Calling India’s Brightest Engineering Minds!

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About the Event

HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) invites the brightest engineering minds to bring fresh thinking, bold ideas, and cutting-edge technology to solve some of the most pressing energy and sustainability challenges of our time.

This is your opportunity to think beyond the classroom, innovate with purpose, and contribute to a brighter, greener future.

Eligibility Criteria

Who's Eligible?

B.Tech & M.Tech students from recognised institutions.

Make a Team

2-5 members per team including mentor

What to keep in mind

Interdisciplinary groups encouraged!

Themes

Craft your solutions with the chosen themes in mind, demonstrating both creativity and relevance to the problem statements.

  • Cost-Effective Manufacturing of Niche Chemicals
  • Catalyst/process optimization for production of value-added aromatics from FCC gasoline
  • Green synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates using refinery aromatics
  • Innovative Unit Operations for Specialty Production
  • Green, Bio-based, or Hybrid Specialty Chemicals
  • Fermentation + catalytic upgrading to specialty solvents or polymers
  • Lignin valorization into surfactants or phenolic resins via biorefinery route
  • Production of green solvents using refinery-available utilities
  • AI-based recipe optimization for multi-step specialty chemical synthesis

  • Predictive failure modeling for rotating equipment using sensor fusion and deep learning
  • Vibration and acoustic signal analysis using ML for early fault detection in pumps or compressors
  • AI-based pinch analysis and utility optimization for refinery energy network
  • ML models for NOx/SOx/CO2 emissions prediction and control recommendations
  • AI model for predicting material properties (e.g., catalysts, battery materials) from structure
  • Computer vision system for detecting unsafe behavior or PPE violations in refinery areas
  • ML model for predicting likelihood of safety-critical events using historical logs

  • Green olefins from bioethanol - feasibility for integration into petrochemical units
  • Production of bio-aromatics from lignin and co-feeding with pyrolysis gasoline
  • Design of catalyst systems for polyolefin cracking to valuable intermediates
  • Conversion of refinery CO2 to methanol, formic acid or syngas using non-conventional catalysts
  • Design of closed-loop petrochemical value chains using recycled plastics and captured carbon

  • Advanced electrolyzer design for large-scale hydrogen
  • Novel electro-catalyst development for efficient and low-cost hydrogen production
  • Electrolysis using wastewater or seawater for hydrogen in industrial zones
  • Hybrid solar-wind-powered electrolyzer systems

  • Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) & Conversion Technologies
  • Microbial conversion of CO2 to value-added products
  • Process modeling of SAF production integration with existing hydrogen and hydro treating units
  • Use of oxygen from electrolyzer (byproduct of green hydrogen) for process intensification
  • Converting refinery by-products into green chemicals
  • Electrocatalytic or photocatalytic production of green chemicals using refinery CO2
  • Bio-based alternatives to refinery chemicals - feasibility and drop-in replacements
  • Pinch analysis for process integration and heat recovery
  • Energy-efficient operation of fired heaters or hydrogen reformers

  • Hybrid solar-thermal + boiler systems to preheat process water
  • Solar-powered drone or robotic inspection units in refinery zones
  • Solar-assisted steam generation for refinery heating needs
  • Design of wind shields or ducts to amplify wind speeds for turbine efficiency
  • AI-based wind pattern analysis to site mini turbines around refinery land

  • Development of high-performance anodes/cathodes from refinery by-products
  • Thermal management system design for grid-scale Li-ion battery storage in industrial environments
  • Solid-state battery materials design for high-temperature industrial applications
  • Design of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) powered by refinery-sourced green hydrogen
  • Design of hybrid battery-super capacitor systems for industrial peak load management
  • Development of petcock-derived porous carbon for super capacitor electrodes
  • Metal-air batteries (e.g., Zn-air, Al-air) for low-cost backup power in process plants

  • Design of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
  • Nuclear radiation shielding using refinery by-products
  • Using SMR electricity for electrocatalytic production of green chemicals
  • Concept of using nuclear heat for high-temp materials testing
  • Miniaturized radiation shielding system design using in-house by-products

Prizes & Opportunities

1st Prize
₹3,00,000
  • Champion Team
  • Top Winner
2nd Prize
₹1,00,000
each
Awarded to the next top 10 performing teams
  • 10 Teams
  • Excellence
Institute Award
₹5,00,000
Awarded to the institute with the highest number of qualified entries
  • Institution Level
  • Top Performer

Winners Announcement - QUEST 2025 Innovation Challenge

The R&D and Innovation Department of HMEL is delighted to announce the results of the QUEST 2025 Innovation Challenge - an initiative to ignite creativity and engineering excellence among students across India.

This year, more than 200 teams from premier institutes participated in diverse themes spanning decarbonization, renewable energy, AI/ML for manufacturing and hydrogen technology. After rigorous evaluation, 24 teams were shortlisted for the final round. Following jury deliberation and committee approval, the winners are as follows.

Champion - Best Idea of QUEST 2025

Team

Harshita Sharma, Ishani Mandal, Ali Samad Sk

Mentor:- Dr. Sujata Sardar

Institute:- Jadavpur University

Second Prize (11 Teams)

Team Institute
Sachin Kumar Sharma, Mohd Najmus Saquib
Mentor:- Dr. Dipankar Bandyopadhyay
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Param Sohal , Kshitj Chauhan
Mentor:- Dr. Amit Arora
National Institute of Technology Hamirpur
Gaurav Kumar , Hariyani Dhavalkumar Rameshbahi , Kandala Tirumala Sri Harsha ,  Sumit Kumar
Mentor:- Dr. Puppala Laxman Mani Kanta
National Institute of Technology Tiruchirapalli
Anupam Chatterjee , Arpita Kumari
Mentor:- Sachin Kumar Tyagi
KIET Group of Institutions Ghaziabad
Nishant , Yash Gajabe
Mentor:- Dr. Karam Pal Narwal
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Priyanshu Raman
Mentor:- Anand M
SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai
Adarsh , Taneesha Roy Choudhury , Ravi Raj Shantanu
Mentor:- Surinder Singh Bhinder
Dr. SSB UICET, Panjab University
Aditya Bhattacharya, Vaibhav, Soumadeep Samanta, Arnav Yadav
Mentor:- Dr. Susham Biswas
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of petroleum Technology
Abhinav Kumar , Asvin singh , Ashwin shri raaj A P B
Mentor:- Dr. M S Balathanigaimani
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology
Ayush Pratap Singh, Kumkum Gupta, Ojas Pander
Mentor:- Dr. Omvir Singh
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology
Raj Laxmi, Jyoti Kumari, Shobha Kumari
Mentor:- Anand Kumar
Government Engineering College Aurangabad

Best Institution Award

Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT), Amethi, Uttar Pradesh

Innovation Implementation Awards – Projects Under HMEL R&D

In recognition of the practical potential and alignment with HMEL’s innovation roadmap, four teams have been selected for project development and incubation support under the R&D and Innovation Department, HMEL. The details of these selected projects will be communicated separately to the respective teams.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Please write to info.quest@hmel.in for any queries.