Understanding and modifying vortex structures in wind turbine wakes. At a fundamental research level, Australia's active participation in this area of national priority and research strength will be advanced through our published research, which will increase our understanding of wind turbine wakes and their effects in wind farms. This understanding will then be used to produce improved methods of predicting wind turbine performance. Such methods are needed by wind energy designers to produce b ....Understanding and modifying vortex structures in wind turbine wakes. At a fundamental research level, Australia's active participation in this area of national priority and research strength will be advanced through our published research, which will increase our understanding of wind turbine wakes and their effects in wind farms. This understanding will then be used to produce improved methods of predicting wind turbine performance. Such methods are needed by wind energy designers to produce better wind farms. It will also be used to recommend how to improve the aerodynamic design of turbine components, such as the blades and hub. Numerical tools will be developed for industry use, and training will be provided to personnel, thereby increasing the capabilities of Australia's growing wind energy industry.Read moreRead less
Electrohydrodynamically-Driven Microcentrifugation for Microfluidic Applications. Microfluidics has the potential to revolutionise the way we live. Imagine portable pocket sized devices for cheap and rapid medical diagnostics and drug delivery. Or miniaturised chemical/biological sensors as early warning detection systems against terrorist threats. The research is thus intended to not only commercially benefit various industries, but also to improve the quality of life as a whole by making medic ....Electrohydrodynamically-Driven Microcentrifugation for Microfluidic Applications. Microfluidics has the potential to revolutionise the way we live. Imagine portable pocket sized devices for cheap and rapid medical diagnostics and drug delivery. Or miniaturised chemical/biological sensors as early warning detection systems against terrorist threats. The research is thus intended to not only commercially benefit various industries, but also to improve the quality of life as a whole by making medical diagnosis or chemical/biological detection more readily accessible, portable and more efficient. Moreover, the fundamental studies, aimed at generating an understanding of the complex physics involved, has generic benefits to researchers in applied physics as well as providing practical protocols for microdevice development.Read moreRead less
Viscous extensional flow and drop breakoff. Honey falling from a spoon is an everyday example of a viscous fluid in a free extensional flow which may eventually break up into drops. Such flows are important in modern technologies including ink-jet printing, welding, soldering and molten metal processing, polymer and glass fibre spinning, and for rheological measurement. We seek to increase understanding of the mechanisms governing such flows, particularly the role of initial conditions and the ....Viscous extensional flow and drop breakoff. Honey falling from a spoon is an everyday example of a viscous fluid in a free extensional flow which may eventually break up into drops. Such flows are important in modern technologies including ink-jet printing, welding, soldering and molten metal processing, polymer and glass fibre spinning, and for rheological measurement. We seek to increase understanding of the mechanisms governing such flows, particularly the role of initial conditions and the geometry of the original containing vessel, together with balances between forces such as inertia, gravity, viscosity, viscoelasticity, and surface tension, through a theoretical, computational and experimental study of the fluid mechanics.Read moreRead less
Turbulent mixing of a passive scalar. Turbulence is the usual state of fluid motion. This proposal will increase Australia's expertise in fundamental turbulence research, especially in the area of turbulent mixing, which is of major importance in many natural and engineering problems involving combustion, chemical reactions and pollution. A better knowledge of mixing at small scales will lead to more efficient combustion, savings in energy expenditure as well as a reduction in pollutant emiss ....Turbulent mixing of a passive scalar. Turbulence is the usual state of fluid motion. This proposal will increase Australia's expertise in fundamental turbulence research, especially in the area of turbulent mixing, which is of major importance in many natural and engineering problems involving combustion, chemical reactions and pollution. A better knowledge of mixing at small scales will lead to more efficient combustion, savings in energy expenditure as well as a reduction in pollutant emissions. Read moreRead less
Prediction and control of fluid-structure interactions. Fluid-flows create a pressure that can deform the surface of a structure or cause it to vibrate; an extreme example is the fluttering of a flag. Flow-induced vibration of the external panels of vehicles causes damage, noise and can adversely affect performance. This project will develop a wholly new approach for the analysis of these interactions. The versatility and completeness of the approach permits a step-change in the design of panels ....Prediction and control of fluid-structure interactions. Fluid-flows create a pressure that can deform the surface of a structure or cause it to vibrate; an extreme example is the fluttering of a flag. Flow-induced vibration of the external panels of vehicles causes damage, noise and can adversely affect performance. This project will develop a wholly new approach for the analysis of these interactions. The versatility and completeness of the approach permits a step-change in the design of panels, reducing material and manufacturing costs without compromise to safety and performance - an immense benefit for the myriad engineered products or structures that feature flow over a deformable surface. Read moreRead less
Numerical simulation of the fish-like swimming of linked bodies. Although Zoologists have made detailed observations of swimming fish there are still many unanswered questions about how they swim. We do not know how the fins and undulating body work together to produce the high speed of the tuna, or the fast turns of a fish escaping danger. We see dolphins swim through the sea's surface but we don't know if they do that because it is much more efficient. This project is designed to simulate arb ....Numerical simulation of the fish-like swimming of linked bodies. Although Zoologists have made detailed observations of swimming fish there are still many unanswered questions about how they swim. We do not know how the fins and undulating body work together to produce the high speed of the tuna, or the fast turns of a fish escaping danger. We see dolphins swim through the sea's surface but we don't know if they do that because it is much more efficient. This project is designed to simulate arbitrary fish motion and give answers to these and other questions concerning swimming. It may also help humans to swim more efficiently and provide simulation tools for the design of robotic undersea vehicles.Read moreRead less
Taming turbulence: Hydrodynamic stability and flow-structure interaction using grid-free computation. Turbulence is characterized as seemingly disordered fluctuations that impede the progress of an object through a fluid by creating increased frictional or drag forces. Using a new type of fluid-flow simulation, this project will generate advanced understanding of turbulence in the flow over the surface of a vehicle, be it a ship, car, aircraft or within a pipe, with the technological objective o ....Taming turbulence: Hydrodynamic stability and flow-structure interaction using grid-free computation. Turbulence is characterized as seemingly disordered fluctuations that impede the progress of an object through a fluid by creating increased frictional or drag forces. Using a new type of fluid-flow simulation, this project will generate advanced understanding of turbulence in the flow over the surface of a vehicle, be it a ship, car, aircraft or within a pipe, with the technological objective of reducing drag by adhering a compliant skin to the surface. While the correct choice of compliance relies upon understanding very complex flow-structure dynamics, the resulting technology is simple, robust and has low capital and maintenance costs. Clearly, drag reduction reduces fuel costs and lower fuel consumption is environmentally beneficial. Read moreRead less
Studies of turbulence and coherent structures in quasi two-dimensional plasmas and fluids. One of the most celebrated but least understood complex systems in nature is turbulent flow. This cross-disciplinary project aims to contribute to basic scientific knowledge of a class of turbulent flows, known as quasi two-dimensional fluids, that typically exhibit self-organizing properties, stable sheared flow, and relatively weak dissipation. The significance lies in the proposed testing, by modelling ....Studies of turbulence and coherent structures in quasi two-dimensional plasmas and fluids. One of the most celebrated but least understood complex systems in nature is turbulent flow. This cross-disciplinary project aims to contribute to basic scientific knowledge of a class of turbulent flows, known as quasi two-dimensional fluids, that typically exhibit self-organizing properties, stable sheared flow, and relatively weak dissipation. The significance lies in the proposed testing, by modelling and simulation studies, of the well-grounded hypothesis that suppression of turbulence by sheared flow is a universal phenomenon in such fluids, and that it can be exploited to control transport of fluid constituents. Applications of this new knowledge will be developed.Read moreRead less
Measurement and Prediction of Vulnerable Plaque Formation and Rupture. The major health problem of atherosclerosis, leading to large numbers of deaths from heart attacks and strokes worldwide, will be studied by a multidisciplinary team. Better understanding of how the disease evolves and its earlier detection will arise from this project, which will use synchrotron imaging and supercomputer prediction.
Interstellar Gas Dynamics. The conversion of interstellar gas into stars is a key process in the life-history of galaxies and the formation of planetary systems. Star formation takes place within a heterogeneous, dynamic cloud, and entails a million-fold contraction controlled by a complex interplay between gravity, magnetic forces, ionisation balance, chemical reactions and particles of interstellar dust. Previous modelling has adopted inappropriate approximations for the evolution of the mag ....Interstellar Gas Dynamics. The conversion of interstellar gas into stars is a key process in the life-history of galaxies and the formation of planetary systems. Star formation takes place within a heterogeneous, dynamic cloud, and entails a million-fold contraction controlled by a complex interplay between gravity, magnetic forces, ionisation balance, chemical reactions and particles of interstellar dust. Previous modelling has adopted inappropriate approximations for the evolution of the magnetic field. This research will bring a rigorous treatment of magnetic diffusion to bear on the theory of cloud evolution, shock waves, star formation and protoplanetary discs.
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