Flow and transport in the nearshore regions of lakes and reservoirs. This project will develop an understanding of the motions in the nearshore region of lakes and reservoirs resulting from the effects of the changes in depth on heating and cooling. The result will be a relationship between the meteorological conditions and the net transport between the shore and the interior of the lake or reservoir.
Dynamics of Suppressed Mixing Regimes in Australian Rivers. This study aims to further the fundamental science of turbulent mixing in the context of flow in Australian rivers. The focus is on prolonged low flow conditions which when coupled with warm surface temperatures cause the water column to become thermally stratified which then suppresses turbulent mixing. The extreme scale of the river systems has made investigating the true dynamics of the strongly stratified mixing regimes particularly ....Dynamics of Suppressed Mixing Regimes in Australian Rivers. This study aims to further the fundamental science of turbulent mixing in the context of flow in Australian rivers. The focus is on prolonged low flow conditions which when coupled with warm surface temperatures cause the water column to become thermally stratified which then suppresses turbulent mixing. The extreme scale of the river systems has made investigating the true dynamics of the strongly stratified mixing regimes particularly challenging. By taking world first in-situ measurements of turbulent mixing and undertaking high resolution numerical simulations this study will provide definitive data which will allow correct characterization of the mixing regimes and how they are associated with river flow conditions.Read moreRead less
Investigation and optimisation of displacement ventilation and cooling systems. An accurate optimisation design tool for cooling and ventilation will be of considerable benefit to the Australian building/construction industry, and will lead to a reduction in energy consumption, thereby reducing both consumer costs and Australia's total greenhouse gas output, as well as providing Australian industry with a competitive advantage. Turbulence modelling for stratified fluids is one of the grand chall ....Investigation and optimisation of displacement ventilation and cooling systems. An accurate optimisation design tool for cooling and ventilation will be of considerable benefit to the Australian building/construction industry, and will lead to a reduction in energy consumption, thereby reducing both consumer costs and Australia's total greenhouse gas output, as well as providing Australian industry with a competitive advantage. Turbulence modelling for stratified fluids is one of the grand challenge areas of science, and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers trained in this area will be well placed to make a significant contribution to the new technologies needed to address the major environmental problems currently being faced.Read moreRead less
Turbulent fountains in stratified fluids with opposing buoyancy flux. Improved design tools will be developed for use in industries which must deal with turbulent fountains in stratified fluids. These tools will assist in the design of more efficient apparatus, reducing energy consumption and thereby reducing both consumer costs and Australia's total greenhouse gas output, as well as providing Australian industry with a competitive advantage. Turbulence modelling for stratified fluids is one of ....Turbulent fountains in stratified fluids with opposing buoyancy flux. Improved design tools will be developed for use in industries which must deal with turbulent fountains in stratified fluids. These tools will assist in the design of more efficient apparatus, reducing energy consumption and thereby reducing both consumer costs and Australia's total greenhouse gas output, as well as providing Australian industry with a competitive advantage. Turbulence modelling for stratified fluids is one of the grand challenge areas of science, and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers trained in this will provide continuing service to Australia in many areas of advanced engineering and science. Read moreRead less
An Investigation Into Fountains Interacting With Both Free Surface and Solid Boundaries. This project will produce an improved understanding of the behavior of fountains interacting with both free surface and solid boundaries. Such flows occur in many environmental and industrial processes and, in particular, the interaction of fountain with boundaries will have a significant influence on the overall performance of the processes. This investigation will combine experiments, numerical simulations ....An Investigation Into Fountains Interacting With Both Free Surface and Solid Boundaries. This project will produce an improved understanding of the behavior of fountains interacting with both free surface and solid boundaries. Such flows occur in many environmental and industrial processes and, in particular, the interaction of fountain with boundaries will have a significant influence on the overall performance of the processes. This investigation will combine experiments, numerical simulations and scaling analysis to provide new insight into the physics governing the behavior of these impinging fountains. Turbulence models will be developed and validated and scaling formulae will be obtained providing relationships for the basic flow properties in terms of the control parameters.Read moreRead less
Freshing, mixing and purging of riverine saline ponds by freshwater overflow. Develop a model to accurately predict the full details of flow in saline river ponds subjected to a freshwater overflow. Such ponds are ubiquitous in Australia's inland rivers, have low oxygen and high nutrient and salinity levels and are associated with poor water quality, both in the pond and downstream during flow events. The model will allow precise determination of the river flow rates required to fully purge pond ....Freshing, mixing and purging of riverine saline ponds by freshwater overflow. Develop a model to accurately predict the full details of flow in saline river ponds subjected to a freshwater overflow. Such ponds are ubiquitous in Australia's inland rivers, have low oxygen and high nutrient and salinity levels and are associated with poor water quality, both in the pond and downstream during flow events. The model will allow precise determination of the river flow rates required to fully purge ponds and the downstream effect of the low quality pond water on the riverine environment and will also assist in the devlopment of rule of thumb scaling formula that will be incorporated into a one-dimensional flow prediction model being developed by the industrial partner.Read moreRead less
Thermal stratification, overturning and mixing in riverine environments. Thermal stratification is common in Australia's rivers due to our hot, drought-prone climate and high human demands relative to available supply, which has led to a significant reduction in flows relative to natural levels. Thermal stratification inhibits mixing, creating stagnant conditions characterised by low oxygen levels and increased concentrations of contaminants, leading to algal blooms, fish kills and systemic dama ....Thermal stratification, overturning and mixing in riverine environments. Thermal stratification is common in Australia's rivers due to our hot, drought-prone climate and high human demands relative to available supply, which has led to a significant reduction in flows relative to natural levels. Thermal stratification inhibits mixing, creating stagnant conditions characterised by low oxygen levels and increased concentrations of contaminants, leading to algal blooms, fish kills and systemic damage to ecosystems. The aim of this project is to develop predictive models for the effects of physical processes such as night-time cooling, wind, turbulence and currents on riverine thermal stratification. This is expected to enable a more accurate determination of the flow rates required to maintain the health of our river systems.Read moreRead less
Advances in real-time satellite monitoring of flow in rivers and estuaries. This project plans to improve the monitoring of our waterways by developing a novel moving drifter system that takes flow and water quality measurements along the pathlines of the drifters. One of the key challenges for Australian water management lies in monitoring and managing rivers and estuaries effectively over large geographical areas. Traditionally, instrumentation at stationary points has been used for such monit ....Advances in real-time satellite monitoring of flow in rivers and estuaries. This project plans to improve the monitoring of our waterways by developing a novel moving drifter system that takes flow and water quality measurements along the pathlines of the drifters. One of the key challenges for Australian water management lies in monitoring and managing rivers and estuaries effectively over large geographical areas. Traditionally, instrumentation at stationary points has been used for such monitoring, under the simplifying assumption that a single point adequately represents a very large region of water. By contrast, the Real-Time Flow Logging of Water (RT-FLOW) system expects to provide information from large regions of our waterways, providing stakeholders with more information to enable them to better manage issues including storm surge and erosion. The project also aims to provide improved validation of hydrodynamic models.Read moreRead less
Transport by Natural Convection in Reservoir Sidearms. This project is a first step in developing models of the distribution of water quality parameters in reservoirs by a range of small scale dynamical processes not included in commercial water quality models. Specifically, the project will investigate the transport of suspended materials from the shore to the deeper parts resulting from the interaction of the meteorological forcing and the topography. This will contribute to the development of ....Transport by Natural Convection in Reservoir Sidearms. This project is a first step in developing models of the distribution of water quality parameters in reservoirs by a range of small scale dynamical processes not included in commercial water quality models. Specifically, the project will investigate the transport of suspended materials from the shore to the deeper parts resulting from the interaction of the meteorological forcing and the topography. This will contribute to the development of improved water quality models, and therefore to better management of water quality of Australia's water resources.Read moreRead less
Entrainment and Mixing in Turbulent Negatively Buoyant Jets and Fountains. The project intends to develop tools to accurate predict fountain flows. Volcanic eruptions, building ventilation and brine discharge from desalination plants are all examples of turbulent fountains and negatively buoyant jets. The project aims to conduct an investigation into the turbulent structure of fountains and negatively buoyant jets using numerical simulation and laboratory experiments, and to assess the accuracy ....Entrainment and Mixing in Turbulent Negatively Buoyant Jets and Fountains. The project intends to develop tools to accurate predict fountain flows. Volcanic eruptions, building ventilation and brine discharge from desalination plants are all examples of turbulent fountains and negatively buoyant jets. The project aims to conduct an investigation into the turbulent structure of fountains and negatively buoyant jets using numerical simulation and laboratory experiments, and to assess the accuracy of the commonly used integral models and test the effect of the use of more accurate entrainment relations. This may have a range of applications – enabling better prediction of environmental impacts, reduction of the adverse effects of the discharge of pollutants, and reduction in energy consumption in building ventilation and other industrial applications.Read moreRead less