Professor Yang Zhang
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Professor of Combustion and Energy
yz100@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7880
+44 114 222 7880
+44 114 222 7890
(fax)
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Full contact details
Professor Yang Zhang
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- 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.
- Research interests
-
- 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
- Publications
-
Journal articles
- Numerical investigation of geometric design effect on micromix hydrogen combustion. Fuel, 401. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental investigation of kerosene single droplet ignition and combustion under simulated high-altitude pressure and temperature conditions. Fuel, 401. View this article in WRRO
- Iron particle in liquid fuel combustion technology for nonoxidative storage and easy burning. Fuel, 380. View this article in WRRO
- Development of Equivalence Ratio Measurement Model of Premixed Methane Flames Using Hyperspectral Imaging of C
2
* and CH* Chemiluminescence and Random Forest Algorithm. Combustion Science and Technology, 197(9), 2223-2245.
- Advanced visualisation of biomass charcoal combustion dynamics using MWIR hyperspectral and LWIR thermal imaging under varied airflow conditions. Fuel, 378, 132901-132901.
- Resolving visible emission lines in hydrogen diffusion flames. Aerospace, 11(12). View this article in WRRO
- An experimental evaluation of thermophysical properties of colloidal suspension of carbon-rich fly ash microparticles and single-walled carbon nanotubes in Jet-A fuel and its impact on evaporation and burning rate. Fuel Processing Technology, 266. View this article in WRRO
- Characterisation of wood combustion and emission under varying moisture contents using multiple imaging techniques. Fuel, 373, 132397-132397.
- Experimental investigation on the effects of a mesh in the downstream region of a combustion-driven Rijke tube on self-excited thermoacoustic oscillations. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 150. View this article in WRRO
- Investigating the fire-retardant efficiency of intumescent coatings on inclined timber: a study on application strategies and heat transfer mechanisms. Construction and Building Materials, 407. View this article in WRRO
- Combustion inhibition of biomass charcoal using slaked lime and dolime slurries. Fire Safety Journal, 140. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental investigation on droplet evaporation characteristics during combustion of future and current aviation fuels with range of properties. The Aeronautical Journal, 127(1317), 1952-1967.
- Characterisations of self-excited nonlinear oscillations at varied system parameters in a Rijke tube with a premixed laminar flame. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 146. View this article in WRRO
- NO emission and enhanced thermal performances studies on counter-flow double-channel hydrogen/ammonia-fuelled microcombustors with oval-shaped internal threads. Fuel, 341. View this article in WRRO
- Equivalence ratio independence and dependence ranges of system responses for a nonlinear thermoacoustic oscillation in a Rijke tube. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 547.
- Experimental study of horizontally lifted high-speed nonpremixed flame jets. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 140.
- Investigation of forced flow orientations on the burning behaviours of wooden rods using a synchronised multi-imaging system. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute.
- Combustion phases of evaporating neat fuel droplet. Journal of Advanced Research in Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Sciences, 96(1), 60-69.
- Ignition measurement of non-premixed propane with varying co-flowing AIR through high-speed schlieren stereoscopic colour imaging. Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, 30, 101250-101250.
- Investigation into wind effects on fire spread on inclined wooden rods by multi-spectrum and schlieren imaging. Fire Safety Journal, 127. View this article in WRRO
- Impact of aromatic structures and content in formulated fuel for jet engine applications on particulate matter emissions. Journal of Energy Resources Technology, 143(12).
- Post-Impact characteristics of a diesel-in-water emulsion droplet on a flat surface below the Leidenfrost temperature. International Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 10(2), 297-306.
- Experimental investigation of transient ignition dynamics of hydrogen enriched methane diffusion impinging flames. Fuel, 290.
- Comparison of the burning of a single diesel droplet with volume and surface contamination of soot particles. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 38(2), 3159-3166.
- A versatile droplet on demand generator based on active pressure control. Review of Scientific Instruments, 91(12).
- The effect of preheating on fire propagation on inclined wood by multi-spectrum and schlieren visualisation. Fire Safety Journal, 118.
- Experimental study of water droplet impact on burning wood surfaces. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 38(3), 4605-4613.
- Liquid-phase dynamics during the two-droplet combustion of diesel-based fuel mixtures. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 115.
- Entropy and flame transfer function analysis of a hydrogen-fueled diffusion flame in a longitudinal combustor. Energy, 194.
- Droplet Combustion Characteristics of Biodiesel–Diesel Blends using High Speed Backlit and Schlieren Imaging. Heat Transfer Engineering, 40(13-14), 1085-1098. View this article in WRRO
- Reduced mechanism generation for methanol-based toluene reference fuel with combined reduction methods. Fuel, 247, 135-147. View this article in WRRO
- Improved colour-modelled CH* and C2* measurement using a digital colour camera. Measurement, 141, 235-240.
- Experimental investigation on alternative fuel combustion performance using a gas turbine combustor. Applied Energy, 238, 1530-1542. View this article in WRRO
- Combustion characteristics and liquid-phase visualisation of single isolated diesel droplet with surface contaminated by soot particles. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 37(3), 3401-3408. View this article in WRRO
- Lifted and reattached behaviour of laminar premixed flame under external acoustic excitation. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 98, 683-692. View this article in WRRO
- Effects of Alternative Fuel Properties on Particulate Matter Produced in a Gas Turbine Combustor. Energy & Fuels, 32(9), 9883-9897.
- The investigation of CO2 effect on the characteristics of a methane diffusion flame. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 92, 97-102. View this article in WRRO
- Multicomponent fuel droplet combustion investigation using magnified high speed backlighting and shadowgraph imaging. Fuel, 221, 89-109. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental Investigation of Co-flow Effect on Ignition Process of a Methane Jet Diffusion Flame. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 91, 184-196. View this article in WRRO
- Thermal performance of a meso-scale combustor with electrospray technique using liquid ethanol as fuel. Applied Thermal Engineering, 128, 274-281. View this article in WRRO
- Study of drag and orientation of regular particles using stereo vision, Schlieren photography and digital image processing. Powder Technology, 311, 185-199.
- Investigation of ignition process from visible to infrared by a high speed colour camera. Fuel, 185, 500-507.
- Effect of a ring electrode on the cone-jet characteristics of ethanol in small-scale electro-spraying combustors. Journal of Aerosol Science, 98, 15-29. View this article in WRRO
- Systematic investigation of premixed methane/air turbulent impinging flames. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 70, 335-340.
- Experimental observation of the nonlinear coupling of flame flow and acoustic wave. Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, 46(Part A), 12-17. View this article in WRRO
- Time-resolved 3D investigation of the ignition process of a methane diffusion impinging flame. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 62, 78-84. View this article in WRRO
- High Speed Digital Imaging for Flame Studies: Potentials and Limitations. Energy Procedia, 66, 237-240.
- Simultaneous High Speed Schlieren and Direct Imaging of Ignition Process with Digitally Enhanced Visualisation. Energy Procedia, 66, 241-244.
- Oscillating flames in open tubes. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 35(2), 2075-2082. View this article in WRRO
- Probabilistic novelty detection with support vector machines. IEEE Transactions on Reliability, 63(2), 455-467.
- Three-dimensional investigation of the dynamics of a propane diffusion flame. Fuel, 116, 448-454.
- Study on ignition delay of multi-component syngas using shock tube. Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering.
- Imaging based chemiluminescence characterisation of partially premixed syngas flames through DFCD technique. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy(38), 4839-4847.
- Flow characterisation of diffusion flame under non-resonant acoustic excitation. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 45, 227-233.
- Impinging flame ignition and propagation visualisation using Schlieren and colour-enhanced stereo imaging techniques. Fuel.
- Study on laminar flame speed and flame structure of syngas with varied compositions using OH-PLIF and spectrograph. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
- Variation of hydrocarbon compositions and ignition locations on the radiative flame initiation characteristics through multi-dimensional DFCD incorporated image analysis. Fuel.
- Experimental observations of complex flame propagations initiated at different locations of an impingement configuration. Fuel.
- 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.
- Visualization of diffusion flame/Vortex Structure and Dynamics under Acoustic Excitation. Combustion Science and Technology, 184(10-11), 1445-1455.
- Spark characteristics investigation of a gas turbine igniter. Combustion Science and Technology, 184(10-11), 1526-1540.
- Flow characterisation of diffusion flame in a standing wave. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 41, 84-93.
- Nonlinear response of buoyant diffusion flame under acoustic excitation. Fuel: the science and technology of fuel and energy.
- Syngas combustion radiation profiling through spectrometry and DFCD processing techniques. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 37(6), 5257-5267.
- Vortex dynamics and structures of methane/air jet diffusion flames with air coflow. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 37, 84-90.
- Syngas combustion radiation profiling through spectrometry and DFCD processing techniques. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
- Vortex dynamics and structures of methane/air jet diffusion flames with air coflow. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science.
- Wall temperature measurements using a thermal imaging camera with temperature-dependent emissivity corrections. Measurement Science and Technology, 22(12).
- Impact of co-flow air on buoyant diffusion flames flicker. Energy Conversion and Management, 52(8-9), 2996-3003.
- High speed stereoscopic shadowgraph imaging and its digital 3D reconstruction. MEAS SCI TECHNOL, 22(6).
- New insight into the soot nanoparticles in a candle flame. CHEM COMMUN, 47(16), 4700-4702.
- Analysis of the ignition process using a digital image and colour processing technique. MEAS SCI TECHNOL, 22(7).
- 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.
- Dynamic application of digital image and colour processing in characterizing flame radiation features. MEAS SCI TECHNOL, 21(8).
- METHANE DIFFUSION FLAME DYNAMICS AT ELEVATED PRESSURES. COMBUST SCI TECHNOL, 182(3), 231-251.
- Stabilisation Mechanism of a Flickering Methane Diffusion Flame with Co-flow of Air. Engineering Letters, 18(4).
- Digital colour image processing based measurement of premixed CH4 + air and C2H4 + air flame chemiluminescence. Fuel.
- Scattering of typical particles by beam shape in oblique illumination. Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer, 110(14-16), 1375-1381.
- Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy of high-pressure flames. Frontiers of Energy and Power Engineering in China, 3(2), 123-133.
- Fuel variability effect on flickering frequency of diffusion flames. Frontiers of Energy and Power Engineering in China, 3(2), 134-140.
- Diffusion Flame Dynamics at Elevated Pressures. Fuel, 88(2), 264-271.
- Scattering of an eccentric sphere arbitrarily located in a shaped beam. Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 25(12), 2064-2064.
- Analysis and optimization of the stereo-system with a four-mirror adapter. Journal of the European Optical Society-Rapid Publications, 3, 08033-08033.
- Flame colour characterization in the visible and infrared spectrum using a digital camera and image processing. Meas. Sci. Technol., 19(8).
- Flow field and acoustic characteristics of an acoustically forced burner impinging jet. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 123(5_Supplement), 3403-3403.
- Stereo imaging and analysis of a combustion process in a gas turbine combustor. Measurement Science and Technology, 17(12), 3221-3228.
- Effect of flapping trajectories on the dragonfly aerodynamics. Science Bulletin, 51(7), 777-784.
- Three-dimensional reconstruction of free-flying insect based on single camera. Guangxue Xuebao/Acta Optica Sinica.
- Support Vector Machine in Novelty Detection for Multi-channel Combustion Data, 836-843.
- THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION BY FITTING A STEREO ADAPTER IN FRONT OF THE LENS OF A SINGLE HIGH-SPEED CAMERA AND ITS APPLICATION. Journal of Flow Visualization and Image Processing, 12(4), 343-362.
- Chemiluminescent emission measurement of a diffusion flame jet in a loudspeaker induced standing wave. Fuel, 84(14-15), 1760-1767.
- The investigation of sooty flames using terahertz waves. Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, 16(5), 341-345.
- Three dimensional tracking of particles and their local orientations. Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, 16(5), 295-302.
- Stereoscopic imaging and computer vision of impinging fires by a single camera with a stereo adapter. International Journal of Imaging Systems and Technology, 15(2), 114-122.
- Jet diffusion flame characteristics in a loudspeaker-induced standing wave. Combustion and Flame, 142(3), 317-323.
- The study of flame dynamics and structures in an industrial-scale gas turbine combustor using digital data processing and computer vision techniques. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 29(6), 715-723.
- The combined investigation of the flame dynamics of an industrial gas turbine combustor using high-speed imaging and an optically integrated data collection method. Measurement Science and Technology, 15(11), 2303-2309.
- Stereoscopic imaging and reconstruction of the 3D geometry of flame surfaces. Experiments in Fluids, 34(4), 484-493.
- Three-dimensional visualization of diffusion flame shapes under acoustic excitation using stereoscopic imaging and reconstruction technique. Journal of Visualization, 6(4), 329-336.
- The visualization and mapping of turbulent premixed impinging flames. Combustion and Flame, 125(1-2), 839-851.
- Flame patterns of acoustic wave and flame interaction in a cylindrical tube. Journal of Visualization, 4(2), 179-184.
- Spectral Analysis of Combustion Noise and Flame Pattern Recognition. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C: Applied Statistics, 49(4), 509-515.
- Experimental studies of the turbulence structures of impinging reacting jets using time-resolved particle image velocimetry visualisation, hot wire anemometry and acoustic signal processing. Experiments in Fluids, 29(7), S282-S290.
- Modelling of turbulent impinging jet flames. American Society of Mechanical Engineers Pressure Vessels and Piping Division Publication PVP, 424, 227-237.
- Characterization of impinging jet flames. Combustion and Flame, 116(4), 671-674.
- The Modelling and Measurement of Local Flame Surface Orientation inTurbulent Premixed Flames. Combustion Science and Technology, 137(1-6), 347-358.
- Modelling and Simulation of Autoignition Under Simulated Diesel-Engine Conditions. Combustion Science and Technology, 113(1), 205-219.
- Temporally and Spatially Resolved Investigation of Flame Propagation and Extinction in the Vicinity of Walls. Combustion Science and Technology, 113(1), 255-271.
- 2-D Simulation of Turbulent Autoignition with Transient Laminar Flamelet Source Term Closure. Combustion Science and Technology, 105(4-6), 211-227.
- Modelling auto-ignition in a turbulent medium. Symposium (International) on Combustion, 24(1), 421-428.
- Coupling Membrane Dynamics Analysis by High-Speed Imaging and Processing. Journal of Vibration Engineering & Technologies.
- Special Issue: Aviation Alternative Fuels. Aerospace, 1(3), 100-100.
Book chapters
- Combustion Characteristics of Water-In-Diesel (WD) and Ethanol-In-Diesel Droplets, Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering (pp. 459-466). Springer Nature Singapore
- Combustion Phases of Evaporating Fuel Droplet, Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering (pp. 448-451). Springer Nature Singapore
- Stereoscopic schlieren/shadowgraph 3D reconstruction techniques and its applications, 3D Reconstruction Methods Applications and Challenges (pp. 83-105).
- Flame Visualisation Enhancement by Image Processing Techniques In Greated, C, Cosgrove, J & Buick J (Ed.), Optical Methods for Data Processing in Heat and Fluid Flow John Wiley & Sons
Conference proceedings
- Impact of acoustic excitation frequency on laminar premixed flame. ICDERS proceedings. Boston, USA, 30 July 2017 - 30 July 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental Investigation on the flame wrinkle fluctuation under external acoustic excitation. ICDERS Proceedings. Boston, USA, 30 July 2017 - 30 July 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Flame colour analysis for the droplet combustion of water-in-diesel emulsions. 12th HEFAT proceedings (pp 212-217). Costa del Sol, Spain, 11 July 2016 - 11 July 2016. View this article in WRRO
- Quantitative spray analysis of diesel fuel and its emulsions using digital image processing. EFM14 – Experimental Fluid Mechanics 2014, Vol. 92. Czech Republic View this article in WRRO
- High temperature measurement using very high shutter speed to avoid image saturation. Aip Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1592 (pp 246-253)
- Studies of the physical aspects of intumescence using advance diagnostics methods. Aip Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1592 (pp 187-197)
- Study of the flame structure and dynamics using nonintrusive combustion diagnostic techniques. 43rd Fluid Dynamics Conference
- Sensing in sooting flames: THz time-domain spectroscopy and tomography. Proceedings of IEEE Sensors
- 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) (pp 941-950)
- Suppression dynamics of a laminar oscillating diffusion flame with co-flow air. Wce 2010 World Congress on Engineering 2010, Vol. 2 (pp 1421-1426)
- THz spectroscopy through a high-pressure combustion system. 2008 33rd International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter and Terahertz Waves (pp 1-2), 15 September 2008 - 19 September 2008.
- Combined Support Vector Novelty Detection for Multi-channel Combustion Data. 2007 IEEE International Conference on Networking, Sensing and Control (pp 495-500), 15 April 2007 - 17 April 2007.
- Jet diffusion flame properties in acoustic standing wave. 13th International Congress on Sound and Vibration 2006 Icsv 2006, Vol. 1 (pp 606-613)
- Terahertz transmission spectroscopy of high-pressure flames. Joint 30th International Conference on Infrared and Millimeter Waves and 13th International Conference on Terahertz Electronics 2005 Irmmw Thz 2005, Vol. 2 (pp 415-416)
- Stereoscopic visualization and reconstruction of turbulent flames. SPIE Proceedings, Vol. 5006 (pp 327-327)
- Time resolved two-dimensional visualization of flame and wall interactions. INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON OPTICAL METHODS AND DATA PROCESSING IN HEAT AND FLUID FLOW, Vol. 1996(3) (pp 111-120)
- High speed laser sheet tomography of flame and wall interactions. FLOW VISUALIZATION VII (pp 518-523)
- Ignition in turbulent non-premixed systems. Internationale Jahrestagung Fraunhofer Institut Fuer Treib Und Explosivstoffe (pp 27.14)
- Numerical investigation of geometric design effect on micromix hydrogen combustion. Fuel, 401. View this article in WRRO
- 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.
- Teaching interests
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- Advanced Aero Propulsion
- Experiments and Modelling
- Fluids Laboratory and Aero Group Design