Portrait of Akash Suriya Narayanan
ASadd assets/img/akash.png
From Chennai, in Padova MSc · University of Padova Open to 2026 roles

I design the separation between idea and product.

Chemical & process engineer with two years of plant-floor experience and an MSc in progress at Padova. I work where the flowsheet meets reality — distillation and separation trains in Aspen Plus, CFD in ANSYS Fluent, and lean lines that run measurably faster.

2yr
Industry process engineering
7+
Simulation & design tools
FEED DISTILLATE BOTTOMS PT
PI-00 · Introduction

An engineer who treats good processes as a craft.

I'm Akash — a chemical and process engineer who likes problems that sit between the theoretical and the physical. A column that won't converge, a line that bottlenecks at one station, a duct that drops more pressure than it should. The interesting work is in closing the gap between what the model says and what the plant actually does.

Originally from Chennai, India and now based in Padova, Italy, I spent two years at Carborundum Universal (CUMI) turning that instinct into measured results — lifting hot-press wheel production by 150%, mapping value streams, and building the dashboards that let three sites finally see their own numbers. Now I'm at the University of Padova for an MSc, working across process design, separation systems, and machine learning for process engineers.

I care about sustainability and rigour in equal measure — knowing precisely which number a method supports, and which is an extrapolation. That habit of checking my own assumptions is the part of engineering I enjoy most.

“What I cannot create, I cannot understand.”— Richard Feynman · a principle I build by
ED-01 · Academic feed

Education

From foundations in Tamil Nadu to advanced process design in Padova — with a European decarbonisation programme along the way.

2024 — Dec 2026 · Expected

MSc — Chemical & Process Engineering

University of Padova · Padova, Italy

Advanced coursework across the modern process-engineering toolkit:

Multiphase ThermodynamicsSeparation Unit OperationsProcess DesignIndustrial Chemical ProcessesChemical Reaction EngineeringEnvironmental ManagementSafety & Hazard AnalysisProcess EconomicsML for Process Engineers
Aug 2022 · Graduated

BTech — Chemical Engineering

SASTRA Deemed to be University · Thanjavur, India

CGPA 8.01/10 · Chaired the IIChE Students' Chapter and ran the chapter's flagship technical events.

Transport PhenomenaMass TransferHeat TransferEnvironmental Engineering
2016 — 2018

Higher & Secondary School

New Prince Matriculation Higher Secondary School · Tamil Nadu, India

Grade 12 — 88.91%  ·  Grade 10 — 94.21%

May 2025 · Erasmus+ BIP

Decarbonisation Strategies — International Programme

Hochschule Kaiserslautern · Kaiserslautern, Germany
  • Designed and simulated an MVR distillation column for ethanol purification in Aspen Plus as part of an international team (Padova, Valladolid, UPC Barcelona, Turku, Kaiserslautern).
  • Presented simulation results, completed hands-on lab assignments, and attended a technical lecture by Sulzer.
  • Toured the BASF Ludwigshafen Verbund site and Berkel AHK Alkoholhandel GmbH for first-hand industrial insight into sustainable chemical processes and the alcohol trade.
EX-02 · Operating history

Experience

Where the engineering left the screen and changed a real production number.

Aug 2022 — Aug 2024

Executive — Process Engineering

Carborundum Universal Limited (CUMI) · India

A materials-science leader in abrasives, ceramics, electro-minerals and super-refractories.

  • Boosted production of hot-press snagging wheels by 150% — the highest recorded output — through targeted process-optimisation initiatives.
  • Led the VSM-based optimisation of hot-pressed snagging wheels, increasing throughput by 75%.
  • Secured Senior Leadership approval for multi-million-euro CAPEX projects through full technical and financial cases.
  • Built automated, interactive Power BI dashboards integrating ERP data across three manufacturing units.
  • Expanded the hot-pressed wheel product portfolio using Quality Function Deployment (QFD).
VSMOEE / MCECAPEXPower BIQFDKaizen
Aug 2020 — Aug 2022

Chairperson → Executive Member, IIChE Students' Chapter

SASTRA Deemed to be University · Thanjavur, India
  • Chaired the chapter; organised the annual Engineers' Day function and the chapter's technical events.
  • Arranged a guest lecture in honour of Prof. Scott H. Fogler (University of Michigan).
  • Designed posters and certificates for the national CAPE conference; co-ran the Alumni G-meet series.
2019 — 2020 · Internships

Early industry & quality training

Anexas Europe · Manali Petrochemicals · CIPET
  • Lean & Six Sigma Intern (IIChE × Anexas Europe) — improved PET production efficiency using Minitab; evaluated by European consulting experts.
  • In-plant training, Manali Petrochemicals — observed ethylene-glycol unit operations and technical-service functions.
  • In-plant training, CIPET — surveyed polymer processing machinery and property testing.
PR-03 · Unit operations

Selected projects

Process design, CFD, lean manufacturing and the code that ties data together. Each card links to its abstract. Filter by discipline.

P-01Sep 2025 — Feb 2026

IBPE Plant — Conceptual Design & Simulation

MSc Process Design · University of Padova

Technical and economic feasibility of a continuous process producing 1-(4-isobutylphenyl)ethanol at 5,000 t/yr and 99.9% molar purity, using hierarchical conceptual design. Optimised reactor conversion (50%) and hydrogen purge (70%) to prevent methane build-up; designed a three-column distillation train; closed with a full cash-flow and profitability analysis.

Aspen PlusDistillationCSTRTechno-economics
99.9% molar purity · recommended for detailed design
PDF Read abstract ↗
P-02May 2025

MVR Distillation Column — Ethanol Purification

Erasmus+ BIP · Hochschule Kaiserslautern

International team design of a mechanical-vapour-recompression distillation column for ethanol purification in Aspen Plus, presented alongside hands-on lab work and industrial visits to BASF Ludwigshafen and Berkel AHK.

Aspen PlusMVREnergy integration
Cross-university team deliverable
PDF Read abstract ↗
P-03Aug 2022 — May 2023

Hot-Pressed Snagging Wheels — Optimisation via VSM

Carborundum Universal Limited (CUMI)

Calculated OEE and Manufacturing Cycle Efficiency across the line, mapped value streams to find bottlenecks, then implemented targeted kaizens that cut downtime and raised output.

VSMOEEKaizenLean
+75% production throughput
P-04Sep 2023 — May 2024

Automated Power BI Dashboard — Multi-Site Ops

Carborundum Universal Limited (CUMI)

Turned disorganised ERP exports into an interactive Power BI dashboard, engineering Excel macros for automated data organisation and a relationship master file. Delivered SKU-level insight, deployed across multiple business locations.

Power BIExcel VBAERPData modelling
Deployed across 3 manufacturing units
P-05Aug — Dec 2021

CFD — Flow Through Single-Holed Orifices in Series

BTech Research · SASTRA University

Numerically estimated pressure drop across orifice meters and studied how configuration affects the discharge coefficient in ANSYS Fluent. Validated against experimental data, compared steady-state vs transient runs, and flagged cavitation risk from minimum-pressure profiles. Presented at SCHEMCON 2021.

ANSYS FluentCFDCavitationValidation
Paper presented · SCHEMCON 2021
PDF Read abstract ↗
P-06May — Sep 2021

Ducting Network Design Optimisation via CFD

BTech Research · SASTRA University

Reconstructed ducting geometry from engineering drawings, validated pressure drop against industrial data, then evaluated geometric modifications — plus an erosion study and cost estimation proving the economic case for the redesign.

ANSYS FluentErosionCost analysis
−72% pressure drop on modified geometry
PDF Read abstract ↗
P-07Mar — Jul 2022

Boiler Efficiency Modelling — Safety & Waste Study

CORI · BTech Final-Year Project

Built an Excel tool computing boiler efficiency from operational data with sensitivity and error analysis, plus a preliminary HAZOP for the curing division and an SOP for the softener plant.

ExcelHAZOPSensitivity analysis
Safety + efficiency in one deliverable
PDF Read abstract ↗
P-08Aug — Oct 2019

Particle-Size Distribution Analyser (C++)

BTech Research · SASTRA University

A C++ program using least-squares regression to fit size-distribution equations, with three modules converting mass-fraction data into any particle-size distribution fraction.

C++Least squaresNumerical methods
Reusable analysis toolkit
PDF Read abstract ↗
SK-04 · Instrument list

Technical skills

Tools I reach for, grouped by what they're for. Highlighted items are the ones I lean on most.

01

Simulation & Design

Aspen PlusANSYS FluentPro/IIDWSIMOpenModelicaSuperProSolidWorksCATIAAutoCAD
02

Programming & Scripting

Excel VBACC++MATLABScilab
03

Data & Analytics

Power BIExcel (advanced)Minitab
04

Quality & Lean Methods

VSMSix Sigma (Yellow Belt)QFDDOEHAZOP7 QC ToolsDesign Thinking
05

Creative & Productivity

Adobe IllustratorAdobe PhotoshopPremiere ProPowerPointWord
RC-05 · Verified output

Recognition

Awards earned and the rooms where I've presented. Certificates and proof live in the Gallery.

Awards

May 2024

Star of the Quarter

Carborundum Universal Limited

1st Prize

Theme Video Making — CUFEST 2022

CUMI · Nov 2022

1st Prize

Industrivia — Siphon 7.0

SVNIT Surat · Mar 2022

1st Prize

Shipwreck — STEER

SSN Chennai · Mar 2022

2nd Prize

Paper Presentation — ChemIgnite

Manipal University · Nov 2021

2nd Prize

Technical Events — SSN Invente

SSN · Aug 2021

1st Place

Dr. Abdul Kalam Memorial Young Scientist Award

Bio-Informatics · Oct 2016

Conferences & workshops

Sep 2021

SCHEMCON 2021 — CFD Simulation paper

Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers

Jun 2023

Quality Function Deployment workshop

Lead Training Solutions

Apr 2023

Design of Experiments (DOE) workshop

Confederation of Indian Industry

Dec 2022

Value Stream Mapping — two-day workshop

Confederation of Indian Industry

Feb 2023

Design Thinking workshop

Lead Training

Mar 2021

DWSIM & OpenModelica workshops

IIChE SASTRA

BY-07 · Off the flowsheet

Beyond engineering

The design, community and curiosity that keep the technical work human.

Design & the visual side

Illustrator · Photoshop · Premiere Pro

I design graphics and edit video — the same posters and certificates I made for my university's chemical-engineering conference, and the award-winning theme video at CUMI. Communicating technical ideas clearly is its own craft.

Community work

Satyanarayana Trust · Apr 2019

Volunteered at an old-age home: helped establish a new clinic, reorganised the library, and ran computer-literacy sessions for elderly residents.

Recreational interests

What I do away from the screen
CricketChessCompetitive esportsTechnology readingGraphic designVideo editing
CN-08 · Product outlet

Let's build something that converges.

I'm open to process-engineering roles across the European process industry — and always happy to talk shop about distillation, CFD or lean.