Wave to Wire: Optimising Hydrodynamic Performance and Capture Efficiency of Next Generation Ocean Wave Energy Systems. Wave energy in the oceans of the world represents a vast renewable energy resource that has not been tapped. This project will play a crucial role in maximising the performance and economic viability of a unique Australian wave energy technology. We will develop a dynamically integrated theoretical model aimed at capturing the complex behaviour of ocean waves and optimising the ....Wave to Wire: Optimising Hydrodynamic Performance and Capture Efficiency of Next Generation Ocean Wave Energy Systems. Wave energy in the oceans of the world represents a vast renewable energy resource that has not been tapped. This project will play a crucial role in maximising the performance and economic viability of a unique Australian wave energy technology. We will develop a dynamically integrated theoretical model aimed at capturing the complex behaviour of ocean waves and optimising the energy capture efficiency of the Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy system. One of the most exciting aspects of the technology is its potential to provide on-site bulk desalination of seawater, whilst being driven entirely by renewable energy. It will also result in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation.Read moreRead less
Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result ....Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result in an increase of the overall capacity and performance of engineering systems. This will contribute significantly to reductions in power consumption and improvements in productivity and work environment, leading ultimately to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Understanding and modifying vortex structures in wind turbine wakes. At a fundamental research level, Australia's active participation in this area of national priority and research strength will be advanced through our published research, which will increase our understanding of wind turbine wakes and their effects in wind farms. This understanding will then be used to produce improved methods of predicting wind turbine performance. Such methods are needed by wind energy designers to produce b ....Understanding and modifying vortex structures in wind turbine wakes. At a fundamental research level, Australia's active participation in this area of national priority and research strength will be advanced through our published research, which will increase our understanding of wind turbine wakes and their effects in wind farms. This understanding will then be used to produce improved methods of predicting wind turbine performance. Such methods are needed by wind energy designers to produce better wind farms. It will also be used to recommend how to improve the aerodynamic design of turbine components, such as the blades and hub. Numerical tools will be developed for industry use, and training will be provided to personnel, thereby increasing the capabilities of Australia's growing wind energy industry.Read moreRead less
Fluid physics of cold gas-dynamic spray process. Cold gas-dynamic spray has the potential to revitalize and revolutionize the Australian manufacturing sector and economy. It is a technologically advanced flexible free-forming process with potential applications in the aviation, automotive, naval and bio-medical sectors. It allows for the design of functional surfaces from the nano-scale to the macro-scale that can be manufactured by spraying material coatings of arbitrary thickness and density o ....Fluid physics of cold gas-dynamic spray process. Cold gas-dynamic spray has the potential to revitalize and revolutionize the Australian manufacturing sector and economy. It is a technologically advanced flexible free-forming process with potential applications in the aviation, automotive, naval and bio-medical sectors. It allows for the design of functional surfaces from the nano-scale to the macro-scale that can be manufactured by spraying material coatings of arbitrary thickness and density on a substrate. The process of the spray particle delivery is crucial and not understood. This research will investigate the fluid physics and spray particle physics to gain the essential understanding necessary to make this process energy efficient and extend its range of application.Read moreRead less
Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Granular Flow in Hoppers. Handling and processing of bulk solids such as coal and metal ores perform a key function in many industries, and hoppers are the most common devices for storage and discharge of granular materials in this field. The proper design of this equipment is very important. This project provides a systematic investigation of granular flow in hoppers, which is essential in order to avoid structure failures and associated costs. It wil ....Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Granular Flow in Hoppers. Handling and processing of bulk solids such as coal and metal ores perform a key function in many industries, and hoppers are the most common devices for storage and discharge of granular materials in this field. The proper design of this equipment is very important. This project provides a systematic investigation of granular flow in hoppers, which is essential in order to avoid structure failures and associated costs. It will lead to a fundamental understanding of relevant industrial processes, improvement of their efficiency, and hence improved competitiveness of Australian mining/mineral/metallurgical industries.Read moreRead less
Investigation of a Novel Fan. Fans are very widely used for cooling and heating, thrust and mass transport and are one of the most common fluid mechanical devices. An optimal fan design will maximise flow velocity and pressure rise for minimum energy requirements and noise production. De Rolfe has recently developed a new fan that shows considerable promise in comparison to conventional designs on single point tests.
In this project experimental and computional fluid dynamics investigations o ....Investigation of a Novel Fan. Fans are very widely used for cooling and heating, thrust and mass transport and are one of the most common fluid mechanical devices. An optimal fan design will maximise flow velocity and pressure rise for minimum energy requirements and noise production. De Rolfe has recently developed a new fan that shows considerable promise in comparison to conventional designs on single point tests.
In this project experimental and computional fluid dynamics investigations of the new fan will be carried out to determine the basic fluid mechanics and to obtain performance curves. Scaling laws will be obtained and, if possible, the fan will be further optimised.Read moreRead less
Modelling the Transient Effects in Dense Phase Gas-Solids Flow in Pipelines. Almost every physical item we use in our daily lives at some point requires the transport and handling of powdered or granular materials during the manufacturing process. Be it food (sugar, flour), chemicals (soap powders, detergents), cosmetics (talc, face powder) or electricity generation (coal and ash); each of these industries uses the flexibility of pipeline systems to transport powders and granular solids using ai ....Modelling the Transient Effects in Dense Phase Gas-Solids Flow in Pipelines. Almost every physical item we use in our daily lives at some point requires the transport and handling of powdered or granular materials during the manufacturing process. Be it food (sugar, flour), chemicals (soap powders, detergents), cosmetics (talc, face powder) or electricity generation (coal and ash); each of these industries uses the flexibility of pipeline systems to transport powders and granular solids using air as the motive force. However, the cost of poor design and the inaccurate prediction of system performance adversely affect the efficiency of many industries. Improvements to the accuracy of gas-solid flow modeling particularly for low velocity dense phase systems will have a direct impact on manufacturing efficiency.Read moreRead less
Process scalability and performance prediction of Viscous Transfer Micro Turbines for use as miniaturised power supplies. This project aims to predict the performance and scalability of viscous transfer turbines. The work will be carried out with Micromachines Ltd., a firm developing working turbines with 50 mm rotors. The goal of the research is to gain an understanding of the scaling laws for these turbines, in order to predict their performance. Viscous transfer turbines have a very simple di ....Process scalability and performance prediction of Viscous Transfer Micro Turbines for use as miniaturised power supplies. This project aims to predict the performance and scalability of viscous transfer turbines. The work will be carried out with Micromachines Ltd., a firm developing working turbines with 50 mm rotors. The goal of the research is to gain an understanding of the scaling laws for these turbines, in order to predict their performance. Viscous transfer turbines have a very simple disc construction making them ideal for manufacturing as small-scale units (with a 5 mm rotor). Small enough to replace batteries, but with a higher power output, they would provide the need for higher power output devices to replace batteries.Read moreRead less