Supervisors: Dr Gang Lu and Professor Yong Yan, School of Engineering and Digital Arts

Advanced flame monitoring is highly desirable for combustion efficiency improvement and emission control. This PhD research programme aims to understand and optimise the emissions and combustion conditions on a multi flamed heat recovery boiler using flame spectrometry. An advanced flame monitoring system based on imaging devices and optical spectrometers will be developed to monitor the flames in the boiler and hence to quantify the efficiency and emissions of the burners. A range of flame characteristic parameters, including flame temperature, oscillation frequency, colour features and radical concentrations, will be measured. A complete system (both hardware and software) will be designed and implemented. After experimental evaluations on combustion test rigs under controlled conditions, the system will be scaled up for plant trials on a heat recovery water tube boiler which recovers the energy in the exhaust gas from two gas turbines. Correlations between the measured flame characteristics and the burner efficiency and emission data will be established. The operability and applicability of the technology for on-line continuous optimisation of full-scale plants will be appraised.

We are looking for an excellent student with a strong first degree or Master degree in engineering, computer science or related areas relevant to the PhD topic.

Principally based at Kent, it is also envisaged that the student will visit industrial partners from time to time.

Funding Details: Funding will cover fees at the home rate of £4,052 together with a maintenance stipend of £14,057.

Start date:  1 October 2015

Length of Award: 3 years

Eligibility: Open to UK and overseas applicants

Enquiries:  Any enquiries relating to the project should be directed to Dr Gang Lu g.lu<στο>kent.ac.uk or Professor Yong Yan y.yan<στο>kent.ac.uk.

Application:  Apply for a PhD online at http://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply-online/262and specify the research topic “Emissions and ideal combustion measurement through advanced flame monitoring”