WAVELET-BASED MODELLING AND MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF COMPLEX MULTIDIMENSIONAL CRYSTALLISATION PROCESSES. The results of this project will directly contribute to a better understanding of crystallisation which is an important unit operation to achieve high purity separations. Many Australian industries for example, mineral processing, sugar processing, pharmaceuticals, etc will benefit from the results in order to enhance optimal operation and control to ensure globally competitive production ....WAVELET-BASED MODELLING AND MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF COMPLEX MULTIDIMENSIONAL CRYSTALLISATION PROCESSES. The results of this project will directly contribute to a better understanding of crystallisation which is an important unit operation to achieve high purity separations. Many Australian industries for example, mineral processing, sugar processing, pharmaceuticals, etc will benefit from the results in order to enhance optimal operation and control to ensure globally competitive production which is on time, minimize wastes and raw materials and inventories. The leading edge results will increase the contributions of these industries to the Australian economy and our global competitiveness necessary to maintain our culture and the beauty of our environment. Read moreRead less
Multiscale Integrated Modelling and Control of an Ethanol-Fuelled Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. The results from this project will allow use of alternative sources for energy through a better understanding of the functioning, design, operability and control of SOFCs. Fuel Cells (FCs) with biomass ethanol feed will not only act as reliable power source but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A successful R&D effort to develop FCs will improve the national energy security by reducing the growin ....Multiscale Integrated Modelling and Control of an Ethanol-Fuelled Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. The results from this project will allow use of alternative sources for energy through a better understanding of the functioning, design, operability and control of SOFCs. Fuel Cells (FCs) with biomass ethanol feed will not only act as reliable power source but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A successful R&D effort to develop FCs will improve the national energy security by reducing the growing dependency on foreign energy sources, improve the environment by reducing carbon and other harmful emissions, and improve the economic growth by expanding the portfolio of highly efficient energy and useful spill over technologies. Read moreRead less
Development of novel inerter-based damper for platform vibration control. This project aims to develop a novel inerter-based damper to mitigate the excessive vibrations of offshore floating platforms (OFP), which are widely used in the offshore industry for oil exploration. Harsh environmental loads such as wind and waves can induce excessive vibrations to OFPs and endanger their safety and stability. This project aims to develop a novel inerter-based damper that can produce a considerable appar ....Development of novel inerter-based damper for platform vibration control. This project aims to develop a novel inerter-based damper to mitigate the excessive vibrations of offshore floating platforms (OFP), which are widely used in the offshore industry for oil exploration. Harsh environmental loads such as wind and waves can induce excessive vibrations to OFPs and endanger their safety and stability. This project aims to develop a novel inerter-based damper that can produce a considerable apparent mass that is much larger than its physical mass through an amplifying mechanism by translating the linear motion into high-speed rotational motion, which can significantly reduce the mass and cost of the damper. Benefits of the project include more economical and safer OFP designs, which are expected to improve the competitiveness of Australian pillar oil and gas industries.Read moreRead less
Distributionally robust dynamic optimisation for nonlinear switched system. Biochemical production utilising fermentation processes evidences poor product repeatability. This project aims to control and optimise 1,3-propanediol production via microbial fermentation. 1,3-propanediol is an essential ingredient for many polymeric materials and is present in cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products. New theory and parallel algorithms will be developed for the control and optimisation of the mi ....Distributionally robust dynamic optimisation for nonlinear switched system. Biochemical production utilising fermentation processes evidences poor product repeatability. This project aims to control and optimise 1,3-propanediol production via microbial fermentation. 1,3-propanediol is an essential ingredient for many polymeric materials and is present in cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products. New theory and parallel algorithms will be developed for the control and optimisation of the microbial fermentation of 1,3-propanediol production, where the bacteria kinetic parameters are uncertain without full knowledge of the probability distribution. This theory will also be applicable to other fermentation processes. The project outcomes are expected to significantly improve the productivity of the biochemical engineering industry involving fermentation processes.Read moreRead less
Brain-skull interface: discovering the missing piece of head biomechanics. Overall objective of this project is to measure, mathematically describe and implement in software mechanical properties of brain-skull interface – a critical component of current large and sophisticated computational models of the brain and the last missing piece of brain biomechanics knowledge. This will allow increased reliability of comprehensive biomechanical models used to simulate realistic injury and surgery scena ....Brain-skull interface: discovering the missing piece of head biomechanics. Overall objective of this project is to measure, mathematically describe and implement in software mechanical properties of brain-skull interface – a critical component of current large and sophisticated computational models of the brain and the last missing piece of brain biomechanics knowledge. This will allow increased reliability of comprehensive biomechanical models used to simulate realistic injury and surgery scenarios.
The problem is significant and urgent. Every year in Australia, there are over 22,000 cases of traumatic brain injury, some of which could be prevented by better passive and active countermeasures; and over 12,000 neurosurgical procedures that surgical simulation could make more accurate and therefore safer.Read moreRead less
Robotic microsurgery: intra-operative measurement, modelling and micromanipulation control. This research will significantly improve microsurgery and minimally invasive surgery techniques, and further produce important benefits to medicine and healthcare. The project will also open new domains in the capabilities of modelling and control of complex systems with significant impact and benefits to numerous science and engineering practices.
Unlocking the mechanisms of vibro-acoustic communication in termites . Our understanding of how termites use microvibrations to communicate is limited, as the generation, transmission and detection of these complex vibrations in substrates at the submillimetre scale are unknown. We aim to develop a fully validated vibro-acoustic termite communication model which will be used in Swårmalätørs to demonstrate their ability to synchronise and mimic collective behaviour. This will be achieved by combi ....Unlocking the mechanisms of vibro-acoustic communication in termites . Our understanding of how termites use microvibrations to communicate is limited, as the generation, transmission and detection of these complex vibrations in substrates at the submillimetre scale are unknown. We aim to develop a fully validated vibro-acoustic termite communication model which will be used in Swårmalätørs to demonstrate their ability to synchronise and mimic collective behaviour. This will be achieved by combining novel acoustic levitation, microsystem analyses and electrophysiology to determine physical properties of termite appendages, sensory and behavioural thresholds; and by considering wave transmission characteristics in wood, friction-adhesion at the termite feet, mandible cutting and soldier alarm drumming.Read moreRead less
Biomechanics Meets Robotics: Methods for Accurate and Fast Needle Targeting. This project intends to create a novel integrated framework for biomedical systems that can accurately target a needle. Accurate surgical targeting means less trauma and better patient outcomes. Needles are used in over half of all surgical procedures, but up to 38 per cent of these are affected by targeting errors. Achieving sub-millimetre accuracy is extremely difficult because inserting a needle displaces the tissue ....Biomechanics Meets Robotics: Methods for Accurate and Fast Needle Targeting. This project intends to create a novel integrated framework for biomedical systems that can accurately target a needle. Accurate surgical targeting means less trauma and better patient outcomes. Needles are used in over half of all surgical procedures, but up to 38 per cent of these are affected by targeting errors. Achieving sub-millimetre accuracy is extremely difficult because inserting a needle displaces the tissue and moves the target. How, then, can ultra-fine targeting be achieved? This project plans to integrate non-linear biomechanical models that predict tissue motion with accurate and principled motion control. It seeks to create new methods for surgical robots that will predict target motion and guide a needle to accurately intersect the target.Read moreRead less
Resolving the mechanics of turbulent noise production. This project aims to dramatically develop our capacity to quieten modern transport, energy and defence technologies through a better understanding of how fluid turbulence creates sound. The outcome of the project will be a quieter modern environment leading to improved public health, an improved environment and a more secure nation.
A stochastic geometric framework for Bayesian sensor array processing. This project develops a mathematical framework, and a new generation of techniques, for sensor array processing to address real-world problems with uncertainty in array parameters and number of signals. The outcomes will enhance the capability of sensors in many application areas including, radar, sonar, astronomy and wireless communications.