Surfactant Effects In Sonoprocessing. This project will provide the fundamental science required to further develop a range of ultrasonic applications within the Australian food industry, for wastewater treatment and in medical science. In particular, it will assist more applied research currently sponsored by both the Victorian government STI initiative and the CSIRO Food Futures Flagship, which considers the use of ultrasound to assist in bioactives separation, food emulsification and membrane ....Surfactant Effects In Sonoprocessing. This project will provide the fundamental science required to further develop a range of ultrasonic applications within the Australian food industry, for wastewater treatment and in medical science. In particular, it will assist more applied research currently sponsored by both the Victorian government STI initiative and the CSIRO Food Futures Flagship, which considers the use of ultrasound to assist in bioactives separation, food emulsification and membrane operations. The development of ultrasound contrast agents (surfactant coated microbubbles) also has the potential to increase both the length and quality of life for many Australians. The work addresses both National Research priorities and the CSIRO Food Futures Flagship goals. Read moreRead less
Horizontal convection at ocean-relevant proportions. This project aims to determine the role of buoyancy differences from solar radiation and vertical confinement. Flows created by lateral variation in heat or buoyancy are poorly understood when the horizontal length greatly exceeds the height, precisely the conditions relevant to industry and understanding the role of horizontal convection in Earth's oceans and in turn the delicate current system that maintains Earth's temperate climate. This p ....Horizontal convection at ocean-relevant proportions. This project aims to determine the role of buoyancy differences from solar radiation and vertical confinement. Flows created by lateral variation in heat or buoyancy are poorly understood when the horizontal length greatly exceeds the height, precisely the conditions relevant to industry and understanding the role of horizontal convection in Earth's oceans and in turn the delicate current system that maintains Earth's temperate climate. This project proposes computational and experimental efforts to probe the ultimate regime of heat transport in very shallow horizontal convection, benefiting humankind through improvements to future ocean and climate modelling efforts.Read moreRead less
The elusive upper bound of heat transfer in horizontal convection. The question as to whether lateral variation in global ocean buoyancy resulting from low solar radiation near the poles and higher temperatures in the tropical regions (known as horizontal convection) is a driver for global ocean currents is critical to our understanding of this complex and delicate system that maintains Earth's temperate climate. This question hinges on the relationship between heat transport and strength of buo ....The elusive upper bound of heat transfer in horizontal convection. The question as to whether lateral variation in global ocean buoyancy resulting from low solar radiation near the poles and higher temperatures in the tropical regions (known as horizontal convection) is a driver for global ocean currents is critical to our understanding of this complex and delicate system that maintains Earth's temperate climate. This question hinges on the relationship between heat transport and strength of buoyancy forcing towards global scales; this project proposes a landmark experimental effort supported by detailed simulations to probe the ultimate regime of heat transport in horizontal convection. The project is expected to inform the direction of future ocean and climate modelling efforts to the benefit of humanity.Read moreRead less
Simulating two-phase electrodynamic flows in droplet-based microfluidic circuit elements. The knowledge, data and analysis tools developed within this project will facilitate the economical production of electrodynamically controlled integrated droplet-based microfluidic devices for critical high-demand applications such as: genome sequencing; protein evolution, synthesis and crystallisation; micro-structured pharmaceuticals; disposable devices for biomedical analysis; portable point-of-entry (b ....Simulating two-phase electrodynamic flows in droplet-based microfluidic circuit elements. The knowledge, data and analysis tools developed within this project will facilitate the economical production of electrodynamically controlled integrated droplet-based microfluidic devices for critical high-demand applications such as: genome sequencing; protein evolution, synthesis and crystallisation; micro-structured pharmaceuticals; disposable devices for biomedical analysis; portable point-of-entry (biochem)security analysis devices. Hence this project is an investment in enabling technologies to benefit Australia's growing biotech, pharmaceutical and micro/nanotechnology sectors. Tangible community benefits (e.g., in improved diagnostic technologies, pharmaceuticals) will result.Read moreRead less
Process scalability and performance prediction of Viscous Transfer Micro Turbines for use as miniaturised power supplies. This project aims to predict the performance and scalability of viscous transfer turbines. The work will be carried out with Micromachines Ltd., a firm developing working turbines with 50 mm rotors. The goal of the research is to gain an understanding of the scaling laws for these turbines, in order to predict their performance. Viscous transfer turbines have a very simple di ....Process scalability and performance prediction of Viscous Transfer Micro Turbines for use as miniaturised power supplies. This project aims to predict the performance and scalability of viscous transfer turbines. The work will be carried out with Micromachines Ltd., a firm developing working turbines with 50 mm rotors. The goal of the research is to gain an understanding of the scaling laws for these turbines, in order to predict their performance. Viscous transfer turbines have a very simple disc construction making them ideal for manufacturing as small-scale units (with a 5 mm rotor). Small enough to replace batteries, but with a higher power output, they would provide the need for higher power output devices to replace batteries.Read moreRead less
Gravity Current Driven Smoke Dispersion In a Stratified Ambient. Smoke from bushfires transported by gravity currents, and known to occur nationwide, caused the shutdown of businesses, education and events in Canberra in 2019. Recent scientific investigations have shown that the speed of propagation and concentration of smoke in these three-dimensional gravity currents have a long term ‘memory’ of their initial configuration. In this project, high-fidelity computational and experimental techniq ....Gravity Current Driven Smoke Dispersion In a Stratified Ambient. Smoke from bushfires transported by gravity currents, and known to occur nationwide, caused the shutdown of businesses, education and events in Canberra in 2019. Recent scientific investigations have shown that the speed of propagation and concentration of smoke in these three-dimensional gravity currents have a long term ‘memory’ of their initial configuration. In this project, high-fidelity computational and experimental techniques will be used to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of gravity current entrainment and propagation. This knowledge will set a strong foundation to improve operational forecasts of smoke transport that will allow government agencies to better respond to the negative impact of these complicated flows.Read moreRead less
DROP DEFORMATION IN CONFINED MICROFLUIDIC GEOMETRIES. Increasingly, high technology applications in biotechnology and microtechnology industries need to process complex (non-Newtonian) fluids with dispersed particles/droplets in channels as small as several microns (microfluidics). A computational fluid dynamic model of non-Newtonian droplet deformation in microfluidic geometries will be developed, and validated using experimental measurements of the flow field in this project. The aim is to und ....DROP DEFORMATION IN CONFINED MICROFLUIDIC GEOMETRIES. Increasingly, high technology applications in biotechnology and microtechnology industries need to process complex (non-Newtonian) fluids with dispersed particles/droplets in channels as small as several microns (microfluidics). A computational fluid dynamic model of non-Newtonian droplet deformation in microfluidic geometries will be developed, and validated using experimental measurements of the flow field in this project. The aim is to understand and quantify factors influencing droplet deformation. Coupling non-Newtonian characteristics with microfluidic geometries will allow the continuous manufacture of micro-particles of specified size and shape for existing and new applications, and will provide guidance for further extending the process to nano-particle manufacture.Read moreRead less
Electro-viscous effects on pressure-driven liquid flow in microchannels. Australian biotechnology, information technology and food technology industries will benefit from the development of new tailored micro- and nano-fluidic devices for processing of non-Newtonian fluids. The efficiency of functional elements such as valves, pumps, mixers, reactors, heat exchangers can be optimised for specific fluids by understanding the coupling between the fluid properties, the device geometry, surface cha ....Electro-viscous effects on pressure-driven liquid flow in microchannels. Australian biotechnology, information technology and food technology industries will benefit from the development of new tailored micro- and nano-fluidic devices for processing of non-Newtonian fluids. The efficiency of functional elements such as valves, pumps, mixers, reactors, heat exchangers can be optimised for specific fluids by understanding the coupling between the fluid properties, the device geometry, surface charge, and the numerical predictions. This understanding will complement development in related projects on non-Newtonian drop and particle formation in microfluidic flows which envisage continuous particle manufacture for novel materials possessing programmable, enhanced functional properties.Read moreRead less
Characterization of Fast Propagating Fires in Green Buildings. This project aims to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of fast-propagating fires and to address the deficiency in current fire models in assessing the fire safety requirement of green buildings. Although there are many compelling advantages associated with green building designs, because they promote better natural ventilation they could pose a significant fire hazard to occupants due to the propensity of rapid fire and s ....Characterization of Fast Propagating Fires in Green Buildings. This project aims to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of fast-propagating fires and to address the deficiency in current fire models in assessing the fire safety requirement of green buildings. Although there are many compelling advantages associated with green building designs, because they promote better natural ventilation they could pose a significant fire hazard to occupants due to the propensity of rapid fire and smoke spread within the enclosed space. The new predictive fire model in this project is expected to promote a safer and sustainable building environment.Read moreRead less
Supersonic flow past micro-scale particles: Industrial applications. Droplet based materials processing has developed significantly over the last decade, with applications in a wide range of industries where high-strength, light-weight materials are critical. Our research will allow for continued progress of this method, by developing accurate models to predict the cooling rate throughout the process and hence the physical properties of the finished product. Development of this knowledge will al ....Supersonic flow past micro-scale particles: Industrial applications. Droplet based materials processing has developed significantly over the last decade, with applications in a wide range of industries where high-strength, light-weight materials are critical. Our research will allow for continued progress of this method, by developing accurate models to predict the cooling rate throughout the process and hence the physical properties of the finished product. Development of this knowledge will allow for higher precision products to be produced and allow for new techniques to be developed. This information will allow for material processing in Australia to be maintained at world class levels, and for Australian industry to continue to lead the way in the production of technologically advanced materials.Read moreRead less