MICROWAVE SENSORS BASED ON MULTI-LAYER MICROSTRIP PATCH RESONATORS AND LINE RESONATORS. Inexpensive, easy-to-use, accurate, sensitive and compact sensor systems are needed to improve the quality of many agricultural and industrial products. For example, edible oil industry needs such a system to determine the water content in the seeds used for edible oil. Similarly, the measurement of moisture content is crucial for quality control and grading of industrial oils, paints, health products and man ....MICROWAVE SENSORS BASED ON MULTI-LAYER MICROSTRIP PATCH RESONATORS AND LINE RESONATORS. Inexpensive, easy-to-use, accurate, sensitive and compact sensor systems are needed to improve the quality of many agricultural and industrial products. For example, edible oil industry needs such a system to determine the water content in the seeds used for edible oil. Similarly, the measurement of moisture content is crucial for quality control and grading of industrial oils, paints, health products and many industrial sheets. We develop novel microwave sensor systems, based on multi-layer microstrip resonators, for such measurements of materials in the form of sheets, pastes, liquids or powders. They are also attractive for scientific applications such as monitoring the doping concentration of semiconductor materials.Read moreRead less
New drives and control techniques for high performance piezoelectric actuation. Piezoelectric actuators are made from a ceramic material that expands in response to an applied voltage. Although these actuators develop the greatest forces and most precise motion of any actuator, a number of performance limitations exist. This proposal aims to overcome these limitations and greatly increase the performance of piezoelectric actuators.
Improved piezoelectric actuators will result in a parallel i ....New drives and control techniques for high performance piezoelectric actuation. Piezoelectric actuators are made from a ceramic material that expands in response to an applied voltage. Although these actuators develop the greatest forces and most precise motion of any actuator, a number of performance limitations exist. This proposal aims to overcome these limitations and greatly increase the performance of piezoelectric actuators.
Improved piezoelectric actuators will result in a parallel improvement of analytic and process machines throughout the scientific and industrial community. Examples include: improved atomic scale microscopes, finer tolerance steel rolling mills, more accurate micro-surgical tools, and automated manipulation of sperm and egg cells in IVF therapy.Read moreRead less
Instrumentation for High Voltage Power Distribution Using Optical Fibre Sensors. This project aims to realise a novel optical fibre voltage sensor, exploit a recent discovery of Bassett and Haywood in interferometry to improve an existing optical current sensor, and bring the voltage and current sensor together in a combined field trial on a high voltage distribution network.
The voltage sensor concept is unique and provides significant advantages.
The expected outcomes of this project are an ....Instrumentation for High Voltage Power Distribution Using Optical Fibre Sensors. This project aims to realise a novel optical fibre voltage sensor, exploit a recent discovery of Bassett and Haywood in interferometry to improve an existing optical current sensor, and bring the voltage and current sensor together in a combined field trial on a high voltage distribution network.
The voltage sensor concept is unique and provides significant advantages.
The expected outcomes of this project are an electro-optically active silica fibre suitable for voltage sensing, a prototype voltage sensor and signal processing system, and a prototype combined electrical power (voltage and current) measurement unit deployed in a field trial.
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New Approach to Photonic Interferometry with Applications in Sensing. This project is based on a new technique for photonic interferometry, the Network Independent Multiple Interrogation (NIMI) technique.
This project aims to:
1) gain a better understanding of the NIMI method
2) exploit the NIMI technique in other applications
3) provide the key technology for future optical, current and voltage sensing systems for high voltage networks.
This work is significant as it represents a breakthro ....New Approach to Photonic Interferometry with Applications in Sensing. This project is based on a new technique for photonic interferometry, the Network Independent Multiple Interrogation (NIMI) technique.
This project aims to:
1) gain a better understanding of the NIMI method
2) exploit the NIMI technique in other applications
3) provide the key technology for future optical, current and voltage sensing systems for high voltage networks.
This work is significant as it represents a breakthrough in interferometry, with wide applications in scientific and engineering instrumentation.
The expected outcomes are:
1) an improved understanding of the merits and limitations of the NIMI technique
2) new application of the NIMI technique
3) improvements to the NIMI technique and the optical high voltage sensing systems to which it is appliedRead moreRead less
Developing a Smart Monitoring System for Leakage Currents from Insulators on Wooden Poles. Numerous wooden poles are used for electricity power transmission in urban and rural areas of Australia. Insulators suspended on poles are subject to contamination and moisture that cause partial discharge currents to flow through the wooden poles, resulting in pole fires leading to loss of power to customers and possible bush fires. This project aims at studying the characteristics of leakage currents fr ....Developing a Smart Monitoring System for Leakage Currents from Insulators on Wooden Poles. Numerous wooden poles are used for electricity power transmission in urban and rural areas of Australia. Insulators suspended on poles are subject to contamination and moisture that cause partial discharge currents to flow through the wooden poles, resulting in pole fires leading to loss of power to customers and possible bush fires. This project aims at studying the characteristics of leakage currents from insulators on wooden poles in Australian conditions and developing a smart monitoring system to detect and prevent pole fires caused by leakage currents. The outcomes will reduce the risk of pole fires, hence improving public safety, reliability of power supply and sustainability of the Australian power industry.Read moreRead less