Control of Hydrophobic Interactions between Gas Bubbles in Water and Their Role in Gas Hydrate Formation and Dissociation. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and its release in deep oceans and permafrost regions due to decomposition of methane hydrate, an ice-like crystalline, could potentially pose devastating threat to mankind. On the other hand, methane hydrate represents a vast energy potential to Australia and the remainder of the world. Understanding the mechanism of gas hydrate formati ....Control of Hydrophobic Interactions between Gas Bubbles in Water and Their Role in Gas Hydrate Formation and Dissociation. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and its release in deep oceans and permafrost regions due to decomposition of methane hydrate, an ice-like crystalline, could potentially pose devastating threat to mankind. On the other hand, methane hydrate represents a vast energy potential to Australia and the remainder of the world. Understanding the mechanism of gas hydrate formation and dissociation is of fundamental importance to methane extraction and capture. This project employs state-of-the-art surface analytical tools to explore the mechanism of gas hydrate formation. The outcomes will strengthen Australia's leading role in scientific and technological development in this field. Read moreRead less
Efficiently unlocking full-scale WEC dynamics for industry cost reduction. This project will reduce the cost of ocean wave energy, by uniting leading expertise from academia with cutting-edge know-how and full-scale data from industry to advance the way oceanic forces on wave energy converters are represented in industry models. These models are critical for designing and controlling the next generation of wave energy converters, which have larger motions than ever before. Carefully tested model ....Efficiently unlocking full-scale WEC dynamics for industry cost reduction. This project will reduce the cost of ocean wave energy, by uniting leading expertise from academia with cutting-edge know-how and full-scale data from industry to advance the way oceanic forces on wave energy converters are represented in industry models. These models are critical for designing and controlling the next generation of wave energy converters, which have larger motions than ever before. Carefully tested models will lead to better estimates of power production and loads, which will drive down the cost of wave energy and enable its large-scale utilisation. Broad communication of benefits and sharing of new knowledge will accelerate commercialisation of ocean energy in Australia and pave the way to meeting our future energy needs.Read moreRead less
Progressive liquefaction within marine sediments: comparison between geo-centrifuge modelling, full-scale wave tank tests and numerical modelling. The evaluation of wave-induced liquefaction within the marine sediment is particularly important for coastal and geotechnical engineers involved in the design of foundation around coastal structures. The proposed study will integrate the existing knowledge from the aspects of coastal and geotechnical engineering with that of overseas experts to provid ....Progressive liquefaction within marine sediments: comparison between geo-centrifuge modelling, full-scale wave tank tests and numerical modelling. The evaluation of wave-induced liquefaction within the marine sediment is particularly important for coastal and geotechnical engineers involved in the design of foundation around coastal structures. The proposed study will integrate the existing knowledge from the aspects of coastal and geotechnical engineering with that of overseas experts to provide coastal engineers with an effective tool for the design of foundations around marine structures. It will also assist in reducing the risk of potential environmental damage caused by failure of marine structures.Read moreRead less
Contaminant Transport in Marine Sediment. Sediments in bays and estuaries are often contaminated. The inorganic contaminants in sediments can be released back into the water body through mass transfer processes. The mass transfer rate is largely controlled by the wave-driven seepage flux across the seabed. Quantification of this flux is thus a key factor in modelling water quality of coastal water bodies. This project aims to: (1) develop models forwave-induced seepage flux within sediments and ....Contaminant Transport in Marine Sediment. Sediments in bays and estuaries are often contaminated. The inorganic contaminants in sediments can be released back into the water body through mass transfer processes. The mass transfer rate is largely controlled by the wave-driven seepage flux across the seabed. Quantification of this flux is thus a key factor in modelling water quality of coastal water bodies. This project aims to: (1) develop models forwave-induced seepage flux within sediments and contaminant transport; and (2) establish the link between seepage flux and contaminant transport. Outcomes of the proposed research will enhance the understanding of the mechanism of contaminant transport in marine sediment.Read moreRead less
Numerical Modelling of Three-dimensional Scour below Offshore Pipelines. Australia's increasing offshore oil and gas exploration has demanded more accurate and reliable methods for evaluating the safety and serviceability of pipelines. Local scour around pipelines is one of the major causes of pipeline failures, and is a major concern in Australian waters. This project not only addresses these concerns in its direct application to the design and management of offshore pipelines, but also will co ....Numerical Modelling of Three-dimensional Scour below Offshore Pipelines. Australia's increasing offshore oil and gas exploration has demanded more accurate and reliable methods for evaluating the safety and serviceability of pipelines. Local scour around pipelines is one of the major causes of pipeline failures, and is a major concern in Australian waters. This project not only addresses these concerns in its direct application to the design and management of offshore pipelines, but also will contribute to the nation's development and competitiveness in offshore exploration, and produce high quality research students. The improved design and management of pipelines in Australian waters will reduce the risk of potential environmental damages caused by leaking gas and oil.Read moreRead less
Assessing and enhancing the resilience of Australian beaches to sea level rise. Accurate forecasting of coastal recession due to sea level rise is required for planning and the design of coastal defences, but the existing method is widely disputed. With collaboration with world leading research partners, this study will perform unique laboratory experiments to determine the vulnerability of Australian beaches to sea level rise and to test environmentally sustainable measures to increase their re ....Assessing and enhancing the resilience of Australian beaches to sea level rise. Accurate forecasting of coastal recession due to sea level rise is required for planning and the design of coastal defences, but the existing method is widely disputed. With collaboration with world leading research partners, this study will perform unique laboratory experiments to determine the vulnerability of Australian beaches to sea level rise and to test environmentally sustainable measures to increase their resilience. The research will address longstanding uncertainties and significantly enhance the ability of communities to plan for a changing climate. The project will deliver new data and models of immediate benefit to professional engineers to enable robust engineering decisions which enhance the safety of coastal communities.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the impact of infiltration on dune erosion under waves & surge. Through a series of controlled laboratory experiments and numerical model development, this project aims to determine and quantify for the first time the role of water infiltration on sandy soil stability at actively eroding coastal sand dunes. This project expects to generate much-needed understanding of fundamental dune erosion processes using innovative instrumentation to obtain continuous measurements of wave-dune in ....Quantifying the impact of infiltration on dune erosion under waves & surge. Through a series of controlled laboratory experiments and numerical model development, this project aims to determine and quantify for the first time the role of water infiltration on sandy soil stability at actively eroding coastal sand dunes. This project expects to generate much-needed understanding of fundamental dune erosion processes using innovative instrumentation to obtain continuous measurements of wave-dune interactions, dune profile evolution, and water infiltration. Expected outcomes of this project include improved coastal engineering models to predict dune erosion under waves and increasing water levels. This should provide significant benefit to the future management of coastal assets using nature-based solutions.Read moreRead less
Integrated prediction of wave-induced liquefaction for stable breakwater heads. Breakwaters are central to the economies and lifestyles of many coastal areas around the world. The liquefaction of breakwater foundations causes the failure of breakwaters, with potentially deliterious consequences for life and property. The remedies involve large investments in maintenance and cause major disruptions to coastal activities. More accurate and reliable methods for analysing the stability of structures ....Integrated prediction of wave-induced liquefaction for stable breakwater heads. Breakwaters are central to the economies and lifestyles of many coastal areas around the world. The liquefaction of breakwater foundations causes the failure of breakwaters, with potentially deliterious consequences for life and property. The remedies involve large investments in maintenance and cause major disruptions to coastal activities. More accurate and reliable methods for analysing the stability of structures and their foundations is urgently required, and will bring major benefits to Australian coastal facilities. We will create the science to transform our understanding of the mechanisms of wave-induced liquefaction. This will enable engineers to significantly improve the stability and robustness of marine structures.Read moreRead less
High quality benthic and demersal surveys from small form factor underwater robots. This project will develop improved surveying systems for environmental consultancies. By enhancing the imaging and mapping capabilities of small underwater robots and extending automated interpretation tools to work with their data, this project will reduce operating costs, and increase the quality and quantity of scientifically useful data that they generate.