Scaling laws for aerodynamics of moving wings in the Martian atmosphere. This project aims to increase understanding of the aerodynamics of bio-inspired flight in the low-density atmosphere of Mars. The significance of flight in planetary exploration is shown by the ongoing success of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, and the Dragonfly rotorcraft planned for use on Titan. Expected outcomes of this project will be innovative numerical modelling techniques validated using local specially designed ....Scaling laws for aerodynamics of moving wings in the Martian atmosphere. This project aims to increase understanding of the aerodynamics of bio-inspired flight in the low-density atmosphere of Mars. The significance of flight in planetary exploration is shown by the ongoing success of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, and the Dragonfly rotorcraft planned for use on Titan. Expected outcomes of this project will be innovative numerical modelling techniques validated using local specially designed low-pressure experimental facilities. Benefits will be more accurate design guidance for efficient and robust flapping and rotary wing robotic vehicles for Mars and other space exploration that take advantage of the unique atmospheric conditions, and in placing Australia at the forefront of such design technology.Read moreRead less
Novel framework for optimising battery-cooling microchannel heat exchangers. Thermal overheating can affect the capacity, safety and life expectancy of batteries for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. Microscale heat exchangers are a potential high-efficiency, low-bulk solution. This project aims to develop a novel computational methodology to optimise the design of those heat exchangers in which viscoelastic fluids are used to control flow instabilities and enhance heat transfer at ....Novel framework for optimising battery-cooling microchannel heat exchangers. Thermal overheating can affect the capacity, safety and life expectancy of batteries for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. Microscale heat exchangers are a potential high-efficiency, low-bulk solution. This project aims to develop a novel computational methodology to optimise the design of those heat exchangers in which viscoelastic fluids are used to control flow instabilities and enhance heat transfer at the microscale. A new microscopic fluid physics model will provide data for an innovative neural network framework to optimise the working fluid conditions and microscale design, which could contribute to increased adoption of renewable energy technologies that are supported by microscale heat exchangers.Read moreRead less
Vascular And Neurogenic Determinants Of Hypertension In Chronic Kidney Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$508,142.00
Summary
You are as old as your arteries, and people with kidney disease have arteries that age fast. They also have overactive sympathetic nerves, and it is not clear if the blood vessels or nerves are responsible for the high blood pressure that puts strain on the heart and other organs of these patients. We will use an animal model to determine if therapy for hypertension reduces the stiffness of blood vessels or elevated nerve activity. Our results will enable better treatments for kidney failure.
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
Thermal Optimisation of Gigascale Solar Photovoltaics. Large-scale solar photovoltaics are critical to decarbonising the global economy. Sun Cable is developing the world’s largest solar farm in the Northern Territory, and is considering deploying the 5B MAV solar array. At this scale, temperature-induced panel efficiency losses represent a major challenge that must be overcome through thermal performance optimisation. We will build sophisticated multiscale models to simulate and understand the ....Thermal Optimisation of Gigascale Solar Photovoltaics. Large-scale solar photovoltaics are critical to decarbonising the global economy. Sun Cable is developing the world’s largest solar farm in the Northern Territory, and is considering deploying the 5B MAV solar array. At this scale, temperature-induced panel efficiency losses represent a major challenge that must be overcome through thermal performance optimisation. We will build sophisticated multiscale models to simulate and understand the multiple interacting phenomena that cause panel heating, for the first time. This project will create the tools and know-how to optimise array design and solar farm development, delivering major efficiency gains and enhancing the viability of future gigascale solar projects.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102645
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The cause of the poleward shift of Earth's storm tracks and jet streams. Why do global climate models shift the atmospheric storm tracks and jet streams poleward in simulations of future climate? This project will determine the underlying causes of the most important circulation change that is projected to occur with increasing greenhouse gases, and will allow much more accurate regional climate projections.
Sympathetic Control Of Cutaneous Blood Flow And Blood Pressure In Human Spinal Cord Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$242,002.00
Summary
While spinal cord injury can cause devastating changes in the nervous system paralysis and loss of sensation relatively little is known about changes to the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is intimately involved in the ongoing control of blood pressure, blood flow and temperature control. Loss of sympathetic control can occur following spinal cord injury. Interruption of descending pathways can result in partial or complete loss of sympathetic outflow from the thoracol ....While spinal cord injury can cause devastating changes in the nervous system paralysis and loss of sensation relatively little is known about changes to the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is intimately involved in the ongoing control of blood pressure, blood flow and temperature control. Loss of sympathetic control can occur following spinal cord injury. Interruption of descending pathways can result in partial or complete loss of sympathetic outflow from the thoracolumbar segments. Complete decentralization can result in autonomic dysreflexia (autonomic hyperreflexia), in which sensory stimuli originating below the lesion evoke a reflex increase in sympathetic drive to the blood vessels, causing them to constrict. Because of this, blood pressure may rise suddenly and remain at such high levels that stroke and (occassionally) cardiac arrest may occur. This phenomenon, autonomic dysreflexia, is considered a medical emergency. The typical subjective signs of autonomic dysreflexia include a throbbing headache, tingling in the head or nasal congestion; sweating and flushing above the lesion are clinical signs that prompt medical staff to measure blood pressure and to locate the source of sensory irritation (usually a distended bladder or impacted colon, sometimes a pressure sore or ingrown toenail). Commonly, however, subclinical episodes go undetected, and this phenomenon of silent dysreflexia is of increasing concern. This project will develop means of assessing the integrity and state of the sympathetic nervous system below a lesion in patients with spinal cord injury and characterize the firing properties of reflexly activated sympathetic neurones.Read moreRead less
Local climate changes caused by large bushfire burnt areas. This project aims to quantify the impact on local climate produced by large burnt areas after extreme bushfires. This project expects to generate new knowledge on these previously unexplored fire-scar induced changes to local climate. It will extend an innovative approach that combines satellite based earth observation with very high resolution regional climate modelling to quantify the impacts on land-atmosphere feedbacks and local cli ....Local climate changes caused by large bushfire burnt areas. This project aims to quantify the impact on local climate produced by large burnt areas after extreme bushfires. This project expects to generate new knowledge on these previously unexplored fire-scar induced changes to local climate. It will extend an innovative approach that combines satellite based earth observation with very high resolution regional climate modelling to quantify the impacts on land-atmosphere feedbacks and local climate. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced methods to quantify local climate changes after extreme fires and their effect on vegetation recovery. This should provide significant benefits to the planning for, and management of, vegetation recovery after extreme fires.Read moreRead less
Identification Of Heterogeneity In Vasodilator Function In Human And Rat Resistance Vessels: Potential Drug Targets?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$595,330.00
Summary
The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not w ....The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not well understood. While current drugs for treating vascular disease either reduce vessel constriction or increase dilation, they are not specific for individual arteries; a situation that would allow us to control vascular diseases in a very specific manner. Recently, we have described differences between the ways that individual vessels are controlled. These changes relate to differences in the way that different vessels dilate. AIMS - To further understand normal blood vessel function and the changes that occur in blood vessels in cardiovascular disease, with a focus on the ways that blood vessels dilate in normal states and in obesity-related diseases, such as in hypertension and diabetes. - The eventual aim is to identify the specific ways that arteries function, so that artery-specific drug targets can be identified to treat disease-related changes in cardiovascular disease in a very specific manner. EXPECTED OUTCOMES This project will contribute to understanding blood vessel function in health and disease. The expected eventual outcome is the identification of the mechanisms that underlie the function of different arteries in different parts of the body, so that specific individual vessel function can be targeted to treat vascular disease. Additionally, this work will also verify the relevance of the diet-induced obesity animal model, in terms of the characteristics and causes of human obesity and related cardiovascular disease.Read moreRead less
Role of modulating water wave groups in enhancing air-water fluxes. This project aims to investigate the importance of the group structure and breaking of wind-generated waves of various scales in the air-water exchange of mass, momentum and energy. This project expects to generate new understanding in the area of air-water exchanges using an innovative approach based on direct numerical simulation of wind over unsteady water wave groups for a wide range of wind speed and wave steepness conditi ....Role of modulating water wave groups in enhancing air-water fluxes. This project aims to investigate the importance of the group structure and breaking of wind-generated waves of various scales in the air-water exchange of mass, momentum and energy. This project expects to generate new understanding in the area of air-water exchanges using an innovative approach based on direct numerical simulation of wind over unsteady water wave groups for a wide range of wind speed and wave steepness conditions.
Expected outcomes of this project include generating fundamental knowledge of the unresolved physics and new parameterisations for air-water exchange rates. This will deliver more accurate and more comprehensive forecast models for weather, inland and ocean waterways, and numerous industrial processes.Read moreRead less