Turbulent wall-bounded flow in adverse pressure gradient environments. This research will create additional research capacity in turbulence control and drag reduction. It will have direct benefits to the Australian economy via the transport industry by reducing the adverse impact of the carbon tax and rising fuel prices on long-haul air, water and road transport, on which Australia is disproportionately reliant.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100968
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Lifting the Veil on Turbulent Convective Heat Transfer over Rough Surfaces. By understanding the influence of surface roughness on convective heat transfer, this project intends to reduce the unwanted heating and energy losses associated with surface roughness in gas and steam turbines used in power generation and transportation. The surface roughness that results from extended operation of gas and steam turbines can significantly increase the heating of their surfaces, increasing fuel consumpti ....Lifting the Veil on Turbulent Convective Heat Transfer over Rough Surfaces. By understanding the influence of surface roughness on convective heat transfer, this project intends to reduce the unwanted heating and energy losses associated with surface roughness in gas and steam turbines used in power generation and transportation. The surface roughness that results from extended operation of gas and steam turbines can significantly increase the heating of their surfaces, increasing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing operational life. Improvements would allow turbines to operate at higher inlet temperatures which will increase their efficiency and reduce fuel use, environmental emissions and maintenance costs.Read moreRead less
Geometry of wall-turbulence and its potential to advance scalable models. This project aims to unravel the connections between the statistical geometry of wall-turbulence and the dynamical interactions of its instantaneous motions. Predicting the complex behaviour of turbulent fluid flow over surfaces in relative motion is central to atmospheric modelling for climate and agriculture, and reducing the environmental effect of fossil fuel usage. Wall-turbulence statistics organise according to a pr ....Geometry of wall-turbulence and its potential to advance scalable models. This project aims to unravel the connections between the statistical geometry of wall-turbulence and the dynamical interactions of its instantaneous motions. Predicting the complex behaviour of turbulent fluid flow over surfaces in relative motion is central to atmospheric modelling for climate and agriculture, and reducing the environmental effect of fossil fuel usage. Wall-turbulence statistics organise according to a predictable geometric structure, and the notorious complexity of turbulent wall-flow dynamics could be clarified through its inherent geometry. This project expects to construct a basis for predicting engineering and atmospheric wall-flows, which would enhance atmospheric flow prediction, reduce energy consumption and further environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Self-similar scale interactions in turbulent boundary layers. Predicting and controlling turbulent fluid flow next to a solid surface (the turbulent boundary layer) is of critical importance to ensuring a sustainable energy and environmental future. While recent research has yielded a clearer physical understanding of these flows, converting this understanding into tools useful to engineering practice remains a central obstacle. The proposed research directly addresses this fundamental challenge ....Self-similar scale interactions in turbulent boundary layers. Predicting and controlling turbulent fluid flow next to a solid surface (the turbulent boundary layer) is of critical importance to ensuring a sustainable energy and environmental future. While recent research has yielded a clearer physical understanding of these flows, converting this understanding into tools useful to engineering practice remains a central obstacle. The proposed research directly addresses this fundamental challenge by precisely connecting the eddy interactions of the turbulence to the mathematical equations that rigorously describe these flows. As such it holds breakthrough potential toward the development of turbulent boundary layer prediction and control schemes that do not rely on ad hoc models or assumptions.Read moreRead less
New understanding and models for two-phase solar thermal particle receivers. The project aims to provide the new understanding of, and computational design tools for, next generation solar thermal particle receivers and their hybrids. Particle receivers, which heat fine particles in suspension, offer much greater efficiency than current tubular receivers, but are presently unreliable due to the poor understanding of the complex and coupled mechanisms that govern their performance. The results ar ....New understanding and models for two-phase solar thermal particle receivers. The project aims to provide the new understanding of, and computational design tools for, next generation solar thermal particle receivers and their hybrids. Particle receivers, which heat fine particles in suspension, offer much greater efficiency than current tubular receivers, but are presently unreliable due to the poor understanding of the complex and coupled mechanisms that govern their performance. The results are expected to speed up the development and roll-out of these devices, to deliver cost-effective, low-emissions energy technologies for future power generation and thermo-chemical processes. The aims will be met by the parallel application of advanced laser diagnostic measurements and computational fluid dynamics modelling techniques.Read moreRead less
Enhanced mixing of turbulent jet flames via side lateral injection. This innovative project will contribute significantly to the reduction of pollutant emissions from combustion of fossil and bio-fuels through new and innovative mixing approach of fuel and oxidant. It will facilitate a range of new devices with broader application leading to export earnings, local employment and reduction of our carbon footprint.
Fuel stratification to enable higher load operation of homogeneous charge compression ignition engines. The project aims to provide knowledge needed to solve a problem impeding the development of an efficient and clean engine concept known as homogeneous charge compression ignition. Fuel stratification using alternative fuels will be studied fundamentally and used to reduce the problematic rapid pressure changes that occur in these engines.
The stabilisation of lifted jet flames in hot oxidiser. The project will contribute fundamental insights on a crucial phenomenon in diesel engines: the detachment of the flame from the fuel nozzle, which strongly affects harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates. Detailed numerical simulations will be used to reveal the mechanism of flame stabilisation, knowledge that will aid the development of cleaner engines.
Understanding particle-laden flows for clean high temperature processes. This project aims to understand and provide computational design tools for the complex heat and mass transfer processes within the new technologies that needed for the high temperature processing of minerals with low net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, both with and without the use of concentrated solar thermal energy. These models are needed to achieve low-cost scale-up and development of the new technologies under develop ....Understanding particle-laden flows for clean high temperature processes. This project aims to understand and provide computational design tools for the complex heat and mass transfer processes within the new technologies that needed for the high temperature processing of minerals with low net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, both with and without the use of concentrated solar thermal energy. These models are needed to achieve low-cost scale-up and development of the new technologies under development, because they operate in regimes of particle-laden flow for which present numerical design tools are unreliable. The project will underpin the development of new technologies that are needed for Australia to meet its greenhouse emissions targets and to capitalise on the anticipated global demand for low-carbon-intensive metals and other value-added products.Read moreRead less
Predictive models for the combustion of multi-component bio-fuels. This project will develop advanced, computationally efficient models for predicting pollutant emissions from the combustion of bio-fuels. The models will target practical engineering-scale applications with the aim of achieving improved energy conversion and improved urban air quality.