Thisal Mandula Sugathapala

Hello there, I am a doctoral student at the division of fluid mechanics at Chalmers University of Technology. My research is related to addressing the challenges of developing novel Lagrangian numerical models to track the dynamics of plastic particles in the ocean. The project also aims to investigate the release and the dynamics of plastic particles from ship antifouling paintings, an underestimated source of microplastics that preferentially accumulates in the ship wakes, a kind of ship "skid mark" analogous to road tire wears. To summarize, the project will address the formulation of novel numerical models to track the dynamics of plastic particles in a turbulent marine environment by considering different processes that influence plastic trajectories: particle shapes and properties, biofouling, water density stratification and ship wake induced mixing. You can find me at: https://www.chalmers.se/en/staff/Pages/thisal.aspx My previous experience in the field of fluid mechanics and computation fluid dynamics (CFD) include: ◆ Developing simulation strategies for multiphase flow simulations of water flow on automotive surfaces. Carried out in collaboration with Volvo Cars and Volvo Trucks. Multiphase flow simulations were carried out using Volume of Fluid method and experiments using Light Induced Fluorescence Imaging. ◆ Developing co-simulation strategies for water hammer induced cavitation modeling in oil-hydraulic systems. Carried out in colaboration with Epiroc AB. ◆ Optimization and manufacturing of aerokit for ER22 Formula Car. Aerokit optimization was carried out using full car CFD simulations. The components were manufactured at Etteplan and Marstrom Composites. ◆ Teaching assistant for the division of fluid mechanics at Linköping University for courses on CFD. ◆ Research in the field of Wind Turbine Aerodynamics. Developing new theoretical modeling strategies for optimizing small-scale wind turbine blade profiles.