Condition-based maintenance optimisation for Australian sugar industry. The aim of this project is to develop innovative methodologies for the implementation of condition-based maintenance in the sugar milling industry. This is designed to optimise the allocation of limited maintenance resources and to significantly reduce the $350 million spent on maintenance in the industry each year. New methodologies will account for the seasonality of production and the complexity of allocating limited main ....Condition-based maintenance optimisation for Australian sugar industry. The aim of this project is to develop innovative methodologies for the implementation of condition-based maintenance in the sugar milling industry. This is designed to optimise the allocation of limited maintenance resources and to significantly reduce the $350 million spent on maintenance in the industry each year. New methodologies will account for the seasonality of production and the complexity of allocating limited maintenance resources across numerous equipment items and different production sites. The intended outcome of the project will improve the efficiency of maintenance and hence the global competitiveness of the Australian sugar industry.Read moreRead less
Mathematics and computing for integrated stockyard-centric management of mining supply chains. Blended mineral products, such as coal and iron ore, make a strong contribution to Australia's economy. Blending occurs in stockpiles, so to realise product value, stockyard and supply chain operational plans must align with blend targets. This project will provide new mathematical and computational planning tools to maximise this value.
Maintenance Optimisation in Rail Infrastructure Systems for Coal and
Iron Ore Exports. Coal and iron ore exports, worth around 55 per cent of Australia's export earnings, critically depend on the transport capacity provided by Australia's rail infrastructure. Maintenance plays a crucial role in ensuring that infrastructure components are in a condition to provide safe, reliable, and efficient transport. However maintenance activities also reduce the system capacity, and are costly. It is thus c ....Maintenance Optimisation in Rail Infrastructure Systems for Coal and
Iron Ore Exports. Coal and iron ore exports, worth around 55 per cent of Australia's export earnings, critically depend on the transport capacity provided by Australia's rail infrastructure. Maintenance plays a crucial role in ensuring that infrastructure components are in a condition to provide safe, reliable, and efficient transport. However maintenance activities also reduce the system capacity, and are costly. It is thus critical to sustaining the growth and competitiveness of Australia's coal and iron ore exports that maintenance is optimised so as to maximise system efficiency and delivered capacity. The project aims to achieve this by the development of new decision support technologies embedding innovative decision-making models and algorithms.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the impact of ambulance diversion for better stroke patient outcomes. It has been established that specialised care of stroke patients can significantly improve their outcomes. However, diverting ambulances to specialised stroke centres may affect the response time for future emergencies. This research aims to model the many complex response time factors and provide a quantitative measure of the impact of diversion.
Improving train flows with connected driver advice systems. The project aims to develop new train control theory to determine the efficient movement of multiple trains, and to demonstrate a practical system for coordinating trains, on busy intercity rail corridors. Railways around the world are now deploying driver advice systems developed by the research team and the partner organisation, TTG Transportation Technology. The project is designed to enable these systems to coordinate the movements ....Improving train flows with connected driver advice systems. The project aims to develop new train control theory to determine the efficient movement of multiple trains, and to demonstrate a practical system for coordinating trains, on busy intercity rail corridors. Railways around the world are now deploying driver advice systems developed by the research team and the partner organisation, TTG Transportation Technology. The project is designed to enable these systems to coordinate the movements of many trains on a congested rail network to improve timekeeping, smooth the flow of traffic, increase capacity and reduce energy use.Read moreRead less
Using Mathematics to Maximize the Efficiency of Shared Infrastructure in Australia's Coal Export Supply Chain. Port Waratah Coal Services operates the world's largest coal export terminal, servicing about 14 coal mining companies in the Hunter Valley, NSW. It is responsible for around $15 billion in annual export income for Australia. The coal supply chain is a complex operation, hampered by bottlenecks in critical shared infrastructure. Such limitations are estimated to cost Australia about $2 ....Using Mathematics to Maximize the Efficiency of Shared Infrastructure in Australia's Coal Export Supply Chain. Port Waratah Coal Services operates the world's largest coal export terminal, servicing about 14 coal mining companies in the Hunter Valley, NSW. It is responsible for around $15 billion in annual export income for Australia. The coal supply chain is a complex operation, hampered by bottlenecks in critical shared infrastructure. Such limitations are estimated to cost Australia about $2 billion pa in lost sales. This project will support the design of new infrastructure and processes to ensure an efficient supply chain. The new science resulting will benefit other coal operations in Australia, and potentially other bulk goods supply chains.Read moreRead less
Integrating Mobility on Demand in urban transport infrastructures. Australia’s major cities are substantially challenged for public transport services due to the dispersed and low population densities, and thus, roads are at or beyond their capacity. Smarter demand-responsive public transport services are therefore needed. This project studies the viability of such a service under a variety of scenarios.
Evaluating the long-term costs and benefits of community-based initiatives. The ultimate benefit from the research is a more efficient allocation of public funds to provide public services, i.e. an increase in the gain derived from the government budget. The relative advantages of alternative methods of delivering government services are subject to significant uncertainty, which means that policy decisions are often poorly informed. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting the costs and benefi ....Evaluating the long-term costs and benefits of community-based initiatives. The ultimate benefit from the research is a more efficient allocation of public funds to provide public services, i.e. an increase in the gain derived from the government budget. The relative advantages of alternative methods of delivering government services are subject to significant uncertainty, which means that policy decisions are often poorly informed. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting the costs and benefits of complex community-based initiatives will help policymakers identify the set of initiatives that provide the best outcomes for the community they serve, as well as informing the optimal specification of the individual initiatives.Read moreRead less
A Mathematical Approach to Flexible Management of Open Pit Mines with Uncertain Geology and Unpredictable Demand. This project will create new mathematical algorithms to flexibly manage open pit mining projects. The development of strategic plans for mining operations is a highly complex task, based on incomplete geological information and uncertain future commodity demand. The smart mathematics we create will allow Australia to capitalise on upturns in international demand, while limiting unavo ....A Mathematical Approach to Flexible Management of Open Pit Mines with Uncertain Geology and Unpredictable Demand. This project will create new mathematical algorithms to flexibly manage open pit mining projects. The development of strategic plans for mining operations is a highly complex task, based on incomplete geological information and uncertain future commodity demand. The smart mathematics we create will allow Australia to capitalise on upturns in international demand, while limiting unavoidable negative outcomes, by flexibly adjusting the mining operation to prevailing geological and economic conditions. Australia's mineral exports are worth over $50b annually to the Australian economy. Our techniques will better manage Australia's mining projects and capture new, emerging markets, significantly impacting on Australia's balance of trade.Read moreRead less