Dr. Niranjan Fernando
Senior Lecturer
- Email: niranjanf@eng.pdn.ac.lk
- Phone No: +94 71 938 2823
- Office Location: Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20400, Sri Lanka
Biography
Dr.-Ing. Niranjan Fernando is a chemical engineer and researcher specializing in numerical combustion, thermochemical conversion, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
He obtained his Bachelor of the Science of Engineering (Honours) degree in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, graduating with second class upper division honors in 2013. He then pursued a Master of Science (by research) at the same university, where he conducted computational and experimental studies on biomass drying and gasification, developing kinetic and CFD models to describe these processes.
In 2016, he began his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, at the Institute of Combustion Technology, German Aerospace Center (DLR). His doctoral research focused on reaction mechanism development and numerical modeling of biomass gasification, involving chemical kinetics, CFD simulations, and validation through flame and ignition studies. He successfully defended his Ph.D. in 2021.
Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Fernando joined the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, as a Lecturer in Chemical and Process Engineering (2020–2022), where he taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in fluid dynamics, combustion, CFD, and process design, and supervised multiple research projects.
He later returned to Germany as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, DLR, in Zittau (2023–2024). His research involved modeling the low-temperature oxidation of iron particles, estimating kinetic parameters, and simulating iron powder flames, contributing to the advancement of metal-based energy carrier technologies.
Dr. Fernando has published in leading journals such as Energy & Fuels, Renewable Energy, and Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, and presented his work at various international conferences on combustion and renewable energy. His achievements include two DLR–DAAD Research Fellowships (2015 and 2022) and the President’s Award for Scientific Publication (2018).
His research interests include numerical combustion, reaction kinetics of alternative fuels, mathematical modeling and simulation, and low-carbon energy systems modeling.
Educational Qualifications
BSc : B.Sc. Engineering (Honours), Department of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, 2013
MSc : Master of Science, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, 2015
PhD : Doctor of Philosophy, University of Stuttgart, Germany, 2019
Areas of Research:
- Numerical Combustion
- Mathematical Modeling and Simulation
- Computational Fluid Dynamics
Selected Research Publications:
Publications in Peer Reviewed International Journals
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Niranjan Fernando, Marina Braun-Unkhoff, Uwe Riedel, “Modeling study of the entrainedflow gasification of ethylene glycol, a surrogate fuel for a pyrolysis oil”, Energy & Fuels, DOI:10.1021/acs.energyfuels.9b01564, Vol. 33(10), pp. 9818 – 9827, 2019.
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Niranjan Fernando, Mahinsasa Narayana, W.A.M.K.P Wickramaarachchi, “The effects of air velocity, temperature and particle size on low-temperature bed drying of wood chips”, Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, Vol. 8(1), pp. 211-223, 2017.
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Niranjan Fernando and Mahinsasa Narayana, “A comprehensive two dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics model for an updraft biomass gasifier”, Renewable Energy, Vol. 99, pp. 698-710, 2016.
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Tharanga Sewwandi and Niranjan Fernando, “An iterative dynamic model for simulating the pollutant distributions in the tank cascade ecosystems of Sri Lanka”. (submitted to the journal Environmental Modeling & Assessment published by Springer – under review process, 2021).
- Niranjan Fernando, Trupti Kathrotia, Quentin Fradet, Marina Braun-Unkhoff, Uwe Riedel, “The oxidation of ethylene glycol – a pyrolysis oil surrogate”, Proc. 26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, Session Code 2BO.14.3, 14 – 18 May 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Quentin Fradet, Niranjan Fernando, Marina Braun-Unkhoff, Uwe Riedel, “CFD simulation of bio-slurry gasification using a sectional approach”, Proc. 26th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, Session Code 2CV.4.16, 14 – 18 May 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- N. Fernando and M. Narayana, “Limiting value of Reynolds Averaged Simulation in numerical prediction of flow over NACA4415 airfoil”, Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon), pp. 180-185, IEEE, 2016.
- Niranjan Fernando, Muhammad Amin, Mahinsasa Narayana, Thamali Jayawickrama, Sanath Jayasena, “A mathematical model for pyrolysis of biomass”, Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon), pp. 6-11, IEEE, 2015.
- A. A. K Kumbalathara, D.D Liyanage, S. Witharana, J.K.A.T Rajika, M. Narayana, K.C.N Fernando, “Simulation of ancient wind-driven iron smelting furnaces of Sri Lanka”, Moratuwa Engineering Research Conference (MERCon), pp. 12-17, IEEE, 2015.
- DLR-DAAD Research Fellowship No. 548, 2022. Awarded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in 2023.
- President’s Award for Scientific Publication, 2016. Awarded by the National Research Council Sri
Lanka in 2018. - DLR-DAAD Research Fellowship No. 231, 2015. Awarded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in 2015.
- CP502 Advance Fluid Mechanics
- CP314 Process Control Systems
- CP313 Independent Study (Research supervision)
- CP407 Process Engineering Research Project I (Research supervision)
- CP411 Process Engineering Research Project II (Research supervision)