Resilient design of energy pile foundations toward zero carbon buildings. This project aims to investigate the complex thermo-hydro mechanical interactions affecting the effectiveness of energy pile foundations for improved energy efficiency of new buildings. Using cutting-edge micro to field-scale methods, this project expects to underpin the development of experimentally validated predictions of the geotechnical performance of energy piles. Expected outcomes of this project are the establishme ....Resilient design of energy pile foundations toward zero carbon buildings. This project aims to investigate the complex thermo-hydro mechanical interactions affecting the effectiveness of energy pile foundations for improved energy efficiency of new buildings. Using cutting-edge micro to field-scale methods, this project expects to underpin the development of experimentally validated predictions of the geotechnical performance of energy piles. Expected outcomes of this project are the establishment of new approaches to improve the resilient design of energy pile foundations, provision of new recommendations for their design and increased integration for zero carbon buildings. These outcomes will contribute significantly toward strategies to decarbonise energy systems in buildings to meet carbon neutrality goals.Read moreRead less
Enhancing passive cooling using flexible baffles. The project aims to develop a novel passive strategy using fluid-structure-thermal interactions to enhance passive cooling by natural convection and improve the energy efficiency of engineering systems. Comparing to the existing strategies, the new strategy does not require driving fan or pump and is quiet, reliable, self-adaptive and economical. The Multiphysics embodied in the proposal is at the leading edge of the field. Expected outcomes incl ....Enhancing passive cooling using flexible baffles. The project aims to develop a novel passive strategy using fluid-structure-thermal interactions to enhance passive cooling by natural convection and improve the energy efficiency of engineering systems. Comparing to the existing strategies, the new strategy does not require driving fan or pump and is quiet, reliable, self-adaptive and economical. The Multiphysics embodied in the proposal is at the leading edge of the field. Expected outcomes include advanced understanding of the complex Multiphysics and design rules for enhancing passive cooling by natural convection using flexible baffles. The research is expected to bring direct economic benefit to relevant industry and significant environmental and social benefit to the general public.Read moreRead less
The Transitional and Turbulent Structure of Rotating Disk Boundary Layers. Design optimization in areas of energy, materials processing, manufacturing and aerodynamics often depends on fluid flows adjacent to surfaces (wall-flows), and many such flows are three-dimensional (3-D). At present, 3-D wall-flows are poorly understood, and thus we aim to provide the first comprehensive study of the prototypical 3-D wall-flow on a rotating disk. Experiments in a bespoke facility will cover the importan ....The Transitional and Turbulent Structure of Rotating Disk Boundary Layers. Design optimization in areas of energy, materials processing, manufacturing and aerodynamics often depends on fluid flows adjacent to surfaces (wall-flows), and many such flows are three-dimensional (3-D). At present, 3-D wall-flows are poorly understood, and thus we aim to provide the first comprehensive study of the prototypical 3-D wall-flow on a rotating disk. Experiments in a bespoke facility will cover the important flow regimes (transitional and turbulent), and novel sensors will quantify the detailed 3-D flow structure. By clarifying critical instability scenarios and revealing turbulent flow scaling structure, this project will fundamentally advance physical understanding and analytical and computational models of 3-D wall-flowsRead moreRead less
Large Scale Natural Convection Boundary Layers with Non-Boussinesq Effects. This proposal aims to understand and predict heat transfer by turbulent natural convection in two scenarios, firstly at very large environmental scales, such as occur on melting Antarctic ice sheets, and secondly convection involving very large temperature differences such as occur in solar thermal power plants and industrial processes. These natural convection flow regimes are incredibly difficult to investigate directl ....Large Scale Natural Convection Boundary Layers with Non-Boussinesq Effects. This proposal aims to understand and predict heat transfer by turbulent natural convection in two scenarios, firstly at very large environmental scales, such as occur on melting Antarctic ice sheets, and secondly convection involving very large temperature differences such as occur in solar thermal power plants and industrial processes. These natural convection flow regimes are incredibly difficult to investigate directly but by focusing on the fundamental dynamics of the turbulent flows using large scale numerical simulations and innovative experiments, the project is expected to develop better analytical and computational models which will underpin improvements in
global ocean models and improve energy efficiency.Read moreRead less
Reducing the energy consumed by lighting with gaze-dependent illumination. Lighting consumes approximately 18% of electricity, but only a fraction of the light emitted into buildings actually supports occupants’ vision – the rest is wasted. This research aims to reduce the energy consumed by lighting by developing strategies for illuminating only the portions of architectural environments that are visible to occupants, thereby reducing unnecessary light. The impacts of gaze-dependent lighting on ....Reducing the energy consumed by lighting with gaze-dependent illumination. Lighting consumes approximately 18% of electricity, but only a fraction of the light emitted into buildings actually supports occupants’ vision – the rest is wasted. This research aims to reduce the energy consumed by lighting by developing strategies for illuminating only the portions of architectural environments that are visible to occupants, thereby reducing unnecessary light. The impacts of gaze-dependent lighting on energy consumption and the visual environment will be characterized and design guidelines will be generated to facilitate the development of innovative lighting systems that consume less energy by producing less light, without negatively impacting the visual experiences of building occupants.Read moreRead less
Molecular design of complex lubricants to reduce friction. We will investigate the molecular level design of friction modifiers for a new generation of industrial lubricants. The goal is to dramatically reduce friction between moving mechanical parts, hence increasing energy efficiency in machines and reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. We will design and test these new friction modifiers by a combination of theoretical and computational methods based in statistical mechanics and nonequili ....Molecular design of complex lubricants to reduce friction. We will investigate the molecular level design of friction modifiers for a new generation of industrial lubricants. The goal is to dramatically reduce friction between moving mechanical parts, hence increasing energy efficiency in machines and reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. We will design and test these new friction modifiers by a combination of theoretical and computational methods based in statistical mechanics and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics and directly compare results with experimental measurements. Our investigations will pave the way to develop new cost-effective friction modifiers without the need for traditional and costly trial and error laboratory based experimentation.Read moreRead less
Pathways for performance improvements of organic light emitting diodes . Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) represent the next generation technology for displays and lighting. Despite their rapid uptake, one of the factors limiting their application in lighting is the efficiency roll-off at high brightness. This project aims to work towards solutions for this problem using an innovative combination of simulation studies and experimental work. Expected outcomes include improved theoretical and ....Pathways for performance improvements of organic light emitting diodes . Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) represent the next generation technology for displays and lighting. Despite their rapid uptake, one of the factors limiting their application in lighting is the efficiency roll-off at high brightness. This project aims to work towards solutions for this problem using an innovative combination of simulation studies and experimental work. Expected outcomes include improved theoretical and experimental approaches leading to new design rules for OLEDs. This should provide significant benefits such as a pathway for development of improved efficient, high brightness OLEDs for applications in low energy consumption lighting and long-lasting, bright displays.Read moreRead less
Impact of roughness on adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers. This project aims to develop a novel technique for measuring time-resolved fluid velocity vector fields in high-speed flows to investigate rough wall turbulence in adverse pressure gradient environments in unprecedented detail. By using this innovative instrument to study these widespread but poorly understood turbulent flows in power generation and transport, the project seeks to generate new knowledge. Expected outcome ....Impact of roughness on adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers. This project aims to develop a novel technique for measuring time-resolved fluid velocity vector fields in high-speed flows to investigate rough wall turbulence in adverse pressure gradient environments in unprecedented detail. By using this innovative instrument to study these widespread but poorly understood turbulent flows in power generation and transport, the project seeks to generate new knowledge. Expected outcomes include the development of a new instrument and fundamental knowledge leading to improved designs with higher efficiencies in power generation and transport, resulting in significant benefits such as increased energy security, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and improved quality of life for individuals and society.Read moreRead less
Gas-enriched slippery surfaces. This project will exploit novel experimental and simulations approaches to investigate gas enrichment at liquid-liquid interfaces, and its effect on interfacial slip. The outcomes of the project will be a deeper understanding of oil-water interfaces capturing the presence of interfacial gas layers, slippery surfaces with superior drag reducing and fouling reducing properties, and control over nanobubble formation under flow. The new surfaces will have potential ap ....Gas-enriched slippery surfaces. This project will exploit novel experimental and simulations approaches to investigate gas enrichment at liquid-liquid interfaces, and its effect on interfacial slip. The outcomes of the project will be a deeper understanding of oil-water interfaces capturing the presence of interfacial gas layers, slippery surfaces with superior drag reducing and fouling reducing properties, and control over nanobubble formation under flow. The new surfaces will have potential application in improving the energy efficiency of microfluidic and multiphase flow. Benefits are expected in terms of reduced emissions, fuel cost and pollution related to transport of goods by sea, and extraction of oil from rocks.Read moreRead less
An adaptive surface for improved modelling of rough wall bounded turbulence. This project aims to improve the prediction of drag where fluid flows over rough surfaces. This is a significant problem, with the uncertainty in drag penalty prediction for shipping alone exceeding ten billion dollars annually. The societal importance of these flows demands action, yet novel approaches must be sought to efficiently explore the wide range of roughness types encountered in practice. An adaptive surface i ....An adaptive surface for improved modelling of rough wall bounded turbulence. This project aims to improve the prediction of drag where fluid flows over rough surfaces. This is a significant problem, with the uncertainty in drag penalty prediction for shipping alone exceeding ten billion dollars annually. The societal importance of these flows demands action, yet novel approaches must be sought to efficiently explore the wide range of roughness types encountered in practice. An adaptive surface is proposed, where a roughness configuration can be dialled in at the press of a button, to rapidly converge on improved models. A key outcome of this project will be improved predictive models of drag for rough wall flows. Benefits will include improved efficiencies and reduced emissions across a wide range of industries.Read moreRead less