Professor Yang Zhang

Professor of Combustion and Energy

Director of Postgraduate Studies (PGR)

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
UK

Telephone: +44(0)114 2227880
Fax: +44(0)114 2227890

Profile

Professor Yang Zhang received BEng from Zhejiang University, China and PhD in the Engineering Department of Cambridge University. He then worked as a Research Associate and Research Fellow (Darwin College, Cambridge University) on two projects (Integrated Diesel European Action : IDEA and the follow-on project IDEA EFFECT) supported by six European car manufacturers and EU. After this, he moved to UMIST and then the University of Manchester before taking the Chair of Combustion and Energy in Sheffield.

His laboratory specialises in combustion and advanced flow diagnostics. The combustion lab has several lab scale burners for both fundamental research and teaching. An industrial gas turbine combustor (1 MW) is available for testing and research. A high pressure test burner up to 20 bar has been built for combustion studies. The burner has two quartz windows and two pure silicon windows, which are transparent to infrared and longer wavelength (e.g. Terahertz wave).

Besides the conventional diagnostic techniques, the group is known for in-house developed diagnostic techniques, which can be applied not only in flame dynamics studies but also in many fast moving dynamic systems. The team has great strength in signal and image processing capabilities, including multi-channel data acquisition, high speed imaging and stereo imaging.

Areas of Research

Digital image and signal processing of flame dynamics and structure
Flame and acoustic wave interactions
Combustion instability
Innovative flow diagnostics and data processing
Clean coal combustion
Future energy system

Research Projects

Laminar flame dynamics at high pressure
Fuel variability effect on combustion instability
High speed stereo Schlieren imaging of flame dynamics and structure
Flame and acoustic wave interactions
3D Imaging of re-ignition process in a jet engine combustor at sub atmospheric conditions
Turbulent impinging flames

Teaching

Advanced Aero Propulsion
Experiments and Modelling
Fluids Laboratory and Aero Group Design

Current Research Grants

Clean Energy Utilisation from Biogas and Biomass Gasification (until 2016), EPSRC
Coupling Membrane with a High Speed Camera and its Analysis (until 2013), John Crane
Clean Coal Combustion: Burning Issues of Syngas Burning (until 2012), EPSRC
Fuel Variability Effect on Combustion Stability (until 2013), BP Alternative Energy Intl Ltd.
GT100 Combustor Test (until 2012), Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd
Intumescent Paint Under Fire Impingement (until 2013), International Paint Ltd.
Digital Stereo Imaging and Signal Processing Based Condition Monitoring Technology for Wind Turbine Blades (until 2012), KTA.

Journal articles

Huang HW & Zhang Y (2013) Imaging based chemiluminescence characterisation of partially premixed syngas flames through DFCD technique. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 38(11), 4839-4847.
Wang Q, Zhao C, Huang HW & Zhang Y (2013) Impinging flame ignition and propagation visualisation using Schlieren and colour-enhanced stereo imaging techniques. Fuel.
Huang H & Zhang Y (2013) Imaging based chemiluminescence characterisation of partially premixed syngas flames through DFCD technique. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy(38), 4839-4847.
Fu J, Tang C, Jin W, Thi LD, Huang Z & Zhang Y (2013) Study on laminar flame speed and flame structure of syngas with varied compositions using OH-PLIF and spectrograph. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 38(3), 1636-1643.
Chen L-W, Wang Q & Zhang Y (2013) Flow characterisation of diffusion flame under non-resonant acoustic excitation. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 45, 227-233.
McDaid C, Zhou J & Zhang Y (2013) Experimental observations of complex flame propagations initiated at different locations of an impingement configuration. Fuel, 103, 783-791.
Wang Q, Huang HW, Zhang Y, Tang HJ & Zhu M (2013) Nonlinear response of buoyant diffusion flame under acoustic excitation. Fuel, 103, 364-372.
Huang HW, Yang J, Zhang Y & Wang Q (2013) Variation of hydrocarbon compositions and ignition locations on the radiative flame initiation characteristics through multi-dimensional DFCD incorporated image analysis. Fuel, 103, 334-346.
Darabkhani HG, Zhang Y, Banuelos-Saucedo M, Young J, Wright P, Ozanyan KB, Stringer M, Miles RE & Wang Q (2012) Sensing in sooting flames: THz time-domain spectroscopy and tomography. Proceedings of IEEE Sensors.
Wang Q & Zhang Y (2012) Spark characteristics investigation of a gas turbine igniter. Combustion Science and Technology, 184(10-11), 1526-1540.
Wang Q, Zhang Y, Tang HJ & Zhu M (2012) Visualization of diffusion flame/Vortex Structure and Dynamics under Acoustic Excitation. Combustion Science and Technology, 184(10-11), 1445-1455.
Hu E, Fu J, Pan L, Jiang X, Huang Z & Zhang Y (2012) Experimental and numerical study on the effect of composition on laminar burning velocities of H /CO/N /CO /air mixtures. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
Wang Q, Huang H, Tan HJ, Zhu M & Zhang Y (2012) Nonlinear response of buoyant diffusion flame under acoustic excitation. Fuel: the science and technology of fuel and energy.
McDaid C, Zhou J & Zhang Y (2012) Experimental observations of complex flame propagations initiated at different locations of an impingement configuration. Fuel.
Huang HW, Yang J, Zhang Y & Wang Q (2012) Variation of hydrocarbon compositions and ignition locations on the radiative flame initiation characteristics through multi-dimensional DFCD incorporated image analysis. Fuel.
Chen L-W, Wang Q & Zhang Y (2012) Flow characterisation of diffusion flame in a standing wave. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science.
Huang HW & Zhang Y (2012) Syngas combustion radiation profiling through spectrometry and DFCD processing techniques. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 37(6), 5257-5267.
Huang H, Qian W, Tang HJ, Zhu M & Zhang Y (2011) Characterisation of External Acoustic Excitation on Diffusion Flames Using Digital Colour Image Processing. Fuel.
Huang HW & Zhang Y (2011) Syngas combustion radiation profiling through spectrometry and DFCD processing techniques. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
McDaid C & Zhang Y (2011) Wall temperature measurements using a thermal imaging camera with temperature-dependent emissivity corrections. Measurement Science and Technology, 22(12).
Wang Q, Gohari Darabkhani H, Chen L & Zhang Y (2011) Vortex dynamics and structures of methane/air jet diffusion flames with air coflow. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science.
Huang HW & Zhang Y (2011) Analysis of the ignition process using a digital image and colour processing technique. MEAS SCI TECHNOL, 22(7).
Wang Q & Zhang Y (2011) High speed stereoscopic shadowgraph imaging and its digital 3D reconstruction. MEAS SCI TECHNOL, 22(6).
Gohari Darabkhani H, Wang Q, Chen L & Zhang Y (2011) Impact of co-flow air on buoyant diffusion flames flicker. Energy Conversion and Management, 52(8-9), 2996-3003.
Su ZX, Zhou WZ & Zhang Y (2011) New insight into the soot nanoparticles in a candle flame. CHEM COMMUN, 47(16), 4700-4702.
Li J & Zhang Y (2011) Fuel mixing effect on the flickering of jet diffusion flames. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, 225(1), 155-162.
Huang HW & Zhang Y (2011) Digital colour image processing based measurement of premixed CH + air and CH + air flame chemiluminescence. Fuel, 90(1), 48-53.
Darabkhani HG, Oakey JE & Zhang Y (2011) Improving stability limits of natural gas buoyant diffusion flames with co-flow of air. ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, ES 2011(PARTS A, B, AND C), 941-950.
Gohari Darabkhani H & Zhang Y (2010) Suppression dynamics of a laminar oscillating diffusion flame with co-flow air. WCE 2010 - World Congress on Engineering 2010, 2, 1421-1426.
Huang HW & Zhang Y (2010) Dynamic application of digital image and colour processing in characterizing flame radiation features. MEAS SCI TECHNOL, 21(8).
Darabkhani HG & Zhang Y (2010) METHANE DIFFUSION FLAME DYNAMICS AT ELEVATED PRESSURES. COMBUST SCI TECHNOL, 182(3), 231-251.
Huang HW & Zhang Y (2008) Flame colour characterization in the visible and infrared spectrum using a digital camera and image processing. Meas. Sci. Technol., 19(8).