Homogeneous Combustion Catalysts for Efficiency Improvements and Emission Reduction in Diesel Engines. Australia currently consumes about 25 billion litres of diesel annually through the mining industry, road transportation and electricity generation for remote communities which presentins a significant cost and carbon footprint. A small reduction of say 2.5% in diesel consumption nationwide by improving engine performance and energy efficiency can result in more than $0.5 billion in savings and ....Homogeneous Combustion Catalysts for Efficiency Improvements and Emission Reduction in Diesel Engines. Australia currently consumes about 25 billion litres of diesel annually through the mining industry, road transportation and electricity generation for remote communities which presentins a significant cost and carbon footprint. A small reduction of say 2.5% in diesel consumption nationwide by improving engine performance and energy efficiency can result in more than $0.5 billion in savings and a reduction of 1.75 million tonnes in greenhouse gas emission annually. The homogeneous combustion catalysts, to be developed in this research for direct doping into diesel supply system, will help realise these objectives and contribute to the development of an environmentally sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Low emission, Gas Turbine Air Compressor (GTAC) demonstrator. Compressed air production consumes a significant portion of electricity generated world-wide. The fragility of power infrastructure in many developed countries, and the growing Chinese economy, has created very large markets for compressed air plants that run off Diesel and natural gas fuels. Australia's reliance on coal introduces the added greenhouse incentive of reduced electricity use.
This project will demonstrate a novel air ....Low emission, Gas Turbine Air Compressor (GTAC) demonstrator. Compressed air production consumes a significant portion of electricity generated world-wide. The fragility of power infrastructure in many developed countries, and the growing Chinese economy, has created very large markets for compressed air plants that run off Diesel and natural gas fuels. Australia's reliance on coal introduces the added greenhouse incentive of reduced electricity use.
This project will demonstrate a novel air compressor concept that features a natural gas fuelled micro-gas turbine. This device is expected to have comparable thermal efficiency to other air compressors, but with very significantly reduced greenhouse and overall emissions, much quieter operation, lower cost and increased device compactness.
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
Thermal management of methane fuelled planar solid oxide fuel cells. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are novel devices for generating energy with extremely low emissions. This project will conduct novel experiments and numerical simulations to improve the efficiency of SOFCs. This will then allow wider adoption of this technology, thus reducing CO2 and other environmental emissions from our power generation systems.
Investigation of Strategies to Improve the Efficiency of Industrial Radiators and Cooling Coils. Innovative strategies for improving in-service effectiveness of tube & plate-fin heat exchange 'coils' will be explored. Such coils are used throughout chemical process industries, diesel powered plant, vehicles and air-conditioning systems. Coil manufacture is a 'mature' industry, but design concepts have changed little since 1950. Fouling of diesel engine 'radiators' in dusty conditions and in mari ....Investigation of Strategies to Improve the Efficiency of Industrial Radiators and Cooling Coils. Innovative strategies for improving in-service effectiveness of tube & plate-fin heat exchange 'coils' will be explored. Such coils are used throughout chemical process industries, diesel powered plant, vehicles and air-conditioning systems. Coil manufacture is a 'mature' industry, but design concepts have changed little since 1950. Fouling of diesel engine 'radiators' in dusty conditions and in marine environments is endemic. New design concepts evolved via Computational Fluid Dynamic analysis will be manufactured and tested in the unique heat and mass transfer wind tunnel on the University's Industry Liaison Campus. The major outcome will be a rugged design methodology with broad applicability.Read moreRead less
Reactivity of Carbon-Carbon Composites. This project investigates the reactivity of pitch-coke carbon composites with the aim of minimising oxidative carbon loss from anodes during aluminium smelting. Such carbon loss accounts for about 15 percent of the total carbon consumption in smelting, and its reduction will provide considerable economic benefit besides contributing to mitigation of greenhouse gas emission. In the present project the effect of coke calcination and composite baking temper ....Reactivity of Carbon-Carbon Composites. This project investigates the reactivity of pitch-coke carbon composites with the aim of minimising oxidative carbon loss from anodes during aluminium smelting. Such carbon loss accounts for about 15 percent of the total carbon consumption in smelting, and its reduction will provide considerable economic benefit besides contributing to mitigation of greenhouse gas emission. In the present project the effect of coke calcination and composite baking temperatures on the relationship between anode microstructure and reactivity in oxygen as well as carbon dioxide will be investigated, and optimum process conditions determined for minimum reactive carbon loss during smelting.Read moreRead less
Laser based combustion diagnostics of an automotive development engine. Automotive emissions regulations will continue to tighten in the foreseeable future. Engine manufacturers are therefore undertaking substantial research and development in order to meet future legal requirements. One technology with proven emissions performance is gasoline direct injection (GDI).
This project requests funding for the detailed study of a GDI development engine. Sophisticated, laser based diagnostics and an ? ....Laser based combustion diagnostics of an automotive development engine. Automotive emissions regulations will continue to tighten in the foreseeable future. Engine manufacturers are therefore undertaking substantial research and development in order to meet future legal requirements. One technology with proven emissions performance is gasoline direct injection (GDI).
This project requests funding for the detailed study of a GDI development engine. Sophisticated, laser based diagnostics and an ?optical access? engine will be used to examine the fuel spray, fluid motion and pollutant formation inside the cylinder during operation. Numerical simulations will complement these experiments. Using these results, the mechanisms of pollutant formation in a GDI engine will be determined.
Read moreRead less
Development of a gas-diesel engine injection system using a hydraulically actuated, electronically controlled unit injector (HEUI) for flexible dual-fuel operation. Achieving targets for greenhouse gas reduction will require practical, easily implemented alternative fuels for vehicles. Converting existing truck/bus diesel engines to dual-fuel systems using natural gas is important. In particular, for long distance application, these systems need to allow flexible switching from sole diesel to du ....Development of a gas-diesel engine injection system using a hydraulically actuated, electronically controlled unit injector (HEUI) for flexible dual-fuel operation. Achieving targets for greenhouse gas reduction will require practical, easily implemented alternative fuels for vehicles. Converting existing truck/bus diesel engines to dual-fuel systems using natural gas is important. In particular, for long distance application, these systems need to allow flexible switching from sole diesel to dual-fuel operation and good gas substitution at low loads within cities. An earlier ARC funded project allowed UNSW to develop the world's most compact, flexible HEUI diesel injector. This project aims to develop, test and explore dual-fuel combustion using a compact single unit, combined NG/HEUI injector which will have considerable combustion and operational advantages.Read moreRead less
Hydrogen fuel cells with non-precious metal cathode catalysts. Low-cost and robust fuel cell technology is a cornerstone towards the success of the hydrogen economy. The project aims to address the cost and durability of hydrogen fuel cells by advancing low-cost electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions. Novel non-precious catalysts will be developed, and their stability understood in fuel cells using a new approach with in situ current mapping and X-ray computed tomography. The expected ....Hydrogen fuel cells with non-precious metal cathode catalysts. Low-cost and robust fuel cell technology is a cornerstone towards the success of the hydrogen economy. The project aims to address the cost and durability of hydrogen fuel cells by advancing low-cost electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions. Novel non-precious catalysts will be developed, and their stability understood in fuel cells using a new approach with in situ current mapping and X-ray computed tomography. The expected outcomes of this project include material development, improved characterisation techniques and new knowledge on electrocatalysis. The project will benefit Kohodo Hydrogen Energy by positioning them as an Australian leader in low-cost catalysts, and to Australian industries in developing the hydrogen economy. Read moreRead less
Advanced modelling and optimisation of Underground Coal Gasification. The last decade is characterised by increasing interest of many countries in obtaining and developing Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) technologies. Recent long-term successful trial in Chinchilla has proven that the technology is ready for commercial use but the fundamental research into UCG is needed for further improvement of the technology performance in commercial applications. The major goal of this project is in comb ....Advanced modelling and optimisation of Underground Coal Gasification. The last decade is characterised by increasing interest of many countries in obtaining and developing Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) technologies. Recent long-term successful trial in Chinchilla has proven that the technology is ready for commercial use but the fundamental research into UCG is needed for further improvement of the technology performance in commercial applications. The major goal of this project is in combining most recent advances in combustion modelling with practical UCG operations and developing new advanced models specifically for UCG diagnostics and optimisation. The project outcomes involve: better understanding and optimisation of UCG processes and further development of advanced modelling techniques.
Read moreRead less