Lijun ZHANG is a Professor in the School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation at HUST. He obtained his PhD degree from University of Pretoria in 2016 and his MEng and BEng degrees from Wuhan University in 2012 and 2010, respectively. Prof Zhang started his first Lecturer position at the University of Pretoria in July 2014 and was promoted to permanent Associate Professor in 2019. Thereafter, he joined HUST as a Professor in March 2021. Prof Zhang has extensive experience in the optimization and control of energy systems including railway and passenger vehicles, industrial processes, and renewable energy systems.
His current research focuses on green mobility and improving the energy efficiency of energy systems through modeling, optimization, and control techniques. A particular focus is on eco-driving and energy management of electric vehicles using model predictive control and AI methods. He is a technical signatory for the measurement and verification of energy savings accredited by the South African National Accreditation System and a professional engineer registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa. He is an Associate Editor for the Protection and Control of Modern Power Systems, and a Specialist Editor for the SAIEE Africa Research Journal.
Academic Areas: Image processing and analysis, Pattern Recognition, Machine learning
Research Interests: Biomedical Imaging, Inverse problem, Sparse representation, Deep learning
Academic Degrees
PhD in Electrical Engineering, University of Pretoria, South Africa, 2012.08-2016.08. Supervisor: Prof. Xiaohua XIA
Thesis title: on the energy and separation efficiency of dense medium cyclone coal beneficiation processes
MEng in Control Theory and Engineering, Wuhan University, China, 2010.09-2012.06. Supervisor: Prof. Xiangtao ZHUAN
Thesis title: Optimal energy efficient operation control of heavy haul trains
BEng in Automation, Wuhan University, China, 2006.09-2010.06
Professional Experience
2021.04-present, Professor, School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
2019.01-2021.01, Associate Professor, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
2017.01-2018.12.31, Senior Lecturer, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
2014.10-2019.06, Junior Energy Efficiency Chair, Funded by Exxaro Resources Ltd.
2014.07-2016.12, Lecturer, University of Pretoria.
2013.07-2013.12, Part-time lecturer, University of Pretoria.
Selected Publications
Journal
[J1] Lijun Zhang*, Ambrose Njepu, and Xiaohua Xia. Minimum cost solution to residential energywater nexus through rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling. Journal of Cleaner Production, 298:126742, 20 May 2021.
[J2] Dong Lin*, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Model predictive control of a venlo-type greenhouse system considering electrical energy, water and carbon dioxide consumption. Applied Energy, 298:117163, 2021.
[J3] L. Zhang, X. Ye*, X. Xia, and F. Barzegar. A real-time energy management and speed controller for an electric vehicle powered by a hybrid energy storage system. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 16(10):6272-6280, 2020.
[J4] Dong Lin*, Lijun Zhang*, and Xiaohua Xia. Hierarchical model predictive control of venlo-type greenhouse climate for improving energy efficiency and reducing operating cost. Journal of Cleaner Production, 264:121513, 2020.
[J5] Tawanda Kunatsa, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Biogas potential determination and production optimisation through optimal substrate ratio feeding in co-digestion of water hyacinth, municipal solid waste and cow dung. Biofuels, 0(0):1-11, 2020.
[J6] Mukalu Sandro Masaki, Lijun Zhang*, and Xiaohua Xia. A hierarchical predictive control for supercapacitor-retrofitted grid-connected hybrid renewable systems. Applied Energy, 242:393 - 402, 2019.
[J7] Charles Kagiri, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. A hierarchical optimisation of a compressed natural gas station for energy and fuelling efficiency under a demand response program. Energies, 12(11):1 - 24, 2019.
[J8] Lijun Zhang*, Michael Chennells, and Xiaohua Xia. A power dispatch model for a ferrochrome plant heat recovery cogeneration system. Applied Energy, 227:180-189, 2018.
[J9] Mariam S. Thopil, Ramesh C. Bansal, Lijun Zhang, and G. Sharma. A review of grid connected distributed generation using renewable energy sources in South Africa. Energy Strategy Reviews, 21:88 - 97, 2018.
[J10] Mukalu Sandro Masaki, Lijun Zhang*, and Xiaohua Xia. A design approach for multiple drive belt conveyors minimizing life cycle costs. Journal of Cleaner Production, 201:526 - 541, 2018.
[J11] Charles Kagiri, Evan M. Wanjiru, Lijun Zhang*, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimized response to electricity time-of-use tariff of a compressed natural gas fuelling station. Applied Energy, 222:244 - 256, 2018.
[J12] Farshad Barzegar#, Lijun Zhang#, Abdulhakeem Bello, Ncholu Manyala, and Xiaohua Xia. Three dimensional modelling of the components in supercapacitors for proper understanding of the contribution of each parameter to the final electrochemical performance. J. Mater. Chem. A, 6(36):17481-17487, 2018.
[J13] Lijun Zhang*, Xiaohua Xia, and Bing Zhu. A dual-loop control system for dense medium coal washing processes with sampled and delayed measurements. IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 25(6):2211 - 2218, 2017.
[J14] Maria Michael, Lijun Zhang*, and Xiaohua Xia. An optimal model for a building retrofit with LEED standard as reference protocol. Energy and Buildings, 139:22 - 30, 2017.
[J15] Lijun Zhang* and Xiaohua Xia. Control of industrial systems: Mining industry as a case study. Control Engineering of China, 23:1891-1900, 2016.
[J16] Xiaohua Xia and Lijun Zhang. Industrial energy systems in view of energy efficiency and operation control. Annual Reviews in Control, 42:299 - 308, 2016.
[J17] Evan M. Wanjiru, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Model predictive control strategy of energy-water management in urban households. Applied Energy, 179:821 - 831, 2016.
[J18] Lesiba Mokgonyana, Jiangfeng Zhang, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Coordinated two-stage volt/var management in distribution networks. Electric Power Systems Research, 141:157 - 164, 2016.
[J19] Lijun Zhang and Xiangtao Zhuan. Development of an optimal operation approach in mpc framework for heavy haul trains. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 16(3):1391-1400, 2015.
[J20] Lijun Zhang*, Xiaohua Xia, and Jiangfeng Zhang. Medium density control for coal washing dense medium cyclone circuits. IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 23(3):1117-1122, 2015.
[J21] Xianming Ye, Xiaohua Xia, Lijun Zhang, and Bing Zhu. Optimal maintenance planning for sustainable energy efficiency lighting retrofit projects by a control system approach. Control Engineering Practice, 37:1 - 10, 2015.
[J22] Arnab Chatterjee, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimization of mine ventilation fan speeds according to ventilation on demand and time of use tariff. Applied Energy, 146:65 - 73, 2015.
[J23] Lijun Zhang and Xiangtao Zhuan. Optimal operation of heavy-haul trains equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic brake systems using model predictive control methodology. IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 22(1):13-22, 2014.
[J24] Lijun Zhang*, Xiaohua Xia, and Jiangfeng Zhang. Improving energy efficiency of cyclone circuits in coal beneficiation plants by pump-storage systems. Applied Energy, 119:306 - 313, 2014.
[J25] Lijun Zhang and Xiangtao Zhuan. Braking-penalized receding horizon control of heavy-haul trains. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 14(4):1620-1628, 2013.
[J26] Lijun Zhang and Xiangtao Zhuan. Studies on heavy haul train operation control. Railway Computer Application, 20(2):16-18, 2011.
[J27] Lijun Zhang. Study on the effectiveness of an improved fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm. Silicon Valley, (10), 2009.
[J28] Lijun Zhang. The most popular process control methods: revisit. Science & Technology Association Forum, (12), 2009.
[J29] Lijun Zhang. A color image partition algorithm based on dynamic threshold method. Science & Technology Association Forum, (4), 2009.
Conference
[C1] Lijun Zhang, Xianming Ye, Farshad Barzegar, and Xiaohua Xia. A receding horizon eco-driving strategy for electric vehicles considering traffic flow and signal information. In 11th International Conference on Applied Energy, Västerås, Sweden, 12-15 Aug. 2019.
[C2] Xianming Ye, Lijun Zhang, Xiaohua Xia, and Farshad Barzegar. Optimal battery sizing for a solar home system considering battery operation and capacity loss. In Applied Energy Symposium: Low Carbon Cities & Urban Energy Systems, Xiamen, China, 16-18 October 2019.
[C3] Ambrose Njepu, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimal pump operation for residential water supply system. In 11th International Conference on Applied Energy, Västerås, Sweden, 12-15 Aug. 2019.
[C4] Ambrose Njepu, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. The effects of tank sizing on the operation of residential rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling system. In Applied Energy Symposium: Low Carbon Cities & Urban Energy Systems, Xiamen, China, 16-18 October 2019.
[C5] Jun Mei, Xiaohua Xia, and Lijun Zhang. Dynamic state feedback decoupling of a DX A/C system. In 11th IFAC Symposium on Nonlinear Control Systems, Vienna, Austria, 4-6 Sep. 2019.
[C6] Dong Lin, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Greenhouse climate model predictive control for energy cost saving. In Applied Energy Symposium: Low Carbon Cities & Urban Energy Systems, Xiamen, China, 16-18 October 2019.
[C7] Charles Kagiria, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimal dispatch of grid and natural gas generator power in a scheduled compressed natural gas fuelling station. In 38th Chinese Control Conference, Guangzhou, China, 27-30 Jul. 2019.
[C8] Charles Kagiria, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimal control of a variable speed drive compressor for energy efficiency of a compressed natural gas station. In 1st International Conference on Industrial Artificial Intelligence, Liaoning, China, 23-25 Jul. 2019.
[C9] Farshad Barzegar, Lijun Zhang, Xianming Ye, and Xiaohua Xia. Supercapacitors in a real application. In 6th International Conference on Advanced Capacitors, Shinshu University, Japan, 8-12 September 2019.
[C10] Farshad Barzegar, Lijun Zhang, Abdulhakeem Bello, Ncholu Manyala, and Xiaohua Xia. Three dimension modeling of electrochemical capacitors (supercapacitors. In International Conference on Innovative Applied Energy, Oxford, UK, 14-15 March 2019.
[C11] Danny Mpyana Bajany, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. An optimization approach for shovel allocation to minimize fuel consumption in open-pit mines: Case of heterogeneous fleet of shovels. In 18th IFAC Symposium on Control, Optimization and Automation in Mining, Mineral and Metal Processing, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 28 -30 August 2019.
[C12] Lumbumba T.E. Nyamayoka, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Feasibility study of embedded piezoelectric generator system on a highway for street lights electrification. In Applied Energy Symposium and Summit 2018: Low carbon cities and urban energy systems, Shanghai, China, 5-7 Jun. 2018.
[C13] Ambrose Njepu, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimal tank sizing and operation of energy-water supply systems in residences. In Applied Energy Symposium and Forum, REM2018: Renewable Energy Integration with Mini/Microgrid, Rhodes, Greece, 28-30 Sep. 2018.
[C14] Charles M. Kagiri, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Receding horizon operation control of a compressed natural gas station. In 10th International Conference on Applied Energy, Hong Kong, China, 22-25 Aug. 2018.
[C15] Rohan Goddard, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimal sizing and power sharing of distributed hybrid renewable energy systems considering socio-demographic factors. In Applied Energy Symposium and Forum, REM2018: Renewable Energy Integration with Mini/Microgrid, Rhodes, Greece, 28-30 Sep. 2018.
[C16] Tiaan Gildenhuys, Lijun Zhang, Xianming Ye, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimization of the operational cost and environmental impact of a multi-microgrid system. In 10th International Conference on Applied Energy, Hong Kong, China, 22-25 Aug. 2018.
[C17] Lijun Zhang, Xiaohua Xia, and Farshad Barzegar. Control of a battery/supercapacitor energy storage system for electric vehicles. In 36th Chinese Control Conference, Dalian, China, 2017.
[C18] Lumbumba T.E. Nyamayoka, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimal power management for grid connected piezoelectric energy harvesting system with battery. In Control Conference Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2017.
[C19] Mukalu S. Masaki, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Hierarchical power flow control of a grid-tied photovoltaic plant using a battery-supercapacitor energy storage system. In Applied Energy Symposium and Forum REM2017: Renewable Energy Integration with Mini/Microgrid, Tianjin, China, 2017.
[C20] Mukalu S. Masaki, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Cost optimsation design approach for multiple drive belt conveyors. In 36th Chinese Control Conference, Dalian, China, 2017.
[C21] Mukalu S. Masaki, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. A comparative study on the cost-effective belt conveyors for bulk material handling. In 9th International Conference on Applied Energy, Cardiff, United Kingdom, 2017.
[C22] Charles M. Kagiri, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Compressor and priority panel optimization for an energy efficient CNG fuelling station. In 2017 Asian Control Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, 2017.
[C23] Charles Kagiri, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimization of a compressed natural gas station operation to minimize energy cost. In 9th International Conference on Applied Energy, Cardiff, United Kingdom, 2017.
[C24] Charles Kagiri, Lijun Zhang, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimal energy cost management of a CNG fuelling station. In Control Conference Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2017.
[C25] Farshad Barzegar, Damilola Momodu, Lijun Zhang, Xiaohua Xia, and Ncholu Manyala. Design and characterization of asymmetric supercapacitor useful in hybrid energy storage system for electric vehicles. In Control Conference Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2017.
[C26] Lijun Zhang, Michael Chennells, and Xiaohua Xia. Economic dispatch of a grid-connected cogeneration ferrochrome plant. In 8th International Conference on Applied Energy, Beijing, China, 08-11 Oct 2016.
[C27] Lijun Zhang, Xiaohua Xia, and Bing Zhu. Magnetite and water addition control for a dense medium coal washing circuit. In 2015 Chinese Automation Congress, pages 1744-1749, Wuhan, China, 27-29 Nov 2015.
[C28] Lijun Zhang and Xiaohua Xia. An integer programming approach for truck-shovel dispatching problem in open pit mines. In 7th International Conference on Applied Energy, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 28-31 March 2015.
[C29] Lijun Zhang and Xiaohua Xia. Coal washing plant cyclone module control with a pump-storage system. In 2015 34th Chinese Control Conference, pages 1185-1190, Hangzhou, China, 28-30 July 2015.
[C30] Lijun Zhang and Xiaohua Xia. An optimization model for reducing energy usage of coal washing plants. In 2014 International Conference on Applied Energy, Taipei, Taiwan, 30 May - 02 June 2014.
[C31] Lijun Zhang and Xiaohua Xia. A model predictive control for coal beneficiation dense medium cyclones. In 19th World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control, volume 19, pages 9810-9815, Cape Town, South Africa, 24-29 August 2014.
[C32] Arnab Chatterjee, Xiaohua Xia, and Lijun Zhang. Optimisation of mine ventilation fan speeds on demand. In 2014 International Conference on the Industrial and Commercial Use of Energy, Cape Town, South Africa, 18 - 20 August 2014.
[C33] Lijun Zhang, Qi Li, and Xiangtao Zhuan. Energy-efficient operation of heavy haul trains in an mpc framework. In 2013 International Conference on Intelligent Rail Transportation, Beijing, China, 30 August - 01 September 2013.
[C34] Lijun Zhang and Xiangtao Zhuan. The fence on the mpc of heavy haul trains. In 2012 Chinese Control and Decision Conference, Taiyuan, China, 23 - 25 May 2012.
[C35] Lijun Zhang, Meng Xu, Yuling Fan, and Xiangtao Zhuan. Models and control methodologies of heavy haul trains toward energy efficiency: a survey. In 2012 Chinese Control and Decision Conference, Taiyuan, China, 23 - 25 May 2012.
[C36] Yuling Fan, Lijun Zhang, and Xiangtao Zhuan. Design and implementation of a synchronized threephase electricity acquisition module. In 10th World Congress on Intelligent Control and Automation, Beijing, China, 6 - 8 July 2012.
[C37] Xiangtao Zhuan, Lijun Zhang, and Jiahua Guo. Optimal operation scheduling of a pump station. In 2011 Chinese Control and Decision Conference, Mianyang, China, 23 - 25 May 2011.
[C38] Lijun Zhang, Xiangtao Zhuan, and Xiaohua Xia. Optimal operation of heavy haul trains using model predictive control methodology. In 2011 IEEE International Conference on Service Operations, Logistics, and Informatics, Beijing, China, 10 - 12 July 2011.
[C39] Lijun Zhang, Xukai Gao, and Xiangtao Zhuan. Design and implementation of a vision based fourwheeled line track robot. In 2010 WASE International Conference on Information Engineering, Beidaihe, China, 14 - 15 August 2010
Projects
Projects led as principal investigator
[1].2018-2020 Energy management and control of electric vehicles funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. Grant number:114141.
[2].2018-2020 Design and maintenance optimisation for large-scale PV arrays funded by the UK Royal Academy of Engineering. Grant number: IAPP-17/18.
[3].2018-present Train energy and dynamic simulation funded by the Transnet SOC Ltd.
[4].2017-present Knowledge Interchange and Collaboration funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. Grant number: 110374.
[5].2017-present Research Development Programme Fund from the University of Pretoria. Grant number: A0Z785.
[6].2014-2017 Junior Chair on Energy Efficiency for industrial processes funded by Exxaro Resources Ltd. Grant number: T5907/03.
Projects participated
[1].2015-2017 Energy efficiency operation optimisation of water resources in a dam river system, NRF South Africa/MOST China joint science and technology research collaboration project. Grant number: 97965.
[2].2015-present Modelling, optimization and control for industrial energy efficiency and performance evaluation, NRF THRIP & Industry project. Grant number: 96431.
[3].2010-2012 Energy efficient operation control of heavy haul trains，National Natural Science Foundation, China. Grant number: 60904036.
[4].2014-2017 Modeling, simulation, optimal design, and operation control of multi-drive conveyor belts.
[5].2013-2016 Energy and separation efficiency improvement of coal beneficiation processes.
[6].2013-2016 Energy efficiency improvement of ventilation systems in underground mines.
[7].1/2021-12/2024, "Theory and Algorithms on Singal Recovery in Super-resolution Microscopy Imaging", National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC), Grant No. 62071197.
[8].1/2017-12/2021, "CBCT Reconstruction Using Optimized Multiple Regularizations", National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC), Grant No. 61672253.
[9].1/2014-12/2017, "PET Image Blind Segmentation", National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC), Grant No. 61375018.
