Ankit Sahay ( अंकित सहाय )

I am currently a Post Doctoral Researcher in the Centre of Excellence for Critical Transitions in Complex Systems at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, where I also earned my M.Tech. and Ph.D. in the area of thermoacoustic instability. I work with R. I. Sujith in understanding thermoacoustic instability through the lens of complex systems. Before graduate school, I worked at Exide Industries Ltd. as a Production Shift-Incharge of the Boxing Section. I received my Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, where I was advised by Dr. Apurba Kumar Roy. You can reach me at ankitsahay02[at]gmail[dot]com.

Thermoacoustic instability occurs when acoustics interact with unsteady heat release rate in an enclosed volume. This can sometimes lead to an emergence of large amplitude periodic acoustic pressure oscillations. These conditions are present in gas turbine combustors, industrial boilers, etc. The large amplitude acoustic pressure oscillations can damage the structural integrity of such systems, and in the worst case, cause loss of human lives.

I draw techniques from dynamical systems theory and complex networks to help uncover the simplicity hidden in these thermoacoustic systems. Some topics I have worked on during my PhD include the behaviour of coupled thermoacoustic systems, and extend the understanding of such coupled behaviour to mitigate thermoacoustic instability. By combining advanced mathematical tools with experimental data, my work contributes to a deeper understanding of thermoacoustic instability in turbulent combustors.