Granular dynamics: characterization, modelling and application. Storage and transport of bulk solids are widely encountered in mineral, metallurgical and chemical industrials which are important to Australia. The design and control of bulk solids handling equipment must be optimised for the efficiency of processing. This project provides a systematic investigation of the techniques used to characterize bulk solids, and applies the new findings to hopper flow and pneumatic conveying. This, togeth ....Granular dynamics: characterization, modelling and application. Storage and transport of bulk solids are widely encountered in mineral, metallurgical and chemical industrials which are important to Australia. The design and control of bulk solids handling equipment must be optimised for the efficiency of processing. This project provides a systematic investigation of the techniques used to characterize bulk solids, and applies the new findings to hopper flow and pneumatic conveying. This, together with the research training offered through the conduct of the work, is very helpful to maintaining Australia’s leading position in bulk solids handling and application in resource, energy, process and allied industries.Read moreRead less
Heat Transfer Mechanisms in an Indirectly Fired Rotary Kiln with Lifters and Its Role in Scaling. This project will apply heat transfer principles to improve and optimise the design and performance of ANSAC's innovative kiln technology for a wide range of process applications. By understanding the mechanisms of heat transfer involved in the working of the proprietary technology, major factors limiting the performance of the kiln can be identified, resulting in design criteria that link key opera ....Heat Transfer Mechanisms in an Indirectly Fired Rotary Kiln with Lifters and Its Role in Scaling. This project will apply heat transfer principles to improve and optimise the design and performance of ANSAC's innovative kiln technology for a wide range of process applications. By understanding the mechanisms of heat transfer involved in the working of the proprietary technology, major factors limiting the performance of the kiln can be identified, resulting in design criteria that link key operating parameters for the kiln scaling and performance forecast. The research outcomes will provide a scientific basis that underpins the development of an Australian technology and supports the growth of a new Australian small business, creating employment opportunities within Australia.Read moreRead less
Network Design and Management for a Pseudolite and GPS Based Ubiquitous Positioning System. The Locata positioning technology uses a network of terrestrial based signal transmitters (pseudolites) and GPS satellites, to provide ubiquitous positioning (indoors and outdoors) in difficult environments. This research student project will focus on the intelligence associated with the pseudolite network such as: autonomous network installation, network integrity, and quality control. The implementati ....Network Design and Management for a Pseudolite and GPS Based Ubiquitous Positioning System. The Locata positioning technology uses a network of terrestrial based signal transmitters (pseudolites) and GPS satellites, to provide ubiquitous positioning (indoors and outdoors) in difficult environments. This research student project will focus on the intelligence associated with the pseudolite network such as: autonomous network installation, network integrity, and quality control. The implementation of innovative algorithms and methodologies developed in this research, will allow a robust, reliable and accurate positioning system for challenging indoor and outdoor environments, where current systems cannot work satisfactorily.Read moreRead less
Artificial intelligent system for integrated wear debris analysis and vibration analysis in machine condition monitoring. Vibration and wear debris analyses are the two main condition monitoring techniques for machinery maintenance and fault diagnosis. However, they can diagnose less than 50% of faults. A series of experimental and theoretical studies on the correlation of the two techniques will be conducted. This project will integrate advanced technologies including 3D microscopy, neural netw ....Artificial intelligent system for integrated wear debris analysis and vibration analysis in machine condition monitoring. Vibration and wear debris analyses are the two main condition monitoring techniques for machinery maintenance and fault diagnosis. However, they can diagnose less than 50% of faults. A series of experimental and theoretical studies on the correlation of the two techniques will be conducted. This project will integrate advanced technologies including 3D microscopy, neural networks and expert systems to develop an artificial intelligent system based on the dependent and independent roles of the two condition monitoring techniques. Successful outcomes will result in an improved maintenance program and reduction in human involvement, and will provide significant economic benefit to engineering industries.Read moreRead less
Integrated On-line Condition Monitoring and Failure Diagnosis in Induction Motors. Electric motors are widely used in industry. Traditional maintenance approaches have involved regular overhauls/inspections and replacement after a fixed period. On-line condition monitoring involves taking non-invasive measurements to determine the motor's "health" and only scheduling maintenance when required. The benefits are reduced unexpected failures and reduced maintenance costs due to the greater maintena ....Integrated On-line Condition Monitoring and Failure Diagnosis in Induction Motors. Electric motors are widely used in industry. Traditional maintenance approaches have involved regular overhauls/inspections and replacement after a fixed period. On-line condition monitoring involves taking non-invasive measurements to determine the motor's "health" and only scheduling maintenance when required. The benefits are reduced unexpected failures and reduced maintenance costs due to the greater maintenance intervals. The majority of existing work on condition monitoring has looked at using a single sensor type (eg. vibration) for fault prediction. The proposed work seeks to improve the reliability and accuracy of fault diagnosis by correlating information from multiple sensor types, which can be accessed remotely.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.
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Research into techniques for enhancing the heat transfer performance of finned-tube heat exchangers. This project explores several methods for enhancing the heat transfer performance of mechanically bonded finned tube heat exchangers. The methods would be analysed experimentally, and using finite elements, numerically. Any increase in heat transfer efficiency would contribute to the conservation of energy, and therefore, of natural resources. An improved design of heat exchangers would give a de ....Research into techniques for enhancing the heat transfer performance of finned-tube heat exchangers. This project explores several methods for enhancing the heat transfer performance of mechanically bonded finned tube heat exchangers. The methods would be analysed experimentally, and using finite elements, numerically. Any increase in heat transfer efficiency would contribute to the conservation of energy, and therefore, of natural resources. An improved design of heat exchangers would give a definite competitive edge to the Australian manufacturer. An equally significant outcome would be the training of a research person in industry-related research and skilled both in experimental and numerical procedures.Read moreRead less
Interplay of Microbiological Corrosion and Alloy Microstructure in Failures of Advanced Stainless Steels and their Weldments in Marine Environments. The proposed research program investigates the role of microbiologically-induced corrosion (MIC) on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of weldments of advanced stainless steels (SS). Extensive premature SCC failures of SS weldments have lately become increasingly significant in Australian marine industry, following the inability of advanced SCC-resista ....Interplay of Microbiological Corrosion and Alloy Microstructure in Failures of Advanced Stainless Steels and their Weldments in Marine Environments. The proposed research program investigates the role of microbiologically-induced corrosion (MIC) on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of weldments of advanced stainless steels (SS). Extensive premature SCC failures of SS weldments have lately become increasingly significant in Australian marine industry, following the inability of advanced SCC-resistant SS to alleviate failures. Inconsistencies in SCC data call for an improved understanding of the role of MIC on SCC, particularly because recent failure analyses have indicated a profound role of microbiological activity on localised corrosion (viz., pitting) of stainless steels and their weldments, as well as because pitting is known to facilitate SCC initiation.Read moreRead less
A New Parallel Robot with breakthrough performance for Manufacturing of Aerospace Components - kinematic and dynamic synthesis, design optimisation and prototyping. The Gantry-Tau is a new parallel type robot manipulator that will have the large workspace benefit of traditional Gantry robots in addition to stiffness and accuracy benefits well beyond the capabilities of existing robots. Preliminary results have shown that the Gantry-Tau can become the most accurate Gantry manipulator to date, wit ....A New Parallel Robot with breakthrough performance for Manufacturing of Aerospace Components - kinematic and dynamic synthesis, design optimisation and prototyping. The Gantry-Tau is a new parallel type robot manipulator that will have the large workspace benefit of traditional Gantry robots in addition to stiffness and accuracy benefits well beyond the capabilities of existing robots. Preliminary results have shown that the Gantry-Tau can become the most accurate Gantry manipulator to date, with the potential of competing with dedicated machines in the manufacturing industry. The expected project outcome is a working prototype of the Gantry-Tau demonstrating machining performance on aerospace components, publications in high-ranked conferences and journals and several patent applications.Read moreRead less
An intelligent design support system for manufacturing of palletising machinery. The food and beverage manufacturing process in most Australian enterprises is a highly automated process, where food cartons, bottles or cans are required to move at a controlled speed for filling or assembly operations. These operations require highly efficient and reliable material handling machinery such as palletising systems. The outcome of this research will be of direct economic benefit to Australian manuf ....An intelligent design support system for manufacturing of palletising machinery. The food and beverage manufacturing process in most Australian enterprises is a highly automated process, where food cartons, bottles or cans are required to move at a controlled speed for filling or assembly operations. These operations require highly efficient and reliable material handling machinery such as palletising systems. The outcome of this research will be of direct economic benefit to Australian manufacturers and suppliers of such machinery in reducing the cost and lead time of designing and delivering highly automated flexible palletising and de-palletising systems with maximum performance.Read moreRead less