Kent work to reduce the environmental impact of fossil fuel usage was commended at the recent Rushlight Awards for a technological advancement.

The work, led by Professor Yong Yan, Director of Research and Professor of Electronic Instrumentation at the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, enables power stations to automatically detect the types and grades of fuel they are burning by monitoring the flame characteristics. The automated detection of the types and grades of fuel ensures the combustion conditions are optimised constantly, leading to a considerable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The technology, which has been successfully demonstrated on Didcot and Tilbury power stations, was developed as part of a Technology Strategy Board-funded Technology Programme in collaboration with RWE npower and several other industrial organisations.

The practical application of the technology has increasingly significant international potential with the growing use of biomass and other low-quality fuels for power generation. The University is currently working with RWE to ensure this technology will be available globally.

Professor Yong Yan was recently Kuang-Piu Guest Professor at Zhejiang University and Yangtze Scholar Professor at Tianjin University. He currently serves as a member of the editorial boards for Flow Measurement and Instrumentation and Chinese Journal of Scientific Instruments.

Find out more:

• The Rushlight Awards
• Further information on Professor Yong Yan.
• More about the research in the School of Engineering and Digital Arts at the University of Kent.
• See our Nikon Small World research Google Map

Related courses at Kent:

Postgraduate courses (Master's and PhDs)

• Engineering and Digital Arts postgraduate degree programmes

Undergraduate courses (Bachelor's)

• Electronic and Communications Engineering undergraduate degree programmes