Advanced hierarchical materials for separation applications. The proposed project represents an international collaboration between Monash University and Fudan University and builds on the research strengths within these two Institutions in nano-materials research and applications. The proposed research will lead to a new class of materials for use in the chemical and biological industries, making their operation more efficient and permitting new separations to be performed. The research will ....Advanced hierarchical materials for separation applications. The proposed project represents an international collaboration between Monash University and Fudan University and builds on the research strengths within these two Institutions in nano-materials research and applications. The proposed research will lead to a new class of materials for use in the chemical and biological industries, making their operation more efficient and permitting new separations to be performed. The research will also pioneer new techniques for use in nano-engineering materials and falls within one of Australia's National Research Priorities: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.Read moreRead less
Modelling of Nitric Oxides and Carbon Monoxide Emissions from Bagasse-Fires Boilers. The project aims to develop computational models to predict emissions of nitric oxides and carbon monoxide from sugar-mill boilers burning bagasse. Bagasse combustion does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and clean and efficient combustion of this fuel has become very important for the sugar industry and for Australia. The project combines the opportunity of direct boiler measurements by SRI with the m ....Modelling of Nitric Oxides and Carbon Monoxide Emissions from Bagasse-Fires Boilers. The project aims to develop computational models to predict emissions of nitric oxides and carbon monoxide from sugar-mill boilers burning bagasse. Bagasse combustion does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and clean and efficient combustion of this fuel has become very important for the sugar industry and for Australia. The project combines the opportunity of direct boiler measurements by SRI with the modelling expertise at the University to develop combustion-kinetics models for these species. The models will be incorporated into the previously developed computational fluid dynamics - combustion code of the furnace to give the capability of emission prediction as a function of burner operating conditions and fuel parameters.Read moreRead less
Detailed understanding of the behaviour of soot in, and emission from, turbulent flames and fires. While combustion processes involving soot have been widely employed for many years, their great complexity puts them beyond present capacity to understand or model reliably. Within a flame, soot plays an important role in radiant heat transfer, and hence in energy efficiency. Beyond a flame, soot can either be emitted as an unwanted air pollutant or as a desirable source of nano-particles, dependin ....Detailed understanding of the behaviour of soot in, and emission from, turbulent flames and fires. While combustion processes involving soot have been widely employed for many years, their great complexity puts them beyond present capacity to understand or model reliably. Within a flame, soot plays an important role in radiant heat transfer, and hence in energy efficiency. Beyond a flame, soot can either be emitted as an unwanted air pollutant or as a desirable source of nano-particles, depending on the application. The benefits to society from improved understanding and predictive capability include reduced air pollution, improved health and safety, increased efficiency in the utilisation of both fossil and alternative fuels, the support of the rapidly growing sector employing carbon nano-particles and increased fire safety. Read moreRead less
Innovative zero-energy membrane technologies to reduce water consumption in the dairy industry. The Australian dairy industry not only plays a critical role in our way of life, but processed dairy products contribute to 12% or $3.27b to Australia's export revenue. It has learnt to adapt to changing market demands through innovative membrane technologies, but now energy and water are key issues. This project aims to reduce water consumption in dairy processing by treating waste streams using nove ....Innovative zero-energy membrane technologies to reduce water consumption in the dairy industry. The Australian dairy industry not only plays a critical role in our way of life, but processed dairy products contribute to 12% or $3.27b to Australia's export revenue. It has learnt to adapt to changing market demands through innovative membrane technologies, but now energy and water are key issues. This project aims to reduce water consumption in dairy processing by treating waste streams using novel membrane processes including membrane distillation. The energy is supplied from low grade waste heat, offsetting the need to supply more power to the plant. Reducing the need for water in a zero-energy way will ensure the thriving dairy industry remains cost competitive and an integral part of Australia's culture and economy.Read moreRead less
Innovative strategy for salt management and water recovery from newsprint mill effluent using membrane processes. Newsprint mills are a major employer in regional Australia. The mills are located in environmentally sensitive areas, consume large quantities of water and return high levels of salt to the environment. To remain competitive the newsprint industry, like all industries in regional Australia must develop new strategies for water recycling and salt management. Successful execution of t ....Innovative strategy for salt management and water recovery from newsprint mill effluent using membrane processes. Newsprint mills are a major employer in regional Australia. The mills are located in environmentally sensitive areas, consume large quantities of water and return high levels of salt to the environment. To remain competitive the newsprint industry, like all industries in regional Australia must develop new strategies for water recycling and salt management. Successful execution of this project will minimize water consumption in newsprint production, mitigate the effects of increased sodicity in soils irrigated with mill effluent and accelerate the commercial development a hydrophobic microporous membrane for water recycling and salt removal in environmentally sensitive areas of inland Australia.Read moreRead less
Increasing the operational lifetime and optimising the design of crankcase oil-mist filters. Australia is one of the largest (per capita) users worldwide of heavy diesel engines, within sectors such as transport, mining, construction, shipping and power generation (usage of many of the above is concentrated in regional communities e.g. mining). This work will minimise emissions from such industries, as well as reduce lubricant oil usage - thereby maximising waste oil recovery and reuse (approx 5 ....Increasing the operational lifetime and optimising the design of crankcase oil-mist filters. Australia is one of the largest (per capita) users worldwide of heavy diesel engines, within sectors such as transport, mining, construction, shipping and power generation (usage of many of the above is concentrated in regional communities e.g. mining). This work will minimise emissions from such industries, as well as reduce lubricant oil usage - thereby maximising waste oil recovery and reuse (approx 5500 tonnes p.a.). Oil mists can be regarded as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for the purposes of CO2 equivalent emissions, so therefore, the efficient capture of oil mists will reduce carbon emissions from the above industries in Australia.Read moreRead less
Defining Fundamental Principles for the Design and Operation of Membrane Systems from Time-Varying Performance Analysis. To date, much of the process improvement for industrial application of membrane technology has revolved around polymer science based development of membrane materials and process and module changes resulting from the application of basic (often simplistic) engineering principles. While some future improvements may still come from these areas, the most dramatic advances are li ....Defining Fundamental Principles for the Design and Operation of Membrane Systems from Time-Varying Performance Analysis. To date, much of the process improvement for industrial application of membrane technology has revolved around polymer science based development of membrane materials and process and module changes resulting from the application of basic (often simplistic) engineering principles. While some future improvements may still come from these areas, the most dramatic advances are likely to be derived from the application of advanced engineering principles to this complex system. This project will integrate advanced CFD modelling and control principles for the design and operation of membrane systems in order to develop fundamental understanding that should lead to significant process improvements.Read moreRead less
Fundamental Data and Thermodynamic Modelling for Cryogenic LNG Fluids to Improve Process Design, Simulation and Operation. This research will contribute to a more environmentally sustainable Australia because it will promote the use of natural gas as a fuel supply which produces significantly fewer greenhouse gases than oil or coal. This project will improve the ability of engineers to reliably simulate LNG production plants as well as test new processes and technologies with the potential to in ....Fundamental Data and Thermodynamic Modelling for Cryogenic LNG Fluids to Improve Process Design, Simulation and Operation. This research will contribute to a more environmentally sustainable Australia because it will promote the use of natural gas as a fuel supply which produces significantly fewer greenhouse gases than oil or coal. This project will improve the ability of engineers to reliably simulate LNG production plants as well as test new processes and technologies with the potential to increase efficiency or revenue. Consequently, the level of over-engineering and, thus, the capital and operational costs of such plants will decrease. This in turn will promote the development of Australian gas reserves, particularly for those fields currently on the margins of economic viability.Read moreRead less
Combined Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and CFD modelling to study particle deposition in conduits. System geometry greatly influences flow hydrodynamics and hence the transport of colloidal particles and ionic species from the bulk to the surfaces that result in formation of unwanted deposit matter on the surface. The formation of unwanted deposits has significant environmental and economic penalties. This project uses a new approach that is combining the CFD modelling and experimentation inc ....Combined Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and CFD modelling to study particle deposition in conduits. System geometry greatly influences flow hydrodynamics and hence the transport of colloidal particles and ionic species from the bulk to the surfaces that result in formation of unwanted deposit matter on the surface. The formation of unwanted deposits has significant environmental and economic penalties. This project uses a new approach that is combining the CFD modelling and experimentation including flow visualization by PIV to systematically investigate the effect of channel geometry and flow on deposit formation. The outcomes of the project will result in a better understanding and formulating of the effect of geometry on deposition of colloidal particles and ionic species on the surfaces. The results contribute not only towards the mitigation processes for unwanted deposition; it also advances the knowledge in coating applications.Read moreRead less
Increased liquified natural gas (LNG) production efficiency through nitrogen and carbon dioxide capture using high-pressure cryogenic adsorption onto tailored nanopore substrates. This research will contribute to a more environmentally sustainable Australia because it will promote the use of natural gas as a fuel supply which produces significantly less greenhouse gases than oil or coal. It will contribute to the harnessing of some of Australia's largest gas reserves, like the Gorgon field, whic ....Increased liquified natural gas (LNG) production efficiency through nitrogen and carbon dioxide capture using high-pressure cryogenic adsorption onto tailored nanopore substrates. This research will contribute to a more environmentally sustainable Australia because it will promote the use of natural gas as a fuel supply which produces significantly less greenhouse gases than oil or coal. It will contribute to the harnessing of some of Australia's largest gas reserves, like the Gorgon field, which are contaminated with large amounts of CO2 and are not yet economically viable. The removal of N2 from natural gas will reduce the cost of producing LNG which is the only method Australia can use to access global gas markets. The new adsorbent materials developed for this work may enhance other research programmes attempting to capture and sequester CO2 from industrial flue gases.Read moreRead less