Dual Geothermal System for Fresh Water Production and Power Generation. The dual geothermal system for fresh water production and power generation developed in this project will use relatively low-temperature geothermal resources and assist in supplying domestic fresh water as well as electricity to small communities remote from the main electricity grid without any associated greenhouse gas emissions. The technology developed will provide an opportunity for industry development, employment crea ....Dual Geothermal System for Fresh Water Production and Power Generation. The dual geothermal system for fresh water production and power generation developed in this project will use relatively low-temperature geothermal resources and assist in supplying domestic fresh water as well as electricity to small communities remote from the main electricity grid without any associated greenhouse gas emissions. The technology developed will provide an opportunity for industry development, employment creation and export potential through commercial manufacture in Australia of small to medium scale dual geothermal systems (e.g., 0.1 MW, 75000 litres fresh water per day).Read moreRead less
A Memory Powered Engine. Classical heat engines, such as petrol motors, convert thermal energy from hot gases into useful work, but with limited efficiency as much of the thermal energy is lost as waste heat. The project aims to combine experimental techniques in quantum information processing with recent theoretical developments in quantum thermodynamics to demonstrate a proof-of-concept heat engine that converts thermal energy into work with 100% efficiency. A heat engine of this kind would pr ....A Memory Powered Engine. Classical heat engines, such as petrol motors, convert thermal energy from hot gases into useful work, but with limited efficiency as much of the thermal energy is lost as waste heat. The project aims to combine experimental techniques in quantum information processing with recent theoretical developments in quantum thermodynamics to demonstrate a proof-of-concept heat engine that converts thermal energy into work with 100% efficiency. A heat engine of this kind would provide significant benefits to Australia with its potential to revolutionise how we store and use energy. The project will enable Griffith University to continue its pioneering role in developing this technology and to maintain long-term international collaborations.Read moreRead less
Lightweight battery with more yield than a tonne of coal. This project aims to develop a device that is capable of converting waste heat into useful energy. The project team’s recent breakthrough discovery of a new way to erase information is intended to allow the device to operate using a battery that contains low entropy rather than energy. A battery of this kind can, in principle, have yields that are many times higher than currently available energy sources. This project aims to design proof ....Lightweight battery with more yield than a tonne of coal. This project aims to develop a device that is capable of converting waste heat into useful energy. The project team’s recent breakthrough discovery of a new way to erase information is intended to allow the device to operate using a battery that contains low entropy rather than energy. A battery of this kind can, in principle, have yields that are many times higher than currently available energy sources. This project aims to design proof-of-principle demonstrations of the device and develop the supporting thermodynamical framework. The project aims to seed a new technology that has the potential to revolutionise the way energy is harnessed and used.Read moreRead less
High pressure thermophysical property data to advance natural gas processing and liquefied natural gas production. The natural gas industry needs to advance its understanding of fundamental fluid properties at extreme conditions of pressure and temperature to develop more efficient processing technologies. This project will develop the measurement technologies needed to probe key fluid properties at extreme conditions to enable more efficient process design.
Avoiding cryogenic solids formation in liquefied natural gas production. This project will determine how and under what conditions cryogenic hydrocarbon solids form during liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, which often cause expensive unplanned plant shutdowns. New sensors will be developed to understand and monitor the conditions which cause these blockages and will be deployed into LNG plants to avoid the critical conditions.
Improving explosive emulsions by understanding surfactant interactions. This project will design new surfactants that will lead to more cost effective, stable and reliable explosive emulsions. The pressure required to force dispersed phase droplets to coalesce will be measured both directly and by osmotic stress. These parameters have not previously been measured for an inverse emulsion system. The measurements made will be correlated to the structure of the stabilising surfactant enabling new a ....Improving explosive emulsions by understanding surfactant interactions. This project will design new surfactants that will lead to more cost effective, stable and reliable explosive emulsions. The pressure required to force dispersed phase droplets to coalesce will be measured both directly and by osmotic stress. These parameters have not previously been measured for an inverse emulsion system. The measurements made will be correlated to the structure of the stabilising surfactant enabling new and more effective surfactants to be designed.Read moreRead less
Bubble Stabilization and Density Control in Self-Supporting Explosive Emulsions. The mining industry in Australia employs about 70,000 people and has a total sales and service income of about $55B. Most mining outputs are commodities and a reduction in cost is the primary method of increasing market share. DNAP is a major supplier of explosive services to mines that produce coal, iron ore and gold for export. The work in this project will lead to more efficient explosives emulsions and allow mi ....Bubble Stabilization and Density Control in Self-Supporting Explosive Emulsions. The mining industry in Australia employs about 70,000 people and has a total sales and service income of about $55B. Most mining outputs are commodities and a reduction in cost is the primary method of increasing market share. DNAP is a major supplier of explosive services to mines that produce coal, iron ore and gold for export. The work in this project will lead to more efficient explosives emulsions and allow mining tolower total cost per unit sold. Such improvements in mining efficiencies will have a direct impact of the selling price of the product. Increased export earnings and a greater number of people employed in the industry would be direct results of the successful completion of the work proposed.Read moreRead less
Redox processes in Bayer liquors. Alumina, and the aluminium produced from it, are amongst Australia's most important mineral commodities, earning about $8 billion p.a. in exports. However, ongoing technological improvements are needed for Australian producers to remain globally competitive. This project addresses a key problem in alumina production - the behaviour of organic impurities - which will help to increase industrial productivity and reduce energy consumption. Insights gained from this ....Redox processes in Bayer liquors. Alumina, and the aluminium produced from it, are amongst Australia's most important mineral commodities, earning about $8 billion p.a. in exports. However, ongoing technological improvements are needed for Australian producers to remain globally competitive. This project addresses a key problem in alumina production - the behaviour of organic impurities - which will help to increase industrial productivity and reduce energy consumption. Insights gained from this research will also minimize the environmental and occupational health impacts of various process emissions, making the industry more sustainable.Read moreRead less
Application and Evaluation of New Phase Change Materials in Textiles for Minimization of Heat Stress in Elite Athletes. Elite athletes experience heat stress during endurance events as they reach natural barriers of heat dissipation and thermal regulation. These stresses limit performance and present severe psychological challenges. Research showing that cooling body temperatures prior to competition can increase performance led the Australian Institute of Sport to develop ice jackets during the ....Application and Evaluation of New Phase Change Materials in Textiles for Minimization of Heat Stress in Elite Athletes. Elite athletes experience heat stress during endurance events as they reach natural barriers of heat dissipation and thermal regulation. These stresses limit performance and present severe psychological challenges. Research showing that cooling body temperatures prior to competition can increase performance led the Australian Institute of Sport to develop ice jackets during the 1990s. Our project will develop a new generation of athlete garments embedded with phase change materials that provide efficient cooling during competition, without the disadvantages of ice chilling. These novel materials may provide a competitive edge under the extreme conditions expected at the Athens Olympics and beyond.Read moreRead less
Hot exciton dissociation in donor / acceptor organic solar cells: breaking the efficiency limit of organic photovoltaics. Australia will benefit from this project in several key areas with immediate impact. The development of an innovative solar cell architecture through the use of hot exiton dissociation will deliver a potential increase in the maximum achievable power conversion efficiency. The experimental results will significantly advance fundamental knowledge of organic solar cells. This ....Hot exciton dissociation in donor / acceptor organic solar cells: breaking the efficiency limit of organic photovoltaics. Australia will benefit from this project in several key areas with immediate impact. The development of an innovative solar cell architecture through the use of hot exiton dissociation will deliver a potential increase in the maximum achievable power conversion efficiency. The experimental results will significantly advance fundamental knowledge of organic solar cells. This has significant economic benefits by making these solar cells more affordable and also opening up the opportunity to use new materials unconstrained by existing proprietary interests. The training of personnel will contribute towards solving the biggest challenge facing the solar industry in Australia: lack of skilled personnel in a highly specialised industry.Read moreRead less