Laxman Kafle

Laxman Kafle is a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering elevating the field of clean energy innovation. His research focuses on electrical rock fracturing, an emerging alternative that uses high-voltage electric pulses to create and/or extend fractures underground. This method could offer an environmentally friendly alternative to hydraulic fracturing, especially for enhanced geothermal systems. As a MathWorks Fellow, Laxman will lead a novel set of experiments using the electric pulse power setup with triaxial loading capability, along with high-resolution diagnostics, to capture the dynamic progression of rock fracture. MATLAB is foundational to his work: he applies it to calibrate transducers, analyze acoustic emissions, and perform digital image correlation, extracting high-fidelity insights from time-resolved fracture data. He uses the Image Processing and Statistics Toolboxes to quantify damage evolution. His integrated experimental and computational approach aims to improve our understanding of rock fracturing and help advance the design of next-generation geothermal energy systems.