Deep Learning Augmented Intelligent Grinding Mill Simulation and Design. Comminution is a key operation in mineral processing that utilises grinding mills to reduce the size of ore for further mineral enrichment processing. The aim of this project is to provide a step change improvement in the operational efficiency and service life of grinding mills through the development of advanced numerical models to simulate the grinding mill process. The outcome will be a hierarchical deep learning progra ....Deep Learning Augmented Intelligent Grinding Mill Simulation and Design. Comminution is a key operation in mineral processing that utilises grinding mills to reduce the size of ore for further mineral enrichment processing. The aim of this project is to provide a step change improvement in the operational efficiency and service life of grinding mills through the development of advanced numerical models to simulate the grinding mill process. The outcome will be a hierarchical deep learning program to select optimal model parameters from which computational algorithms will optimise grinding mill geometries. This research project will deliver substantial improvements to equipment used to process our most valuable exports and result in immediate industry impact.Read moreRead less
Multiscale engineering of durable absorber coatings for solar thermal power. This project aims to advance the long-term stability and efficiency of high-temperature absorber coatings for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. Solar energy is a vast and largely untapped resource in Australia. The project will design superior light absorbers and scalable and low-cost approaches for their fabrication. Optimal absorber properties will be achieved by multi-scale engineering of the coating composition ....Multiscale engineering of durable absorber coatings for solar thermal power. This project aims to advance the long-term stability and efficiency of high-temperature absorber coatings for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. Solar energy is a vast and largely untapped resource in Australia. The project will design superior light absorbers and scalable and low-cost approaches for their fabrication. Optimal absorber properties will be achieved by multi-scale engineering of the coating composition and micro-texturing via modelling of the light absorption and heat transport within these complex nanocomposite structures. The intended outcome of the project is a set of commercially competitive absorber coatings, with superior performance and durability, that support the development of CSP as a competitive technology for energy generation.Read moreRead less
Vibration-based health monitoring of aero-engine bearings . This project will develop new vibration-based techniques to greatly improve the detection and diagnosis of faults in aero engine bearings from in-flight measurements. To achieve this goal, advances will be made on source separation algorithms to extract the weak bearing signals, and signal processing techniques to extract features for diagnosing bearing fault severity and lubrication conditions, under a wide range of operating condition ....Vibration-based health monitoring of aero-engine bearings . This project will develop new vibration-based techniques to greatly improve the detection and diagnosis of faults in aero engine bearings from in-flight measurements. To achieve this goal, advances will be made on source separation algorithms to extract the weak bearing signals, and signal processing techniques to extract features for diagnosing bearing fault severity and lubrication conditions, under a wide range of operating conditions. A bearing degradation model will estimate the remaining useful life. Since rolling element bearings are among the most critical components in most machines, the results of this research will also provide massive benefits in other sectors such as mining, transportation, energy production and manufacturing.Read moreRead less
A sentinel network for vibration-based termite control. Termite damage is costly and eradication via chemicals is hazardous to environment and health. As termites use vibrations to make foraging decisions and eavesdrop on competitors/predators, it is feasible but not attempted hitherto to detect and control termites using vibrations. A smart sentinel network will be developed to enable timber infrastructure to be continuously monitored for termites and for termites to be repelled using specific ....A sentinel network for vibration-based termite control. Termite damage is costly and eradication via chemicals is hazardous to environment and health. As termites use vibrations to make foraging decisions and eavesdrop on competitors/predators, it is feasible but not attempted hitherto to detect and control termites using vibrations. A smart sentinel network will be developed to enable timber infrastructure to be continuously monitored for termites and for termites to be repelled using specific vibration signals and manipulated structures, with minimal environmental and health impacts. For this network to be efficient and effective, an improved understanding on how vibrations influence termite sociality will be obtained by studying habituation and signal adaptation on collective behaviour.Read moreRead less
Quantitative structural health assessment of large membrane-like structures. This project aims to develop a new approach, based on remote sensing and computational modelling, to assess and manage the structural health of large floating covers used for odour control and biogas harvesting to prevent unexpected failures. The project has potential benefits for high-value-added manufacturing and maintenance of these floating covers by Australian industry.
Innovative metamaterial magnetorheological technology for mining machines. Hard-rock mining machines have been identified as the next generation mining technology, which will finally replace the traditional drill and blast method to increase productivity and mitigate dangerous working conditions. This project aims to develop innovative metamaterial magnetorheological elastomer joints for a typical hard-rock mining machine to improve the mining efficiency by reducing the vibration. The findings a ....Innovative metamaterial magnetorheological technology for mining machines. Hard-rock mining machines have been identified as the next generation mining technology, which will finally replace the traditional drill and blast method to increase productivity and mitigate dangerous working conditions. This project aims to develop innovative metamaterial magnetorheological elastomer joints for a typical hard-rock mining machine to improve the mining efficiency by reducing the vibration. The findings and outcomes of this research will advance the knowledge and practice of hard-rock mining machines in Australia. The success of this project will significantly increase mining productivity and reduce human injuryRead moreRead less
Thermal transport in multi-phase flows for concentrating solar applications. This project seeks to advance the field of heat transfer in high-temperature systems involving liquid metals, with emphasis on energy storage and solar power technologies. The concept couples a tubular sodium boiler with a sodium chloride phase-change storage system for continuous energy supply. Sodium chloride is low cost and has a melting temperature suitable for a wide range of industrial processes. The project plans ....Thermal transport in multi-phase flows for concentrating solar applications. This project seeks to advance the field of heat transfer in high-temperature systems involving liquid metals, with emphasis on energy storage and solar power technologies. The concept couples a tubular sodium boiler with a sodium chloride phase-change storage system for continuous energy supply. Sodium chloride is low cost and has a melting temperature suitable for a wide range of industrial processes. The project plans to address the challenge of sodium stability in highly irradiated tubes by investigating mass, momentum, energy and radiative transport in liquid metals. It is intended that this will inform the design and testing of novel sodium boilers to provide stable and isothermal process heat for continuous or on-demand production of power, chemical fuels and commodities.Read moreRead less
Building Australia's Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Infrastructure. This project aims to enhance the resilience, safety, and efficiency of electricity grids operated with fast-charging Electric Vehicles (EVs) by developing new control and optimisation frameworks. This project expects to develop new robust controllers for EV fast-charging infrastructure operated in coordination with wind and solar generated electricity. Expected project outcomes include enabling fast-charge EV infrastructure to b ....Building Australia's Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Infrastructure. This project aims to enhance the resilience, safety, and efficiency of electricity grids operated with fast-charging Electric Vehicles (EVs) by developing new control and optimisation frameworks. This project expects to develop new robust controllers for EV fast-charging infrastructure operated in coordination with wind and solar generated electricity. Expected project outcomes include enabling fast-charge EV infrastructure to be developed and deployed in Australia by the industry partner SwitchDin. Expected benefits including enabling significant reduction in carbon emissions from the transportation sector, accelerating the energy transition to renewables, and placing Australian industry at the forefront of EV grid integration technology.Read moreRead less
Microfluidic platforms for studying foam cell formation in vessels . This project aims to create technology platforms, utilising microfluidics and machine learning, to study the fundamental biological processes underlying the accumulation of immune cells underneath the vessel wall, which is known as foam cell formation. This project expects to deliver technologies, which facilitate mimicking and analysis of the complex dynamics of the human vessels in a more accurate, time- and cost-effective ma ....Microfluidic platforms for studying foam cell formation in vessels . This project aims to create technology platforms, utilising microfluidics and machine learning, to study the fundamental biological processes underlying the accumulation of immune cells underneath the vessel wall, which is known as foam cell formation. This project expects to deliver technologies, which facilitate mimicking and analysis of the complex dynamics of the human vessels in a more accurate, time- and cost-effective manner. The expected outcome will be cutting-edge tools and techniques to better understand the fundamental biological mechanisms driving foam cell formation. This should facilitate the development of future cardiovascular drug discovery technologies, which would benefit the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.Read moreRead less
Improving airborne electromagnetic surveying for minerals and groundwater. Groundwater is vital in many parts of Australia due to low surface water availability while much of Australia’s mineral wealth is obscured by conductive cover. Airborne surveys are key to mapping minerals and water over large areas. This project aims to enhance the resolution of airborne electromagnetic surveying technology by developing advanced new aircraft transmitters and receivers. The project expects to enable compl ....Improving airborne electromagnetic surveying for minerals and groundwater. Groundwater is vital in many parts of Australia due to low surface water availability while much of Australia’s mineral wealth is obscured by conductive cover. Airborne surveys are key to mapping minerals and water over large areas. This project aims to enhance the resolution of airborne electromagnetic surveying technology by developing advanced new aircraft transmitters and receivers. The project expects to enable complex groundwater structures to be mapped more accurately and increase the depth to which conductive ore bodies can be detected. Expected outcomes include the discovery of new economic mineral and water resources. This should provide significant benefits to the mining and agricultural industries.Read moreRead less