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
Force Interactions in Packed and Fluidised Beds at Micro-Scale Operation. Industrial processing in the 20th century was about increasing size to gain benefit from economies of scale. This century, the focus is on micro devices like lab-on-a-chip and high speed computer processors that deliver their product directly to the consumer. There are significant obstacles facing this new technology. Mixing is reduced due to laminar flow, and a large amount of energy is needed to move the fluid through su ....Force Interactions in Packed and Fluidised Beds at Micro-Scale Operation. Industrial processing in the 20th century was about increasing size to gain benefit from economies of scale. This century, the focus is on micro devices like lab-on-a-chip and high speed computer processors that deliver their product directly to the consumer. There are significant obstacles facing this new technology. Mixing is reduced due to laminar flow, and a large amount of energy is needed to move the fluid through such small devices. Particles are often added to improve mixing and heat transfer, but their presence adds to the energy requirements. This study will help us overcome these challenges. Read moreRead less
Particle scale modelling of dense medium cyclones in coal preparation. Australia is the world's biggest coal exporter, and black coal is Australia's largest export, worth around $A13.5 billion annually. Dense medium cyclones process the vast majority of tonnes fed to Australian coal preparation plants, and hence play a critical economic role in coal production. This project aims at providing substantial design and operational improvements through the application of a novel combined continuum and ....Particle scale modelling of dense medium cyclones in coal preparation. Australia is the world's biggest coal exporter, and black coal is Australia's largest export, worth around $A13.5 billion annually. Dense medium cyclones process the vast majority of tonnes fed to Australian coal preparation plants, and hence play a critical economic role in coal production. This project aims at providing substantial design and operational improvements through the application of a novel combined continuum and discrete modelling method. Specifically, the improvements targeted relate to better process and product control, a decrease in unit energy consumption and improvements in productivity, which, together with the research training offered, will further enhance Australia's leading position in global coal industry.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the scale interactions of wall turbulence: experiment, physical modelling, next-generation numerical simulation. Turbulent fluid flows near solid surfaces are present in many areas of everyday life: from the drag experienced on air, sea and road vehicles, to governing the mixing processes in combustion chambers, and in the transport of pollutants and particulates in our cities and towns. Unfortunately our understanding of these complex flows is limited, and hence so to is our ability ....Unravelling the scale interactions of wall turbulence: experiment, physical modelling, next-generation numerical simulation. Turbulent fluid flows near solid surfaces are present in many areas of everyday life: from the drag experienced on air, sea and road vehicles, to governing the mixing processes in combustion chambers, and in the transport of pollutants and particulates in our cities and towns. Unfortunately our understanding of these complex flows is limited, and hence so to is our ability to model or control them. This project addresses this problem with the goal of providing new physical insights and models that can be used for efficient and accurate numerical simulations. The simulations will not only compute the average statistics but also the time-varying properties, which are crucial in many engineering and environmental processes.Read moreRead less
Microdynamic modelling and analysis of gas fluidization of particle mixtures. The project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms governing the particle-fluid flow in gas fluidization of mixtures of particles of different sizes. This will be achieved through detailed analysis of the particle-particle and particle-fluid interactions on the basis of the microdynamic or particle scale results generated by the newly developed discrete simulation technique. The microscopic fin ....Microdynamic modelling and analysis of gas fluidization of particle mixtures. The project aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms governing the particle-fluid flow in gas fluidization of mixtures of particles of different sizes. This will be achieved through detailed analysis of the particle-particle and particle-fluid interactions on the basis of the microdynamic or particle scale results generated by the newly developed discrete simulation technique. The microscopic findings will be implemented in the macroscopic, continuum-based modelling and tested by comparing numerical and experimental results. It will significantly enhance the present capability of modelling particle-fluid flow in gas fluidization which is widely used in mineral/chemical industries.Read moreRead less
Advanced fluid mechanics modelling of complex leukocyte-endothelial interactions. This project adopts an interdisciplinary approach toward understanding the mechanical interactions between blood cells and vessel walls, under different hydrodynamic conditions. Outcomes will have downstream benefits to vascular biology in relation to diagnosis of problems such as atherosclerotic plaques. These vascular problems are associated with several major health problems including coronary heart disease, h ....Advanced fluid mechanics modelling of complex leukocyte-endothelial interactions. This project adopts an interdisciplinary approach toward understanding the mechanical interactions between blood cells and vessel walls, under different hydrodynamic conditions. Outcomes will have downstream benefits to vascular biology in relation to diagnosis of problems such as atherosclerotic plaques. These vascular problems are associated with several major health problems including coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and kidney dysfunction.Read moreRead less
Wave to Wire: Optimising Hydrodynamic Performance and Capture Efficiency of Next Generation Ocean Wave Energy Systems. Wave energy in the oceans of the world represents a vast renewable energy resource that has not been tapped. This project will play a crucial role in maximising the performance and economic viability of a unique Australian wave energy technology. We will develop a dynamically integrated theoretical model aimed at capturing the complex behaviour of ocean waves and optimising the ....Wave to Wire: Optimising Hydrodynamic Performance and Capture Efficiency of Next Generation Ocean Wave Energy Systems. Wave energy in the oceans of the world represents a vast renewable energy resource that has not been tapped. This project will play a crucial role in maximising the performance and economic viability of a unique Australian wave energy technology. We will develop a dynamically integrated theoretical model aimed at capturing the complex behaviour of ocean waves and optimising the energy capture efficiency of the Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy system. One of the most exciting aspects of the technology is its potential to provide on-site bulk desalination of seawater, whilst being driven entirely by renewable energy. It will also result in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation.Read moreRead less
Stability, transition and heat transfer in thermally coupled natural convection boundary layers. Thermally coupled natural convection systems occur when a conducting vertical wall separates two fluids at different temperatures. Such configurations occur, for example, at a window separating the interior of a room from the outside or when a container of fluid is placed in a refrigerator. Improved building heating/cooling and ventilation, and more efficient refrigeration systems, require a thoroug ....Stability, transition and heat transfer in thermally coupled natural convection boundary layers. Thermally coupled natural convection systems occur when a conducting vertical wall separates two fluids at different temperatures. Such configurations occur, for example, at a window separating the interior of a room from the outside or when a container of fluid is placed in a refrigerator. Improved building heating/cooling and ventilation, and more efficient refrigeration systems, require a thorough understanding and predictive capability for these flows. This project will develop experimental, numerical and analytic tools to predict these flows and provide simple scaling relations for bulk flow parameters such as the heat transfer across the wall, which will be of immediate use in the associated industries.Read moreRead less