Niranjan Miganakallu
Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
I am a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at MTU. I arrived in the US in the Fall of 2014 to pursue my PhD at Michigan Tech after 6 years in industry and academia in India. I started working under the guidance of Dr. Jeff Naber with research in injector studies to study the combustion and emission performance on Gasoline engines.
My research primarily focuses on the impact of water injection in gasoline engines in terms of improving the performance and reducing the NOx emissions. Studies are conducted on a single cylinder engine test bench at the Mechanical Engineering building at MTU to observe the combustion and emission characteristics of gasoline combustion with water injection. My research also includes studies on gasoline sprays to study the spray characteristics using conventional and alternative fuels. These studies are conducted at a state-of-the-art Alternative Energy Research Building (AERB) combustion lab in Hancock. Optical diagnostics including imaging from high-speed camera are used to observe the sprays emanating out of high-pressure injectors inside a spray vessel at varied operating conditions. This research helps in improving the fundamental understanding of the combustion process and combustion control for gasoline combustion and its impact on the environment.
Apart from research, I have been involved with the Graduate Student Government (GSG) at Michigan Tech since 2016 in various capacities as department representative, treasurer, student liaison for several committees with regular interactions with the administration. I have also had the opportunity of serving as a member of the search committee of Dean of College of Engineering at Michigan Tech representing the graduate student body.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Michigan Tech Graduate School for awarding me the Finishing Fellowship for the Spring 2019 semester. This fellowship helps me in focusing exclusively on finishing the experiments and publishing in journals to complete my dissertation in a timely manner.