Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result ....Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result in an increase of the overall capacity and performance of engineering systems. This will contribute significantly to reductions in power consumption and improvements in productivity and work environment, leading ultimately to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Modelling of unsteady natural convection in a reservoir sidearm. Horizontal exchange flows induced by daytime heating and night-time cooling through water surface play an important role in the transport of water properties in the shoreline regions of reservoirs. This project is aimed at exploring the driving mechanisms of these flows through a closely linked experimental, numerical and analytical research program. At the completion of this project, significant advance in experimental methodology ....Modelling of unsteady natural convection in a reservoir sidearm. Horizontal exchange flows induced by daytime heating and night-time cooling through water surface play an important role in the transport of water properties in the shoreline regions of reservoirs. This project is aimed at exploring the driving mechanisms of these flows through a closely linked experimental, numerical and analytical research program. At the completion of this project, significant advance in experimental methodology will be achieved, and reliable experimental and theoretical data will be available that can be used to estimate the heat and mass transfer in the coastal regions which is important for water quality management and environmental planning.Read moreRead less
Natural convection induced exchange flows between near shore and central regions of reservoirs. Inland discharges into reservoirs often carry rich nutrients, pollutants and biological species into the coastal regions, which are redistributed across the central regions of reservoirs through dynamical mixing processes. One of the important mixing processes is the horizontal exchange flow between the near shore and central regions induced by diurnal heating and cooling through the water surface, wh ....Natural convection induced exchange flows between near shore and central regions of reservoirs. Inland discharges into reservoirs often carry rich nutrients, pollutants and biological species into the coastal regions, which are redistributed across the central regions of reservoirs through dynamical mixing processes. One of the important mixing processes is the horizontal exchange flow between the near shore and central regions induced by diurnal heating and cooling through the water surface, which is classified as a natural convection process. This process will be investigated in this project through a closely linked analytical, experimental and numerical research program. The output from this research will have direct application in water quality management and environmental planning.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
Conjugate natural convection boundary layers. Conjugate natural convection systems occur when a conducting vertical wall separates fluids at different temperatures (that is at a window separating the interior of a room from the outside or when a container of fluid is placed in a refrigerator). This project will provide accurate predictions of such flows together with scaling relations.
3D Hypersonic Shock-Turbulent-Boundary-Layer Interactions. Shock-wave turbulent-boundary-layer interactions occur on hypersonic flight vehicles and can lead to high heating and increased drag. This is a paramount design issue that needs addressing. We aim to understand and quantify fundamental phenomena occurring in such interactions using state-of-the-art instrumentation and wind-tunnel facilities. Surfaces will be heated to realistic flight temperatures to simulate accurately the flight enviro ....3D Hypersonic Shock-Turbulent-Boundary-Layer Interactions. Shock-wave turbulent-boundary-layer interactions occur on hypersonic flight vehicles and can lead to high heating and increased drag. This is a paramount design issue that needs addressing. We aim to understand and quantify fundamental phenomena occurring in such interactions using state-of-the-art instrumentation and wind-tunnel facilities. Surfaces will be heated to realistic flight temperatures to simulate accurately the flight environment and include effects not reproduced with cold models. The effects of 3D features of the interactions will lead to new understanding of how the flow develops through a combination of experiments and numerical simulations. Future designs of hypersonic flight vehicles will benefit from knowledge gained.Read moreRead less
Fire performance of concrete using novel fire testing. Thermal loading experienced by concrete samples in conventional tests cannot be accurately and independently controlled. This project, through using a novel thermal loading technique, aims to re-examine the performance of concrete in fire. By establishing the heat-flux as a parameter of study, concrete performance under a wide range of fire conditions is expected to be better quantified, eventually leading to a reliable performance-based des ....Fire performance of concrete using novel fire testing. Thermal loading experienced by concrete samples in conventional tests cannot be accurately and independently controlled. This project, through using a novel thermal loading technique, aims to re-examine the performance of concrete in fire. By establishing the heat-flux as a parameter of study, concrete performance under a wide range of fire conditions is expected to be better quantified, eventually leading to a reliable performance-based design of concrete structures. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of concrete performance under combined fire and other loadings, appropriate mathematical models for fundamental concrete properties and constitutive relations, and design recommendations for concrete performance under real fire exposures.Read moreRead less
Multicomponent gas counter-diffusion in coal. Coalbed methane resources in Australia surpass $20billion at present gas prices. Using CO2 as an enhancement fluid, recovery of methane can potentially be improved by 50% adding a further $10b value, simultaneously permanently and safely sequestering the CO2, with possible carbon credits of up to $15b. The nature of the simultaneous exchange of CO2, methane and other gases within the coal dictates many of the engineering requirements for optimal exp ....Multicomponent gas counter-diffusion in coal. Coalbed methane resources in Australia surpass $20billion at present gas prices. Using CO2 as an enhancement fluid, recovery of methane can potentially be improved by 50% adding a further $10b value, simultaneously permanently and safely sequestering the CO2, with possible carbon credits of up to $15b. The nature of the simultaneous exchange of CO2, methane and other gases within the coal dictates many of the engineering requirements for optimal exploitation. It underlies the development of coal gas reservoir simulators, which currently do not incorporate this critical feature. This project is directed at understanding that counterflow and exchange.Read moreRead less
Novel framework for optimising battery-cooling microchannel heat exchangers. Thermal overheating can affect the capacity, safety and life expectancy of batteries for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. Microscale heat exchangers are a potential high-efficiency, low-bulk solution. This project aims to develop a novel computational methodology to optimise the design of those heat exchangers in which viscoelastic fluids are used to control flow instabilities and enhance heat transfer at ....Novel framework for optimising battery-cooling microchannel heat exchangers. Thermal overheating can affect the capacity, safety and life expectancy of batteries for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. Microscale heat exchangers are a potential high-efficiency, low-bulk solution. This project aims to develop a novel computational methodology to optimise the design of those heat exchangers in which viscoelastic fluids are used to control flow instabilities and enhance heat transfer at the microscale. A new microscopic fluid physics model will provide data for an innovative neural network framework to optimise the working fluid conditions and microscale design, which could contribute to increased adoption of renewable energy technologies that are supported by microscale heat exchangers.Read moreRead less
Expanding the scramjet operating envelope through oxygen enrichment. This project aims to investigate the benefits of expanding the operating envelope of scramjets to higher altitudes and speeds by enriching their fuel with oxygen. This is expected to enhance the performance and flexibility of hypersonic air-breathing engines designed to form the core of a more reliable and economical access to space system. Expected outcomes of this project are a validated understanding and mapping of how oxyge ....Expanding the scramjet operating envelope through oxygen enrichment. This project aims to investigate the benefits of expanding the operating envelope of scramjets to higher altitudes and speeds by enriching their fuel with oxygen. This is expected to enhance the performance and flexibility of hypersonic air-breathing engines designed to form the core of a more reliable and economical access to space system. Expected outcomes of this project are a validated understanding and mapping of how oxygen enrichment can augment scramjet thrust at high altitudes and speeds, and a performance evaluation of a launch system optimised for this approach. This could provide significant benefits to the performance of reusable, air-breathing launch technology, where Australia is leading the push towards commercialisation.Read moreRead less