Vaporization of heavier gas oil in Fluid Catalytic Cracking risers. Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) is an important refinery operation responsible for about 45 per cent of the total petrol produced. The project is aimed at improving production efficiency of Australian refineries by applying fundamental modelling to the FCC. The outcomes will enable refiners to produce cleaner fuel and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
Dry Processing of Fine Coal Using the Reflux Classifier. New and efficient separation technologies are crucial for developing the concept of Dry Coal Processing. The benefits to the industry of Dry Processing are compelling, with savings in water consumption, and much larger savings in dewatering and transportation of the product. The Reflux Classifier is a new fluidized bed technology developed in Australia using the more conventional water fluidization approach. Already the technology is contr ....Dry Processing of Fine Coal Using the Reflux Classifier. New and efficient separation technologies are crucial for developing the concept of Dry Coal Processing. The benefits to the industry of Dry Processing are compelling, with savings in water consumption, and much larger savings in dewatering and transportation of the product. The Reflux Classifier is a new fluidized bed technology developed in Australia using the more conventional water fluidization approach. Already the technology is contributing to Australian exports in the rapidly growing area of mining services. The purpose of this project is to establish its potential for use in the Dry Processing of fine coal. Other benefits of the study include the education and training of researchers in this field.Read moreRead less
Gassing Mechanism and Stability of Foamed Explosive Emulsions. Mining of minerals such as coal involves crushing the surrounding rock strata, or the mineral ore itself, with emulsion explosives. One of the most important properties determining suitability of an emulsion explosive to a particular mining operation is its velocity of detonation, which can be adjusted by varying the number and size of air bubbles distributed in the emulsion matrix. The present project aims to develop new ways of g ....Gassing Mechanism and Stability of Foamed Explosive Emulsions. Mining of minerals such as coal involves crushing the surrounding rock strata, or the mineral ore itself, with emulsion explosives. One of the most important properties determining suitability of an emulsion explosive to a particular mining operation is its velocity of detonation, which can be adjusted by varying the number and size of air bubbles distributed in the emulsion matrix. The present project aims to develop new ways of generating air bubbles, to gain fundamental understanding of the foaming mechanism in currently used gassing techniques, and to invent ways to stabilise large bubbles within the emulsion. The project will provide scientific underpinning for the development of a new range of emulsion explosives manufactured by Orica for Australian and international markets, maintaining the Orica's position as a leader in the field of emulsion explosives.Read moreRead less
Novel technology to sensitise emulsion explosives. The project will develop a new technology for more efficient and safer extraction of minerals. It will extend the application of emulsion explosives to low-temperatures and will eliminate the heating of emulsion blasting agents during transport. Since mining operations are located in regional areas, the project will bring benefits to local and rural communities. The project will also generate new knowledge on the behaviour and stability of th ....Novel technology to sensitise emulsion explosives. The project will develop a new technology for more efficient and safer extraction of minerals. It will extend the application of emulsion explosives to low-temperatures and will eliminate the heating of emulsion blasting agents during transport. Since mining operations are located in regional areas, the project will bring benefits to local and rural communities. The project will also generate new knowledge on the behaviour and stability of three-phase systems that contain very small gas bubbles. In addition to its fundamental importance, this knowledge can be carried over to food and cosmetic industries to facilitate the development of new products.Read moreRead less
Novel gas-liquid columns for liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. Novel gas-liquid columns for liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. This project aims to design distillation and absorption columns, perhaps the most important unit operations in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, and whose optimization is integral to overall performance of any LNG plant. This project will use 3D printers to rapidly prototype concepts of columns and their internals, and test them using flow characterization ....Novel gas-liquid columns for liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. Novel gas-liquid columns for liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. This project aims to design distillation and absorption columns, perhaps the most important unit operations in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, and whose optimization is integral to overall performance of any LNG plant. This project will use 3D printers to rapidly prototype concepts of columns and their internals, and test them using flow characterization tools and numerical models. The final outcome of the project will be a set of designs of the columns, which should be more efficient, safer and cheaper to operate, and have smaller physical and environmental footprints, thus helping the Australian LNG industry to stay globally competitive.Read moreRead less
Role of Reactive Particles in Explosive Emulsions. Concentrated water-in oil explosive emulsions are widely used in the minerals industry because they are cheap, easily detonated and relatively safe to handle. Their explosive energy can be significantly increased when reactive particles are introduced into the emulsion matrix. To do this, the interaction between the solid, oil, and water phases needs to be optimised. This investigation will increase our basic understanding of the physical and ch ....Role of Reactive Particles in Explosive Emulsions. Concentrated water-in oil explosive emulsions are widely used in the minerals industry because they are cheap, easily detonated and relatively safe to handle. Their explosive energy can be significantly increased when reactive particles are introduced into the emulsion matrix. To do this, the interaction between the solid, oil, and water phases needs to be optimised. This investigation will increase our basic understanding of the physical and chemical interactions that occur between the particle and the oil-water interface, and develop a more efficient explosive that can be produced continuously on a commercial scale.Read moreRead less
Development of a novel desalination process. The process proposed in this submission provides a simple, flexible and cost effective platform for small-scale desalination applications. The proposed process can be an integral part of a more comprehensive approach to resolve the shortage of freshwater in arid to semi-arid regions of rural Australia. This will contribute to the Federal Government's National Research Priority 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, particularly the priority goal ....Development of a novel desalination process. The process proposed in this submission provides a simple, flexible and cost effective platform for small-scale desalination applications. The proposed process can be an integral part of a more comprehensive approach to resolve the shortage of freshwater in arid to semi-arid regions of rural Australia. This will contribute to the Federal Government's National Research Priority 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, particularly the priority goal 'Water - a Critical Resource'.Read moreRead less
The Study of Pretreatment Options for Composite Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes Used in Water Treatment and Production. It is recognised worldwide that fouling is a major impediment in operation of Reverse Osmosis units used for production, purification and treatment of water. This project is aimed at studying pre-treatment options for composite fouling which is the main type of fouling present in RO units by using both model feed systems and actual field water. The project outcomes are to ....The Study of Pretreatment Options for Composite Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes Used in Water Treatment and Production. It is recognised worldwide that fouling is a major impediment in operation of Reverse Osmosis units used for production, purification and treatment of water. This project is aimed at studying pre-treatment options for composite fouling which is the main type of fouling present in RO units by using both model feed systems and actual field water. The project outcomes are to understand and develop pre-treatment strategies and to use those to develop a hybrid pre-treatment technology. This project will significantly impact water production in general and its outcomes will have far-reaching implications in treatment of water both within Australia and globally.Read moreRead less
The Boron Rejection by RO Membranes in presence of Calcium Carbonate and Magnesium Hydroxide. Water scarcity in various parts of the world demands the use of available saline waters for production of potable water. Reverse Osmosis membranes have been used as a means of achieving this objective. Fouling is a major impediment in operation of reverse osmosis units. The project aims to study boron removal by RO under high pH which increases the boron rejection but at the same time exacerbates compos ....The Boron Rejection by RO Membranes in presence of Calcium Carbonate and Magnesium Hydroxide. Water scarcity in various parts of the world demands the use of available saline waters for production of potable water. Reverse Osmosis membranes have been used as a means of achieving this objective. Fouling is a major impediment in operation of reverse osmosis units. The project aims to study boron removal by RO under high pH which increases the boron rejection but at the same time exacerbates composite fouling by calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide. Optimum pH for boron rejection will be determined and propensity of calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide at that pH range will be evaluated.Read moreRead less
Supported biomass membrane bioreactor: optimisation of aeration for better fouling control. This project will lead to a sustainable, affordable, energy-efficient treatment system for water reuse. The technology developed will particularly benefit small sewage treatment plants in coastal and isolated communities in Australia, by maximising the utilisation of water resources where water is limited, and by reducing the environmental impact of waste discharges. This project will also strengthen rese ....Supported biomass membrane bioreactor: optimisation of aeration for better fouling control. This project will lead to a sustainable, affordable, energy-efficient treatment system for water reuse. The technology developed will particularly benefit small sewage treatment plants in coastal and isolated communities in Australia, by maximising the utilisation of water resources where water is limited, and by reducing the environmental impact of waste discharges. This project will also strengthen research links between Australian and European institutions through the development of this innovative technology. Local water industries will directly benefit from this frontier research.Read moreRead less