Browsing by Author "Karunathilake, Hirushie"

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Bolgoda chat, crossing the borders in his own way: An interview with Emeritus Professor P A De Silva
(2021-10) Karunathilake, Hirushie; Witharana, Sanjeeva
IPT gained university status in 1972. However, in 1966 we had received a status equivalent to a university, under the name “Ceylon College of Technology”. I remember one interesting incident from that time. The first vice chancellor was Dr. Upali Kuruppu. I was responsible for selecting Junior Technical Officers (JTO), and these were highly capable students who had missed engineering by a narrow margin. There were around 80 deserving candidates, and we were only admitting 40. Late Prof. Patuwathawithana and I (we were both young and junior staff members at that time), approached the administration to request an increase in the intake. Indeed, we had space to accommodate. There was a fear that, if we produced more, there will be no demand. The University of Ceylon was thus unwilling to increase the intake beyond 25 students. Finally, we managed to increase the JTO intake from 40 to 60. The JTO students were very capable. Prof. Patuwathawithana and I started to teach IMechE part II subjects to them. While I taught Heat Engines and Materials, he used to teach Thermo-machines etc. Some of them went on to become chartered engineers, and that too paved the way for the Ceylon College of Technology.
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Liquefied natural gas exports from Canada to China: An analysis of internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMO)
(Elsevier, 2022) Kotagodahetti, Ravihari; Hewage, Kasun; Karunathilake, Hirushie; Prabatha, Tharindu; Krishnan, Harish; Kasumu, Adebola S.; Bryant, Tyler; Sadiq, Rehan
The ever-increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide make it quite challenging to meet country-specific Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets. Therefore, it is evident that the existing emissions abatement measures need to be taken a step further. Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) are allowed in Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement as a cooperative approach to achieving NDC goals. There is a potential to create ITMOs between Canada and China by replacing coal use in China with British Columbia (BC)'s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply. Replacing coal with LNG in energy generation applications is a promising approach to mitigate emissions. With global and national pressures to reduce emissions, China has created a market for LNG imports to cater to its rising natural gas (NG) consumption due to the coal-to-gas source switching strategy. However, the terms under Article 6.2 requires generated ITMOs to ensure environmental integrity, support sustainable development goals, and have a robust accounting system. Therefore, the current study aims to quantify the life cycle environmental outcomes of generating ITMOs by exporting LNG from BC to Chinese end-users while integrating uncertainties and to provide policy recommendations in adherence with the requirements of Article 6.2. Different LNG export scenarios were generated in the study and environmental impacts of each scenario were assessed and compared using a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework developed by the authors. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were conducted to understand the impacts created by the data uncertainties in the final result. By replacing conventional coal with NG, approximately 40–45% and 26%–32% emissions reductions can be obtainable for Chinese textile and chemical industries, respectively. The highest emissions reduction of approximately 60% was observed when coal is replaced with NG for district heating. The life cycle emissions (LCE) quantification framework provided in the study provides stakeholders with a systematic approach to determine the total GHG emissions and emissions reduction potential of different LNG export scenarios.
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Long-term feasibility of carbon capturing in community energy systems: A system dynamics-based evaluation
(Elsevier, 2022) Kotagodahetti, Ravihari; Hewage, Kasun; Karunathilake, Hirushie; Sadiq, Rehan
The global climate is being heavily affected by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the most significant of which is carbon dioxide (CO2). According to the Pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change, Canada has set ambitious targets to realize a low carbon future. Amongst the available emission reduction strategies, onsite carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is a proven technology capable of abating CO2 emissions from fossil fuel-based energy systems. However, the viability of CCUS technologies is still uncertain and is subjected to numerous dynamic parameters. This study aims to assess the long-term economic viability of integrating carbon capture technologies into community emission planning. Key decision variables were identified, and the dynamic economic performance of CCUS investments was assessed for academic complexes located in two locations in Canada. A system dynamics model was developed to assess the future costs of carbon capturing projects. The study outcomes showed that CCUS is more feasible in provinces with high reliance on fossil fuel energy sources. Moreover, a significant portion of carbon capture costs is taken by infrastructure. Government policies have a critical role in accelerating the commercialization of CCUS technologies. The findings from this study are geared toward providing useful decision-support tools for policy experts, investors, and utility providers who are responsible for policy and investment decisions. Policymakers and investors will be benefited from the proposed model to develop customized regional policies and make investment decisions by considering dynamic regional aspects. Moreover, the results provide insight into what areas require attention in making CCUS economically viable.