPA. Currently IndianOil Group accounts for approximately 31% share of the national refining capacity.

The strength of Indian Oil springs from its experience of operating the largest number of refineries in India and adapting to a variety of refining processes along the way.

Dr. V. Ravichandran

Director Business Development - Sartime Horological (P) Ltd

“Corrosion in waste water treatment plants”

In India Waste water treatment (WWT) plant means Industrial waste water treatment plants. Municipal waste water treatment plants are called sewage treatment plants. Municipal treatment plants are coming up more and more as a source of water for local industries. 

Industries in India are to use only treated water and not ground water, Ground water is reserved for domestic use only. Of course it is not implemented strictly.

India is the first country in the world , in 1990, to use treated sewage water for industrial purpose,  as a cooling water for a very demanding industry Refinery in Chennai Madras Refineries. India was the 2nd country in the world to reuse treated sewage water, 1st being the USA in Orange County, CA.

In USA and Europe Industrial waste water is not given as much importance individually as they are always mixed with local Municipal treatment plants after preliminary treatment.  The treated water is generally let into a river. <90% WWT business is municipal. These treatment plants are the lifeline for both the industry and domestic. Any failure will bring life to a standstill.

Steel and concrete structures are the back bone of  water & WWT plants. Wastewater, with its physical  moisture, aggressive chemicals, and biological activity, creates a harsh environment that accelerates , break down both steel and concrete structures within a water and wastewater system. Depending on the structure's location, the freeze/thaw cycle can lift, move and heave a structure, causing significant damage. The talk will focus on both causes and consequences of corrosion.

About Dr. Ravichandran
Sartime Horological business operations are led under the guidance of "Dr. V. Ravichandran" Ph.D. (USA). His specialized skills in this work area guide us towards our main purpose of designing, handling operations and management of technologically challenging chemical & environmental projects.

About Sartime Horological 
Established in 1990 at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, we Sartime Horological Private Limited, are one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of Water Purification Plants & Systems. The complete product range we offer include ETP, RO Plants, Evaporator, UF, SBR, Advanced Membrane Separation System and Oil Separators or Skimmers. Further, we also offer Phosphate Sludge Separator, Compost Aero Tiller, Auto Spraying System.

Dr Sunil D Kahar

Assistant Professor, Metallurgical & Materials Engg. Dept. 
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Vadodara

“Accelerated Electro-chemical Testing for Optimized Plant Material Selection for water systems”

The integrity and long-term performance of plant infrastructure are critically dependent on the use of materials with superior corrosion resistance. Traditional corrosion testing methods, while effective, are often time-intensive and may not accurately replicate the dynamic and aggressive environments encountered in industrial operations.

Accelerated electrochemical testing provides a fast, reliable, and data-driven method to evaluate the corrosion behavior of materials under simulated service conditions. Techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization and cyclic polarization allow engineers to accurately quantify corrosion rates, assess susceptibility to general and pitting corrosion, and examine the formation and stability of passive protective films on material surfaces.

These insights support the selection of cost-effective, high-performance materials specifically tailored to challenging environments—such as acidic, saline, or high-temperature systems commonly found in power plants, fertilizer units, chemical processing facilities, and water treatment systems.

By integrating electro-chemical testing into the material selection process, industries can significantly reduce the risk of unexpected failures, lower long-term maintenance costs, and enhance the overall safety and efficiency of operations. This approach represents a key pillar in modern, proactive materials engineering strategies.

About Dr. Kahar
Dr Kahar holds a Ph.D. in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering from The M.S. University of Baroda, complementing his prior Master and Bachelor degrees in related fields. He possesses over 20 years of academic and administrative experience, including roles as an Assistant Professor, Senate Member, and Chairman of prominent industry chapters.