Horizontal convection at ocean-relevant proportions. This project aims to determine the role of buoyancy differences from solar radiation and vertical confinement. Flows created by lateral variation in heat or buoyancy are poorly understood when the horizontal length greatly exceeds the height, precisely the conditions relevant to industry and understanding the role of horizontal convection in Earth's oceans and in turn the delicate current system that maintains Earth's temperate climate. This p ....Horizontal convection at ocean-relevant proportions. This project aims to determine the role of buoyancy differences from solar radiation and vertical confinement. Flows created by lateral variation in heat or buoyancy are poorly understood when the horizontal length greatly exceeds the height, precisely the conditions relevant to industry and understanding the role of horizontal convection in Earth's oceans and in turn the delicate current system that maintains Earth's temperate climate. This project proposes computational and experimental efforts to probe the ultimate regime of heat transport in very shallow horizontal convection, benefiting humankind through improvements to future ocean and climate modelling efforts.Read moreRead less
The elusive upper bound of heat transfer in horizontal convection. The question as to whether lateral variation in global ocean buoyancy resulting from low solar radiation near the poles and higher temperatures in the tropical regions (known as horizontal convection) is a driver for global ocean currents is critical to our understanding of this complex and delicate system that maintains Earth's temperate climate. This question hinges on the relationship between heat transport and strength of buo ....The elusive upper bound of heat transfer in horizontal convection. The question as to whether lateral variation in global ocean buoyancy resulting from low solar radiation near the poles and higher temperatures in the tropical regions (known as horizontal convection) is a driver for global ocean currents is critical to our understanding of this complex and delicate system that maintains Earth's temperate climate. This question hinges on the relationship between heat transport and strength of buoyancy forcing towards global scales; this project proposes a landmark experimental effort supported by detailed simulations to probe the ultimate regime of heat transport in horizontal convection. The project is expected to inform the direction of future ocean and climate modelling efforts to the benefit of humanity.Read moreRead less
Gravity Current Driven Smoke Dispersion In a Stratified Ambient. Smoke from bushfires transported by gravity currents, and known to occur nationwide, caused the shutdown of businesses, education and events in Canberra in 2019. Recent scientific investigations have shown that the speed of propagation and concentration of smoke in these three-dimensional gravity currents have a long term ‘memory’ of their initial configuration. In this project, high-fidelity computational and experimental techniq ....Gravity Current Driven Smoke Dispersion In a Stratified Ambient. Smoke from bushfires transported by gravity currents, and known to occur nationwide, caused the shutdown of businesses, education and events in Canberra in 2019. Recent scientific investigations have shown that the speed of propagation and concentration of smoke in these three-dimensional gravity currents have a long term ‘memory’ of their initial configuration. In this project, high-fidelity computational and experimental techniques will be used to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of gravity current entrainment and propagation. This knowledge will set a strong foundation to improve operational forecasts of smoke transport that will allow government agencies to better respond to the negative impact of these complicated flows.Read moreRead less
Dynamics and control of fluid-structure-free surface interactions. This project aims to research the apparently opposing effects of vortex shedding and free surface damping, individually and jointly, and the control or excitation of the vibrations for two generic bluff bodies: the cylinder and the sphere. Flow-induced vibrations of bluff bodies under or piercing water surfaces can damage floating off-shore marine structures and tethered bodies. On the other hand, harvesting energy from ocean cur ....Dynamics and control of fluid-structure-free surface interactions. This project aims to research the apparently opposing effects of vortex shedding and free surface damping, individually and jointly, and the control or excitation of the vibrations for two generic bluff bodies: the cylinder and the sphere. Flow-induced vibrations of bluff bodies under or piercing water surfaces can damage floating off-shore marine structures and tethered bodies. On the other hand, harvesting energy from ocean currents needs large flow-induced vibrations. The intended outcomes are new modes of body vibration, wake transitions and means to control fluid-structure interactions. This research could benefit many processes in offshore marine engineering, submarine bodies and mixing vessels, where understanding and controlling fluid-structure interactions of bluff bodies can mitigate costly and dangerous induced vibrations.Read moreRead less
The Mechanisms determining the Rolling Motions of Bodies. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms affecting the rolling motions of spheres and cylinders. This international project expects to generate new knowledge of the effect of surface roughness, cavitation and compressibility using novel experimental and computational methods. Expected outcomes of this project include the discovery of the explicit role of surface roughness in allowing bodies to roll, the means of modifying these mo ....The Mechanisms determining the Rolling Motions of Bodies. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms affecting the rolling motions of spheres and cylinders. This international project expects to generate new knowledge of the effect of surface roughness, cavitation and compressibility using novel experimental and computational methods. Expected outcomes of this project include the discovery of the explicit role of surface roughness in allowing bodies to roll, the means of modifying these motions, the wake mechanisms leading to body vibration, and the mixing induced by rolling bodies. This will provide significant benefits to the understanding of the motion of particles and bodies in a range of situations such as particle reactors and sedimentation processes.
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Wake Transitions and Fluid-Structure Interactions of Rotating Bluff Bodies. Flow-induced vibrations of bluff bodies can lead to severe damage in many applications, such as off-shore marine structures and tethered bodies. Rotation of bluff bodies can result in huge increases in lift forces, which may promote these vibrations, whereas a nearby free surface may stabilise the vibrations. This project aims to discover the mechanisms underpinning the apparently opposing effects of vibration and free s ....Wake Transitions and Fluid-Structure Interactions of Rotating Bluff Bodies. Flow-induced vibrations of bluff bodies can lead to severe damage in many applications, such as off-shore marine structures and tethered bodies. Rotation of bluff bodies can result in huge increases in lift forces, which may promote these vibrations, whereas a nearby free surface may stabilise the vibrations. This project aims to discover the mechanisms underpinning the apparently opposing effects of vibration and free surface, individually and jointly, and the excitation of two- and three-dimensional instabilities in the wakes of two generic bluff bodies: the cylinder and the sphere. The expected outcomes are the discovery of new modes of body vibration, wake transitions and means to control fluid-structure interactions.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of bluff body interactions with walls. Spherical bodies are continually impacting or rolling on solid surfaces, from leukocytes to dust grains to golf balls, and larger. A joint Australian-French team will pioneer new research on the flow and mixing created by these bodies and understand the role these play in important commercial and environmental flows.
Engineering an environmentally-friendly metered dose inhaler. This project aims to deliver a novel simulation framework to accurately predict the behaviour of metered dose inhaler sprays using advanced numerical methods for flash-evaporating turbulent flows developed by the investigators. The project expects to generate new knowledge of the complex physics which occur in these devices through a first of its kind combination of unsteady non-equilibrium thermodynamics, turbulence and spray models. ....Engineering an environmentally-friendly metered dose inhaler. This project aims to deliver a novel simulation framework to accurately predict the behaviour of metered dose inhaler sprays using advanced numerical methods for flash-evaporating turbulent flows developed by the investigators. The project expects to generate new knowledge of the complex physics which occur in these devices through a first of its kind combination of unsteady non-equilibrium thermodynamics, turbulence and spray models. Expected outcomes of this project include a novel ability to predict and optimise the performance of inhalers to suit environmentally-friendly replacement propellants. This will significantly benefit the pharmaceutical sector as it will accelerate the design of next-generation inhalers and propellants.Read moreRead less
Advanced Combustion Modelling for Scramjets and Rotating Detonation Engines. This project will develop new fundamental knowledge and engineering models underpinning air-breathing high speed propulsion engines employing complex hydrocarbon fuels. Extensive data and new physical understanding will be garnered through analysis of direct numerical simulations of supersonic reacting mixing layers including impinging shock waves. That data will be employed to isolate, test and develop computationally ....Advanced Combustion Modelling for Scramjets and Rotating Detonation Engines. This project will develop new fundamental knowledge and engineering models underpinning air-breathing high speed propulsion engines employing complex hydrocarbon fuels. Extensive data and new physical understanding will be garnered through analysis of direct numerical simulations of supersonic reacting mixing layers including impinging shock waves. That data will be employed to isolate, test and develop computationally efficient engineering models that are accurate and efficient for high speed combustion in rotating detonation engines and scramjets. Expected outcomes are knowledge and tools needed to develop practical and effective supersonic propulsion engines for access to space, defence and high speed point-to-point flight.
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Methodologies for resolving high Rayleigh number transitions in convection and elucidating instabilities in polar vortices. This project will develop new methods for modeling complex rotating convection flows such as polar vortices found in the Antarctic atmosphere. This work has the potential to provide insight into important physical processes impacting Australian and global weather patterns, which is crucial for understanding the evolution of our climate.