Rapid optimisation in underground mining network design. This project represents a major advance in the problem of optimising the infrastructure of underground mines and providing powerful planning tools for management. The software tools we are developing will prove important to the mining industry because of their accuracy, flexibility and generality. Not only can they be used for benchmarking in the design of specific mines, but they also provide a reliable method for testing the cost-benefi ....Rapid optimisation in underground mining network design. This project represents a major advance in the problem of optimising the infrastructure of underground mines and providing powerful planning tools for management. The software tools we are developing will prove important to the mining industry because of their accuracy, flexibility and generality. Not only can they be used for benchmarking in the design of specific mines, but they also provide a reliable method for testing the cost-benefit of emerging technologies. This is an important project for ensuring that Australia's mining industry remains efficient and internationally competitive. Given our economic dependence on mineral resources, it will also benefit Australia as a whole.Read moreRead less
Stationarity and regularity in variational analysis with applications to optimization. This project will significantly develop the theoretical basis of variational analysis and optimization. Improving the understanding of regularity and stationarity issues in optimization theory will lead to major national benefits in increasing efficiencies and reducing costs in many fields of human endeavour on a national and international level.
Integrating dynamic and optimization models for efficient pipeline system operations in an evolving water and energy market. Developing an integrated dynamical and optimisation model for a piped water distribution system will advance Australia's capacity to deploy the most recent optimisation approaches to achieve the high level of efficiency required in the delivery of water to dryland regions. The outcomes of this project will be readily transferable to other regions and indeed other water d ....Integrating dynamic and optimization models for efficient pipeline system operations in an evolving water and energy market. Developing an integrated dynamical and optimisation model for a piped water distribution system will advance Australia's capacity to deploy the most recent optimisation approaches to achieve the high level of efficiency required in the delivery of water to dryland regions. The outcomes of this project will be readily transferable to other regions and indeed other water distribution systems. This will provide capability in securing Australia's water supplies and delivery systems. There may also be associated benefits to other pipeline operators in the oil and gas industries.Read moreRead less
GEOMETRIC NUMERICAL INTEGRATION. Many scientific phenomena in physics, astronomy, and chemistry, are modelled by ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Often these equations have no solution in closed form, and one relies on numerical integration. Traditionally this is done using Runge-Kutta methods or linear multistep methods. In the last decade, however, we (and others) have discovered novel classes of so-called "geometric" numerical integration methods that preserve qualititative featur ....GEOMETRIC NUMERICAL INTEGRATION. Many scientific phenomena in physics, astronomy, and chemistry, are modelled by ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Often these equations have no solution in closed form, and one relies on numerical integration. Traditionally this is done using Runge-Kutta methods or linear multistep methods. In the last decade, however, we (and others) have discovered novel classes of so-called "geometric" numerical integration methods that preserve qualititative features of certain ODE's exactly (in contrast to traditional methods), leading to crucial stability improvements. Extending concepts from dynamical systems theory and traditional numerical ODEs, this project will improve, extend and systematize this new field of geometric integration.Read moreRead less
Designing minimum-cost networks that are robust and avoid obstacles. The goal of this project is to construct a mathematical framework for the design of minimum-cost networks that are robust and avoid obstacles. Physical networks such as those required for communication, power and transportation are vital for our society, but are costly from economic and environmental viewpoints. There is a need for mathematical optimisation tools to design minimum-cost networks that take into account practical ....Designing minimum-cost networks that are robust and avoid obstacles. The goal of this project is to construct a mathematical framework for the design of minimum-cost networks that are robust and avoid obstacles. Physical networks such as those required for communication, power and transportation are vital for our society, but are costly from economic and environmental viewpoints. There is a need for mathematical optimisation tools to design minimum-cost networks that take into account practical considerations such as surviving local connectivity failures and avoiding pre-existing obstacles. These are recognised as mathematically challenging problems. Current approaches employ restrictive models that do not capture the flexibility of modern infrastructure networks. This project aims to develop geometric design methods using variable ‘Steiner points’, leading to fast algorithms for optimally solving these problems.Read moreRead less
Maximisation of value in underground mine access design. This project represents a major advance in the problem of optimising the mine value associated with the access infrastructure of underground mines and providing powerful planning tools for management. The usefulness to the mining industry of the methods and algorithms the project is pioneering lies in their accuracy, flexibility and generality. Not only can they be used for benchmarking value in the design of specific mines, but they can ....Maximisation of value in underground mine access design. This project represents a major advance in the problem of optimising the mine value associated with the access infrastructure of underground mines and providing powerful planning tools for management. The usefulness to the mining industry of the methods and algorithms the project is pioneering lies in their accuracy, flexibility and generality. Not only can they be used for benchmarking value in the design of specific mines, but they can also determine the profitability or viability of mines under the use of new technologies. This is an important project for ensuring that Australia's mining industry remains efficient and internationally competitive. Given Australia’s economic dependence on mineral resources, it will also benefit the country as a whole.Read moreRead less
Structured barrier and penalty functions in infinite dimensional optimisation and analysis. Very large scale tightly-constrained optimisation problems are ubiquitous and include water management, traffic flow, and imaging at telescopes and hospitals. Massively parallel computers can solve such problems and provide physically realisable solution only if subtle design issues are mastered. Resolving such issues is the goal of this project.
Decision tools for underground mine development. The aim of this project is to develop innovative new strategic tools to assist senior mine management in planning underground mine operations. It will be based on modelling underground mine layouts using the theory of abstract mathematical networks. For many years, there have been well-developed methods of modelling and optimising the operation of open-cut mines. The design of the infrastructure of underground mines has a similar potential for opt ....Decision tools for underground mine development. The aim of this project is to develop innovative new strategic tools to assist senior mine management in planning underground mine operations. It will be based on modelling underground mine layouts using the theory of abstract mathematical networks. For many years, there have been well-developed methods of modelling and optimising the operation of open-cut mines. The design of the infrastructure of underground mines has a similar potential for optimisation and strategic modelling. This design optimisation will lead to huge savings in the costs of underground mines. Similar methods will be used to plan drilling programs, which are major cost items.Read moreRead less
Advanced simulation methods for the coupled solar interior and atmosphere. This project aims to develop numerical methods for complex magnetohydrodynamic simulations able to handle sharp and dynamically evolving inhomogeneities, spherical geometries, and dramatic variations in density and wave speed across the simulation domain. The project plans to develop these methods within the context of solar wave processes, which are fundamental to the transfer of energy from the sun’s interior to its out ....Advanced simulation methods for the coupled solar interior and atmosphere. This project aims to develop numerical methods for complex magnetohydrodynamic simulations able to handle sharp and dynamically evolving inhomogeneities, spherical geometries, and dramatic variations in density and wave speed across the simulation domain. The project plans to develop these methods within the context of solar wave processes, which are fundamental to the transfer of energy from the sun’s interior to its outer atmosphere, to the acceleration of the solar wind that rushes past the Earth continually, and to solar activity in general. This would provide the best available modelling of how the sun's atmosphere works, with direct implications for how the Earth's space environment is determined by solar storms and eruptions.Read moreRead less
Derivative free algorithms for large scale nonsmooth and global optimization and their applications. The outcomes expected from this research fall broadly into two categories: 1) the development of a new class of effective readily implementable derivative free techniques for large scale non-smooth and global optimisation and 2) the development of new algorithms based on derivative free optimization techniques for solving data mining, resource allocation problems and some problems in bioinformati ....Derivative free algorithms for large scale nonsmooth and global optimization and their applications. The outcomes expected from this research fall broadly into two categories: 1) the development of a new class of effective readily implementable derivative free techniques for large scale non-smooth and global optimisation and 2) the development of new algorithms based on derivative free optimization techniques for solving data mining, resource allocation problems and some problems in bioinformatics. In particular, the application of these techniques to molecular biology and cluster analysis will be very important for the development of competitive technologies for Australia.
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