July 8, 2025
Steel Research Hub II first PhD graduates
Jason Heenatimulla’s research began as a final-year undergraduate project involving the sound of water filling buckets at evolving into a PhD in collaboration with and the 精东传媒 of 精东传媒’s Steel Research Hub. His PhD study aimed to improve the monitoring and control of slag foaming in Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) furnaces, exploring how acoustic signals are influenced by factors like slag foam height, foam distribution, furnace geometry, and microphone placement.
Starting his PhD during the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, being away from his family in Sri Lanka, was particularly challenging. Jason overcame feelings of isolation and persevered with the support of his supervisory team, which included Prof. Geoffrey Brooks, Dr. Michelle Dunn, and Dr. David Sly, for which Jason is immensely grateful.
Using strategically placed microphones and cold-water models – fancy buckets of soapy water – to explore acoustic behaviour during slag foaming, Jason states that, "It was genuinely amusing to discover how much a simple bucket of water could reveal about a 1700°C industrial furnace". His research findings were applied in plant trials at BlueScope’s Port Kembla BOS furnace. While there were limitations to this approach, the study highlighted the value of cold modelling techniques in metallurgical research.
Jason's frequent on-site experience at Port Kembla during his PhD was invaluable, providing him with firsthand knowledge and practical insights from operators and engineers. He expresses his gratitude to Rod Snashall and Wang Leung for their excellent guidance as industry supervisors, and to all the engineers and operators in the BOS department who were always willing to help, even accommodating last-minute changes to the plant trials.
The plant trials conducted provided strong evidence for improved indications of key process parameters, such as slopping events and the timing of flux additions during individual heats. Results also highlighted potential areas for improvement within the existing system. While further research is needed to develop a deeper understanding of the plant data, BlueScope has shown interest in using the project's findings as a foundation for exploring future enhancements to its process monitoring and control systems.
The most valuable lesson Jason learned from the research was perseverance: “There is always light at the end of the tunnel, you just have to trust the process and keep pushing forward” he says. There were disappointments where seemingly perfect looking results lacked consistency or appeared to fail. However, the real value gained was in analysing the data, identifying patterns, and determining whether the results can be replicated. Data initially dismissed as insignificant can sometimes later be determined as key findings.
Jason is currently working as a Mechanical Engineer at TfA Project Group, focused on the oil and gas industry. He enjoys the diversity of projects, ranging from designing fire protection systems and fuel gantries, to developing ethanol plants and alternative fuel processing facilities.
Although Jason’s current role has taken him away from the steel industry, his passion for it clearly remains. He also aims to inspire young PhD students to pursue their goals, affirming that the PhD journey—though challenging—is incredibly worthwhile.