Nihal Kularatna is a Sri Lankan electronics engineer. He serves as professor at
University of Waikato.[1] He has over four and a half decades of contributions to both electronics research. In 2014 he was appointed the Vice Chair of the
IEEE DC Energy Efficiency Committee. His research output includes over 160 refereed papers published in esteemed journals and presented at international conferences.[2]
During the period spanning 1985 to 2002, Kularatna joined the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, he engaged in industrial research and spearheaded the development of continuous professional development training programs tailored for practicing engineers and also held the position of CEO within the organization.[4]
In addition to his institutional roles, Kularatna served as a consultant for various US companies, including the
Gartner Group and
Technology Dynamics, NJ. In 2002, he moved to New Zealand, accepting a senior lecturer position at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at
The University of Auckland. Subsequently, in 2006, he transitioned to the
University of Waikato.[5]
His research output includes over 160 refereed papers published in journals and presented at international conferences.[6]
He was awarded with the UoW Postgraduate Research Supervision Excellence Award in 2021.[2] He won the New Zealand Engineering Innovator of the year 2013.[7]
Currently serving as an associate professor at the University of Waikato, School of Engineering Teaching and Research, Kularatna's research interests include
electronic engineering,
surge protection,
power electronics,
sensors and
supercapacitors.[5] He is a Contributing Editor (Book reviews) for IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine.[8]
Selected publications
Kularatna, Nihal; Sudantha, B. H. (April 2008). "An Environmental Air Pollution Monitoring System Based on the IEEE 1451 Standard for Low Cost Requirements". IEEE Sensors Journal. 8 (4): 415–422.
Bibcode:
2008ISenJ...8..415K.
doi:
10.1109/JSEN.2008.917477.
Arawwawala, Nadee; Kularatna, Nihal; Sirimanne, Don Charles Uvindra (September 2023). "Future Directions of Commercially Available Supercapacitors". IEEE Power Electronics Magazine. 10 (3): 52–60.
doi:
10.1109/MPEL.2023.3303103.
Thotabaddadurage, S.U.S.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2023). "Permeance Based Design and Analysis of Supercapacitor Assisted Surge Absorber for Magnetic Component Selection". IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 70 (4): 3593–3603.
doi:
10.1109/TIE.2022.3172769.
Thotabaddadurage, S.S.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2023). "Importance of Leakage Magnetic Field and Fringing Flux in Surge Protector Design". IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications. 59 (1): 289–299.
doi:
10.1109/TIA.2022.3208920.
Thotabaddadurage, S.S.U.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2022). "Permeance Based Design and Analysis of Supercapacitor Assisted Surge Absorber for Magnetic Component Selection". IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 70 (4): 3593–3603.
doi:
10.1109/TIE.2022.3172769.
Subasinghage, K.W.; Gunawardane, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2022). "Supercapacitor-Assisted Low-Dropout Regulator Technique for Low Output Ripple DC-DC Conversion". IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Industrial Electronics. 3 (4): 1028–1037.
doi:
10.1109/JESTIE.2022.3149708.
Kularatna, Nihal; Subasinghage, K.; Gunawardane, K.; Jayananda, D.; Ariyarathna, T. (2021). "Supercapacitor-Assisted Techniques and Supercapacitor-Assisted Loss Management Concept: New Design Approaches to Change the Roadmap of Power Conversion Systems". Electronics (Switzerland). 10 (14): 17.
Silva, T.S.U.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2021). "Optimization of Supercapacitor Assisted Surge Absorber (SCASA) Technique: A New Approach to Improve Surge Endurance Using Air-Gapped Ferrite Cores". Energies. 10 (14): 21.
Gunawardane, K.; Bandara, N.; Subasinghage, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2021). "Extending the Input Voltage Range of Solar PV Inverters with Supercapacitor Energy Circulation". Electronics (Switzerland). 10 (88): 17.
Subasinghage, K.; Gunawardane, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2020). "Stability Analysis and Experimental Validation of the Supercapacitor-Assisted Low-Dropout (SCALDO) Regulator". IET Power Electronics. 13 (15): 3213–3225.
doi:
10.1049/iet-pel.2019.1601.
hdl:10289/14253.
Wijesooriya, P.N.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2020). "Efficiency Enhancement to a Linear AC Voltage Regulator: Multi-Winding Versus Multi-Transformer Design". IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Industrial Electronics. 1 (2): 192–199.
doi:
10.1109/JESTIE.2020.3003350.
hdl:10289/16187.
Kularatna, Nihal; Jayananda, D. (2020). "Supercapacitor Based Long Time Constant Circuits: A Unique Design Opportunity for New Power Electronic Circuit Topologies". IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine. 14 (2): 40–56.
doi:
10.1109/MIE.2019.2959199.
Jayananda, D.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2020). "Supercapacitor-Assisted LED (SCALED) Technique for Renewable Energy Systems: A Very Low Frequency Design Approach with Short-Term DC-UPS Capability Eliminating Battery Banks". IET Renewable Power Generation. 14 (9): 1559–1570.
Bibcode:
2020IRPG...14.1559J.
doi:
10.1049/iet-rpg.2019.1307.
Gunawardane, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2018). "Supercapacitor Assisted Low Dropout Regulator Technique: A New Design Approach to Achieve High-Efficiency Linear DC-DC Converters". IET Power Electronics. 11 (2): 229–238.
doi:
10.1049/iet-pel.2017.0093.
James, S.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, A.; Kunnemeyer, R. (2015). "Estimation of Transient Surge Energy Transferred with Associated Time Delays for Individual Components of Surge Protector Circuits". IET Transactions on Power Electronics. 8 (5): 685–692.
doi:
10.1049/iet-pel.2014.0212.
Kankanamge, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2014). "Improving the End-to-End Efficiency of DC-DC Converters Based on a Supercapacitor Assisted Low Dropout Regulators (SCALDO) Technique". IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 61 (1): 223–230.
doi:
10.1109/TIE.2013.2245613.
Kularatna, Nihal (2014). "Dynamics and Modelling of Rechargeable Batteries: What Electrochemists Work Tells the Electronic Engineers". IEEE Power Electronics Magazine. 1 (4): 23–33.
doi:
10.1109/MPEL.2014.2361264.
Kankanamge, K.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2012). "Laplace Transform-Based Theoretical Foundations and Experimental Validations: Low-Frequency Supercapacitor Circulation for Efficiency Improvements in Linear Regulators". IET Power Electronics. 5 (9): 1785–1792.
doi:
10.1049/iet-pel.2011.0296.
hdl:10292/8378.
Kularatna, Nihal; Fernando, J.; Pandey, A.; James, S. (2011). "Surge Capability Testing of Supercapacitor Families Using a Lightning Surge Simulator". IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 58 (10): 4942–4949.
doi:
10.1109/TIE.2011.2109338.
Kularatna, Nihal (2003). "Understanding A to D Architectures". Electronics Systems and Software Journal, IEE (Sept/Oct): 20–23.
doi:
10.1049/ess:20030404.
Kularatna, A.D.V.N. (1988). "Low Cost Fast AC Regulator Provides High Waveform Fidelity". Power Conversion and Intelligent Motion [PCIM] (USA) (May): 76–78.
Nihal Kularatna is a Sri Lankan electronics engineer. He serves as professor at
University of Waikato.[1] He has over four and a half decades of contributions to both electronics research. In 2014 he was appointed the Vice Chair of the
IEEE DC Energy Efficiency Committee. His research output includes over 160 refereed papers published in esteemed journals and presented at international conferences.[2]
During the period spanning 1985 to 2002, Kularatna joined the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, he engaged in industrial research and spearheaded the development of continuous professional development training programs tailored for practicing engineers and also held the position of CEO within the organization.[4]
In addition to his institutional roles, Kularatna served as a consultant for various US companies, including the
Gartner Group and
Technology Dynamics, NJ. In 2002, he moved to New Zealand, accepting a senior lecturer position at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at
The University of Auckland. Subsequently, in 2006, he transitioned to the
University of Waikato.[5]
His research output includes over 160 refereed papers published in journals and presented at international conferences.[6]
He was awarded with the UoW Postgraduate Research Supervision Excellence Award in 2021.[2] He won the New Zealand Engineering Innovator of the year 2013.[7]
Currently serving as an associate professor at the University of Waikato, School of Engineering Teaching and Research, Kularatna's research interests include
electronic engineering,
surge protection,
power electronics,
sensors and
supercapacitors.[5] He is a Contributing Editor (Book reviews) for IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine.[8]
Selected publications
Kularatna, Nihal; Sudantha, B. H. (April 2008). "An Environmental Air Pollution Monitoring System Based on the IEEE 1451 Standard for Low Cost Requirements". IEEE Sensors Journal. 8 (4): 415–422.
Bibcode:
2008ISenJ...8..415K.
doi:
10.1109/JSEN.2008.917477.
Arawwawala, Nadee; Kularatna, Nihal; Sirimanne, Don Charles Uvindra (September 2023). "Future Directions of Commercially Available Supercapacitors". IEEE Power Electronics Magazine. 10 (3): 52–60.
doi:
10.1109/MPEL.2023.3303103.
Thotabaddadurage, S.U.S.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2023). "Permeance Based Design and Analysis of Supercapacitor Assisted Surge Absorber for Magnetic Component Selection". IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 70 (4): 3593–3603.
doi:
10.1109/TIE.2022.3172769.
Thotabaddadurage, S.S.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2023). "Importance of Leakage Magnetic Field and Fringing Flux in Surge Protector Design". IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications. 59 (1): 289–299.
doi:
10.1109/TIA.2022.3208920.
Thotabaddadurage, S.S.U.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2022). "Permeance Based Design and Analysis of Supercapacitor Assisted Surge Absorber for Magnetic Component Selection". IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 70 (4): 3593–3603.
doi:
10.1109/TIE.2022.3172769.
Subasinghage, K.W.; Gunawardane, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2022). "Supercapacitor-Assisted Low-Dropout Regulator Technique for Low Output Ripple DC-DC Conversion". IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Industrial Electronics. 3 (4): 1028–1037.
doi:
10.1109/JESTIE.2022.3149708.
Kularatna, Nihal; Subasinghage, K.; Gunawardane, K.; Jayananda, D.; Ariyarathna, T. (2021). "Supercapacitor-Assisted Techniques and Supercapacitor-Assisted Loss Management Concept: New Design Approaches to Change the Roadmap of Power Conversion Systems". Electronics (Switzerland). 10 (14): 17.
Silva, T.S.U.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2021). "Optimization of Supercapacitor Assisted Surge Absorber (SCASA) Technique: A New Approach to Improve Surge Endurance Using Air-Gapped Ferrite Cores". Energies. 10 (14): 21.
Gunawardane, K.; Bandara, N.; Subasinghage, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2021). "Extending the Input Voltage Range of Solar PV Inverters with Supercapacitor Energy Circulation". Electronics (Switzerland). 10 (88): 17.
Subasinghage, K.; Gunawardane, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2020). "Stability Analysis and Experimental Validation of the Supercapacitor-Assisted Low-Dropout (SCALDO) Regulator". IET Power Electronics. 13 (15): 3213–3225.
doi:
10.1049/iet-pel.2019.1601.
hdl:10289/14253.
Wijesooriya, P.N.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2020). "Efficiency Enhancement to a Linear AC Voltage Regulator: Multi-Winding Versus Multi-Transformer Design". IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Industrial Electronics. 1 (2): 192–199.
doi:
10.1109/JESTIE.2020.3003350.
hdl:10289/16187.
Kularatna, Nihal; Jayananda, D. (2020). "Supercapacitor Based Long Time Constant Circuits: A Unique Design Opportunity for New Power Electronic Circuit Topologies". IEEE Industrial Electronics Magazine. 14 (2): 40–56.
doi:
10.1109/MIE.2019.2959199.
Jayananda, D.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2020). "Supercapacitor-Assisted LED (SCALED) Technique for Renewable Energy Systems: A Very Low Frequency Design Approach with Short-Term DC-UPS Capability Eliminating Battery Banks". IET Renewable Power Generation. 14 (9): 1559–1570.
Bibcode:
2020IRPG...14.1559J.
doi:
10.1049/iet-rpg.2019.1307.
Gunawardane, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2018). "Supercapacitor Assisted Low Dropout Regulator Technique: A New Design Approach to Achieve High-Efficiency Linear DC-DC Converters". IET Power Electronics. 11 (2): 229–238.
doi:
10.1049/iet-pel.2017.0093.
James, S.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, A.; Kunnemeyer, R. (2015). "Estimation of Transient Surge Energy Transferred with Associated Time Delays for Individual Components of Surge Protector Circuits". IET Transactions on Power Electronics. 8 (5): 685–692.
doi:
10.1049/iet-pel.2014.0212.
Kankanamge, K.; Kularatna, Nihal (2014). "Improving the End-to-End Efficiency of DC-DC Converters Based on a Supercapacitor Assisted Low Dropout Regulators (SCALDO) Technique". IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 61 (1): 223–230.
doi:
10.1109/TIE.2013.2245613.
Kularatna, Nihal (2014). "Dynamics and Modelling of Rechargeable Batteries: What Electrochemists Work Tells the Electronic Engineers". IEEE Power Electronics Magazine. 1 (4): 23–33.
doi:
10.1109/MPEL.2014.2361264.
Kankanamge, K.; Kularatna, Nihal; Steyn-Ross, David A. (2012). "Laplace Transform-Based Theoretical Foundations and Experimental Validations: Low-Frequency Supercapacitor Circulation for Efficiency Improvements in Linear Regulators". IET Power Electronics. 5 (9): 1785–1792.
doi:
10.1049/iet-pel.2011.0296.
hdl:10292/8378.
Kularatna, Nihal; Fernando, J.; Pandey, A.; James, S. (2011). "Surge Capability Testing of Supercapacitor Families Using a Lightning Surge Simulator". IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. 58 (10): 4942–4949.
doi:
10.1109/TIE.2011.2109338.
Kularatna, Nihal (2003). "Understanding A to D Architectures". Electronics Systems and Software Journal, IEE (Sept/Oct): 20–23.
doi:
10.1049/ess:20030404.
Kularatna, A.D.V.N. (1988). "Low Cost Fast AC Regulator Provides High Waveform Fidelity". Power Conversion and Intelligent Motion [PCIM] (USA) (May): 76–78.