Developing novel big-data based models for designing greener turbines. Developing novel big-data based models for designing greener turbines. This project aims to improve the fuel efficiency of gas turbines, the backbone of power generation and aircraft propulsion, for efficient and affordable power generation and air travel. Australia is large, remote and has some of the world’s highest carbon dioxide emissions per capita. Improving fuel efficiency will reduce cost and emissions, but current de ....Developing novel big-data based models for designing greener turbines. Developing novel big-data based models for designing greener turbines. This project aims to improve the fuel efficiency of gas turbines, the backbone of power generation and aircraft propulsion, for efficient and affordable power generation and air travel. Australia is large, remote and has some of the world’s highest carbon dioxide emissions per capita. Improving fuel efficiency will reduce cost and emissions, but current design tools lack the accuracy to advance technology. This project will investigate fluid flow in gas turbines and use big-data analytics to develop more accurate design tools. Gas turbines with reduced fuel usage and carbon dioxide emissions are expected to reduce the cost and environmental impact of power generation and air travel in Australia.Read moreRead less
Microwave-generated plasma combustion for in-cylinder soot reduction. Microwave-generated plasma combustion for in-cylinder soot reduction. This project aims to develop a microwave-generated plasma combustion system for the in-cylinder formation of hydroxyl radicals, achieving cost-effective reduction of engine-out emissions in diesel engines. This new system should overcome high-load particulate emissions and high-cost fuel injection systems, which limit further improvement of diesel engines. T ....Microwave-generated plasma combustion for in-cylinder soot reduction. Microwave-generated plasma combustion for in-cylinder soot reduction. This project aims to develop a microwave-generated plasma combustion system for the in-cylinder formation of hydroxyl radicals, achieving cost-effective reduction of engine-out emissions in diesel engines. This new system should overcome high-load particulate emissions and high-cost fuel injection systems, which limit further improvement of diesel engines. This project expects to accomplish this by combining laser diagnostics in optical combustion facilities and computational modelling, which should lead to the scientific knowledge accelerating the development cycle of the new system.Read moreRead less
Investigation of Strategies to Improve the Efficiency of Industrial Radiators and Cooling Coils. Innovative strategies for improving in-service effectiveness of tube & plate-fin heat exchange 'coils' will be explored. Such coils are used throughout chemical process industries, diesel powered plant, vehicles and air-conditioning systems. Coil manufacture is a 'mature' industry, but design concepts have changed little since 1950. Fouling of diesel engine 'radiators' in dusty conditions and in mari ....Investigation of Strategies to Improve the Efficiency of Industrial Radiators and Cooling Coils. Innovative strategies for improving in-service effectiveness of tube & plate-fin heat exchange 'coils' will be explored. Such coils are used throughout chemical process industries, diesel powered plant, vehicles and air-conditioning systems. Coil manufacture is a 'mature' industry, but design concepts have changed little since 1950. Fouling of diesel engine 'radiators' in dusty conditions and in marine environments is endemic. New design concepts evolved via Computational Fluid Dynamic analysis will be manufactured and tested in the unique heat and mass transfer wind tunnel on the University's Industry Liaison Campus. The major outcome will be a rugged design methodology with broad applicability.Read moreRead less
Performance enhancement of tidal turbine arrays. Performance enhancement of tidal turbine arrays. This project aims to understand the environmental impact of turbines, by studying how an optimised array of turbines interacts with the downstream turbulent tidal flow. Tidal power could contribute substantially to Australia's Renewable Energy goals. Australia's coastlines produce over 2.4 terajoules of tidal energy, and research into turbine optimisation, array design and environmental impact is ne ....Performance enhancement of tidal turbine arrays. Performance enhancement of tidal turbine arrays. This project aims to understand the environmental impact of turbines, by studying how an optimised array of turbines interacts with the downstream turbulent tidal flow. Tidal power could contribute substantially to Australia's Renewable Energy goals. Australia's coastlines produce over 2.4 terajoules of tidal energy, and research into turbine optimisation, array design and environmental impact is needed to exploit this potential. Fluid dynamics and optimisation researchers will design an improved vertical axis tidal turbine for use in the Torres Strait Islands. This project could improve tidal turbine design and turbine placement designs, and improve understanding of interactions between turbines and the maritime environment.Read moreRead less
Lower greenhouse at lower cost: maximising the potential of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in passenger vehicles. This project will develop tools for designing internal combustion engines that simultaneously achieve low greenhouse emissions without added consumer cost. The project aim is to be achieved through the effective use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which is an affordable fuel that has potentially low emissions if used properly.
Understanding rough-wall flows and turbulent mixing for improved models. In the absence of a reliable predictive capability for turbulent heat transfer, design engineers are currently forced to incorporate safety margins into their calculations to compensate for aero-thermal loading uncertainty, which ultimately limits the opportunities for high-efficiency designs. This project employs high-fidelity simulations and experiments of real-world heat transfer problems, as identified by our partner or ....Understanding rough-wall flows and turbulent mixing for improved models. In the absence of a reliable predictive capability for turbulent heat transfer, design engineers are currently forced to incorporate safety margins into their calculations to compensate for aero-thermal loading uncertainty, which ultimately limits the opportunities for high-efficiency designs. This project employs high-fidelity simulations and experiments of real-world heat transfer problems, as identified by our partner organisation, MHI, an industry leader, combined with a novel data-driven model development framework. Outcomes will be a fundamental advance in our predictive capability and understanding of turbulent heat transfer, which in turn will permit more reliable, efficient and durable designs for energy generation.Read moreRead less
Quantification of heat release, NOx emissions and soot from high temperature gaseous flames. The ongoing importance of Australia's minerals processing sector depends on advanced combustion technology to minimise the emission of NOx and other greenhouse gases. The heat release and NOx emissions from the high temperature flames used in such processes is known to depend strongly on the presence of soot. However their optimisation and design is limited by a lack of fundamental data under relevant c ....Quantification of heat release, NOx emissions and soot from high temperature gaseous flames. The ongoing importance of Australia's minerals processing sector depends on advanced combustion technology to minimise the emission of NOx and other greenhouse gases. The heat release and NOx emissions from the high temperature flames used in such processes is known to depend strongly on the presence of soot. However their optimisation and design is limited by a lack of fundamental data under relevant conditions. To address this need, new measurements and analysis will be performed to quantify the complex relationship between turbulent mixing, soot formation, heat release and NOx emissions under high temperature conditions of both fundamental and practical significance.
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Assessment and Optimisation of Mixing and Aerodynamic Characteristics of Multi-Fuel Burners for Rotary Kilns. Cement kilns are increasingly being used to dispose of waste and low-grade biomass fuels. Being nominally greenhouse neutral, these fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels. However, their use also presents significant technical challenges, one of which will be addressed by the proposed program. In building capacity of local industry to utilise these fuels in ceme ....Assessment and Optimisation of Mixing and Aerodynamic Characteristics of Multi-Fuel Burners for Rotary Kilns. Cement kilns are increasingly being used to dispose of waste and low-grade biomass fuels. Being nominally greenhouse neutral, these fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels. However, their use also presents significant technical challenges, one of which will be addressed by the proposed program. In building capacity of local industry to utilise these fuels in cement kilns, it will open the door to other opportunities in the future. It will also increase the export earnings of an Australian company who will commercialise these outcomes internationally.Read moreRead less
Development of engine management systems for turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engines with optional natural gas port-injection. This project aims to develop universal and programmable engine management systems for gasoline direct-injection engines with lean-burn technology and optional natural gas port-injection. The new engine management system will enable higher fuel efficiency than its predecessors and the increased use of nationally-produced natural gas. The project aims to overcome th ....Development of engine management systems for turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engines with optional natural gas port-injection. This project aims to develop universal and programmable engine management systems for gasoline direct-injection engines with lean-burn technology and optional natural gas port-injection. The new engine management system will enable higher fuel efficiency than its predecessors and the increased use of nationally-produced natural gas. The project aims to overcome three main problems that limit efficiency improvement of direct-injection engines, namely: misfiring, unstable combustion, and soot emission. How these issues are impacted by additional natural gas port-injection will also be explored. This project aims to accomplish this by combining fundamental in-cylinder optical measurements and detailed modelling.Read moreRead less
Natural gas direct injection in advanced engines and powertrains. Natural gas direct injection in advanced engines and powertrains. This project aims to quantify and understand how future, advanced passenger vehicles might perform when optimised for the direct injection (DI) of natural gas. Such production vehicles do not exist, largely because production DI systems for natural gas, spark ignition engines are not yet available. This project will examine both advanced conventional and hybrid vehi ....Natural gas direct injection in advanced engines and powertrains. Natural gas direct injection in advanced engines and powertrains. This project aims to quantify and understand how future, advanced passenger vehicles might perform when optimised for the direct injection (DI) of natural gas. Such production vehicles do not exist, largely because production DI systems for natural gas, spark ignition engines are not yet available. This project will examine both advanced conventional and hybrid vehicles using a suite of state-of-the-art experimental and numerical techniques. This project will quantify these vehicles’ environmental, technical and economic performance to determine whether DI natural gas, conventional and hybrid vehicles might reduce substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions whilst avoiding any consumer penalty. This research could contribute to global GHG abatement.Read moreRead less