Dr Danlei Yang
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Dr Danlei Yang is a Lecturer in Energy Systems and Engineered Fluids. Her academic background is in power engineering and engineering thermophysics, specialising in heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and advanced thermodynamic cycles. Her interdisciplinary research also integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twin (DT) technologies to address complex challenges in advanced intelligent energy systems.
She has gained research experience at Xi’an Jiaotong University, University College London, King’s College London, Cranfield University, and City St George’s, University of London. Her research includes supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) power generation and energy storage, compressed air energy storage, AI-enabled digital twins for floating solar systems, bio-inspired hydrofoils developed using physics-informed neural networks (PINNs), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and experimental methods, as well as heat exchanger design, flow and heat transfer in microchannels, and combustion. She has secured more than £50,000 in competitive research funding as a Principal Investigator (PI). Her research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Energy Conversion and Management, Energy, and Solar Energy. She also serves as a Youth Editorial Board Member of Carbon Neutrality.
Dr Yang is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and contributes to the teaching of Energy in Built Environment, Engineering Design I, and Digital Twins for Engineering at the university. She also has experience in supervising PhD, MSc, and undergraduate students.
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Journal articles (24)
- Yang, D., Mi, C., Lyu, X., Xie, Y., Luo, Z. and Huang, L. (2026). Real-time machine learning-driven digital twin framework of a floating solar system in waves. Energy Conversion and Management, 356, pp. 121373-121373. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121373
- Yang, D.L., Wang, J.H., Tang, G.H. and He, W. (2026). Renewable-powered high-temperature compressed air energy storage to accelerate grid decarbonization. Cell Reports Sustainability, 3(4), pp. 100639-100639. doi:10.1016/j.crsus.2026.100639
- Yang, D., Wang, Y., Wang, J., Rui, Z. and He, W. (2026). Protocol for evaluating the economic viability of adiabatic compressed air energy storage systems. STAR Protocols, 7(1), pp. 104382-104382. doi:10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104382
- Yang, D., Shi, W., Aliseda, J., Gerval, N., Rathakrishnan, S., Ibrahim, K.... Huang, L. (2026). Digital twins for a floating photovoltaic system with experimental data mining and artificial intelligence modelling. Solar Energy, 305, pp. 114249-114249. doi:10.1016/j.solener.2025.114249
- Yang, D., Wang, Y., Wang, J., Rui, Z. and He, W. (2025). Cost-reducing adiabatic compressed air energy storage for long duration energy-storage applications. iScience, 28(12), pp. 113967-113967. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2025.113967
- Li, X., Tang, G., Yang, D. and Fan, Y. (2025). A Direct Method to Evaluate the Effects of Heat Exchanger Performances on Efficiency of Brayton Cycles. Kung Cheng Je Wu Li Hsueh Pao Journal of Engineering Thermophysics, 46(10), pp. 3285-3292
- Lyu, X., Mi, C., Collions, S., Chen, W., Yang, D. and Huang, L. (2025). Design and experimental tests for novel shapes of floating OWC wave energy converters with the additional purpose of breakwater. Ocean Engineering, 328, pp. 121031-121031. doi:10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.121031
- Huang, L., Elzaabalawy, H., Sarhaan, M., Sherif, A., Ding, H., Ou, B.... Cerik, B.C. (2025). Developing reliable floating solar systems on seas: A review. Ocean Engineering, 322, pp. 120525-120525. doi:10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.120525
- Li, X.L., Tang, G.H., Yang, D.L. and Fan, Y.H. (2024). Performance evaluation of heater and recuperator in Brayton cycles for power and energy storage. Applied Thermal Engineering, 244, pp. 122739-122739. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.122739
- Li, X.L., Yu, X.Y., Liu, P.T., Fan, Y.H., Yang, D.L. and Tang, G.H. (2023). S-CO2 flow in vertical tubes of large-diameter: Experimental evaluation and numerical exploration for heat transfer deterioration and prevention. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 216, pp. 124563-124563. doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2023.124563
- Yang, D.L., Tang, G.H., Sheng, Q., Li, X.L., Fan, Y.H., He, Y.L.... Luo, K.H. (2023). Effects of multiple insufficient charging and discharging on compressed carbon dioxide energy storage. Energy, 278, pp. 127901-127901. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2023.127901
- Fan, Y.H., Tang, G.H., Sheng, Q., Li, X.L. and Yang, D.L. (2023). S–CO2 cooling heat transfer mechanism based on pseudo-condensation and turbulent field analysis. Energy, 262, pp. 125470-125470. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2022.125470
- Li, X.L., Li, G.X., Tang, G.H., Fan, Y.H. and Yang, D.L. (2023). A generalized thermal deviation factor to evaluate the comprehensive stress of tubes under non-uniform heating. Energy, 263, pp. 125710-125710. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2022.125710
- Yang, D.L., Tang, G.H., Luo, K.H., Fan, Y.H., Li, X.L. and Sheng, Q. (2022). Integration and conversion of supercritical carbon dioxide coal-fired power cycle and high-efficiency energy storage cycle: Feasibility analysis based on a three-step strategy. Energy Conversion and Management, 269, pp. 116074-116074. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2022.116074
- Fan, Y.H., Tang, G.H., Li, X.L. and Yang, D.L. (2022). General and unique issues at multiple scales for supercritical carbon dioxide power system: A review on recent advances. Energy Conversion and Management, 268, pp. 115993-115993. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2022.115993
- Yang, D.L., Tang, G.H., Li, X.L. and Fan, Y.H. (2022). Capacity-dependent configurations of S–CO2 coal-fired boiler by overall analysis with a unified model. Energy, 245, pp. 123246-123246. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2022.123246
- Li, X.L., Tang, G.H., Fan, Y.H. and Yang, D.L. (2022). A performance recovery coefficient for thermal-hydraulic evaluation of recuperator in supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle. Energy Conversion and Management, 256, pp. 115393-115393. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2022.115393
- Fan, Y.H., Yang, D.L., Tang, G.H., Sheng, Q. and Li, X.L. (2022). Design of S–CO2 coal-fired power system based on the multiscale analysis platform. Energy, 240, pp. 122482-122482. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2021.122482
- Li, X.L., Tang, G.H., Yang, D.L., Fan, Y.H. and Xu, J.L. (2021). Thermal-hydraulic-structural evaluation of S–CO2 cooling wall tubes: A thermal stress evaluating criterion and optimization. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 170, pp. 107161-107161. doi:10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2021.107161
- Li, X.L., Wang, S.Q., Yang, D.L., Tang, G.H. and Wang, Y.C. (2021). Thermal-hydraulic and fouling performances of enhanced double H-type finned tubes for residual heat recovery. Applied Thermal Engineering, 189, pp. 116724-116724. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.116724
- Fan, Y.H., Tang, G.H., Yang, D.L., Li, X.L. and Wang, S.Q. (2020). Integration of S-CO2 Brayton cycle and coal-fired boiler: Thermal-hydraulic analysis and design. Energy Conversion and Management, 225, pp. 113452-113452. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2020.113452
- Yang, D.L., Tang, G.H., Fan, Y.H., Li, X.L. and Wang, S.Q. (2020). Arrangement and three-dimensional analysis of cooling wall in 1000 MW S–CO2 coal-fired boiler. Energy, 197, pp. 117168-117168. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2020.117168
- Li, X.L., Tang, G.H., Fan, Y.H., Yang, D.L. and Wang, S.Q. (2019). Numerical Analysis of Slotted Airfoil Fins for Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger in S-CO2 Brayton Cycle. Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 5(4). doi:10.1115/1.4043098
- Fan, Y.H., Tang, G.H., Li, X.L., Yang, D.L. and Wang, S.Q. (2019). Correlation evaluation on circumferentially average heat transfer for supercritical carbon dioxide in non-uniform heating vertical tubes. Energy, 170, pp. 480-496. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2018.12.151