Distributed nonlinear control based on differential dissipativity. This project aims to investigate the process control methodologies crucial to smart manufacturing It aims to develop a distributed optimisation-based nonlinear control approach for plant-wide flexible manufacturing, which can achieve time-varying operational targets including production rates and product specifications to meet dynamic market demands. This includes a contraction-based nonlinear distributed control framework that e ....Distributed nonlinear control based on differential dissipativity. This project aims to investigate the process control methodologies crucial to smart manufacturing It aims to develop a distributed optimisation-based nonlinear control approach for plant-wide flexible manufacturing, which can achieve time-varying operational targets including production rates and product specifications to meet dynamic market demands. This includes a contraction-based nonlinear distributed control framework that ensures plant-wide stability at any feasible set-points or references and a distributed economic model predictive control approach that coordinates autonomous controllers to achieve plant-wide economic objectives in a self-organising manner. The outcomes of this project are expected to form a process control framework for next-generation smart plants.Read moreRead less
Dissipativity based distributed model predictive control for complex industrial processes. This project will extend and improve the model predictive control technology, which is the most widely used advanced control approach in process industries. The results will potentially benefit the Australian mineral processing industry where many processes are geographically distributed, leading to more cost-effective operation.
Integrated Approach to Plantwide Fault Diagnosis and Fault-tolerant Control. This project aims to develop a new approach to detect and reduce the impact of faults in industrial plants. Operations of modern industrial processes increasingly depend on automatic control systems, which can make the plants susceptible to faults such as sensor/actuator failures. Based on the concept of dissipative systems, the project aims to develop a novel integrated approach to distributed fault diagnosis and fault ....Integrated Approach to Plantwide Fault Diagnosis and Fault-tolerant Control. This project aims to develop a new approach to detect and reduce the impact of faults in industrial plants. Operations of modern industrial processes increasingly depend on automatic control systems, which can make the plants susceptible to faults such as sensor/actuator failures. Based on the concept of dissipative systems, the project aims to develop a novel integrated approach to distributed fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control for plant-wide processes. It aims to capture the key dynamic features of normal and abnormal processes by their dissipativity properties, and to use these to develop an efficient online fault diagnosis approach based on process input and output trajectories.Read moreRead less
Improving the Durability and Performance of Hollow Fibre Membranes with Nanocomposite and Inorganic/organic Hybrid Materials. Water is a critical resource for societies worldwide and Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. Options to treat ‘used’ or lower quality waters for reuse are becoming a necessity. This project aims to implement advanced nanotechnology solutions to improve performance characteristics of widely adopted water treatment membranes, which have the potential to reduce ....Improving the Durability and Performance of Hollow Fibre Membranes with Nanocomposite and Inorganic/organic Hybrid Materials. Water is a critical resource for societies worldwide and Australia is one of the driest nations on Earth. Options to treat ‘used’ or lower quality waters for reuse are becoming a necessity. This project aims to implement advanced nanotechnology solutions to improve performance characteristics of widely adopted water treatment membranes, which have the potential to reduce water treatment costs in Australia. This is made possible by the collaboration with Australia's largest manufacturer of water treatment membranes. The outcomes will lead towards a lower maintenance water treatment technology available to communities, at lower cost. The application of such a technology will span from local small scale to major installations worldwide.Read moreRead less
Next generation core-shell materials based on biomolecular dual-templating. This project aims to discover and develop new methods and knowledge for the precision engineering of next-generation core-shell materials using sustainable biomolecular dual-templating processes. This research builds on a recent breakthrough - emulsion and biomimetic dual-templating technology for facile preparation of silica capsules, and is expected to revolutionise current approaches for making core-shell materials. S ....Next generation core-shell materials based on biomolecular dual-templating. This project aims to discover and develop new methods and knowledge for the precision engineering of next-generation core-shell materials using sustainable biomolecular dual-templating processes. This research builds on a recent breakthrough - emulsion and biomimetic dual-templating technology for facile preparation of silica capsules, and is expected to revolutionise current approaches for making core-shell materials. Significant outcomes are expected to be achieved through building fundamental understanding around this breakthrough, including new concepts for hierarchical nanomaterials based on biomolecular design, new molecular and engineering design rules for core-shell materials, and novel materials for applications in sustained release and delivery systems.Read moreRead less
Developing a smart supervisory control system for pan stage operations in sugar factories. This project aims to develop a prototype smart supervisory control system for pan stage crystallisation operations in raw sugar processing. Intelligent systems technologies will be tailored to provide a standardised approach for pan operations by using key process measurements and combining them with the collective expertise and knowledge of pan operators. This project will lead to a significant advance in ....Developing a smart supervisory control system for pan stage operations in sugar factories. This project aims to develop a prototype smart supervisory control system for pan stage crystallisation operations in raw sugar processing. Intelligent systems technologies will be tailored to provide a standardised approach for pan operations by using key process measurements and combining them with the collective expertise and knowledge of pan operators. This project will lead to a significant advance in the development of intelligent systems techniques for industrial applications and provide a better decision making strategy for pan stage operations with the benefit of reduced costs of sugar manufacture and increased profitability of the Australian sugar industry.Read moreRead less
University of Queensland/Arizona State University partnership to design industrially suitable zeolite membranes for desalination. For desalination, the highest costs are organic-based membrane replacement (lasting ~1 year) and energy requirement. Functionalised zeolitic membranes are low-cost, high performing, chemically tolerant and thermally stable. New zeolite membranes in principle could perform the separation outlasting their organic counterparts, while at the same time offering major energ ....University of Queensland/Arizona State University partnership to design industrially suitable zeolite membranes for desalination. For desalination, the highest costs are organic-based membrane replacement (lasting ~1 year) and energy requirement. Functionalised zeolitic membranes are low-cost, high performing, chemically tolerant and thermally stable. New zeolite membranes in principle could perform the separation outlasting their organic counterparts, while at the same time offering major energy reductions from higher fluxes. Current zeolite membrane research for desalination however is lacking. The proposed team offers experience in bringing highly significant lab scale technologies to industrial scales. The outcomes will address mutual priorities between Australia and USA for reliable low cost supply of fresh water.Read moreRead less
Unlocking Australia's offshore gas endowment. This project aims to develop practical new methods of predicting and detecting the formation of solids in gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. Australia has large offshore reserves of natural gas and has made the investments necessary to help fuel the global transition to cleaner, reliable energy sources. However, conventional engineering approaches of producing gas from deep-water reserves have reached the limits of viability because of t ....Unlocking Australia's offshore gas endowment. This project aims to develop practical new methods of predicting and detecting the formation of solids in gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. Australia has large offshore reserves of natural gas and has made the investments necessary to help fuel the global transition to cleaner, reliable energy sources. However, conventional engineering approaches of producing gas from deep-water reserves have reached the limits of viability because of the costs required to prevent solids forming in subsea pipelines or cryogenic LNG plants. The project’s expected outcome include sophisticated tools in open-access software based on these new predictive methods, and a step-change in Australia’s ability to access its offshore gas.Read moreRead less
Adsorption and Removal of Trace Organic Compounds by Membrane Processes used in Water Treatment and Wastewater Recycling. Recycling of municipal wastewaters is of growing importance as a resource-conservation and environmental-protection measure in Australia. A major impediment to increased rates of water recycling is a lack of knowledge regarding the presence, fate and removal of key trace organic compounds. Among these key contaminants are pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and steroid ....Adsorption and Removal of Trace Organic Compounds by Membrane Processes used in Water Treatment and Wastewater Recycling. Recycling of municipal wastewaters is of growing importance as a resource-conservation and environmental-protection measure in Australia. A major impediment to increased rates of water recycling is a lack of knowledge regarding the presence, fate and removal of key trace organic compounds. Among these key contaminants are pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and steroid hormones. This research will lead to a thorough understanding of the mechanisms involved with the removal of these compounds by membrane treatment applications. Major benefits will be enhanced ability to undertake risk management and a lowering of costs associated with full-scale water treatment applications.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC150100019
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,571,797.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Liquefied Natural Gas Futures. ARC Training Centre for Liquefied Natural Gas Futures. This training centre aims to deliver projects and training to enable future Australian Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production from reserves in deep water, at small or remote on-shore locations, with greater efficiency, less environmental impact, and at lower cost than currently possible. This should be accomplished via research projects undertaken by the PhD students and research fellows ....ARC Training Centre for Liquefied Natural Gas Futures. ARC Training Centre for Liquefied Natural Gas Futures. This training centre aims to deliver projects and training to enable future Australian Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production from reserves in deep water, at small or remote on-shore locations, with greater efficiency, less environmental impact, and at lower cost than currently possible. This should be accomplished via research projects undertaken by the PhD students and research fellows with guidance from the centre’s industrial partners. The centre’s expected legacy is a unique research and training facility, designed for future integration into a microscale LNG plant. The anticipated research and training outcomes will help to ensure Australia plays a leading role in future global LNG developments.Read moreRead less