Dr Mark Williamson

My area of interest is the development of sensors for the control of industrial processes in which the water vapour content of the system affects the product quality and/or the process efficiency. This includes baking (food), drying (paper, textiles, ceramics) and boilers (steam generation, space heating). A second area of research is the development of heating systems for tunnel ovens and driers. Commercial CFD software (ANSYS CFX) is being used in conjunction with full-size prototype testing to develop optimised gas-fired heating systems. Our aim is to develop a system in which radiant and convective heat transfer to products travelling on a conveyor can be independently adjusted over a wide range without affecting the simultaneous control of water vapour concentration in the atmosphere surrounding the product.