Investigation and Prediction of the Novel Properties of Dendrimers. Dendrimers are a new class of highly branched polymers, which have, until now, been difficult to characterise by conventional means. This project will develop and apply molecular simulation techniques to reveal the chemical and physical properties of dendrimers and their interactions with other molecules. These novel molecules potentially have beneficial applications to areas such as drug delivery and electronic materials. Th ....Investigation and Prediction of the Novel Properties of Dendrimers. Dendrimers are a new class of highly branched polymers, which have, until now, been difficult to characterise by conventional means. This project will develop and apply molecular simulation techniques to reveal the chemical and physical properties of dendrimers and their interactions with other molecules. These novel molecules potentially have beneficial applications to areas such as drug delivery and electronic materials. The outcome of this work will assist in the exploitation of this beneficial application and will provide the basis for efficient processing.Read moreRead less
High pressure thermophysical property data to advance natural gas processing and liquefied natural gas production. The natural gas industry needs to advance its understanding of fundamental fluid properties at extreme conditions of pressure and temperature to develop more efficient processing technologies. This project will develop the measurement technologies needed to probe key fluid properties at extreme conditions to enable more efficient process design.
Avoiding cryogenic solids formation in liquefied natural gas production. This project will determine how and under what conditions cryogenic hydrocarbon solids form during liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, which often cause expensive unplanned plant shutdowns. New sensors will be developed to understand and monitor the conditions which cause these blockages and will be deployed into LNG plants to avoid the critical conditions.
Fundamental Data and Thermodynamic Modelling for Cryogenic LNG Fluids to Improve Process Design, Simulation and Operation. This research will contribute to a more environmentally sustainable Australia because it will promote the use of natural gas as a fuel supply which produces significantly fewer greenhouse gases than oil or coal. This project will improve the ability of engineers to reliably simulate LNG production plants as well as test new processes and technologies with the potential to in ....Fundamental Data and Thermodynamic Modelling for Cryogenic LNG Fluids to Improve Process Design, Simulation and Operation. This research will contribute to a more environmentally sustainable Australia because it will promote the use of natural gas as a fuel supply which produces significantly fewer greenhouse gases than oil or coal. This project will improve the ability of engineers to reliably simulate LNG production plants as well as test new processes and technologies with the potential to increase efficiency or revenue. Consequently, the level of over-engineering and, thus, the capital and operational costs of such plants will decrease. This in turn will promote the development of Australian gas reserves, particularly for those fields currently on the margins of economic viability.Read moreRead less
Increased liquified natural gas (LNG) production efficiency through nitrogen and carbon dioxide capture using high-pressure cryogenic adsorption onto tailored nanopore substrates. This research will contribute to a more environmentally sustainable Australia because it will promote the use of natural gas as a fuel supply which produces significantly less greenhouse gases than oil or coal. It will contribute to the harnessing of some of Australia's largest gas reserves, like the Gorgon field, whic ....Increased liquified natural gas (LNG) production efficiency through nitrogen and carbon dioxide capture using high-pressure cryogenic adsorption onto tailored nanopore substrates. This research will contribute to a more environmentally sustainable Australia because it will promote the use of natural gas as a fuel supply which produces significantly less greenhouse gases than oil or coal. It will contribute to the harnessing of some of Australia's largest gas reserves, like the Gorgon field, which are contaminated with large amounts of CO2 and are not yet economically viable. The removal of N2 from natural gas will reduce the cost of producing LNG which is the only method Australia can use to access global gas markets. The new adsorbent materials developed for this work may enhance other research programmes attempting to capture and sequester CO2 from industrial flue gases.Read moreRead less
Next generation gas separations via innovative adsorption technologies. This project aims to develop new gas separation technologies that combine novel materials and pressure swing adsorption cycles to deliver inexpensive industrial processes capable of both high recovery and high purity products. The project will advance our ability to manipulate the phenomenon of regulated guest admission into microporous materials, and integrate such materials within new types of dual-reflux adsorption cycles ....Next generation gas separations via innovative adsorption technologies. This project aims to develop new gas separation technologies that combine novel materials and pressure swing adsorption cycles to deliver inexpensive industrial processes capable of both high recovery and high purity products. The project will advance our ability to manipulate the phenomenon of regulated guest admission into microporous materials, and integrate such materials within new types of dual-reflux adsorption cycles that deliver multiple refined gas products. Successful implementation of these industrial developments will increase Australia's access to cheap supplies of natural gas, encourage the broader use of biomass, lower the carbon emissions of industrial processes, and efficiently recover high-value compounds only present at trace concentrations.Read moreRead less
Linking topology and rheology for designing supramolecular polymer networks. This project aims to develop a foundation for understanding how microscopic topology and intermolecular interactions control the flow behaviour of supramolecular polymer networks. Brownian dynamics algorithms will be developed to unravel the complex dynamics of the network and calibrated by comparison with carefully designed experiments. The expected outcome of the project is a quantitative framework for connecting the ....Linking topology and rheology for designing supramolecular polymer networks. This project aims to develop a foundation for understanding how microscopic topology and intermolecular interactions control the flow behaviour of supramolecular polymer networks. Brownian dynamics algorithms will be developed to unravel the complex dynamics of the network and calibrated by comparison with carefully designed experiments. The expected outcome of the project is a quantitative framework for connecting the molecular structure and energy landscape with resulting macroscopic properties. This project should yield significant benefit in the rational design of supramolecular systems in which the thermorheological properties can be tuned over a wide range of force/time scales with applications spanning from enhanced oil recovery to injectable hydrogels.Read moreRead less
Optical tweezers as a micro-rheological probe of soft surfaces. Biomembranes are more than soft containers - their dynamic flexibility plays an important role in cell function, but measurements of mechanical properties of soft surfaces are non-existent. This project develops and applies a new optical tweezers method to measure the flexibility of membranes and its effects upon the friction of nearby particles.
New approaches to the treatment of potable water in the presence of algal blooms. The processing of blue green algae rich waters and subsequent release of algal metabolites causes taste and odour problems and toxins that affect potable water safety. This project will define a preferred approach to the processing of these waters and provide quantitative analysis tools to help water authorities guarantee water quality and safety. The defined process routes and analysis procedures will also resul ....New approaches to the treatment of potable water in the presence of algal blooms. The processing of blue green algae rich waters and subsequent release of algal metabolites causes taste and odour problems and toxins that affect potable water safety. This project will define a preferred approach to the processing of these waters and provide quantitative analysis tools to help water authorities guarantee water quality and safety. The defined process routes and analysis procedures will also result in better water conservation (lower net water losses in processing). This will allow better regulation of water quality, safety and management by water authorities and improve consumer confidence in the potable water supply.Read moreRead less
Vaporization of heavier gas oil in Fluid Catalytic Cracking risers. Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) is an important refinery operation responsible for about 45 per cent of the total petrol produced. The project is aimed at improving production efficiency of Australian refineries by applying fundamental modelling to the FCC. The outcomes will enable refiners to produce cleaner fuel and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.