Multiscale engineering of durable absorber coatings for solar thermal power. This project aims to advance the long-term stability and efficiency of high-temperature absorber coatings for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. Solar energy is a vast and largely untapped resource in Australia. The project will design superior light absorbers and scalable and low-cost approaches for their fabrication. Optimal absorber properties will be achieved by multi-scale engineering of the coating composition ....Multiscale engineering of durable absorber coatings for solar thermal power. This project aims to advance the long-term stability and efficiency of high-temperature absorber coatings for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. Solar energy is a vast and largely untapped resource in Australia. The project will design superior light absorbers and scalable and low-cost approaches for their fabrication. Optimal absorber properties will be achieved by multi-scale engineering of the coating composition and micro-texturing via modelling of the light absorption and heat transport within these complex nanocomposite structures. The intended outcome of the project is a set of commercially competitive absorber coatings, with superior performance and durability, that support the development of CSP as a competitive technology for energy generation.Read moreRead less
Deep Learning Augmented Intelligent Grinding Mill Simulation and Design. Comminution is a key operation in mineral processing that utilises grinding mills to reduce the size of ore for further mineral enrichment processing. The aim of this project is to provide a step change improvement in the operational efficiency and service life of grinding mills through the development of advanced numerical models to simulate the grinding mill process. The outcome will be a hierarchical deep learning progra ....Deep Learning Augmented Intelligent Grinding Mill Simulation and Design. Comminution is a key operation in mineral processing that utilises grinding mills to reduce the size of ore for further mineral enrichment processing. The aim of this project is to provide a step change improvement in the operational efficiency and service life of grinding mills through the development of advanced numerical models to simulate the grinding mill process. The outcome will be a hierarchical deep learning program to select optimal model parameters from which computational algorithms will optimise grinding mill geometries. This research project will deliver substantial improvements to equipment used to process our most valuable exports and result in immediate industry impact.Read moreRead less
A miniaturised laser manipulator for ultra-precise and pain-free dentistry. This project aims to develop a miniaturized high-precision laser robotic device that can fit comfortably in the mouth to perform pain-free, vibration-free dental operations by utilising silicon-carbide on silicon technology to create a millimetre-sized two-axis controllable, highly-reflective mirror robust to high-power ultra-short laser pulses. This project expects to generate new knowledge in micro-mirror control using ....A miniaturised laser manipulator for ultra-precise and pain-free dentistry. This project aims to develop a miniaturized high-precision laser robotic device that can fit comfortably in the mouth to perform pain-free, vibration-free dental operations by utilising silicon-carbide on silicon technology to create a millimetre-sized two-axis controllable, highly-reflective mirror robust to high-power ultra-short laser pulses. This project expects to generate new knowledge in micro-mirror control using optically excited piezo-resistive sensors, and cold femtosecond laser ablation of hard dental tissue. Expected outcomes include a working prototype for laser removal of tooth materials at speeds exceeding dental drills, providing benefits in miniaturized laser devices and ultimately removing pain from dental procedures. Read moreRead less
Dominant flow noise source identification for ducted marine propellers. Ducted marine propellers are becoming an increasing alternative to conventional open propellers. Understanding flow-induced noise generated by ducted propellers is a key consideration in the design process to minimise noise emission. This project aims to develop new methods to identify turbulent flow sources of a ducted marine propeller that dominate sound. High-fidelity numerical methods will be developed to study the compl ....Dominant flow noise source identification for ducted marine propellers. Ducted marine propellers are becoming an increasing alternative to conventional open propellers. Understanding flow-induced noise generated by ducted propellers is a key consideration in the design process to minimise noise emission. This project aims to develop new methods to identify turbulent flow sources of a ducted marine propeller that dominate sound. High-fidelity numerical methods will be developed to study the complex interaction between inflow turbulence, support struts, propeller blades and duct structure. Successful identification of the dominant sources of noise will allow for targeted noise mitigation strategies with significant impact for stealth of military vessels and reduction of underwater noise pollution on marine life.Read moreRead less
Hybrid Toughening of Carbon Fibre Composites for Liquid Hydrogen Storage. This project aims to develop hybrid toughening technologies to overcome the major problem of transverse matrix cracking and splitting in existing carbon fibre composites when subjected to thermal-mechanical loading at the ultracold liquid hydrogen temperature. Nano-toughened thin-ply carbon fibre layers will be hybridised with standard-ply laminates to sustain internal pressure and external impact loading at cryogenic temp ....Hybrid Toughening of Carbon Fibre Composites for Liquid Hydrogen Storage. This project aims to develop hybrid toughening technologies to overcome the major problem of transverse matrix cracking and splitting in existing carbon fibre composites when subjected to thermal-mechanical loading at the ultracold liquid hydrogen temperature. Nano-toughened thin-ply carbon fibre layers will be hybridised with standard-ply laminates to sustain internal pressure and external impact loading at cryogenic temperatures without leaks. The hybrid composites are expected to enable Australian companies to engineer, manufacture and export lightweight carbon fibre tanks for storing and exporting liquid hydrogen, which is emerging as a transformational opportunity for Australia to become a global supplier of green energy.Read moreRead less
Making hydrogen storage work for the new hydrogen economy. This project aims to develop an innovative Liquid Organic Hydrogen Storage technology and prove its energy industry potential. This project expects to expand and validate the performance, safety and scale-up potential of this new technology in an industrial context to promote the development of the hydrogen economy. Expected outcomes include providing practical, efficient, large-scale storage technology for use in intermittent renewable ....Making hydrogen storage work for the new hydrogen economy. This project aims to develop an innovative Liquid Organic Hydrogen Storage technology and prove its energy industry potential. This project expects to expand and validate the performance, safety and scale-up potential of this new technology in an industrial context to promote the development of the hydrogen economy. Expected outcomes include providing practical, efficient, large-scale storage technology for use in intermittent renewable energy storage and hydrogen vehicle refuelling, and addressing legal/regulatory implementation issues. This should provide significant benefits in cultivating the emerging hydrogen energy industry, strengthening industrial competitiveness, enhancing Australia’s fuel security and protecting the environment.Read moreRead less
Multiscale modelling of multiphase interactions in shale gas reservoirs. As conventional oil and gas become depleted in most of the producing basins, extraction of unconventional gas trapped in shale formations needs to become more viable. Since Australian shales have different characteristics from North American ones, the existing knowledge cannot be directly applied. We aim to develop a novel multiscale framework for deep understanding of the complex multiphase interactions in shale gas reserv ....Multiscale modelling of multiphase interactions in shale gas reservoirs. As conventional oil and gas become depleted in most of the producing basins, extraction of unconventional gas trapped in shale formations needs to become more viable. Since Australian shales have different characteristics from North American ones, the existing knowledge cannot be directly applied. We aim to develop a novel multiscale framework for deep understanding of the complex multiphase interactions in shale gas reservoirs. The outcomes will not only enable us to effectively assess the viability of gas extraction from Australian shale reservoirs with accurate long-term production forecasting, but help to develop strategies to effectively extract this relatively low carbon-emitting fossil fuel in the transition to a renewable economy.Read moreRead less
Building Australia's Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Infrastructure. This project aims to enhance the resilience, safety, and efficiency of electricity grids operated with fast-charging Electric Vehicles (EVs) by developing new control and optimisation frameworks. This project expects to develop new robust controllers for EV fast-charging infrastructure operated in coordination with wind and solar generated electricity. Expected project outcomes include enabling fast-charge EV infrastructure to b ....Building Australia's Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Infrastructure. This project aims to enhance the resilience, safety, and efficiency of electricity grids operated with fast-charging Electric Vehicles (EVs) by developing new control and optimisation frameworks. This project expects to develop new robust controllers for EV fast-charging infrastructure operated in coordination with wind and solar generated electricity. Expected project outcomes include enabling fast-charge EV infrastructure to be developed and deployed in Australia by the industry partner SwitchDin. Expected benefits including enabling significant reduction in carbon emissions from the transportation sector, accelerating the energy transition to renewables, and placing Australian industry at the forefront of EV grid integration technology.Read moreRead less
A novel physical-digital approach for the assessing a large critical asset. This project aims to deliver an artificial intelligence-enabled decision-making tool to maintain and manage the floating covers of vast lagoons that treat raw sewage. The cover harvests the biogas released from the anaerobic digestion of sewage for electric power generation that exceeds the plant’s requirement. The approach involves an innovative thermographic technique and exploits transfer learning to adapt neural netw ....A novel physical-digital approach for the assessing a large critical asset. This project aims to deliver an artificial intelligence-enabled decision-making tool to maintain and manage the floating covers of vast lagoons that treat raw sewage. The cover harvests the biogas released from the anaerobic digestion of sewage for electric power generation that exceeds the plant’s requirement. The approach involves an innovative thermographic technique and exploits transfer learning to adapt neural networks trained on lab-scale and synthetic data to field implementation. The outcome is a machine learning framework to optimise biogas harvesting and renewable energy generation, and to avoid structural failure, that is capable of continuous improvement to take into account improved data and/or modelling capabilities.Read moreRead less
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