Steady project leadership: energy systems guided by experience and practical care

Eng. Gaya Siriwardhana is a Chemical and Process Engineer, energy professional, entrepreneur, and researcher with extensive experience in thermal energy systems, process heat, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental engineering.

He holds a BSc (Hons.) in Engineering in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. His MSc research focused on the conversion of fuel-oil-fired steam boilers to biomass-fired boilers in the Sri Lankan paper industry, reflecting his long-standing interest in sustainable industrial energy systems and the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Eng. Siriwardhana is a Member of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) and a member of the Sri Lanka Energy Managers Association (SLEMA). He is also a certified energy auditor under the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA). His professional career has been closely associated with industrial thermal energy, particularly steam generation, biomass energy, heat recovery, energy efficiency, and environmental protection.

He is a key professional associated with Maxtherm Lanka (Pvt) Ltd / Maxtherm Lanka Group of Companies, a Sri Lankan thermal energy solutions provider specializing in process heat systems. His professional work encompasses the design, development, implementation, and operation of industrial boilers, biomass-fired thermal systems, heat exchangers, heat recovery systems, pollution-control equipment, and integrated energy solutions. He has also been involved in the development of Build-Own-Operate (BOO) and “Steam as a Service” models, enabling industries to obtain process steam while reducing their capital investment and improving energy efficiency.

A major focus of his professional work is the transition of industrial thermal energy systems from fossil fuels to sustainable biomass-based solutions. Through this work, he has contributed to energy conservation, reduction of fossil-fuel consumption, improved industrial energy efficiency, and the development of practical sustainable-energy solutions for Sri Lankan industries.

Eng. Siriwardhana is currently pursuing his PhD research in the field of sludge-to-energy conversion and numerical simulation, focusing on the investigation of sludge incineration for useful heat recovery. His research explores a modular integrated Bubbling Fluidized Bed (BFB) drying and Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) combustion system for municipal or wastewater sludge. The research aims to investigate the technical feasibility of converting high-moisture sludge into useful thermal energy while achieving significant sludge volume reduction and minimizing environmental impacts.

His PhD research combines Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), multiphase flow modelling, combustion modelling, heat and mass transfer, drying kinetics, and reaction engineering. In particular, he employs ANSYS Fluent, the Euler–Euler multiphase framework, Kinetic Theory of Granular Flow (KTGF), and User Defined Functions (UDFs) to investigate sludge drying, devolatilization, char combustion, gas–solid interactions, particle circulation, and combustion behaviour in fluidized-bed systems.

His broader research interests include sludge incineration, waste-to-energy, biomass combustion, fluidized-bed technology, sustainable thermal energy, industrial decarbonization, emissions reduction, heat recovery, energy efficiency, and life-cycle assessment. His research also considers strategies for reducing pollutants such as NOx, CO, N₂O, SOx, dioxins and PAHs, including staged combustion, flue-gas recirculation, limestone injection, and selective non-catalytic reduction.

Beyond engineering and research, Eng. Siriwardhana has a strong interest in translating advanced engineering concepts into practical, commercially viable solutions for industry. His professional philosophy emphasizes sustainability, innovation, engineering practicality, energy conservation, and long-term value creation for industry.

Through his combined experience in engineering practice, sustainable energy, industrial thermal systems, business development, and academic research, Eng. Gaya Siriwardhana seeks to contribute to Sri Lanka’s transition toward cleaner, more efficient, and economically sustainable energy systems.