Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100184
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$183,437.00
Summary
Femtoliter Liquid Deposition Facility. This project aims to create a research capacity for direct printing of femtolitre volumes of functional liquids onto devices and surfaces. This project expects to enable the development of new sensing and electronic devices that require a novel fabrication step with delicate materials that cannot be deposited using existing processes. Expected outcomes include new chemical and biological sensors created through collaborative research between the partner in ....Femtoliter Liquid Deposition Facility. This project aims to create a research capacity for direct printing of femtolitre volumes of functional liquids onto devices and surfaces. This project expects to enable the development of new sensing and electronic devices that require a novel fabrication step with delicate materials that cannot be deposited using existing processes. Expected outcomes include new chemical and biological sensors created through collaborative research between the partner institutions and researchers. The benefits of this project should include the creation of a new rapid prototyping facility for Australian researchers, and the application of these capabilities for the development of new low-cost sensors for environmental gas sensing and glucose monitoring.Read moreRead less
Quantitative structural health assessment of large membrane-like structures. This project aims to develop a new approach, based on remote sensing and computational modelling, to assess and manage the structural health of large floating covers used for odour control and biogas harvesting to prevent unexpected failures. The project has potential benefits for high-value-added manufacturing and maintenance of these floating covers by Australian industry.
Development of Canonical Mist Filter Models. Over one million tonnes of oil (mist) is wasted every year – and emitted to the atmosphere through inefficient filtration. Over 50 per cent of energy usage in most process industries is for filtration and separation processes, yet mist filters and separators are largely designed by trial and error, resulting in sub-optimal, inefficient designs. Recent advances by the research team have, only now, made it possible to develop accurate models for such sy ....Development of Canonical Mist Filter Models. Over one million tonnes of oil (mist) is wasted every year – and emitted to the atmosphere through inefficient filtration. Over 50 per cent of energy usage in most process industries is for filtration and separation processes, yet mist filters and separators are largely designed by trial and error, resulting in sub-optimal, inefficient designs. Recent advances by the research team have, only now, made it possible to develop accurate models for such systems. This work intends to be the first to develop accurate, broadly applicable models for all processes in mist filters, thereby providing immense process efficiency benefits, together with improved worker and environmental protection, and less wastage of dwindling oil resources.Read moreRead less
Characterisation and Mitigation of Caustic Cracking: A Safety and Maintenance Concern in Alumina and Pulp-and-Paper Processing. Extraction of alumina from mineral bauxite (Bayer process) and pulp-and-paper processing (Kraft process) are major industries in Australia. Cracking of reaction vessels, digesters, cleaning tanks and pipework are major concern for plant integrity, occupational health, safety and environment. Caustic cracking is often the first suspect when a failure occurs. The propose ....Characterisation and Mitigation of Caustic Cracking: A Safety and Maintenance Concern in Alumina and Pulp-and-Paper Processing. Extraction of alumina from mineral bauxite (Bayer process) and pulp-and-paper processing (Kraft process) are major industries in Australia. Cracking of reaction vessels, digesters, cleaning tanks and pipework are major concern for plant integrity, occupational health, safety and environment. Caustic cracking is often the first suspect when a failure occurs. The proposed program will investigate the role of critical impurities and additives, temperature and stress fluctuations in caustic cracking of mild steel and their weldments (known to be most susceptible). This project will also develop an intellectual and infrastructural base that will also be a vital resource for several Australian industries where such cracking is a major concern.Read moreRead less
Integrated on-chip force and displacement sensors for high-speed atomic force microscopy of ultimate sensitivity. This project aims to develop next generation atomic force microscopy systems based on a novel interferometric method for on-chip force and displacement sensing. The proposed sensitivity improvement of two orders of magnitude over the present state-of-the-art will provide a disruptive innovation for various present and future nanotechnologies.
Towards a unified technology platform for sensing in liquids. Towards a unified technology platform for sensing in liquids. This project aims to use a new sensing platform for hydrocarbon monitoring in water to evolve optical on-chip position sensing of suspended micro-structures. Microelectromechanical systems dominate the world in sensing technology; they are common in smartphone, automotive, aerospace, and military applications. However, this multibillion dollar industry has failed to make ch ....Towards a unified technology platform for sensing in liquids. Towards a unified technology platform for sensing in liquids. This project aims to use a new sensing platform for hydrocarbon monitoring in water to evolve optical on-chip position sensing of suspended micro-structures. Microelectromechanical systems dominate the world in sensing technology; they are common in smartphone, automotive, aerospace, and military applications. However, this multibillion dollar industry has failed to make chem/bio sensing profitable, mostly due to the absence of a robust and compact read-out technology for sensing in liquids. This project is expected to lead to a unified parallel sensing platform of ultimate sensitivity delivering aqueous sensing for wide ranging applications and markets.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102052
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Resolving flame stabilisation mechanisms in the transition to moderate or intense low oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion. Next-generation combustion technologies are required in the transition to more efficient, and less polluting, energy production. This project will address the important issue of understanding flame stabilisation on a fundamental level to facilitate the design and development of more efficient and sustainable combustion systems.
Resolving the impact of pressure on hot and low-oxygen combustion. Despite the important role of renewable energy sources, combustion will remain essential for transportation into the foreseeable future. This project aims to investigate flames burning in a hot and low-oxygen environment. The objective is to better understand how these conditions could be applied to gas turbines. This project expects to generate new knowledge to enable a reduction in emissions, improvement in efficiency and incre ....Resolving the impact of pressure on hot and low-oxygen combustion. Despite the important role of renewable energy sources, combustion will remain essential for transportation into the foreseeable future. This project aims to investigate flames burning in a hot and low-oxygen environment. The objective is to better understand how these conditions could be applied to gas turbines. This project expects to generate new knowledge to enable a reduction in emissions, improvement in efficiency and increase in power output. Expected outcomes of this project include improved understanding of the governing physics to enable development of design tools for next-generation engines. This should provide significant benefits, such as reduced reliance on fossil fuels and a critical reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.Read moreRead less
Better predictions of spray flames. This project aims to predict spray flames using experimental and computational modelling of the combustion near burning droplets in spray flames. Spray flames are the dominant source of energy for the transportation sector, and are expected to remain so well into the future. Limited understanding of combustion processes surrounding the burning of the droplets restricts further technological development. This project is expected to enable progress in design too ....Better predictions of spray flames. This project aims to predict spray flames using experimental and computational modelling of the combustion near burning droplets in spray flames. Spray flames are the dominant source of energy for the transportation sector, and are expected to remain so well into the future. Limited understanding of combustion processes surrounding the burning of the droplets restricts further technological development. This project is expected to enable progress in design tools for spray flame combustors operating on liquid fuels, including bio-fuels. The result will be lower pollutant emissions and lower the cost of design of new engines.Read moreRead less
A sentinel network for vibration-based termite control. Termite damage is costly and eradication via chemicals is hazardous to environment and health. As termites use vibrations to make foraging decisions and eavesdrop on competitors/predators, it is feasible but not attempted hitherto to detect and control termites using vibrations. A smart sentinel network will be developed to enable timber infrastructure to be continuously monitored for termites and for termites to be repelled using specific ....A sentinel network for vibration-based termite control. Termite damage is costly and eradication via chemicals is hazardous to environment and health. As termites use vibrations to make foraging decisions and eavesdrop on competitors/predators, it is feasible but not attempted hitherto to detect and control termites using vibrations. A smart sentinel network will be developed to enable timber infrastructure to be continuously monitored for termites and for termites to be repelled using specific vibration signals and manipulated structures, with minimal environmental and health impacts. For this network to be efficient and effective, an improved understanding on how vibrations influence termite sociality will be obtained by studying habituation and signal adaptation on collective behaviour.Read moreRead less