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
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
Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result ....Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result in an increase of the overall capacity and performance of engineering systems. This will contribute significantly to reductions in power consumption and improvements in productivity and work environment, leading ultimately to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Biotransport design for engineering microenvironment in scaffolds. Tissue engineering signifies an exciting opportunity to solve shortage of transplantable tissues. This project targets a critical issue in engineering thick tissue and aims to introduce computational structural optimisation to biotransport problems. The optimal scaffold is expected to create a more desirable microenvironment for better tissue growth.
Investigation of a Novel Fan. Fans are very widely used for cooling and heating, thrust and mass transport and are one of the most common fluid mechanical devices. An optimal fan design will maximise flow velocity and pressure rise for minimum energy requirements and noise production. De Rolfe has recently developed a new fan that shows considerable promise in comparison to conventional designs on single point tests.
In this project experimental and computional fluid dynamics investigations o ....Investigation of a Novel Fan. Fans are very widely used for cooling and heating, thrust and mass transport and are one of the most common fluid mechanical devices. An optimal fan design will maximise flow velocity and pressure rise for minimum energy requirements and noise production. De Rolfe has recently developed a new fan that shows considerable promise in comparison to conventional designs on single point tests.
In this project experimental and computional fluid dynamics investigations of the new fan will be carried out to determine the basic fluid mechanics and to obtain performance curves. Scaling laws will be obtained and, if possible, the fan will be further optimised.Read moreRead less
Modelling the Transient Effects in Dense Phase Gas-Solids Flow in Pipelines. Almost every physical item we use in our daily lives at some point requires the transport and handling of powdered or granular materials during the manufacturing process. Be it food (sugar, flour), chemicals (soap powders, detergents), cosmetics (talc, face powder) or electricity generation (coal and ash); each of these industries uses the flexibility of pipeline systems to transport powders and granular solids using ai ....Modelling the Transient Effects in Dense Phase Gas-Solids Flow in Pipelines. Almost every physical item we use in our daily lives at some point requires the transport and handling of powdered or granular materials during the manufacturing process. Be it food (sugar, flour), chemicals (soap powders, detergents), cosmetics (talc, face powder) or electricity generation (coal and ash); each of these industries uses the flexibility of pipeline systems to transport powders and granular solids using air as the motive force. However, the cost of poor design and the inaccurate prediction of system performance adversely affect the efficiency of many industries. Improvements to the accuracy of gas-solid flow modeling particularly for low velocity dense phase systems will have a direct impact on manufacturing efficiency.Read moreRead less
Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Granular Flow in Hoppers. Handling and processing of bulk solids such as coal and metal ores perform a key function in many industries, and hoppers are the most common devices for storage and discharge of granular materials in this field. The proper design of this equipment is very important. This project provides a systematic investigation of granular flow in hoppers, which is essential in order to avoid structure failures and associated costs. It wil ....Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Granular Flow in Hoppers. Handling and processing of bulk solids such as coal and metal ores perform a key function in many industries, and hoppers are the most common devices for storage and discharge of granular materials in this field. The proper design of this equipment is very important. This project provides a systematic investigation of granular flow in hoppers, which is essential in order to avoid structure failures and associated costs. It will lead to a fundamental understanding of relevant industrial processes, improvement of their efficiency, and hence improved competitiveness of Australian mining/mineral/metallurgical industries.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100127
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Controlled radiation facility to investigate turbulence-radiation-chemistry interactions in high-flux solar reactors. This project's facility will support the transition of Australia’s energy intensive industries, including minerals and resources, to a much lower carbon intensity. It will also underpin collaborations with internationally leading partners to develop novel solar-combustion hybrid reactors for the production of solar fuels and for minerals processing.
Thermal transport in multi-phase flows for concentrating solar applications. This project seeks to advance the field of heat transfer in high-temperature systems involving liquid metals, with emphasis on energy storage and solar power technologies. The concept couples a tubular sodium boiler with a sodium chloride phase-change storage system for continuous energy supply. Sodium chloride is low cost and has a melting temperature suitable for a wide range of industrial processes. The project plans ....Thermal transport in multi-phase flows for concentrating solar applications. This project seeks to advance the field of heat transfer in high-temperature systems involving liquid metals, with emphasis on energy storage and solar power technologies. The concept couples a tubular sodium boiler with a sodium chloride phase-change storage system for continuous energy supply. Sodium chloride is low cost and has a melting temperature suitable for a wide range of industrial processes. The project plans to address the challenge of sodium stability in highly irradiated tubes by investigating mass, momentum, energy and radiative transport in liquid metals. It is intended that this will inform the design and testing of novel sodium boilers to provide stable and isothermal process heat for continuous or on-demand production of power, chemical fuels and commodities.Read moreRead less