Life Journey of Engr. Munawwar Hussain Qureshi (1950-2022)

on 17/01/2023

By the will of ALLAH almighty on Saturday 29 January 2022, Munawwar Hussain Qureshi left this world for his eternal journey. He served as CEO of Air Technique Engineers and was the founder of Saqib Engineers. Mr. Qureshi was born in 1950 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. He obtained his Bachelor of Technology (Honours and Pass) degrees both from the NED University of Engineering and Technology in 1982 and 1978 respectively.
He was a Life Member of the Pakistan HVACR Society and served in the field of HVACR from 1970 to 2022.
He served as Energy Coordinator at Aga Khan University Hospital from August 1994 to March 1997 and carried out the designing and fabricating of cooling water circulating refrigeration unit for Infra-Red Analyzer at the request of Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta (In-Charge Peads Ward). He was an Examination Board Member at NEDUET in the mid-1980s.
He was awarded a certificate for the repair work of the US Consulate Office Air-Conditioning Plant “YORK Absorption Chiller 210 TR Capacity” in 1998. Outstanding performance award at Holiday Inn Karachi as Manager in June 1988 and appreciated by the General Manager of Holiday Inn Karachi for successful completion of the Bachelor of Technology (Honours) Degree examination from NEDUET.
He also worked with Marriott Hotel, Karachi as Maintenance Engineer, REMCO, Karachi as Assistant Chief Engineer at FTC Building Karachi, Holiday Inn, Karachi as Senior Engineer, Hotel Inter-Continental Rawalpindi as Engineer, Junaid Engineering Limited, Karachi as Site Engineer, Shahnawaz Limited, Karachi as an Assistant Site Engineer.
He was recognized to had trainings/seminars/workshops – “Skills in Supervision” – Course / Seminar on “Discipline at Workplace and Absence Control” – Workshop on “Role of Supervisors as First-Line Managers” from Employers Federation of Pakistan in May 1993 – Workshop on “Improving Energy Efficiency in Electrical Systems” in September 1988 – Workshop on “Improving Steam Boiler Operating Efficiency” from the National Energy Conservation Centre (ENERCON) in December 1987 – Course / Seminar on “Engineering First Concern Programme” from Holiday Inn, Karachi in October 1987 – Attended Seminar on “Absorption Chillers” from the TRANE Company, USA in June 1987 – Training Course in “Fire Fighting Service” from Civil Defence Department at Holiday Inn, Karachi in May 1982 – Seminar on “Absorption Chillers” from the TRANE Company, USA in December 1981 – Regional Training Program in “Engineered Machinery Service” from YORK International in November 1971 – “Packaged Products – Installation & Services” from YORK International in May 1971.n

Need to convince Sindh on Kala Bag Dam: Imran Khan

on 17/01/2023

Although he is not the first prime minister to believe that Kala Bag Dam is a very good site for water storage, Imran Khan thinks the people of Sindh should believe this dam would not affect the province.
While addressing as chief guest at an International Symposium on Hydropower Development in Pakistan the premier said that China has constructed 5,000 dams, but Pakistan had built only two dams in 1960.
The prime minister said that there is no doubt that the country needed water storage and the Kalabagh dam is at a very good site for this purpose. However, there is a need to convince the people of Sindh on the Kalabagh dam that its construction would not have any adverse impact on Sindh’s water.
Prime Minister Imran Khan deplored that the country has suffered huge economic loss owing to the negligence of not constructing water dams.
The prime minister added that due to this negligence, the country suffered losses because when fuel prices increase in the international market, the price of electricity and other things also increases in Pakistan. Consequently, the people have to bear the burden, he added. The prime minister said that there is inflation in the country because the hike in the prices of electricity increases the cost of everything. “If the country would have been making electricity through water – hydropower – there would not have been inflation of this level.”
He said that unfortunately, this was happening because of the absence of long-term planning. He said the long-term planning of China is behind its economic strength. He said that his government’s planning was not election specific but was about long-term for the benefit of the country and this has been the precise reason that a “decade of dams” is being celebrated. He said that the present government considered that the country needed water storage to meet the needs of the growing population. “We have to cultivate more land and water storage is critical for it.”
The premier said that there is huge land in DI Khan besides hundreds of thousand-acre barren land in Balochistan. He said that ‘10-year dams’ would double the water storage and help cultivate the barren land besides dealing with climate change issues by producing clean energy through water.
“We are also producing cadres of engineering,” he said, adding that tunnel technology is very important for the promotion of tourism. He said that Switzerland has made its mountain accessible for tourism through tunnel technology.

PEC embraces contractors; will they reciprocate?

on 17/01/2023

Difference of opinion on numerous issues apart, the governing body (GB) of Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) finally demonstrated unanimously in its latest moot holding its spirit high to come up to the expectations of the engineering community and the industry as a whole.
This expression has resulted in the council’s effort to woo a major portion of contractors to remain under its umbrella so that the construction industry is developed on modern lines and also the council is able to retain its regulatory role in the country.
With the active support of constructors, the moot reached a consensus that the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) should be set up under the umbrella of the council.
The meeting mandated Engr Najeeb Haroon, the Chairman PEC to present the case with the Planning Ministry which the contractors wished should be their parent department after their break up with the council.
PEC has already allocated Rs.200 million for CIDB, no matter the issue is yet to be settled in the forthcoming meeting of the council with relevant ministries such as P&D and MoS&T.
Despite GB’s consensus as regards board under the council and eventual pursuance of constructors at large, some PEC officials claim some known contractors continue to be obstinate. They still want contractors to be stripped of the council.
But still, many of PEC’s elected members believe the ice has melted to a great extent and it is resulted by a realization on the part of a large number of contractors.
The contractors’ community has many issues with the council and of which some are justified, a GB member says. “But the issue aggravated by the conduct of council in previous tenures because the attitude of the council towards them was not encompassing.”
Now that the contractors have been got in touch with and also they have realized that breaking away from the council may not bring any benefits, they have softened their stand.
Apart from the factors which have caused a change, the development of the construction industry as per many experts does not depend on contractors only. Keeping contractors under the thumb of bureaucracy would do no good and instead making endeavors with help of the council makes sense.
Recent signals from the council have surely brought some relief for the engineers across Pakistan that the council is more likely to live and work for the betterment of the engineering community in the country.
Also, it will transmit signals to Engr. Haroon’s opponents who reacted sharply to the possible establishment of CIDB out of the ambit of PEC that the interest of engineers and the council is being safeguarded.
Engr Haroon is said to be in touch with his predecessors including Engr Jawed Salim Qureshi whose strategy had worked, at least until his tenure, to stop efforts of stripping contractors of the council.n

BOP Madadgar launches zero-carbon shelters for flood affectees

on 16/01/2023

The recent devastating rains and flash floods have inundated vast areas across Pakistan. The Bank of Punjab (BOP) recently launched its employee volunteering program called BOPMadadgar which has been designed to give our employees an opportunity to participate in uplifting society and doing good for the public at large.
BOP, under the flag of BOPMadadgar, is constructing permanent basic shelters using eco-friendly building materials in flood-affected areas. These shelters are durable and have inherent climate-resilient properties, enabling them to withstand flooding. Additionally, these shelters are extremely low cost, easy to construct, and with virtually zero carbon footprint. The houses have the flexibility of being disassembled and moved for making permanent construction. BOP raised over Rs. 3 billion in various flood relief funds which is probably the highest amount any bank collected from the general public.
Zafar Masud (President & CEO – BOP) along with senior members of the management visited the campsite of BOPMadadgar’s maiden flood relief activities in Rojhan city. The president oversaw the construction activities being done for the flood affectees. He met the BOPMadadgar team along with artisans involved in the construction work. He also met the flood-affected families which have shifted to the shelters provided by the bank.
The local administration has identified 25 families who are being provided shelter homes through the BOPMadadgar Program. The staff volunteers, from D.G. Khan and Multan, after being provided with necessary training by artisans from Heritage Foundation are constructing the shelters in Rojhan.
The bank is also supporting the construction of zero-carbon shelters in Pono village of Mirpurkhas, Sindh for which the work was started before the flooding. The houses built with the support of BOP withstood the floods and provided shelters to people who lost their homes. Due to the efforts of the bank, the local villagers now refer to their village as BOP Pono village.
Speaking at the occasion, Zafar Masud (President & CEO – BOP) said, “Today, we have come to Rojhan city for the inaugural project of BOPMadadgar. BOP’s branch in the city has also been damaged but the staff is present today to support the flood affectees.”
He further added, “BOP will further expand its rehabilitation activities in other provinces of the country. I’m thankful to the artisans of the Heritage Foundation for coming all the way from Karachi to participate and train our staff and local population in the construction work. BOP will further expand the scope of this campsite by providing healthcare facilities, the Dastarkhwan project, etc. The members of the 25 families have also participated in the construction of shelters so that they can help others in building similar shelters and earn livelihoods as well. Overall, it has been an emotional, yet rewarding, experience for all of us at BOP.” — PR

Modeling and Technical Approaches of Heat Transfer Engr. Dr. Muhammad Nawaz Iqbal

on 16/01/2023

When heat conduction within an item is substantially faster than heat conduction across the object’s boundary, the lumped capacitance model is a popular approximation in transient conduction that can be employed. This is an approximation strategy that lowers one aspect of the object’s transient conduction system to an equivalent steady-state system. In that example, the approach assumes that the temperature inside the item is perfectly uniform, even if it varies over time. Heat transfer is used in the operation of a wide range of equipment and systems. In a variety of situations, heat-transfer principles can be employed to maintain, increase, or decrease temperature. Many areas, including automotive engineering, thermal management of electronic devices and systems, climate control, insulation, materials processing, chemical engineering, and power station engineering, utilize heat transfer methods.
Thermal insulators are materials that are specially engineered to inhibit heat transmission through conduction, convection, or both. Thermal resistance is a heat property and a measurement of how well an object or material resists heat flow (heat per time unit or thermal resistance) when exposed to a temperature differential. Radiance, also known as spectrum radiance, is a measurement of how much radiation passes through or is emitted. Radiant barriers are materials that reflect radiation, reducing the passage of heat from sources of radiation. Radiant barriers are not always good insulators and vice versa. Metal, for example, is a great reflector but a terrible insulator.
A heat exchanger is used to transport heat more efficiently or to dissipate heat. Refrigeration, air conditioning, space heating, power generation, and chemical processing all require heat exchangers. A car’s radiator is an example of a heat exchanger, in which the heated coolant fluid is cooled by air flowing over the radiator’s surface.
A heat sink is a component that transfers heat from a solid material to a fluid medium like air or liquid. Heat sinks include heat exchangers in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, as well as a car’s radiator. Another heat-transfer device is a heat pipe, which uses thermal conductivity and stage progress to effectively transmit heat between two solid interfaces. The flow of fluids over the body’s surface drives heat transmission by convection. A liquid or a gas can be used as a convective fluid. The convection method for heat transmission from the body’s outer surface is influenced by the body’s surface area, air velocity, and the temperature difference between the skin’s surface and the surrounding air. The body’s normal temperature is around 37 degrees Celsius. When the temperature of the surroundings is much lower than the typical body temperature, heat transfer is easier. Heat transfer principles in engineering systems can be used in the human body to identify how the body transfers heat. The constant metabolism of foods in the body produces heat, which gives energy to the body’s systems. In order to maintain proper biological processes, the human body must maintain a constant interior temperature.
When water vapor is introduced to the surrounding air, evaporative cooling occurs. The energy required to evaporate the water is extracted from the air as sensible heat and transferred into latent heat, while the enthalpy of the air remains unchanged. The amount of heat required to evaporate a liquid is referred to as latent heat, and it originates from the liquid as well as the surrounding gas and surfaces.
The process through which a body loses heat through radiation is known as radiative cooling. The influence of emitted energy on the Earth’s energy budget is significant. It refers to the mechanism through which long-wave (infrared) radiation is produced to adjust the assimilation of short-wave (apparent) energy from the Sun in the Earth-atmosphere system.