Horst Complex

dr. T. Zhu (Tingting)

Assistant Professor
ET-TFE-TE
Horst Complex N215
t.zhu@utwente.nl
+31534898823
Business card

Dr. Zhu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Thermal and Fluid Engineering at the University of Twente. Her research focuses on Sustainable Heat Pump and Refrigeration Technologies, covering refrigerant thermodynamics, component and system optimization, and integration into 4th and 5th generation district heating networks, industrial high-temperature processes, and hybrid renewable energy systems. She was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow (H.C. Ørsted COFUND) at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), where she advanced zeotropic refrigerant–based heat pump systems and led the development of a multifunctional heat pump testing platform. She have a strong academic background in Heat Transfer, Thermodynamics, and Thermal Engineering, which forms the basis of her research on efficient and low-carbon thermal energy systems.

Sustainable Heat Pump and Refrigeration Technologies (SuperHP)

                                        

Expertise

  • Physics

    • Performance
    • Arrays
    • Air
    • Heat Pipe

  • Engineering

    • Micro Heat Pipe
    • Air Collector
    • Thermal Energy Storage
    • Heat Transfer

Organisations

Dr. Zhu’s research advances next-generation heat pump technologies for sustainable and efficient heating and cooling. Her work focuses on the thermodynamics and performance of natural refrigerant–based zeotropic mixtures, aiming to accelerate their application from fundamental understanding to practical implementation. She also explores the integration of heat pumps with renewable and low-carbon energy systems, and studies heat transfer and frost formation to enhance efficiency, reliability, and system performance.

  • Advanced Heat Pump Technologies: Exploring the thermodynamics and performance of sustainable refrigerants, particularly zeotropic mixtures, to enhance the efficiency and applicability of next-generation heat pump systems.
  • Integrated Heat Pump Systems: Advancing the integration of heat pumps with renewable energy sources into flexible, low-carbon energy networks, including district heating, data center cooling, industrial processes, and waste heat recovery applications.
  • Heat Transfer and Frost Formation: Understanding and mitigating frost formation on evaporator surfaces to improve system efficiency and reliability.
  • Thermal Functional Materials for Heat Transfer: Developing advanced materials, components, and designs to enhance the performance of thermal components, energy conversion processes, and systems.

Publications

2025

Optimization research to minimize fuel consumption/ NOx emission of a two-stroke low speed marine diesel engine (2025)International Journal of Engine Research, 26(11), 1726-1741. Shen, Z., Pan, Y., Zhou, H., Zhang, D. & Zhu, T.https://doi.org/10.1177/14680874251331307Micro-CT investigation of urea crystal structures for frost analysis (2025)International journal of thermal sciences, 214. Article 109893. Labuschagne, A., Zhu, T. & Rohlfs, W.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2025.109893A comprehensive review of key technologies for the development of oil-free single screw compressors (2025)Applied thermal engineering, 269(Part A). Article 126003. Ma, X., Du, Y., Li, B., Wu, Y., Zhang, C. & Zhu, T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.126003Materials and flow fields of bipolar plates in polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis: A review (2025)Energy Reviews, 4(2). Article 100132. Wang, Y., Wang, Z., Qiao, J., Li, H., Wang, X., Cao, B., Zhu, T., Zhang, B. & Wang, M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enrev.2025.100132Heat transfer characteristics of flat-plate micro heat pipes with integrated copper foam for aerospace thermal management (2025)Applied thermal engineering, 263. Article 125319. Wang, G., Chen, Y., Yu, W., Hu, T., Su, H. & Zhu, T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.125319Parametric Study and Optimization of a New Type of Solar Air Collector Employing Flat Micro Heat Pipe Arrays (2025)Journal of thermal science and engineering applications, 17(3). Article 031009. Wang, X., Diao, Y., Wang, Z., Pan, Y., Zhao, Y., Li, Y., Wang, T. & Zhu, T.https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4067633

2024

Advancing gasoline vapor recovery in oil depots: Integrating cooling and adsorption technologies (2024)Energy, 313. Article 133823. Liang, J., Sun, L., Cheng, C., Wang, K., Zhu, T. & Li, T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2024.133823Booster heat pump with drop-in zeotropic mixtures applied in ultra-low temperature district heating system (2024)Energy, 305. Article 132292. Zhu, T., Vieren, E., Liang, J., Thorsen, J. E., De Paepe, M., Lecompte, S. & Elmegaard, B.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2024.132292A comprehensive review of compression high-temperature heat pump steam system: Status and trend (2024)International journal of refrigeration, 164, 218-242. Ma, X., Du, Y., Zhao, T., Zhu, T., Lei, B. & Wu, Y.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2024.04.024Allocation optimization of two-stage compression-absorption heat exchanger (2024)International journal of heat and fluid flow, 107. Article 109396. Hua, J., Wang, J. & Zhu, T.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2024.109396

Research profiles

Somelinks:
4TU Event:Energy Transition in Building | Hackathon & Workshop (2025.9.3-9.4)
Report on a two-day hackathon and workshop on Energy Transition in Buildings

Address

University of Twente

Horst Complex (building no. 20), room N215
De Horst 2
7522 LW Enschede
Netherlands

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Organisations

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