Variable Geometry Cooling Intakes for Passenger Vehicles. Cars reject engine heat via air forced through the grille, radiator and engine bay. The associated "cooling drag" increases total aerodynamic drag by 10-15% hence increasing fuel consumption. The highest heat load that needs to be rejected by the engine determines the quantity of cooling air, resulting in systems that are over designed for typical driving. This research provides a strategy of adjusting the cooling airflow to match the ....Variable Geometry Cooling Intakes for Passenger Vehicles. Cars reject engine heat via air forced through the grille, radiator and engine bay. The associated "cooling drag" increases total aerodynamic drag by 10-15% hence increasing fuel consumption. The highest heat load that needs to be rejected by the engine determines the quantity of cooling air, resulting in systems that are over designed for typical driving. This research provides a strategy of adjusting the cooling airflow to match the engine requirements (via variable geometry intakes that can be under the control of the engine management computer) offering substantial reductions in fuel consumption and emissions.Read moreRead less
Developing novel big-data based models for designing greener turbines. Developing novel big-data based models for designing greener turbines. This project aims to improve the fuel efficiency of gas turbines, the backbone of power generation and aircraft propulsion, for efficient and affordable power generation and air travel. Australia is large, remote and has some of the world’s highest carbon dioxide emissions per capita. Improving fuel efficiency will reduce cost and emissions, but current de ....Developing novel big-data based models for designing greener turbines. Developing novel big-data based models for designing greener turbines. This project aims to improve the fuel efficiency of gas turbines, the backbone of power generation and aircraft propulsion, for efficient and affordable power generation and air travel. Australia is large, remote and has some of the world’s highest carbon dioxide emissions per capita. Improving fuel efficiency will reduce cost and emissions, but current design tools lack the accuracy to advance technology. This project will investigate fluid flow in gas turbines and use big-data analytics to develop more accurate design tools. Gas turbines with reduced fuel usage and carbon dioxide emissions are expected to reduce the cost and environmental impact of power generation and air travel in Australia.Read moreRead less
Micromechanical analysis of size segregation and its prediction in granular free-surface flows. Industries often suffer from size segregation in the handling and processing of granular materials, leading to significant economic consequences. This project aims to develop a fundamental understanding of size segregation and prediction models, enabling industries to eliminate, minimise, or manage the effects to an acceptable level.
Efficient Pipeline Transport of Highly Concentrated Wastewater Sludge . This project aims to investigate the rheology and fluid mechanics of highly concentrated wastewater sludges and develop tools to support effective pipeline designs for wastewater treatment plants. The project expects to generate new knowledge about the complex flow of concentrated wastewater which will enable predictive models to support the design and optimization of pipeline transport systems. Expected outcomes of the proj ....Efficient Pipeline Transport of Highly Concentrated Wastewater Sludge . This project aims to investigate the rheology and fluid mechanics of highly concentrated wastewater sludges and develop tools to support effective pipeline designs for wastewater treatment plants. The project expects to generate new knowledge about the complex flow of concentrated wastewater which will enable predictive models to support the design and optimization of pipeline transport systems. Expected outcomes of the project include a new toolkit that will enable wastewater treatment plants to design and optimize both existing and future pipeline systems. This will support the Australian wastewater industry to plan for future growth, increase throughput and efficiency, reduce environmental pollutants, and capital and operating costs.Read moreRead less
Optimisation of indoor air quality, thermal comfort and energy usage within buildings located in busy transit oriented urban developments. The socio-economic benefits to Australia from the project include (i) a novel holistic modelling tool to building design that maximises indoor comfort and provides acceptable air quality for the inhabitants whilst minimising energy usage in transit oriented urban developments; and (ii) estimation of energy consumption for different building designs and operat ....Optimisation of indoor air quality, thermal comfort and energy usage within buildings located in busy transit oriented urban developments. The socio-economic benefits to Australia from the project include (i) a novel holistic modelling tool to building design that maximises indoor comfort and provides acceptable air quality for the inhabitants whilst minimising energy usage in transit oriented urban developments; and (ii) estimation of energy consumption for different building designs and operation with respect to air quality and thermal comfort. The ultimate economic benefit of this research will be a reduction in health care costs and lost productivity as well as reduction of energy used and associated emissions. The research will also place Australia in the forefront of international progress and the race towards better methods for achieving environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Understanding rough-wall flows and turbulent mixing for improved models. In the absence of a reliable predictive capability for turbulent heat transfer, design engineers are currently forced to incorporate safety margins into their calculations to compensate for aero-thermal loading uncertainty, which ultimately limits the opportunities for high-efficiency designs. This project employs high-fidelity simulations and experiments of real-world heat transfer problems, as identified by our partner or ....Understanding rough-wall flows and turbulent mixing for improved models. In the absence of a reliable predictive capability for turbulent heat transfer, design engineers are currently forced to incorporate safety margins into their calculations to compensate for aero-thermal loading uncertainty, which ultimately limits the opportunities for high-efficiency designs. This project employs high-fidelity simulations and experiments of real-world heat transfer problems, as identified by our partner organisation, MHI, an industry leader, combined with a novel data-driven model development framework. Outcomes will be a fundamental advance in our predictive capability and understanding of turbulent heat transfer, which in turn will permit more reliable, efficient and durable designs for energy generation.Read moreRead less
Novel energy-efficient electrowinning anodes. Developed nations rely extensively on metallic materials to sustain modern society. This places a significant importance on delivery of base metals, and that delivery must be as efficient and clean as possible. The first step in the delivery chain is extraction from the ore, and much of this technology is based on electrowinning (EW), where the behaviour of the anode is critical to overall process efficiency. This project will deliver advances in EW ....Novel energy-efficient electrowinning anodes. Developed nations rely extensively on metallic materials to sustain modern society. This places a significant importance on delivery of base metals, and that delivery must be as efficient and clean as possible. The first step in the delivery chain is extraction from the ore, and much of this technology is based on electrowinning (EW), where the behaviour of the anode is critical to overall process efficiency. This project will deliver advances in EW anodes which will lead to energy savings, which in turn, will result in a cleaner overall production cycle, major emission reductions and cost savings. The expected outcomes of this project are targeted at the development of new and advanced anode materials.Read moreRead less
Reduced fuel consumption through aerodynamic optimisation and the development of a new fuel consumption model for inter-modal trains in Australia. This project aims to improve intermodal freight train efficiency by developing new experimental and computational analytical techniques leading to aerodynamic optimisation and improved fuel consumption models. The aerodynamics solutions will be widely applicable to other rail and ground transportation modes.
Intensifying places: transit-oriented urban design for resilient Australian cities. The population of Australian cities is rising sharply at precisely the time we also need to achieve dramatic reductions in carbon emissions. While there is debate about the degree to which we can extend urban growth boundaries, there is no doubt that intensification in activity centres and along transit lines will be realised in the near and medium future. This is both a threat to established suburban ways of lif ....Intensifying places: transit-oriented urban design for resilient Australian cities. The population of Australian cities is rising sharply at precisely the time we also need to achieve dramatic reductions in carbon emissions. While there is debate about the degree to which we can extend urban growth boundaries, there is no doubt that intensification in activity centres and along transit lines will be realised in the near and medium future. This is both a threat to established suburban ways of life and a wonderful opportunity to enhance them. What kinds of new urban places will be created and how can design quality be managed to ensure the beauty, amenity, pedestrian accessibility, sociability and public transport efficiency of our cities?Read moreRead less
Fundamental studies of multiphase flow and separation performance of natural medium cyclones for recovering waste coal. This project aims to develop an effective method to design, control and optimise natural medium cyclones for recovering waste coal, important for environmental protection and for energy efficiency. Its conduct will enhance Australia's leading position in the coal industry.