Dr Donglin Zhao
About
Biography
Dr Donglin Zhao is currently a Lecturer in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Surrey. Before joining Surrey in September 2024, he held academic positions at several UK universities, including Brunel University London, the University of Nottingham, and London South Bank University. Dr Zhao brings over 20 years of teaching and research experience in UK higher education.
ResearchResearch interests
Dr Zhao has broad research interests in fundamental mass and heat transfer in multiphase systems, including mass transfer in jet loop reactors, liquid macro- and micro-mixing in stirred tanks, and boiling heat-transfer enhancement. His current research focuses on flow assurance in pipelines, wastewater treatment, and green process development. He has developed strong collaborative links with industrial and academic partners across the UK, China, Nigeria, and Egypt.
He has supervised dozens of MSc and PhD students and published over 60 papers in high-impact journals and prestigious conferences. He co-authored the book “Hydrodynamics of Gas-Liquid Reactors - Normal Operation and Upset Conditions”, ISBN-13: 978-0-470- 74771-1, 344 Pages, John Wiley & Sons, July 2011.
Research interests
Dr Zhao has broad research interests in fundamental mass and heat transfer in multiphase systems, including mass transfer in jet loop reactors, liquid macro- and micro-mixing in stirred tanks, and boiling heat-transfer enhancement. His current research focuses on flow assurance in pipelines, wastewater treatment, and green process development. He has developed strong collaborative links with industrial and academic partners across the UK, China, Nigeria, and Egypt.
He has supervised dozens of MSc and PhD students and published over 60 papers in high-impact journals and prestigious conferences. He co-authored the book “Hydrodynamics of Gas-Liquid Reactors - Normal Operation and Upset Conditions”, ISBN-13: 978-0-470- 74771-1, 344 Pages, John Wiley & Sons, July 2011.
Teaching
Level 5 module Separation Processes 1 & HYSYS
Level 6 module Separation Processes 2/Refinery Separation Processes
Level 6 module Energy and Industrial Systems
Level 6 module Design Project
Level 7 module Biomass Process Technology
Publications
•Novel experimental investigation of wax deposition behaviour in pipelines with varying curvature.•Demonstration of higher deposition rates in curved pipes compared to straight pipes.•Integration of bend parameters into a new correlation model for wax deposition prediction.•Highlighting the underestimated effects of Brownian diffusion and gravity settling on wax deposition.•Contribution to advancing the understanding of wax deposition phenomena. This study investigates the intricate phenomenon of wax deposition in oil pipelines, with a primary focus on enhancing the understanding of wax deposition mechanisms. Special attention is given to the role of pipe curvature in influencing these deposition processes, exploring how bends in pipeline structures may alter the behaviour of wax deposition, potentially leading to operational challenges. A novel flow rig was designed and commissioned to simulate wax deposition in straight pipes and pipes with 45° and 90° bends at both horizontal and inclined positions. The objective of the work is to quantify the impact of flow parameters, such as the temperature and flow rate, on wax buildup under different pipe configurations. The results demonstrate that the temperature and flow rate are critical factors influencing wax deposition processes. Specifically, lower temperatures (ranging from 10 °C to 30 °C) and laminar flow conditions (Re
A mechanistic model on catalyst deactivation by coke formation in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) has been developed in the paper. Catalyst deactivation by coke formation was treated as a surface reaction. Four reaction mechanisms representing coke formation through different routes were proposed. The evolved system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) was solved numerically using MATLAB. This approach was validated by applying it to the skeletal isomerization of 1-pentene over ferrierite. Simulation results were compared qualitatively to those obtained from the literature. Simulation results indicated that coke formation is an extremely rapid process with fast formation of coke components on the strongest acid sites leading to final coke. The coke deposition is slower at higher residence times resulting in more stable product formation and weaker deactivation. The results obtained from this work revealed that the developed model is indeed able to successfully demonstrate the most essential features of catalyst deactivation by coke formation and are in agreement with the findings in the literature. Future work is aimed to extend the study to different reactors such as a plug flow reactor, in addition to analysis of the reaction system's sensitivity to variables such as temperature and pressure.