Professor Meihong Wang

FIET, CEng, PhD, MSc

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Professor of Energy Systems

Professor Meihong Wang smiles as he stands in the Engineering Heartspace
The department's Professor Meihong Wang.
Profile picture of Professor Meihong Wang smiles as he stands in the Engineering Heartspace
meihong.wang@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 7160

Full contact details

Professor Meihong Wang
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Room F61
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

I lead the Process and Energy Systems Engineering Research Group at University of Sheffield, UK with expertise in modelling, optimisation and control of power plants, carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), energy storage and bio-energy.

I have been an investigator in 27 research projects worth over £20 million from UK Research Councils, European Commission and Industry. I have published over 200 papers and am one of the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world.

One of my publications (Lazic et al. 2014) on CO2 transport pipeline network design for the Humber Region (largest CO2 emitter in the UK) was awarded the Ludwig Mond Prize 2014 by IMechE. The content of this paper was also widely used by a UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) report in 2020 titled “Carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) deployment at dispersed sites”.

The paper on large-scale energy storage (Aneke and Wang, 2016) was given Award for the Most Cited Review Paper in Applied Energy by Elsevier. A research project on applying process intensified techniques for carbon capture, which I led, was runner-up in IChemE Global Award 2019 (Energy Category).

I was Siemens PSE Model-based Innovation (MBI) Prize Winner 2022 for “an excellent work illustrating the use of gPROMS in the modelling, simulation and analysis of a complex process for efficient carbon capture”. I was joint winner of Nigeria Prize for Science 2019 and 2024 (the most important prize in the African Continent) for my long term research contribution to CCUS to combat climate change.

In Sept. 2024, I was elected Fellow of European Academy of Sciences (EurASc). In Jun. 2024, I was elected Fellow of European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA).

Qualifications
  • PhD from Centre for Process Systems Engineering (CPSE) at University College London (UCL) and Imperial College London from Jan. 1999 to Dec. 2001. Viva held in Nov. 2002.
  • MSc from East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), China from Sept. 1992 to Jul. 1995.
  • Diploma from Nanjing Chemical Engineering and Power College (now part of Nanjing Normal University), China from Sept. 1985 to Jul. 1988.
Research interests

Using process systems engineering technologies (e.g. molecular simulation, process modelling\simulation, optimisation and control) to deal with optimal design, optimal operation, optimal control and performance evaluation of energy systems (e.g. power plants, carbon capture plants, CO2 transport pipelines, CO2 utilisation processes, large scale compressed air energy storage processes, biomass pyrolysis and gasification). 

My main research areas is in Process/Energy Systems Engineering for Energy and Environment. The sub areas are:

  • Process Modelling, Simulation, Control and Optimisation
  • Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)
  • Grid-scale Energy Storage
  • Bio-fuel Production
  • Power Plants
  • Refinery Planning and Scheduling
  • Process Control (e.g. Condition Monitoring and System Identification)
Publications

Journal articles

Chapters

Conference proceedings papers

Preprints

Research group

Postdoc Researchers:

  • Dr Toluleke E. Akinola – EPSRC & BEIS & EU - from Mar. 2020 to present
  • Dr Olajide Otitoju – EPSRC & BEIS & EU - from Apr. 2022 to present

Visiting Scholar:

  • Dr Hui Yan – funded by OPTIMAL - from Apr. 2023 to present

Current PhD students:

  • Miss Fahima Al Balushi – Project title: Modelling\Simulation and Analysis of Pyrolysis and Gasification of Biomass and Waste – Sponsor: Oman Government – PhD Duration: Jan. 2019 to Oct. 2023.
  • Mr Mohammad Arishi – Project Title: Solvent-based PCC for NGCC Power Plants – Sponsor: Saudi Arabia Government – PhD Duration: Oct. 2019 to Oct. 2023.
  • Mr YuXing DING – Project Title: CAES integration with ORC and Refrigeration system for efficiency improvement– Sponsor: self-funded – PhD Duration: Feb. 2020 to Feb. 2024.
  • Mr Yide Han – Integrated MSc and PhD – Project Title: Direct Air Capture and CO 2 Utilisation– Sponsor: self-funded – PhD Duration: Oct. 2020 to Sept. 2024.
  • Miss Jiayi Ren – Project: Carbon Capture using solvents for biomass-fired power plant: Sponsor: self-funded - PhD Duration: Feb. 2021 to Feb. 2025
  • Mr Yao Zhang - Project: Modelling and analysis of thermal cracking furnace in ethylene manufacturing: Sponsor: self-funded - PhD Duration: Mar. 2021 to Mar. 2025
  • Mr Shengyuan Huang – Project: Modelling, simulation and analysis of direct air capture system: Sponsor: self-funded - PhD Duration: Jan. 2022 to Dec. 2025
  • Mr Hongchen Liu – Project: Carbon Capture using solvents through process modelling and simulation: Sponsor: self-funded - PhD Duration: Sept. 2022 to Sept. 2026
Grants
  • Dec. 2022 to Jan. 2024 – PI in EPSRC IAA (collaborated with Atkins Global) - Development of direct air capture technology and CO2 conversion to fuel, total budget  £81,799 
  • Sept. 2022 to Feb. 2023 – Co-I in End-to-end system for generation and use of green hydrogen for fuel switching in ceramics manufacturing (PRO- GREEN H2), Dept of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), led by CPI, total £369,883.  
  • Aug. 2021 to Dec. 2025 – Project Coordinator - EU RISE - Smart and CO2 neutral Olefin Production by arTificial Intelligence and MAchine Learning (OPTIMAL), total budget €1.2 million. Grant Agreement No: 101007963. https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101007963       
  • Jan. 2021 to Nov. 2021 - PI in EPSRC IAA with CCS Ltd – Scale-up of RPB Absorber £42,666. 
  • Mar. 2019 to Oct. 2021 – PI in Royal Society – Sino-British Research Fellow (part of Newton International Fellow), China, total £80,332.  
  • Sept. 2018 to Jul. 2021 – PI in Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) UK to host Visiting Prof with Greg Kelsall £29,925 
  • Jan. 2018 to Mar. 2022 Co-I in Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) project – led by CCS Ltd - Advancing RPB Technology for Reduced CO2 Emissions (ARTEMIS), total budget £891 k.
  • Apr. 2017 to Dec. 2022: Co-I of the Consortium UK CCS Research Centre, total budget £6.23 million. EPSRC Ref: EP/P026214/1.
  • Nov. 2016 to Nov. 2019: Co-I of the Consortium (and PI at Sheffield) for EU H2020 Low Carbon Energy: Systematic design and testing of advanced rotating packed bed process and phase change solvents for intensified post-combustion CO2 capture (ROLINCAP), total project budget: €3.2 million. Project ID: 727503 https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/horizon-2020/projects/h2020-energy/carbon-capture-and-storage/rolincap                                           
  • Oct. 2016 to Mar. 2020: Co-I of the Consortium (and PI at Sheffield) for EPSRC funded project: Novel adsorbents applied to integrated energy-efficient industrial CO2 capture, total project budget: £985 k, in collaboration with Heriot-Watt and Newcastle.  EPSRC Ref: EP/N024540/1                                           
  • Oct. 2016 to Jul. 2020: Co-I of the Consortium (and PI at Sheffield) for EPSRC funded project: A compact CO2 capture process to combat industrial emissions, total project budget: £982 k, in collaboration with Edinburgh and Newcastle.  EPSRC Ref: EP/N024672/1                                                                                                
  • Jan. 2015 to Aug. 2018: Co-I of the consortium (and PI at Sheffield) for EPSRC funded project: Novel low energy plasma/catalytic gas cleaning process to deliver high quality syngas from the gasification of waste biomass, total project budget: £912 k, in collaboration with Leeds, Liverpool and Surrey. EPSRC Ref: EP/M013162/1                                                                                                                    
  • May 2015 to Oct. 2016: Co-I (and PI at Hull) for DECC (UK Government) funded project: Process Intensification for carbon capture with new solvents, total £167.5 k                                         
  • Jan. 2015 to Dec. 2018: Co-I (and PI at Sheffield) for EU Horizon 2020 RISE funded project Development of flexible pyrolysis-catalysis processing of waste plastics for selective production of high value products through research and innovation, total €405 k, Proposal Ref: 643322-FLEXI-PYROCAT                                                                                     
  • Oct. 2014 to Jun. 2019: PI for EPSRC funded ‘Process Intensification for Post-combustion Carbon Capture using Rotating Packed Bed through Systems Engineering Techniques’ – total £1.27 million, in collaboration with Imperial College London, Newcastle University. EPSRC Ref: EP/M001458/1 & EP/M001458/2    
  • Jan. 2014 to Nov. 2017: PI in ALSTOM Power sponsored PhD studentship £50,000 Supercritical CO2 Brayton Cycle Feasibility Study – Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Power Conversion System (PCS) Operation.                                           
  • Jan. 2014 to Dec. 2017: Project coordinator: €352.8k funded by EU Marie Curie IRSES. Project title: Research and Development in Coal-fired Supercritical Power Plant with Post-combustion Carbon Capture using Process Systems Engineering techniques (Acronym: R-D-CSPP-PCC-PSE) – Grant Agreement no. PIRSES-GA-2013-612230                                         
  • Jan. 2014 to Jan. 2016: Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China: Scheme - Collaborations between China and Europe for Process Energy Saving: TianJin University and University of Hull won 1.4 million RMB. 
  • Sept. 2013 to Mar. 2015: Co-I for EPSRC Capital Investment on Energy Storage. The successful proposal was led by Prof Richard Williams at the University of Birmingham and coordinated by Dr Jonathan Radcliffe. The total grant is around £3 million. I was the only Co-I outside Birmingham University. EPSRC Ref: EP/L017725/1 
  • Jun. 2010 to Dec. 2014: PI at Cranfield University and Uni. of Hull (due to job move): £332 k from Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) - project title Multiscale whole systems modeling and analysis for CO2 capture, transport and storage. The other partners are Imperial College London, British Geological Survey and University of Sussex. The total project budget is £1.42 million. Ref: NE/H013865/1
  • Oct. 2012 to Dec. 2015: Co-I for Gas-FACTS project: Gas – Future Advanced Capture: Technology Options – EPSRC funded Consortium Proposal by Cranfield/Hull, Edinburgh, Imperial, Leeds and Sheffield - total: £2.46 million. 
  • Mar. 2011 to Dec. 2015: PI: £50 k funded by BF2RA for PhD studentship on dynamic modelling for supercritical coal-fired power plant with carbon capture in collaboration with ALSTOM Power and E.ON UK
  • Oct. 2009 to Sept. 2011: Co-I for EU (Leonardo da Vinci) Agreement No. 2009-1-FR1-LEO05-06761 with project title Distance Skill Transfer Validation Assessment System (DSTVAS) – total: €220 k, PI at Cranfield University. 
  • May 2008 to May 2011: PI £61.828k from EPSRC DTA for PhD studentship - Project title: Dynamic modelling and simulation of Thermal Cracking Furnace in Ethylene plant

Nov. 2007 to Nov. 2010: PI £33.75k funded by RWE npower for PhD project - Project title: Dynamic modelling and simulation of CO2 capture plant.

Professional activities and memberships
  • Invited to be EPSRC Peer Review College Member since 2012. 
  • EPSRC Panelist: (1) Invited to be EPSRC Expert Panel Member for Green Hydrogen Production in 2022; (2) Invited to be EPSRC Panel Member for in Adventures in Energy (sift) in 2015; (3) Invited to be EPSRC Panel Member for Conventional Power Generation in 2014. 
  • Invited to proposal review for Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation in 2022 & EU Horizon 2020 Programme in 2019 & South Africa National Research Foundation in 2016 & proposal review and panel meeting by Norway Research Council in 2017 & proposal reviews by Ghent Univ., Belgium in 2014. 
  • Invited to be Member for EPSRC funded H2FC Supergen Hub Science Board from 2013
  • Invited to be Member of the Science Board of the EPSRC funded Energy Storage Supergen Hub from 2015
  • Invited to be academic Member of the EPSRC funded UK CCS Research Centre (UKCCSRC) from 2012 & Member of UKCCSRC Scientific Council from 2017
  • Invited to be Member of (University of Sheffield) Energy Institute Strategy Group (EISG) from 2020 
  • Invited to be Organising Committee Member for 2nd European Conference on Fuel and Energy Research and Its Applications (FERIA), Sheffield, UK 2023 
  • Invited to be Organising Committee Member and Programme Chair in International Symposium on Smart and Optimal Process Manufacturing, Shanghai, China 2017
  • Invited to be Member of Scientific Committee for 7th International Exergy, Energy and Environment Symposium, (IEEES7) held in France 2015
  • Invited to be Organising Committee Member and Programme Sub-Group Coordinator for 10th European Conference on Coal Research and Its Application (ECCRIA 10) held at University of Hull UK in 2014 
  • Invited to be Member of Science Committee for 22nd European Symposium of Computer-Aided Process Engineering (ESCAPE22) held in London 2012
  • Invited to be Member of Editorial Board for Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering from 2023 to 2026 
  • Invited to be Advisory Board Member and Associate Editor for new (Elsevier and IChemE) journal - Carbon Capture Science & Technology from 2021
  • Invited to be Guest Editor (from 2020 to 2022) for the Journal Applied Energy – Special Issue on “Artificial Intelligence for Smart Energy Systems in Process Industries (AI-Proc2020)” – with Prof Feng Qian and Prof Jinyue Yan
  • Invited to be Advisory Board Member and Guest Editor (from Aug. 2015 to present) for International Journal of Coal Science and Technology
  • Invited to be Advisory Board Member, Guest Editor (from Jan. 2012) and then Associate Editor (from Jan. 2017 to Jul. 2018) for  Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering (IMechE Part E) 
Experience
  • Sept. 2016 to present: Professor of Energy Systems Engineering at The University of Sheffield, UK. 
  • Aug. 2014 to Sept 2016: Professor in Process and Energy Systems Engineering and CCUS at the University of Hull, UK.
  • Oct. 2012 to Jul. 2014: Reader in Process Systems Engineering and CCUS at University of Hull, UK.
  • Sept. 2006 to Sept. 2012: MSc Course Director for Carbon Capture and Transport & Lecturer in Process Systems Engineering at School of Engineering, Cranfield University, UK.
  • Jun. 2004 to Sept. 2006: Senior Engineer at ALSTOM Power Technology Centre, UK.
  • Mar. 2003 to May 2004: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Plymouth.
  • Jan. 1999 to Mar. 2003: Research Assistant and then Postdoctoral Research Fellow at CPSE, Imperial College London, UK.
  • Sept. 1995 to Dec. 1998: Lecturer in Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), China.
  • Aug. 1988 to Aug. 1992: Assistant Process Engineer in Jiangsu Province Chemical Fertilizer Plant, China.