Yang Zhang

Professor Yang Zhang holds the Chair of Combustion and Energy at the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Sheffield. His research laboratory specializes in combustion and advanced flow diagnostics, featuring lab-scale burners, a 1 MW industrial gas turbine combustor, and a high-pressure test burner capable of operating up to 20 bar with specialized optical windows.

Dr. Zhang received his BEng from Zhejiang University, China and PhD from Cambridge University's Engineering Department. Following postdoctoral work as a Research Fellow at Darwin College, Cambridge on European automotive projects (IDEA and IDEA EFFECT), he held positions at UMIST and the University of Manchester before joining Sheffield.

• Specializes in digital image and signal processing of flame dynamics
• Investigates flame and acoustic wave interactions
• Studies combustion instability mechanisms
• Develops innovative flow diagnostics techniques
• Researches clean coal combustion technologies
• Explores future energy systems

His recent publications (2022-2025) demonstrate continued focus on combustion diagnostics, thermoacoustics, alternative fuels, and biomass combustion. The work shows strong emphasis on advanced imaging techniques including hyperspectral and thermal imaging, with applications spanning from fundamental flame dynamics to practical fire safety and energy systems.

Professor Zhang has secured multiple research grants including:

• Clean Energy Utilisation from Biogas and Biomass Gasification (EPSRC)
• Fuel Variability Effect on Combustion Stability (BP Alternative Energy)
• GT100 Combustor Test (Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery)
• Intumescent Paint Under Fire Impingement (International Paint Ltd.)

His laboratory maintains strong capabilities in high-speed imaging, stereo imaging, and signal processing, with particular expertise in analyzing flame dynamics and structure. The research has significant applications in gas turbine technology, alternative fuels, and fire safety engineering.