Staff profile

Zhiwei Ma received PhD (2012) from Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics in Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. He then worked as Research Associate in Department of Materials Science and Engineering in Sheffield University (2013-2014) and Sir Joseph Swan Centre for Energy Research in Newcastle University (2015-2017). He was promoted to Senior Research Associate in 2018 before joining Durham University in 2019. 

Zhiwei’s main researches are thermal energy storage, low-grade heat utilization, and novel thermodynamic cycle development for heating, cooling, dehumidification and power generation. He was given a prestigious award, the Sadi Carnot Award by International Institute of Refrigeration in 2019 for his contributions to the low-grade heat utilisation.

• Low grade heat recovery
• Thermal driven heating, cooling, dehumidification and power generation
• Adsorption heat pump, energy storage and carbon capture
• Thermal energy storage
• Passive PCM thermal management
• Solid-liquid two phase flow and heat transfer

Chapter in book

• Ling-Chin, J., Bao, H., Ma, Z., Taylor, W., & Roskilly, A. P. (2018). State-of-the-Art Technologies on Low-Grade Heat Recovery and Utilization in Industry. In I. H. Al-Bahadly (Ed.), Energy conversion : current technologies and future trends (55-74). IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.78701

Conference Paper

• Ma, Z., Bao, H., Ameen, T., Smallbone, A., & Roskilly, T. (2019, December). Impact of different packed bed heat storage technologies on the performance of a pumped heat energy storage system. Presented at Sustainable Thermal Energy Management International Conference, Hangzhou, China
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, T. (2018, December). Development of Empirical Correlations for Predicting Moisture and Enthalpy Effectiveness of Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification Process. Presented at International Conference of Cryogenics and Refrigeration, Shanghai, China
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, T. (2018, December). Feasibility Study of Seasonal Solar Thermal Energy Storage using Ammonia Chemisorption in Domestic Dwellings in the UK. Presented at International Conference on Cryogenics and Refrigeration, Shanghai, China
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, T. (2017, December). Principle investigation on advanced absorption power generation cycle. Presented at Sustainable Thermal Energy Management International Conference, Alkmaar, Netherlands
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, T. (2017, December). Study on solidification process of sodium acetate trihydrate for seasonal solar thermal energy storage. Presented at Sustainable Thermal Energy Management International Conference, Alkmaar, Netherlands
• Bao, H., Ma, Z., & Roskilly, T. (2017, December). A chemisorption power generation cycle with multi-stage expansion driven by low grade heat. Presented at Sustainable Thermal Energy Management International Conference, Alkmaar, Netherlands
• Bao, H., Ma, Z., Yuan, Y., & Roskilly, T. (2016, December). An optimized chemisorption cycle for electric energy storage and low grade heat recovery. Presented at Heat Powered Cycles Conference, Nottingham, UK
• Zhang, P., Ma, Z., Ye, J., & Bai, Z. (2015, December). Experimental investigation of rheological characteristics of phase change material slurries. Presented at Sustainable Thermal Energy Management International Conference, Newcastle, UK
• Bao, H., Ma, Z., & Rokilly, T. (2015, December). Analysis and comparison of pumpless organic Rankine cycle and thermochemical sorption power generation. Presented at Sustainable Thermal Energy Management International Conference, Newcastle, UK
• Zhang, P., Ma, Z., Shi, X., & Wang, R. (2012, December). Solid concentration distribution of TBAB clathrate hydrate slurry in a storage tank. Presented at 6th Asian Conference on Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Xi'an, China
• Zhang, P., & Ma, Z. (2012, December). Measurement of thermal conductivity of TBAB CHS by inclusion of the effect of phase change. Presented at 10th IIR Conference on Phase-Change Materials and Slurries for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Kobe, Japan
• Ma, Z., Zhang, P., & Wang, R. (2011, December). Performance of A Cold Storage Air-Conditioning Aystem Using Tetrabutylammonium Bromide Clathrate Hydrate Slurry. Presented at Proceedings of the World Renewable Energy Congress – Sweden, 8–13 May, 2011, Linköping, Sweden
• Zhang, P., Ma, Z., & Nie, D. (2010, December). Determination of the thermal properties of TBAB clathrate hydrate slurry and aqueous solution. Presented at 9th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies, Shanghai, China
• Ma, Z., Zhang, P., & Wang, R. (2010, December). Energy saving of TBAB CHS air-conditioning system. Presented at 9th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies, Shanghai, China
• Zhang, P., Ma, Z., & Wang, R. (2010, December). Forced flow and convective heat transfer of phase change material slurry in the heat exchangers. Presented at 14th International Heat Transfer Conference, Washington, USA

Journal Article

• Bhowmik, M., Giampieri, A., Bean, J., Paul Roskilly, A., & Ma, Z. (2025). Feasibility of a heat pump-assisted liquid desiccant system for continuous dehumidification and regeneration in temperate oceanic climatic greenhouses. Energy Conversion and Management, 323(A), Article 119256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2024.119256
• Meibodi, S. S., Ma, Z., Roskilly, A. P., & Bao, H. (2025). Dynamic modelling and performance analysis of compressor-assisted thermochemical sorption for seasonal solar thermal energy storage. Chemical Engineering Science, 301, Article 120739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2024.120739
• Mettrick, A. J., & Ma, Z. (2024). Integrating phase change materials in buildings for heating and cooling demand reduction – A global study. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, 63, Article 105337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2024.105337
• Koley, S., Bao, H., Roskilly, A. P., & Ma, Z. (2024). Experimental parametric evaluation of adsorption characteristics for silica gel - water based open-bed system for seasonal thermal energy storage. Journal of Energy Storage, 89, Article 111812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2024.111812
• Chen, S., Wang, R., Bao, H., Roskilly, A. P., & Ma, Z. (2023). Numerical investigation of form-stable composite phase change material for battery passive cooling. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, 50, Article 103410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2023.103410
• Giampieri, A., Machado, Y., Ling-Chin, J., Roskilly, A. P., & Ma, Z. (2023). A techno-economic investigation of conventional and innovative desiccant solutions based on moisture sorption analysis. Heliyon, 9(8), Article e18825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18825
• Ameen, M. T., Ma, Z., Smallbone, A., Norman, R., & Roskilly, A. P. (2023). Experimental study and analysis of a novel layered packed-bed for thermal energy storage applications: A proof of concept. Energy Conversion and Management, 277, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2022.116648
• Grimaldi, K., Najjaran, A., Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, T. (2023). Dynamic Modelling and Experimental Validation of a Pneumatic Radial Piston Motor. Energies, 16(4), Article 1954. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041954
• Ameen, M. T., Ma, Z., Smallbone, A., Norman, R., & Roskilly, A. P. (2023). Demonstration system of pumped heat energy storage (PHES) and its round-trip efficiency. Applied Energy, 333, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120580
• Najjaran, A., Meibodi, S., Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, T. (2023). Experimentally Validated Modelling of an Oscillating Diaphragm Compressor for Chemisorption Energy Technology Applications. Energies, 16(1), Article 489. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010489
• Chen, D., Chen, X., Ma, Z., Wang, Y., Roskilly, A. P., & Zhou, J. (2022). Experimental Study of LiCl/LiBr-Zeolite Composite Adsorbent for Thermochemical Heat Storage. Buildings, 12(11), Article 2001. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12112001
• Giampieri, A., Ma, Z., Ling-Chin, J., Smallbone, A. J., & Roskilly, A. P. (2022). A techno-economic evaluation of low-grade excess heat recovery and liquid desiccant-based temperature and humidity control in automotive paint shops. Energy Conversion and Management, 261, Article 115654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2022.115654
• Giampieri, A., Ma, Z., Ling-Chin, J., Bao, H., Smallbone, A. J., & Roskilly, A. P. (2022). Liquid Desiccant Dehumidification and Regeneration Process: Advancing Correlations for Moisture and Enthalpy Effectiveness. Applied Energy, 314, Article 118962. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.118962
• Albert, M., Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2022). Operation and performance of Brayton Pumped Thermal Energy Storage with additional latent storage. Applied Energy, 312, Article 118700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.118700
• Giampieri, A., Ma, Z., Ling-Chin, J., Roskilly, A., & Smallbone, A. (2022). An overview of solutions for airborne viral transmission reduction related to HVAC systems including liquid desiccant air-scrubbing. Energy, 244(Part A), Article 122709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.122709
• Thinsurat, K., Ma, Z., Roskilly, A. P., & Bao, H. (2022). Compressor-assisted thermochemical sorption integrated with solar photovoltaic-thermal collector for seasonal solar thermal energy storage. Energy Conversion and Management: X, 15, Article 100248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2022.100248
• Du, Z., Deng, S., Zhao, L., Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Zhao, J. (2021). A high-throughput computational screening of potential adsorbents for a thermal compression CO2 Brayton cycle. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 2021(5), 1415-1428. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0se01538e
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2020). Electricity-assisted thermochemical sorption system for seasonal solar energy storage. Energy Conversion and Management, 209, Article 112659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2020.112659
• Giampieri, A., Ling-Chin, J., Ma, Z., Smallbone, A., & Roskilly, A. (2020). A review of the current automotive manufacturing practice from an energy perspective. Applied Energy, 261, Article 114074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.114074
• Giampieri, A., Ma, Z., Chin, J. L., Smallbone, A., Lyons, P., Khan, I., Hemphill, S., Roskilly, A. P., & Bao, H. (2019). Techno-economic analysis of the thermal energy saving options for high-voltage direct current interconnectors. Applied Energy, 247, 60-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.003
• Wang, R., Jiang, L., Ma, Z., Gonzalez-Diaz, A., Wang, Y., & Roskilly, A. (2019). Comparative Analysis of Small-Scale Organic Rankine Cycle Systems for Solar Energy Utilisation. Energies, 12(5), Article 829. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12050829
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2019). Seasonal solar thermal energy storage using thermochemical sorption in domestic dwellings in the UK. Energy, 166, 213-222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.10.066
• Yuan, Y., Bao, H., Ma, Z., Lu, Y., & Roskilly, A. P. (2019). Investigation of equilibrium and dynamic performance of SrCl2-expanded graphite composite in chemisorption refrigeration system. Applied Thermal Engineering, 147, 52-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.10.071
• Thinsurat, K., Bao, H., Ma, Z., & Roskilly, A. P. (2019). Performance study of solar photovoltaic-thermal collector for domestic hot water use and thermochemical sorption seasonal storage. Energy Conversion and Management, 180, 1068-1084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2018.11.049
• Giampieri, A., Ma, Z., Smallbone, A., & Roskilly, A. P. (2018). Thermodynamics and economics of liquid desiccants for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning - An overview. Applied Energy, 220, 455-479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.03.112
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2018). Feasibility study of seasonal solar thermal energy storage in domestic dwellings in the UK. Solar Energy, 162, 489-499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2018.01.013
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2017). Numerical study of a hybrid absorption-compression high temperature heat pump for industrial waste heat recovery. Frontiers in Energy, 11(4), 503-509. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-017-0515-1
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2017). Study on solidification process of sodium acetate trihydrate for seasonal solar thermal energy storage. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 172, 99-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2017.07.024
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2017). Principle investigation on advanced absorption power generation cycles. Energy Conversion and Management, 150, 800-813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.02.078
• Bao, H., Ma, Z., & Roskilly, A. P. (2017). A chemisorption power generation cycle with multi-stage expansion driven by low grade heat. Energy Conversion and Management, 150, 956-965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.07.032
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2017). Thermodynamic modelling and parameter determination of ejector for ejection refrigeration systems. International Journal of Refrigeration, 75, 117-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2016.12.005
• Bao, H., Ma, Z., & Roskilly, A. P. (2017). An optimised chemisorption cycle for power generation using low grade heat. Applied Energy, 186(3), 251-261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.06.080
• Bao, H., Ma, Z., & Roskilly, A. P. (2017). Chemisorption power generation driven by low grade heat – Theoretical analysis and comparison with pumpless ORC. Applied Energy, 186, 282-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.01.022
• He, J., Liu, Y., Ma, Z., Deng, S., Zhao, R., & Zhao, L. (2017). A Literature Research on the Performance Evaluation of Hydrate-based CO 2 Capture and Separation Process. Energy Procedia, 105, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.867
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2017). Dynamic modelling and experimental validation of scroll expander for small scale power generation system. Applied Energy, 186, 262-281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.08.025
• Ma, Z., Bao, H., & Roskilly, A. P. (2016). Performance analysis of ultralow grade waste heat upgrade using absorption heat transformer. Applied Thermal Engineering, 101, 350-361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2016.02.002
• Bao, H., Ma, Z., & Roskilly, A. P. (2016). Integrated chemisorption cycles for ultra-low grade heat recovery and thermo-electric energy storage and exploitation. Applied Energy, 164, 228-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.11.052
• Zhang, P., Ma, Z., Bai, Z., & Ye, J. (2016). Rheological and energy transport characteristics of a phase change material slurry. Energy, 106, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2016.03.025
• Ma, Z., Zhang, P., Bao, H., & Deng, S. (2016). Review of fundamental properties of CO 2 hydrates and CO 2 capture and separation using hydration method. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 53, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.09.076
• Zhang, P., Xiao, X., & Ma, Z. (2016). A review of the composite phase change materials: Fabrication, characterization, mathematical modeling and application to performance enhancement. Applied Energy, 165, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.12.043
• Zhang, P., Ma, Z., Shi, X., & Xiao, X. (2014). Thermal conductivity measurements of a phase change material slurry under the influence of phase change. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 78, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2013.11.013
• Zhang, P., Ma, Z., & Nie, D. (2014). Experimental Investigation of Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in the Generation of Clathrate Hydrate Slurry. Heat Transfer Engineering, 35(6-8), https://doi.org/10.1080/01457632.2013.837762
• Ma, Z., & Zhang, P. (2013). Influence of crystal layer on the flow and heat transfer characteristics during TBAB CHS generation in a double-tube heat exchanger. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 68, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2013.01.008
• Zhang, P., Shi, X., & Ma, Z. (2013). Solid fraction determination in cold storage by tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide clathrate hydrate slurry. International Journal of Refrigeration, 36(3), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2012.11.012
• Ma, Z., & Zhang, P. (2013). Pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide clathrate hydrate slurry during flow melting and generating in a double-tube heat exchanger. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 44, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2012.06.012
• Ma, Z., & Zhang, P. (2013). Modeling the heat transfer characteristics of flow melting of phase change material slurries in the circular tubes. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 64, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2013.05.026
• Ma, Z., & Zhang, P. (2012). Pressure drops and loss coefficients of a phase change material slurry in pipe fittings. International Journal of Refrigeration, 35(4), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2012.01.010
• Zhang, P., & Ma, Z. (2012). An overview of fundamental studies and applications of phase change material slurries to secondary loop refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(7), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.03.059
• Zhang, P., Ma, Z., & Wang, R. (2011). Experimental Investigation of the Hydraulic and Thermal Performance of a Phase Change Material Slurry in the Heat Exchangers. Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications, 3(1), https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4003666
• Ma, Z., & Zhang, P. (2011). Pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of clathrate hydrate slurry in a plate heat exchanger. International Journal of Refrigeration, 34(3), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2010.12.022
• W. Ma, Z., Zhang, P., & Z. Wang, R. (2011). Review of Recent Patents on Ice Slurry Generation. Recent Patents on Engineering, 5(2), https://doi.org/10.2174/187221211796320756
• Ma, Z., Zhang, P., Wang, R., Furui, S., & Xi, G. (2010). Forced flow and convective melting heat transfer of clathrate hydrate slurry in tubes. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 53(19-20), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2010.04.025
• Zhang, P., Ma, Z., & Wang, R. (2010). An overview of phase change material slurries: MPCS and CHS. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 14(2), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2009.08.015