Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Plasma and Energy Conversion

Dr. Yaping Du is Professor in Building Environment and Energy Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) since 2012, after serving as Associate (2002–2012) and Assistant Professor (1995–2001), and Director of the PolyU-China Southern Power Grid Joint Research Institute for the Green and Secure Power Grid. With a Ph.D. from USC (1994), M.Sc./B.Sc. from Shanghai Jiaotong University (1987/1984), and CEng/MIEE (1997) credentials, he excels in lightning protection, electromagnetic compatibility, and high-voltage engineering. By 2025, his funded projects—government-backed on plasma-catalyst CO2/CH4 conversion and lightning surge modeling, industry collaborations with Huawei, MTR, and Shenzhen Power Supply Bureau on EMI shielding and urban shock protection—yielded more than 100 publications.Dr. Cheng Zhang (M’13–SM’16) was born in Jiangsu, China, in 1982. He received the Ph.D. degree in high-voltage and insulation technology from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China, in 2011. He is currently Professor with the Institute of Electrical Engineering, CAS. From 2015 to 2016, he was Visiting Scholar with the Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Ohio State University. His current research interests include gas discharge and applications. Dr. Zhang is IET Fellow and IEEE Senior Member.Dr. Xiangen Zhao received his Ph.D. degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and is currently Research Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research focuses on plasma-based technologies for CO2 utilization, aiming to contribute to global carbon neutrality and to develop oxygen production solutions for Mars habitats. By 2025, Dr. Zhao authored or co-authored over 20 papers on high-impact international peer-reviewed journals as the first or corresponding author. He received the Young Researcher Award at the 2023 International Colloquium on Lightning and Power Systems and XVII International Symposium on Lightning Protection and the Young Scientist Diploma at both the 35th and 36th International Conference on Lightning Protection.Shuai Zhang, Ph.D./Postdoctoral Fellow, graduated from Dalian University of Technology with a degree in plasma physics in 2016. Currently, he works as Associate Researcher and Master's Degree Supervisor at the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research interests include plasma source technology and its energy conversion, as well as applications in the fields of disinfection and sterilization. By 2025, he hosted over 10 national-level scientific research projects, published over 40 academic papers, and delivered invited reports at international academic conferences 20 times. He served as Youth Secretary of the Plasma and Applications Special Committee of the China Electrotechnical Society. He received the Second Prize of Natural Science from the Ministry of Education and the Outstanding Young Scholar Award of the Plasma and Applications Special Committee of the China Electrotechnical Society.

• 1. Study on Gas Production Characteristics of Transformer Oil Cracking under Power-Frequency AC Voltage.- 2. The Modeling of Transfer Potential between Independent Grounding Grids under Arc Faults in Low Voltage Distribution Grids.- 3. Analysis of Direct Lightning-Induced Faults in Low-Voltage Distribution Networks and Safety Assurance Optimization.- 4. An analysis method for mechanical fault signals of GIS equipment under low-sampling-rate conditions.- 5. Research on Detection of GIS Partial Discharge Defects Based on YOLOv8.