Mani Sarathy, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Professor Sarathy's research interest is in developing sustainable energy technologies with decreased net environmental impact. A major thrust of research is simulating the combustion chemistry of transportation fuels. He develops fundamental chemical kinetic models that can be used to simulate fuel combustion and pollutant formation in energy systems. Engine designers then use these chemical kinetic models to achieve various performance targets using computational simulations. In addition, these models can be used to determine how the chemical structure of a fuel affects pollutant formation.

Professor Sarathy's research in combustion chemistry modeling includes quantum chemistry based kinetic rate calculations, comprehensive mechanism development, combustion cyberinfrastructure development, computer generated detailed and reduced mechanisms, and simulation of multi-dimensional reacting flows.

In addition, he obtains data from fundamental combustion experiments to elucidate reaction pathways of combustion, and to generate experimental data needed to validate detailed chemical kinetic models. These experimental techniques include perfectly stirred reactors, plug flow reactors, and diffusion flames. The chemistry in these reactors is probed using advanced analytical chemistry techniques such as molecular beam time-of-flight mass spectrometry, laser absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and a variety of gas and liquid chromatography methods.

The goal of Professor Sarathy's research is study conventional and alternative fuels (e.g., biofuels, synthetic fuels, etc.), so the environmental impact of combustion systems can be reduced. He also applies chemical kinetics expertise to study a wide range of chemical engineering systems including biomass energy, catalysis, and drinking water treatment.

Selected Publications

Analysis of Impact of Temperature and Saltwater onNannochloropsis salina Bio-oil Production by Ultra High Resolution APCI FTICRMS

M.M. Sanguineti, N. Hourani, M. Witt, S.M. Sarathy, N.Kuhnert, L. Thomsen
Algal Research, 227–235, (2015)

Flame Chemistry of 2- and 3-methyl heptane using VUVsynchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry

H. Selim, S. Mohamed, A. Lucassen, N. Hansen, S.M. Sarathy
Energy and Fuels, (2015)

A comprehensive experimental and modeling study of2-methyl-butanol combustion

S. Park, O. Mannaa, F. Khaled, R. Bougacha, M. Mansour, A.Farooq, S.H. Chung, S.M. Sarathy
Combust. Flame, 162:5, 2166-2176 (2015)

Experiments and simulations of NOx formation in thecombustion of alcohols and other hydroxylated fuels

M. D. Bohon, M. El-Rachidi, S. M. Sarathy, and W. L. Roberts
Combust. Flame, 162:6,2322-2336 (2015)

Kinetics of the high-temperature combustion reactions ofdibutylether using composite computational methods

M. Al-Rashidi, A.C. Davis, S.M. Sarathy,
Proc. Combust. Inst., Issue 35, 385-392 (2015)

Ignition of alkane-rich FACE gasoline fuels and theirsurrogate mixtures

S.M. Sarathy, G. Kukkadapu, M. Mehl, W. Wang. T. Javed, S.Park, M. Oehlschlaeger, A. Farooq, W.J. Pitz, C-J. Sung
Proc. Combust. Inst., 35:249-257 (2015)

An experimental and modeling study of n-octanol combustion

L. Cai, Y. Uygun, C. Togbe, H. Pitsch, H. Olivier, P. Dagaut,S.M. Sarathy
Proc. Combust. Inst., 35:419-427 (2015)

Combustion chemistry of alcohols: Experimental and modeledstructures of premixed 2-methylbutanol flames

Lucassen, S. Park, N. Hansen, S.M. Sarathy
Proc. Combust. Inst., 35:813-820 (2015)

A comprehensive combustion chemistry study of2,5-dimethylhexane

    S.M. Sarathy, T. Javed, F. Karsenty, A. Heufer, W. Wang, S.Park, A. Elwardany, A. Farooq, C.K. Westbrook, W.J. Pitz, M.A.
    Oehlschlaeger,G. Dayma, H.J. Curran, P. Dagaut
    Combust. Flame, 161:1444-1459 (2014)

Education

Postdoctoral training, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA, 2010-2012

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada, 2006-2010
M.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada, 2005-2006
B.S., Environmental Engineering Chemical Specialization, University of Waterloo, Canada, 1999-2004

Professional Profile

Mani Sarathy is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at KAUST. He assumed his duties in March 2012.
Mani Sarathy was previously a postdoctoral researcher in the Combustion Chemistry group at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. During that time he held a prestigious fellowship from NSERC of Canada.
Mani received his PhD and MASc degrees in Environmental and Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto and his BASc in Environmental Engineering Chemical Specialization from the University of Waterloo. He also has two years of professional cooperative education work experience that helped him cultivate practical engineering skills at ESSO Imperial Oil, Research in Motion, Dana Corporation, and Saint Gobain Technical Fabrics.

Scientific and Professional Membership

Combustion Institute
American Institute of Chemical Engineering
Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering

Awards

NSERC of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship
NSERC of Canada PhD Scholarship
EcoTec Founder's Fellowship