faculty picture
Professor

Kirti Chandra Sahu

A-508
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PhD: Ph.D, JNCASR, Bengaluru
Research Interests: Raindrops, Bubble dynamics, Stratified flow

"Our research provides a much-needed understanding of raindrop shape and size distributions at various altitudes, enabling accurate weather forecasting and climate modelling."

Research Overview

Our research primarily focuses on studying the dynamics of raindrops and viscosity-stratified flows. We developed a unique experimental facility that mimics the dynamic atmospheric conditions of raindrops descending from cloud to ground. Our other study addresses mixing, a key feature in most modern industrial processes.

Research Highlights

Raindrops

Accurate rainfall prediction is one of the grand challenges in environmental research due to its relevance in understanding climate change and its accompanying socio-economic impacts, but it is far from perfect. Our research provides important information on the three-dimensional shape, velocity, and size distributions of raindrops for weather forecasting and enables more accurate rainfall prediction.

Bubble dynamics

Despite being a classic subject that has intrigued scientists for centuries, we were the first to produce a regime map demarcating different bubble rise behaviours, including the previously unknown break-up bubbles.

Stratified flow

We illustrated how viscosity variation in space and time could profoundly and unexpectedly alter fluid flows. Our study contributed to the comprehension of core-annular pipe flows relevant to the oil and gas industries.

Associated Projects

Ongoing

Design and Development of a miniature device powered by holography and machine learning to revolutionize in-situ rainfall measurement across diverse climatic zones

Start Year: 2025

Sponsor: NBV COMMUNITY PRIVATE LIMITED

Co-PI: Dr Lakshmana Dora Chandrala

Ongoing

APS-DFD Conference

Start Year: 2025

Sponsor: Anusandhan National Research Foundation

Ongoing

International Travel Scheme (ITS)

Start Year: 2023

Sponsor: SERB

Co-PI: Dr.Pavan Kumar Kirar

Ongoing

Development of accurate rain fall models by studying the influence of meteorological parameters on raindrop dynamics

Start Year: 2022

Sponsor: IIT Hyderabad

Co-PI: Dr. Lakshmana Dora Chandrala, Dept. of MAE

Ongoing

Effects of phase change,coalescene and breakup on raindrop dynamics

Start Year: 2020

Sponsor: SERB

Co-PI: Dr. Saravanan Balusamy

Completed

Linear stability analyses of interfacial flows of fluids with complex rhelogy

Start Year: 2018

Sponsor: SERB

Selected Publications

Exploring the potential landscape of chemical engineering science

Kirti Chandra Sahu

Journal: Nature Chemical EngineeringYear: 2025DOI: 10.1038/s44286-025-00172-3

Retrospective: Trends in Chemical Engineering

Kirti Chandra Sahu; Baldea et al.

Journal: Industrial & Engineering Chemistry ResearchYear: 2025DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.5c01874

Jet breakup dynamics of viscoelastic carboxymethyl cellulose solutions

K V Warghat; Y Biswal; S Sharma; P S Kolhe; L D Chandrala; Kirti Chandra Sahu

Journal: International Journal of Multiphase FlowYear: 2025DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2025.105349

Exacerbation of viscoelastic instability due to viscous heating

A Kamboj; R Patne; P A L Narayana; Kirti Chandra Sahu

Journal: Chemical Engineering ScienceYear: 2025DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2025.121989

Evaporation of sessile drops on a heated superhydrophobic substrate

S Kavuri; C S Sharma; G Karapetsas; Kirti Chandra Sahu

Journal: LangmuirYear: 2025DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c02672

Droplet breakup morphologies and the resultant size distribution in an opposed-flow airstream at different Weber numbers

S Chakraborty; S S Ade; L D Chandrala; Kirti Chandra Sahu

Journal: International Journal of Multiphase FlowYear: 2025DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2025.105310

Evaporation dynamics of completely pinned and partially pinned sessile droplets in multi-droplet configurations

A Hari Govindha; S Banerjee; G Balusamy; Kirti Chandra Sahu

Journal: LangmuirYear: 2025DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c04303

Drop size distribution from laboratory experiments and comparison with aerial in-situ measurements

S Chakraborty; S S Ade; L Devsoth; L D Chandrala; T Prabhakaran; O K Matar; Kirti Chandra Sahu

Journal: Journal of the Atmospheric SciencesYear: 2025DOI: 10.1175/JAS-D-24-0248.1

A new instability driven by combined effect of wind stress and rotation in a sheared liquid layer

S Preethi; A Kamboj; R Patne; P A L Narayana; Kirti Chandra Sahu

Journal: Journal of Fluid MechanicsYear: 2025DOI: 10.1017/jfm.2025.10976

Evaporation-driven coalescence of two droplets undergoing freezing

Sivanandan Kavuri; George Karapetsas; Chandra Shekhar Sharma; Kirti Chandra Sahu

Journal: Journal of Fluid MechanicsYear: 2025DOI: 10.1017/jfm.2024.1108