Dr Huayong Zhao

Background

Dr Huayong Zhao is interested in multiphase fluid flows and their application in energy systems and beyond. 

His research journey starts in 2007 at University of Macau where he did the final year project in experimental study of flow in micro-channels under the guidance of Prof. Lap Mou Tam. He then moved to University of Oxford in 2008 as a doctoral researcher to work on the experimental characterisation of combustion processes and emissions in hydrogen-hydrocarbon flames under the guidance of Prof. Richard Stone. 

In 2012, he joined the Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University as a postdoc researcher to work on the flow and heat transfer processes in spray cooling. He then took the position of lecturer in Fluid Mechanics in 2014, and later senior lecturer in 2021, to continue his research in multiphase fluid flows. 

Qualifications and awards

• 2008 - 2012 Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Science, University of Oxford  
• 2004 - 2008 Bachelor of Science in Electromechanical Engineering, University of Macau 

Research interests

Dr Huayong Zhao is interested in multi-phase fluid flows and their applications in energy systems and beyond. Recent projects deal with: 

• Out-of-equilibrium kinetics in intense evaporation processes: heat transfer through evaporation is extremely efficient and is essential for thermal management of high energy density systems. As the evaporation rate increases, the out-of-equilibrium kinetics which are commonly ignored in existing modelling tools become increasingly more important and need to be properly counted for. I am interested in accurate and efficient ways to couple these microscale kinetics into existing macroscale hydrodynamic analysis tools to model intense evaporation processes occurring in practical macroscopic configurations.
  Relevant publications: J. Fluid Mech., 958, A18, 2023; Int. J. Heat Mass Transf., 228, 125629, 2024. 

• Evaporation of metastable liquid: when a liquid is subject to intense heating with little disturbance and pre-existing exposures to gas, it can remain to be in (metastable) liquid state at temperatures significantly higher than the saturation temperature, i.e. superheated liquid. I am interested in the condition required for the existence of such metastable liquids, their properties, and the intense phase-change process when the evaporation eventually occurs.
  Relevant publications: Int. J. Heat Mass Transf., 181, 121877, 2021; Int. J. Heat Mass Transf., 143, 118575, 2019. 

• Mechanisms of boiling: boiling is explored extensive in practical applications for many decades to transfer heat away from a hot surface. Accurate modelling of boiling is extremely challenging due to the intense and seemingly chaotic nucleation processes and the multiple orders of magnitudes in space and time involved in the process. I am interested in probing into the fundamental mechanisms of boiling through advanced optical diagnostic techniques, the required effective data post-processing and analysis methodologies, and ways to capture these mechanisms in macroscopic modelling.
  Relevant publications: Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 104, 174-187, 2018;  Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 105, 74-83, 2018. 

• Applications of phase-change processes and multiphase flows: thermal management, energy conversation etc.
  Relevant publications: Appl. Therm. Eng., 232, 120997, 2023; Appl. Therm. Eng., 191, 116896, 2021. 

Grants and Contracts

• 2024 – 2025, Industrial funding, high temperature flow boiling (PI)
• 2023 – 2027, Advanced Propulsion Centre, APC23 – A flexible net zero hybrid power system for off highway applications (CI).  
• 2019 – 2024, Industrial funding, Two-Phase Evaporative Cooling (PI).
• 2016 – 2021, Advanced Propulsion Centre, APC5 - Cryogenic Engines for Mobile Zero Emission Power (PI).
• 2021 – 2022, Industrial funding, Contact Thermal Resistance (CI).
• 2016 – 2018, Advanced Propulsion Centre, APC3 - Advanced Systems for Carbon Emission Reduction through New Technology (CI).
• 2013 – 2015, InnovateUK, COOL-E waste heat recovery using a liquid nitrogen engine (CI). 

Current teaching responsibilities

• WSA800 Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
• WSB802 Fluid Mechanics 2
• WSB112 Engineering Science 2 (fluid mechanics session)
• WSB800 Thermodynamics 2 
• WSC801 Advanced Heat Transfer

Current administrative responsibilities

• Mitigation Claim panel member. 

Selected Publications

• Christodoulou, F., Sechenyh, V., Zhao, H.*, Garner, C., & Clarke, H. (2021). Performance of a Novel Liquid Nitrogen Power System. Applied Thermal Engineering, 191. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.116896.
• Sechenyh, V., Christodoulou, F., Zhao, H*., Garner, C., & Fennell, D. (2021). The Effect of Heat Exchange Fluid Composition on the Performance of a Liquid Nitrogen Engine System. Energies, 14(5). doi:10.3390/en14051474.
• Rebelo, N., Zhao, H.*, Nadal, F., Garner, C., & Williams, A. (2019). Evaporation of liquid nitrogen droplets in superheated immiscible liquids. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 143. doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2019.118575.
• Zhao, P.*, Hargrave, G., Versteeg, H., Garner, C., Reid, B. A., Long, E., & Zhao, H. (2018). The dynamics of droplet impact on a heated porous surface. Chemical Engineering Science, 190, 232-247. doi:10.1016/j.ces.2018.06.030.
• Zhao, H.*, & Williams, A. M. (2018). Predicting the critical heat flux in pool boiling based on hydrodynamic instability induced irreversible hot spots. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 104, 174-187. doi:10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2018.02.021.
• Zhao, H.*, & Bhabra, B. (2018). Experimental Investigation of the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instabilities of Cylindrical Gas Columns in Viscous Fluids. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 105, 74-83. doi:10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2018.03.017.

External collaborators (industrial)

• Caterpillar
• Air Product

External collaborators (academic)

• University of Oxford
• University of Twente