An integrated modelling approach for efficient management of irrigated landscapes. Northern Victoria's irrigators use a substantial portion of water from the Murray-Darling Basin, which is under mounting pressure to satisfy competing economic, social and environmental needs for water in the face of climate change. Up to 20 per cent of this water may be on-farm surface runoff and deep percolation, with poorly known spatial distributions. This project will provide reliable temporally and spatially ....An integrated modelling approach for efficient management of irrigated landscapes. Northern Victoria's irrigators use a substantial portion of water from the Murray-Darling Basin, which is under mounting pressure to satisfy competing economic, social and environmental needs for water in the face of climate change. Up to 20 per cent of this water may be on-farm surface runoff and deep percolation, with poorly known spatial distributions. This project will provide reliable temporally and spatially distributed information on surface runoff and deep percolation for Northern Victoria irrigation regions. This will inform decisions which improve water use efficiency, agricultural productivity and environmental values through optimisation of irrigation infrastructure and by better management of groundwater resources and salinity.Read moreRead less
Paving the way: an experimental approach to the mathematical modelling and design of permeable pavements. The intelligent use of permeable pavements will enable restoration of degraded land corridors. Collection and treatment of stormwater via filtration through porous media will improve water quality in urban environments and will also control flooding. The integration of ecology and urban living will present a revolutionary way to revitalize cities.
Derivation of Emissions Models for Commercial Vehicles. This research project will develop emissions models for commercial vehicles that are capable of modelling changes in driver behaviour. Second by second emissions data from certification tests will be disaggregated into their component phases of acceleration, cruise, deceleration and idle. The emissions characteristics of these phases will be established and analysed to produce empirical models of emissions per unit time versus mode of opera ....Derivation of Emissions Models for Commercial Vehicles. This research project will develop emissions models for commercial vehicles that are capable of modelling changes in driver behaviour. Second by second emissions data from certification tests will be disaggregated into their component phases of acceleration, cruise, deceleration and idle. The emissions characteristics of these phases will be established and analysed to produce empirical models of emissions per unit time versus mode of operation. These models will then be able to describe the changes in emission characteristics under different commercial vehicle operating modes for a range of commercial vehicle types.Read moreRead less
Multiscale physics for enhanced oil recovery. The project aims to develop a multiscale mathematical and laboratory modelling methodology for combined enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and CO2 storage, and synthesise the technology for Santos’s Mulberry oilfield as a test case. The multidisciplinary team will develop advanced reservoir- and laboratory-scale mathematical models and novel laboratory methods to enhance the reliability of modern EOR and CO2 storage and increase its uptake by companies in A ....Multiscale physics for enhanced oil recovery. The project aims to develop a multiscale mathematical and laboratory modelling methodology for combined enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and CO2 storage, and synthesise the technology for Santos’s Mulberry oilfield as a test case. The multidisciplinary team will develop advanced reservoir- and laboratory-scale mathematical models and novel laboratory methods to enhance the reliability of modern EOR and CO2 storage and increase its uptake by companies in Australia and globally. The expected outcomes are a pioneering methodology with environmental benefits without additional drilling and reduction of greenhouse effect, and economic benefit to the Australian oil industry through increases in productivity.Read moreRead less
New nanotechnology controlling wettability in unconventional gas reservoirs. This project aims to develop new nanoparticle technologies to change rock wettability and significantly increase gas production from shale and coal seam gas fields. The project plans to use a unique combination of new theoretical models for suspension transport in fractures and innovative mathematical modelling supported by laboratory studies and validated against field results, to test and develop the new strategies fo ....New nanotechnology controlling wettability in unconventional gas reservoirs. This project aims to develop new nanoparticle technologies to change rock wettability and significantly increase gas production from shale and coal seam gas fields. The project plans to use a unique combination of new theoretical models for suspension transport in fractures and innovative mathematical modelling supported by laboratory studies and validated against field results, to test and develop the new strategies for Australian gas fields. The project is expected to improve understanding of complex physical phenomena associated with natural gas production and to deliver economic benefit to the Australian gas industry.Read moreRead less
Sewer Monitoring and Management in the Digital Era. Overflow, flooding, corrosion, and odorous emissions are persistent issues for utilities managing sewers. Current sewer maintenance is reactive, and focuses on solving problems in local networks, despite that optimal solutions require a system-wide approach. Capitalising on recent development in IoT sensors, wireless transmission, and machine learning, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop digital-twin supported data analytics for proa ....Sewer Monitoring and Management in the Digital Era. Overflow, flooding, corrosion, and odorous emissions are persistent issues for utilities managing sewers. Current sewer maintenance is reactive, and focuses on solving problems in local networks, despite that optimal solutions require a system-wide approach. Capitalising on recent development in IoT sensors, wireless transmission, and machine learning, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop digital-twin supported data analytics for proactive sewer management including network-wide real-time control. The project aims to generate significant social, environmental and economic benefits by enabling utilities to better protect public and environmental health, reduce sewer odour and greenhouse gas emissions, and extend sewer asset life.Read moreRead less
Strategic integration of renewable energy systems into the electricity grid. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that 'warming of the climate system is unequivocal' and there is high probability it is anthropogenic. In response to the growing awareness of climate change, there is an expansion in Australia in the use of renewable energy resources in electricity generation, albeit from a low base. The various renewable energy systems have differing patterns of availability and vol ....Strategic integration of renewable energy systems into the electricity grid. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that 'warming of the climate system is unequivocal' and there is high probability it is anthropogenic. In response to the growing awareness of climate change, there is an expansion in Australia in the use of renewable energy resources in electricity generation, albeit from a low base. The various renewable energy systems have differing patterns of availability and volatility, and it is difficult to determine the right mixture to best match the demand. It is imperative that future growth be structured so that both maximum grid penetration, and required greenhouse gas reductions be attained. Read moreRead less
Resilience in biogeochemical pathways along a catchment-to-coast continuum. Aquatic systems have degraded more in the past 50 years than any other time in history. Global pressures are further threatening their sustainability, but their complexity makes it difficult to understand how they are responding. This project will combine numerous state-of-the-art approaches to unravel pathways that shape their response.
Data-driven water quality treatment management decision support system. Data-driven water quality treatment management decision support system. This project aims to develop a robust decision support system to predict manganese and the character and concentration of dissolved organic matter in drinking water reservoirs, using intelligent algorithms and data collected through remote autonomous instrumentation. These predicted water quality parameters could be used as model input variables to provi ....Data-driven water quality treatment management decision support system. Data-driven water quality treatment management decision support system. This project aims to develop a robust decision support system to predict manganese and the character and concentration of dissolved organic matter in drinking water reservoirs, using intelligent algorithms and data collected through remote autonomous instrumentation. These predicted water quality parameters could be used as model input variables to provide real-time decisions for plant operators on the required treatment regime for incoming raw water, and advise them on the optimal reservoir offtake depth. This will potentially minimise treatment costs and health risks for consumers. The ultimate goal is to significantly enhance current water supply management practices.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the Grid: the future of the electricity distribution network. This project applies to the National Research Priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. A critical challenge for the development of power systems will be to transform them from their current dependence on conventional centralised generation to a situation where more diversified, more volatile and less controllable generation sources contribute a significant percentage of the energy. Coupled with this is a change ....Unlocking the Grid: the future of the electricity distribution network. This project applies to the National Research Priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. A critical challenge for the development of power systems will be to transform them from their current dependence on conventional centralised generation to a situation where more diversified, more volatile and less controllable generation sources contribute a significant percentage of the energy. Coupled with this is a change in demand patterns due to both demographic and socio-economic variables as well as climate change. Careful analysis is required in the design of the future grid architecture to ensure the security of supply.Read moreRead less