Expanding the scramjet operating envelope through oxygen enrichment. This project aims to investigate the benefits of expanding the operating envelope of scramjets to higher altitudes and speeds by enriching their fuel with oxygen. This is expected to enhance the performance and flexibility of hypersonic air-breathing engines designed to form the core of a more reliable and economical access to space system. Expected outcomes of this project are a validated understanding and mapping of how oxyge ....Expanding the scramjet operating envelope through oxygen enrichment. This project aims to investigate the benefits of expanding the operating envelope of scramjets to higher altitudes and speeds by enriching their fuel with oxygen. This is expected to enhance the performance and flexibility of hypersonic air-breathing engines designed to form the core of a more reliable and economical access to space system. Expected outcomes of this project are a validated understanding and mapping of how oxygen enrichment can augment scramjet thrust at high altitudes and speeds, and a performance evaluation of a launch system optimised for this approach. This could provide significant benefits to the performance of reusable, air-breathing launch technology, where Australia is leading the push towards commercialisation.Read moreRead less
Destratification and mixing by boundary turbulence in oceans and rivers. Periods of high temperature heat the surfaces of the oceans and lowland rivers, thereby increasing stratification and inhibiting mixing. This undermines the processes that normally distribute heat and CO2 and can lead to processes like rapid destratification in rivers that can result in mass fish-kills. This project aims to reveal the mixing and destratification mechanisms driven by turbulence from wind and sudden temperatu ....Destratification and mixing by boundary turbulence in oceans and rivers. Periods of high temperature heat the surfaces of the oceans and lowland rivers, thereby increasing stratification and inhibiting mixing. This undermines the processes that normally distribute heat and CO2 and can lead to processes like rapid destratification in rivers that can result in mass fish-kills. This project aims to reveal the mixing and destratification mechanisms driven by turbulence from wind and sudden temperature change in oceanic and riverine systems through controlled laboratory experiments, targeted field measurements and theoretical modelling. Outcomes will include physical understanding, predictive models, and practical tools for waterway management, with the potential for better management of our riverine systems.Read moreRead less
On the Combustion of Green Hydrogen in Future Energy Systems. This project aims to address key fundamental issues that will facilitate the combustion of hydrogen-based fuels for power and mobility. This is achieved by applying advanced laser diagnostics and novel computational methods to turbulent flames of hydrogen fuel blends hence generating new physical knowledge and predictive models. These will provide engineers with essential tools to design and operate fuel-flexible energy systems that s ....On the Combustion of Green Hydrogen in Future Energy Systems. This project aims to address key fundamental issues that will facilitate the combustion of hydrogen-based fuels for power and mobility. This is achieved by applying advanced laser diagnostics and novel computational methods to turbulent flames of hydrogen fuel blends hence generating new physical knowledge and predictive models. These will provide engineers with essential tools to design and operate fuel-flexible energy systems that speed up the critical transition towards employing green hydrogen. Expected outcomes include novel experimental methods and databases, reliable software, and graduates capable of facilitating this transition and accelerating the global decarbonization process while positioning Australia as a hydrogen superpower.Read moreRead less
Towards highly-efficient hydrogen gas turbines. The increasing interest in green hydrogen has led to a need for research and development in combustion systems that can accommodate hydrogen. One promising technology is low-emission gas turbines, which is a key player in the electricity market. However, hydrogen gas turbines are susceptible to a phenomenon called thermoacoustic instability, causing loud noise and can damage equipment. This project represents the first comprehensive study of the ef ....Towards highly-efficient hydrogen gas turbines. The increasing interest in green hydrogen has led to a need for research and development in combustion systems that can accommodate hydrogen. One promising technology is low-emission gas turbines, which is a key player in the electricity market. However, hydrogen gas turbines are susceptible to a phenomenon called thermoacoustic instability, causing loud noise and can damage equipment. This project represents the first comprehensive study of the effects of hydrogen fuel on thermoacoustic instability under conditions relevant to gas turbines. By examining low-order models, commonly used for designing gas turbines, this project can significantly advance the field and facilitate the adoption of green hydrogen as a fuel source.Read moreRead less
How do vortices live in spatio-temporally complex flows? The project aims to understand the fundamental mechanism of vortices occurring in flows involving spatio-temporal complexity, by using the combination of dynamical systems theory and asymptotic analysis. This innovative combined mathematical analysis will be coupled with sophisticated computations to be enabled by the international interdisciplinary collaboration between the Mathematics and Engineering at Australia and Japan. The expected ....How do vortices live in spatio-temporally complex flows? The project aims to understand the fundamental mechanism of vortices occurring in flows involving spatio-temporal complexity, by using the combination of dynamical systems theory and asymptotic analysis. This innovative combined mathematical analysis will be coupled with sophisticated computations to be enabled by the international interdisciplinary collaboration between the Mathematics and Engineering at Australia and Japan. The expected outcomes are breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of turbulence. This should lead to significant insight into better turbulent modellings used in, for example, wide range of engineering, physiological and geophysical flows.Read moreRead less
Impact of roughness on adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers. This project aims to develop a novel technique for measuring time-resolved fluid velocity vector fields in high-speed flows to investigate rough wall turbulence in adverse pressure gradient environments in unprecedented detail. By using this innovative instrument to study these widespread but poorly understood turbulent flows in power generation and transport, the project seeks to generate new knowledge. Expected outcome ....Impact of roughness on adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers. This project aims to develop a novel technique for measuring time-resolved fluid velocity vector fields in high-speed flows to investigate rough wall turbulence in adverse pressure gradient environments in unprecedented detail. By using this innovative instrument to study these widespread but poorly understood turbulent flows in power generation and transport, the project seeks to generate new knowledge. Expected outcomes include the development of a new instrument and fundamental knowledge leading to improved designs with higher efficiencies in power generation and transport, resulting in significant benefits such as increased energy security, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and improved quality of life for individuals and society.Read moreRead less
THE BASAL MELTING OF ANTARCTIC ICE SHELVES . The project aims to determine the mechanisms that govern melting of Antarctic ice shelves into the ocean. Faster basal melting of ice shelves in the warming ocean is contributing to loss of grounded ice from Antarctica and increased glacier speeds, and melting is projected to become a larger contribution to future global sea level rise. Using unique laboratory experiments, turbulence-resolving computation and theoretical analysis the project will eva ....THE BASAL MELTING OF ANTARCTIC ICE SHELVES . The project aims to determine the mechanisms that govern melting of Antarctic ice shelves into the ocean. Faster basal melting of ice shelves in the warming ocean is contributing to loss of grounded ice from Antarctica and increased glacier speeds, and melting is projected to become a larger contribution to future global sea level rise. Using unique laboratory experiments, turbulence-resolving computation and theoretical analysis the project will evaluate the roles of meltwater, ocean currents, internal wave breaking and water exchanges between the continental shelf and sub-ice cavities. The results will assist our understanding of measurements made in Antarctica and more reliable predictions of sea level rise.Read moreRead less
3D Hypersonic Shock-Turbulent-Boundary-Layer Interactions. Shock-wave turbulent-boundary-layer interactions occur on hypersonic flight vehicles and can lead to high heating and increased drag. This is a paramount design issue that needs addressing. We aim to understand and quantify fundamental phenomena occurring in such interactions using state-of-the-art instrumentation and wind-tunnel facilities. Surfaces will be heated to realistic flight temperatures to simulate accurately the flight enviro ....3D Hypersonic Shock-Turbulent-Boundary-Layer Interactions. Shock-wave turbulent-boundary-layer interactions occur on hypersonic flight vehicles and can lead to high heating and increased drag. This is a paramount design issue that needs addressing. We aim to understand and quantify fundamental phenomena occurring in such interactions using state-of-the-art instrumentation and wind-tunnel facilities. Surfaces will be heated to realistic flight temperatures to simulate accurately the flight environment and include effects not reproduced with cold models. The effects of 3D features of the interactions will lead to new understanding of how the flow develops through a combination of experiments and numerical simulations. Future designs of hypersonic flight vehicles will benefit from knowledge gained.Read moreRead less
An adaptive surface for improved modelling of rough wall bounded turbulence. This project aims to improve the prediction of drag where fluid flows over rough surfaces. This is a significant problem, with the uncertainty in drag penalty prediction for shipping alone exceeding ten billion dollars annually. The societal importance of these flows demands action, yet novel approaches must be sought to efficiently explore the wide range of roughness types encountered in practice. An adaptive surface i ....An adaptive surface for improved modelling of rough wall bounded turbulence. This project aims to improve the prediction of drag where fluid flows over rough surfaces. This is a significant problem, with the uncertainty in drag penalty prediction for shipping alone exceeding ten billion dollars annually. The societal importance of these flows demands action, yet novel approaches must be sought to efficiently explore the wide range of roughness types encountered in practice. An adaptive surface is proposed, where a roughness configuration can be dialled in at the press of a button, to rapidly converge on improved models. A key outcome of this project will be improved predictive models of drag for rough wall flows. Benefits will include improved efficiencies and reduced emissions across a wide range of industries.Read moreRead less