Secondary aerosol formation from engine exhaust emissions. This project aims to investigate the role of reactive volatile organic compounds from vehicles using alternative fuels in the formation and evolution of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). Expected outcomes of the project include greatly improved understanding of the mechanisms and precursors of SOA formation. The benefits should provide the knowledge needed to set vehicle emission regulations that can properly control urban air pollution ....Secondary aerosol formation from engine exhaust emissions. This project aims to investigate the role of reactive volatile organic compounds from vehicles using alternative fuels in the formation and evolution of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). Expected outcomes of the project include greatly improved understanding of the mechanisms and precursors of SOA formation. The benefits should provide the knowledge needed to set vehicle emission regulations that can properly control urban air pollution episodes because the mechanisms and precursors of its formation will be better understood. The project will also provide an experimental framework that will guide policy formulation and provide the science needed for development of strategies to improve air quality and health.Read moreRead less
CoopEcoSafe: a new cooperative, green and safe driving system. Road transport plays a vital role in our economy but generates huge costs in road trauma and greenhouse gases. Eco-driving has been trialed as a cost-effective approach to reducing fuel consumption, but little research has examined its effects on safety. This research brings together disciplines of road safety, psychology and engineering to address the fundamental question: how can mobility be greener while being safer? It develops: ....CoopEcoSafe: a new cooperative, green and safe driving system. Road transport plays a vital role in our economy but generates huge costs in road trauma and greenhouse gases. Eco-driving has been trialed as a cost-effective approach to reducing fuel consumption, but little research has examined its effects on safety. This research brings together disciplines of road safety, psychology and engineering to address the fundamental question: how can mobility be greener while being safer? It develops: a new theoretical model that optimises environmental and safety outcomes; new persuasive in-vehicle Human Machine Interface supported by cooperative Intelligent Transport System; and, comprehensive benefits evaluation. This research will bring major improvements to both road safety and energy use. Read moreRead less
Making best use of biofuels – understanding the interactions between alcohol and hydrocarbon fuels in engine combustion. Biofuels are increasingly used as blending components for transport fuels. Biofuels possess much different chemical structures from conventional fuels, and can therefore interact with hydrocarbon fuels during engine combustion processes and consequently affect engine efficiency and emissions. This project aims to investigate the chemical interactions between representative com ....Making best use of biofuels – understanding the interactions between alcohol and hydrocarbon fuels in engine combustion. Biofuels are increasingly used as blending components for transport fuels. Biofuels possess much different chemical structures from conventional fuels, and can therefore interact with hydrocarbon fuels during engine combustion processes and consequently affect engine efficiency and emissions. This project aims to investigate the chemical interactions between representative compounds of biofuels (ethanol) and fossil fuels (n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene) during engine autoignition processes. The outcomes will fill a significant gap in our understanding for biofuel combustion chemistry, essential for building predictive combustion models, and will guide the best use of the precious Australian biofuel resources to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Read moreRead less
An Innovative Powertrain Architecture and Optimal Energy Management for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technologies will significantly reduce the dependence of vehicles on fossil fuels, thereby reducing their emissions of carbon and other pollutants. The project will produce new knowledge in automotive engineering, software tools for vehicle design and a novel powertrain architecture with key components almost ready for commercial application. The research will ....An Innovative Powertrain Architecture and Optimal Energy Management for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technologies will significantly reduce the dependence of vehicles on fossil fuels, thereby reducing their emissions of carbon and other pollutants. The project will produce new knowledge in automotive engineering, software tools for vehicle design and a novel powertrain architecture with key components almost ready for commercial application. The research will directly contribute to the use of green energy and the reduction of vehicles' harmful environmental impacts. The nation will benefit from new economic activity, such as increased exports of automotive parts and components, and from strengthening its position as a world leader in reducing carbon emissions.Read moreRead less
Investigating the coupled dependencies of soot in turbulent flames by advanced laser diagnostics and modelling. The community will benefit from the project by reduced air pollution and improved health and safety. Soot is a major air pollutant, adversely effecting public health, while also contributing directly to global warming. It also dominates heat transfer and influences the emissions of NOx and CO2. The project will significantly advance detailed understanding and modelling capability of fl ....Investigating the coupled dependencies of soot in turbulent flames by advanced laser diagnostics and modelling. The community will benefit from the project by reduced air pollution and improved health and safety. Soot is a major air pollutant, adversely effecting public health, while also contributing directly to global warming. It also dominates heat transfer and influences the emissions of NOx and CO2. The project will significantly advance detailed understanding and modelling capability of flames containing soot. Hence it will provide significantly improved capability to optimise these flames in applications spanning gas turbines, power generation, minerals processing and fires.Read moreRead less
Wide Speed Range, Inverterless, Constant Current Mode Alternator. Increasing auxiliary electric power demands in cars due to proposed new features such as electromechanical valves and active suspension has created a pressing need for a higher power car alternator. There has also been a continuing need for improved alternators for small-scale renewable energy generation such as wind turbines. These applications require the lowest possible cost solution which meets the challenging technical spec ....Wide Speed Range, Inverterless, Constant Current Mode Alternator. Increasing auxiliary electric power demands in cars due to proposed new features such as electromechanical valves and active suspension has created a pressing need for a higher power car alternator. There has also been a continuing need for improved alternators for small-scale renewable energy generation such as wind turbines. These applications require the lowest possible cost solution which meets the challenging technical specifications. Present research in this area is focussed on expensive inverter-based methods. We propose a low-cost, "inverterless" alternator configuration based on a specially-designed interior permanent magnet machine operating in a new current source mode.Read moreRead less
A Fundamental Study on Redox Behaviour of Oxygen Carriers in Chemical Looping Combustion. Our goal here is to acquire fundamental knowledge about the redox behaviour of metal oxide oxygen carriers which, arguably, underpins the feasibility of the Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) concept. Although the proposed work is fundamental and will contribute to the advancement of knowledge, the results will have immediate practical applications in power generation industry at both national and internatio ....A Fundamental Study on Redox Behaviour of Oxygen Carriers in Chemical Looping Combustion. Our goal here is to acquire fundamental knowledge about the redox behaviour of metal oxide oxygen carriers which, arguably, underpins the feasibility of the Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) concept. Although the proposed work is fundamental and will contribute to the advancement of knowledge, the results will have immediate practical applications in power generation industry at both national and international levels. This should significantly contribute to the Australian Government's efforts in producing world class solutions for abatement of greenhouse emissions (Research Priority 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, Priority Goal 1.4 - Reducing and capturing emissions in transport and energy generation).Read moreRead less
Quantitative analysis of dynamic performance of vehicles with uncertain system parameters and road inputs. Ride comfort, road holding and stability of on-road vehicles are not only important quality indicators but major public health and safety issues. To accurately predict and prevent unsafe motions of a vehicle under all circumstances is still a major technological challenge. The research, which aims to develop a novel design theory, presents a significant step forward in tackling the challeng ....Quantitative analysis of dynamic performance of vehicles with uncertain system parameters and road inputs. Ride comfort, road holding and stability of on-road vehicles are not only important quality indicators but major public health and safety issues. To accurately predict and prevent unsafe motions of a vehicle under all circumstances is still a major technological challenge. The research, which aims to develop a novel design theory, presents a significant step forward in tackling the challenge in the quantitative performance analysis of vehicles with various uncertainties. The acquired knowledge will assist engineers in developing safer vehicles and also benefit the aeronautical, military and other transportation industries. The wider community would benefit by potentially reduced death rates and fatal injuries caused by car crashes.Read moreRead less
Dual input clutchless power-shifting transmission for hybrid vehicles. This project studies a newly proposed clutchless power-shifting transmission (CPT) for hybrid and electric vehicle applications. It aims to design new methods and actuators for power-on gear change to realise the best possible performance of the CPT, and through simulation and experimentation evaluate the system performance and response under both steady state and transient conditions. The proposed transmission is expected to ....Dual input clutchless power-shifting transmission for hybrid vehicles. This project studies a newly proposed clutchless power-shifting transmission (CPT) for hybrid and electric vehicle applications. It aims to design new methods and actuators for power-on gear change to realise the best possible performance of the CPT, and through simulation and experimentation evaluate the system performance and response under both steady state and transient conditions. The proposed transmission is expected to significantly reduce the efficiency losses present in modern vehicles and establish new techniques for achieving gear and mode changes that do not rely on friction clutches. It is anticipated that these novel technologies will provide new direction for developing the next generation of very high efficiency automotive power train technologies.Read moreRead less
Ignition Mechanisms and Flame Evolution of Single Particles and Clouds of Pulverised Coal under Microgravity Condition. Gravity obscures some of the most subtle phenomena that are key to answering outstanding questions today, including combustion phenomena. The main scientific benefit from this fundamental research stems from the fact that it addresses far-reaching issues that transcend the boundaries of combustion science. It provides a rare opportunity to observe and understand the fundamental ....Ignition Mechanisms and Flame Evolution of Single Particles and Clouds of Pulverised Coal under Microgravity Condition. Gravity obscures some of the most subtle phenomena that are key to answering outstanding questions today, including combustion phenomena. The main scientific benefit from this fundamental research stems from the fact that it addresses far-reaching issues that transcend the boundaries of combustion science. It provides a rare opportunity to observe and understand the fundamental phenomena of combustion beyond the limitation of gravity on the earth surface, thus enriching our body of knowledge in this area. This new knowledge will provide a foundation for tomorrow's combustion science and technology.Read moreRead less