Dr Robert Woolley

BEng (Hons), PhD

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering

Director of Postgraduate Studies (PGT)

Rob Woolley
Profile picture of Rob Woolley
rob.woolley@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 4335

Full contact details

Dr Robert Woolley
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Diamond
32 Leavygreave Road
Sheffield
S3 7RD
Profile

Robert Woolley graduated with a PhD from the Department of Fuel and Energy at the University of Leeds in 1992. He then joined the School of Mechanical Engineering again at the University of Leeds and was a Research Fellow there from 1992 to 2006. He became a lecturer at the University of Sheffield in 2006. He currently lectures on thermodynamics, heat transfer and internal combustion engines.

Qualifications
  • Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence 2021 (HEA)
Research interests
  • Laminar and turbulent premixed combustion – ignition, flame stability, high pressure combustion
  • Laser ignition
  • Engine combustion
  • Laser diagnostics
  • Regenerative heat transfer in Stirling engines
Publications

Journal articles

Conference proceedings papers

  • Nyong O, Woolley R, Blakey S & Alborzi E (2017) Optimal piston crevice study in a rapid compression machine. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 243 (pp 012018-012018) View this article in WRRO RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Bradley D, Liu K & Lawes M (2007) The quenching of premixed turbulent flames of iso-octane, methane and hydrogen at high pressures. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 31 (pp 1393-1400) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Mandilas C, Ormsby MP & Sheppard CGW (2007) Effects of hydrogen addition on laminar and turbulent premixed methane and iso-octane–air flames. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 31(1) (pp 1443-1450) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Atzler F, Lawes M, Sulaiman SA & Woolley R (2006) Effects of droplets on the flame speed of laminar Iso-octane and air aerosols. 10th International Conference on Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems, ICLASS 2006 RIS download Bibtex download
  • Fairweather M & Woolley RM (2005) Analysis of kinetic mechanism performance in conditional moment closure modelling of turbulent, non-premixed methane flames. 4th International Symposium on Turbulence and Shear Flow Phenomena, Vol. 2 (pp 623-628) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Verhelst S, Lawes M & Sierens R (2005) Laminar and unstable burning velocities and Markstein lengths of hydrogen-air mixtures at engine-like conditions. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 30 (pp 209-216) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Al-Shahrany AS, Lawes M & Bradley D (2005) Measurement of unstable burning velocities of iso-octane–air mixtures at high pressure and the derivation of laminar burning velocities. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 30(1) (pp 225-232) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Al-Shahrany AS, Bradley D, Lawes M & Woolley R (2004) Measurement of unstable burning velocities of isooctane-air mixtures at high pressure and the derivation of laminar burning velocities. International Symposium on Combustion, Abstracts of Accepted Papers (pp 43-44) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Sheppard CGW & Tolegano S (2002) On the nature of autoignition and knock in HCCI engines. SAE Paper 2002-01-2831. San Diego RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Gillespie L, Lawes M & Sheppard CGW (2001) Aspects of laminar and turbulent burning velocity relevant to SI engines. Journal of Engines / SAE Transactions, Vol. 109 (pp 13-33) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Wilson CW, Hicks RA, Sheppard CGW, Woolley R & Wyatt J (1999) Investigation of Ignition Probability in a Gas Turbine Combustor using Laser Ignition. ASME paper no 99-GT-116. Indianapolis,USA RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Atashkari K, Lawes M & Sheppard CGW (1999) Towards a general correlation of turbulent premixed flame wrinkling. Engineering turbulence modelling and experiments, Vol. 4 RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Bradley D, Lawes M & Sheppard CGW (1996) Methane as an engine fuel. ImechE Seminar, ‘Using Natural Gas in Engines’. London RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Al-Shahrany AS, Bradley D, Lawes M & Liu K () Darrieus-Landau and Thermo-acoustic Instabilities in Closed Vessel Explosions. 20th ICDERS. Montreal, 31 July 2005 - 5 August 2005. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Al-Shahrany AS, Bradley D & Lawes M () Measurements of laminar burning velocities in explosions and implosions in a spherical bomb. The Fourth International Seminar on Fire and Explosion Hazards. Ulster, 2004. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Ormsby M & Sheppard CGW () The influence of fuel air ratio on the turbulent burning velocity of iso-octane air flames. Fourth International Seminar on Fire and Explosion Hazards. Ulster, 2004. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Bradley D & Sheppard CGW () Unstable explosion flames and acoustic oscillations. 18th International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems. Seattle, 29 July 2001 - 3 August 2001. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Lawes M & Sheppard CGW () Three-dimensional mapping of turbulent flame fronts. Ninth International Symposium on Applications of Laser Techniques to Fluid Mechanics. Lisbon, 13 July 1998 - 16 July 1998. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Sheppard CGW & Lawes M () PIV in spherically expanding laminar cellular flames. Ninth International Symposium on Applications of Laser Techniques to Fluid Mechanics. Lisbon, 13 July 1998 - 16 July 1998. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R () The cracking of laminar flames. Joint Meeting of the Portuguese, British, Spanish and Swedish Sections of the Combustion Institute. Madeira, 1 April 1996 - 4 April 1996. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Hicks RA, Sheppard CGW & Lawes M () The Development of spark-ignited turbulent flames. Eighth International Symposium on Applications of Laser Techniques to Fluid Mechanics. Lisbon, 8 July 2006 - 11 July 2006. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Burluka AA, Liu K, Sheppard CGW & Smallbone AJ () The Influence of Simulated Residual and NO Concentrations on Knock Onset for PRFs and Gasolines. SAE Transactions Fuels and Lubricants, Vol. 113 (pp 1873-1889) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Woolley R, Nwagwe IK, Weller H, Tabor G, Gosman AD & Sheppard CGW () Measurements and large eddy simulations of turbulent premixed flame kernel growth. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, Vol. 28(1) (pp 59-65) RIS download Bibtex download

Reports

  • Atzler F, Lawes M, Lee Y, Marquez N & Woolley R (2000) Flame development and interactions between the flame and droplet speeds in two phase flow RIS download Bibtex download
Teaching activities
  • ME203 Thermodynamic cycles and heat transfer
  • ME403 Reciprocating engines