MVK Chari, a pioneer in finite element field computation, died on 3 December. The IEEE Life Fellow was 97.
Chari developed a finite element method (FEM) for analyzing nonlinear electromagnetic fields—which is crucial for the design of electric machines. The technique is used to obtain approximate solutions to complex engineering and mathematical problems. It involves dividing a complicated object or system into smaller, more manageable parts, known as finite elements, according to Fictiv.
As an engineer and technical leader at General Electric in Niskayuna, N.Y., Chari used the tool to analyze large turbogenerators for end region analysis, starting with 2D and expanding its use over time to quasi-2D and 3D.
During his 25 years at GE, he established a team that was developing finite element analysis (FEA) tools for a variety of applications across the company. They ranged from small motors to large MRI magnets.
Chari received the 1993 IEEE Nikola Tesla Award for “pioneering contributions to finite element computations of nonlinear electromagnetic fields for design and analysis of electric machinery.”
A career spanning industry and academia
Chari attended Imperial College London to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering. There he met Peter P. Silvester, a visiting professor of electrical engineering. Silvester, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, was a pioneer in understanding numerical analysis of electromagnetic fields.
After Chari graduated in 1968, he joined Silvester at McGill as a doctoral student, applying FEM to solve electromagnetic field problems. Silvester applied the method to waveguides, while Chari applied it to saturated magnetic fields.
Chari joined GE in 1970 after earning his Ph.D. in electrical engineering. He climbed the leadership ladder and was a manager of the company’s electromagnetics division when he left in 1995. He joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., as a visiting research and adjunct professor in its electrical, computer, and systems engineering department. Chari taught graduate and undergraduate classes in electric power engineering and mentored many master’s and doctoral students. His strength was nurturing young engineers.
He also conducted research on electric machines and transformers for the Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy.
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