DROP DEFORMATION IN CONFINED MICROFLUIDIC GEOMETRIES. Increasingly, high technology applications in biotechnology and microtechnology industries need to process complex (non-Newtonian) fluids with dispersed particles/droplets in channels as small as several microns (microfluidics). A computational fluid dynamic model of non-Newtonian droplet deformation in microfluidic geometries will be developed, and validated using experimental measurements of the flow field in this project. The aim is to und ....DROP DEFORMATION IN CONFINED MICROFLUIDIC GEOMETRIES. Increasingly, high technology applications in biotechnology and microtechnology industries need to process complex (non-Newtonian) fluids with dispersed particles/droplets in channels as small as several microns (microfluidics). A computational fluid dynamic model of non-Newtonian droplet deformation in microfluidic geometries will be developed, and validated using experimental measurements of the flow field in this project. The aim is to understand and quantify factors influencing droplet deformation. Coupling non-Newtonian characteristics with microfluidic geometries will allow the continuous manufacture of micro-particles of specified size and shape for existing and new applications, and will provide guidance for further extending the process to nano-particle manufacture.Read moreRead less
Development of Model Systems to Investigate Blood Hydrodynamic Parameters Affecting Blood Cell Function: An Interdisciplinary Approach. National benefit will come through this research contributing to a better understanding of blood flow biology and pathology, both of which are of particular relevance to the aging Australian population. This benefit is well aligned with the 2008 National research priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health; Priority Goal 3. Preventative Health. The synthes ....Development of Model Systems to Investigate Blood Hydrodynamic Parameters Affecting Blood Cell Function: An Interdisciplinary Approach. National benefit will come through this research contributing to a better understanding of blood flow biology and pathology, both of which are of particular relevance to the aging Australian population. This benefit is well aligned with the 2008 National research priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health; Priority Goal 3. Preventative Health. The synthesis of both extensive expertise in platelet/cardiovascular research and bioengineering/rheology should provide a substantial platform from which fundamental new discoveries in this niche area can be made. The development of novel platelet analysis tools arising from this work may also ultimately lead to new intellectual property and attract industry based funding.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989726
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
Nanophotonic and Microfluidic Integration Facility: a Platform for Optofluidics. Emerging 'lab on a chip' technology promises to provide low-cost, mass produced platforms for monitoring and processing of environmental and biological samples (eg. water quality and early cancer detection). These essentially fluidic platforms will require integrated photonic components to provide the vast array of optical interrogation options that are used in all modern laboratories. The proposed facility will e ....Nanophotonic and Microfluidic Integration Facility: a Platform for Optofluidics. Emerging 'lab on a chip' technology promises to provide low-cost, mass produced platforms for monitoring and processing of environmental and biological samples (eg. water quality and early cancer detection). These essentially fluidic platforms will require integrated photonic components to provide the vast array of optical interrogation options that are used in all modern laboratories. The proposed facility will enable Australian researchers to effectively integrate nano-photonic structures with engineered micro-fluidics into a single optofluidic chip. This will bring researchers in photonics and microfluidics together and will provide platforms supporting support biomedical and environmental and even fundamental physics projects.Read moreRead less
Advancing unsteady bluff body aerodynamics: applications to elite cycling. Delivering a better understanding of unsteady wakes has real potential to further our future capabilities of reducing bluff body parasitic drag. The national benefit derived from this project is the advancement of knowledge of a complex fluid mechanics problem, with secondary benefits arising from the specific and practical application to sports aerodynamics. By better understanding the wake structure and its interaction ....Advancing unsteady bluff body aerodynamics: applications to elite cycling. Delivering a better understanding of unsteady wakes has real potential to further our future capabilities of reducing bluff body parasitic drag. The national benefit derived from this project is the advancement of knowledge of a complex fluid mechanics problem, with secondary benefits arising from the specific and practical application to sports aerodynamics. By better understanding the wake structure and its interaction with a locally oscillating bluff body this knowledge can feed into the field of active flow control in the transport sector. The potential for emissions mitigation by lowering aerodynamic losses in the ground transportation section through active aerodynamic control is significant.Read moreRead less
Entrainment and Mixing in Turbulent Negatively Buoyant Jets and Fountains. The project intends to develop tools to accurate predict fountain flows. Volcanic eruptions, building ventilation and brine discharge from desalination plants are all examples of turbulent fountains and negatively buoyant jets. The project aims to conduct an investigation into the turbulent structure of fountains and negatively buoyant jets using numerical simulation and laboratory experiments, and to assess the accuracy ....Entrainment and Mixing in Turbulent Negatively Buoyant Jets and Fountains. The project intends to develop tools to accurate predict fountain flows. Volcanic eruptions, building ventilation and brine discharge from desalination plants are all examples of turbulent fountains and negatively buoyant jets. The project aims to conduct an investigation into the turbulent structure of fountains and negatively buoyant jets using numerical simulation and laboratory experiments, and to assess the accuracy of the commonly used integral models and test the effect of the use of more accurate entrainment relations. This may have a range of applications – enabling better prediction of environmental impacts, reduction of the adverse effects of the discharge of pollutants, and reduction in energy consumption in building ventilation and other industrial applications.Read moreRead less
Thermal stratification, overturning and mixing in riverine environments. Thermal stratification is common in Australia's rivers due to our hot, drought-prone climate and high human demands relative to available supply, which has led to a significant reduction in flows relative to natural levels. Thermal stratification inhibits mixing, creating stagnant conditions characterised by low oxygen levels and increased concentrations of contaminants, leading to algal blooms, fish kills and systemic dama ....Thermal stratification, overturning and mixing in riverine environments. Thermal stratification is common in Australia's rivers due to our hot, drought-prone climate and high human demands relative to available supply, which has led to a significant reduction in flows relative to natural levels. Thermal stratification inhibits mixing, creating stagnant conditions characterised by low oxygen levels and increased concentrations of contaminants, leading to algal blooms, fish kills and systemic damage to ecosystems. The aim of this project is to develop predictive models for the effects of physical processes such as night-time cooling, wind, turbulence and currents on riverine thermal stratification. This is expected to enable a more accurate determination of the flow rates required to maintain the health of our river systems.Read moreRead less
A multiplex microscope platform to define molecular events in fluid systems. This project aims to develop a novel microscopy platform that will enable the visualisation and quantification of molecular events occurring under fluid shear stress. The project will generate new knowledge in platelet biology that will allow characterisation and prediction of key molecular and morphological changes occurring across a blood thrombus under flowing conditions as found in the blood vessels. These new tools ....A multiplex microscope platform to define molecular events in fluid systems. This project aims to develop a novel microscopy platform that will enable the visualisation and quantification of molecular events occurring under fluid shear stress. The project will generate new knowledge in platelet biology that will allow characterisation and prediction of key molecular and morphological changes occurring across a blood thrombus under flowing conditions as found in the blood vessels. These new tools and the imaging platform will have applications for researchers wishing to visualise small and rapid molecular events in four dimensions (length, width, height and across time) under fluid shear stress, which is applicable across a range of industries. The project expects to deliver the next generation of intravital microscopes that can visualise and quantify events in a challenging flow environment.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100166
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$637,800.00
Summary
Four-dimensional coherent imaging velocimetry facility for fluid mechanics research. This project aims to enhance understanding of multi-scale fluid flows in engineering, geophysics and biomedicine by delivering a facility for high temporal and spatial resolution, three-dimensional velocity measurements. The four-dimensional, coherent imaging velocimetry facility for fluid mechanics research is aimed at addressing limitations of commercially available imaging systems. It is expected to provide ....Four-dimensional coherent imaging velocimetry facility for fluid mechanics research. This project aims to enhance understanding of multi-scale fluid flows in engineering, geophysics and biomedicine by delivering a facility for high temporal and spatial resolution, three-dimensional velocity measurements. The four-dimensional, coherent imaging velocimetry facility for fluid mechanics research is aimed at addressing limitations of commercially available imaging systems. It is expected to provide unprecedented measurement capabilities with significant benefit to the design, control and modelling of complex fluid flows found in many areas. Applications include the jets used for heating, cooling, mixing, and drug delivery in engineering and pharmacy to the kinematics of sperm and micro-organisms in bio-medicine, and wave-particle flows in geo-physics.Read moreRead less
Integrin Activation by Fluid Flow Disturbance: Mechanobiology Approaches. Understanding how cells can sense and respond to mechanical environment such as dynamic blood flow represents a fundamental question in the emerging field of mechanobiology. This project develops new biomechanical engineering approaches to determine the critical interrelationships among fluid flow disturbance, platelet clotting and the mechano-sensitive signal transduction mechanisms of integrin receptor – the most importa ....Integrin Activation by Fluid Flow Disturbance: Mechanobiology Approaches. Understanding how cells can sense and respond to mechanical environment such as dynamic blood flow represents a fundamental question in the emerging field of mechanobiology. This project develops new biomechanical engineering approaches to determine the critical interrelationships among fluid flow disturbance, platelet clotting and the mechano-sensitive signal transduction mechanisms of integrin receptor – the most important mechano-sensor implicated in cell adhesion, migration, growth and survival. Specifically, it integrates nationally unique cutting-edge techniques including single-molecule force probe, microparticle image velocimetry, microfluidics and molecular dynamics simulation, super resolution and 3D volumetric imaging modalities.Read moreRead less
5D Imaging Flow Cytometry for in vivo Quantification of Biological Fluids. Rapid and accurate quantification of live biological fluid properties at sub-cellular and molecular levels forms the bedrock of biofluidic sciences. Majority of the biofluidic devices rely on quantifying biological fluids after its removal from the body in an in vitro Flow Cytometer (FC). FC faces many caveats i.e. biological degradation and small volume etc. In this project, we shall engineer the first in vivo 5D imaging ....5D Imaging Flow Cytometry for in vivo Quantification of Biological Fluids. Rapid and accurate quantification of live biological fluid properties at sub-cellular and molecular levels forms the bedrock of biofluidic sciences. Majority of the biofluidic devices rely on quantifying biological fluids after its removal from the body in an in vitro Flow Cytometer (FC). FC faces many caveats i.e. biological degradation and small volume etc. In this project, we shall engineer the first in vivo 5D imaging flow cytometer (5D IFC) capable of continuous assessment of potentially entire blood volume in a living mice without removing fluid out of the body. The project represents a major advancement beyond any existing flow cytometer and overcome the engineering limits of state-of-art laser scanning imaging devices.Read moreRead less