By P.T. Bopanna
Coorg-born Pete Poovanna, a climate change analyst based in Canada, has been awarded a Ph.D by Canada’s prestigious Simon Fraser University.
The cutting-edge technology developed by Poovanna has the potential to transform on-demand cooling in motor vehicles, while increasing their fuel economy.
Poovanna, son of Cheppudira Bose Thimmaiah and Saroja (Jammada), had his early education at Lions School, Gonikoppal, and St. Antony’s High School, Ponnampet.
Poovanna holds a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Coventry University, and a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University.
The title of his Ph.D was development of nature inspired capillary-assisted low-pressure evaporator for sustainable air conditioning.
In an email chat with this reporter after the convocation, Poovanna said: “In my Ph.D, I mimicked the capillary evaporation process in trees, which produces cooling and invented a technology called capillary-assisted low-pressure evaporator (CALPE) technology.”
The proposed US patented CALPE technology has the potential to transform on-demand cooling in vehicles, while increasing their fuel economy. Greater use of this technology in vehicles would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, 30% of which come from the transportation sector. Increased use of CALPE technology in other applications would decrease Canada’s dependence on electricity. The present CALPE technology would increase the marketability of air conditioning systems, helping to sustainably meet the additional demand on the global energy supply due to the increased use of air conditioning systems.
Presently, Poovanna is a climate change analyst for the Fraser Basin Council’s Climate Change and Air Quality Program, overseeing electrification of Canada’s road transportation sector.
