Atomisation and Combustion Physics of Australian Bio-oils. Australia is highly dependent on fossil fuels for energy production and transport, and this dependence is growing. Wide spread substitution of liquid hydrocarbon fuels by indigenous renewable bio-oil has the potential to improve Australian's energy outlook and assist in reaching greenhouse gas targets. Understanding the interrelationships between the physical and chemical properties of bio-oil, its atomisation, droplet formation and com ....Atomisation and Combustion Physics of Australian Bio-oils. Australia is highly dependent on fossil fuels for energy production and transport, and this dependence is growing. Wide spread substitution of liquid hydrocarbon fuels by indigenous renewable bio-oil has the potential to improve Australian's energy outlook and assist in reaching greenhouse gas targets. Understanding the interrelationships between the physical and chemical properties of bio-oil, its atomisation, droplet formation and combustion physics is fundamental to the delivery of an efficient and reliable combustion process using this fuel. Measurements using laser based diagnostics of the atomisation flow, droplet formation and combustion process will provide the experimental data to understand this complex interrelationship.Read moreRead less
Assessment and Optimisation of Mixing and Aerodynamic Characteristics of Multi-Fuel Burners for Rotary Kilns. Cement kilns are increasingly being used to dispose of waste and low-grade biomass fuels. Being nominally greenhouse neutral, these fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels. However, their use also presents significant technical challenges, one of which will be addressed by the proposed program. In building capacity of local industry to utilise these fuels in ceme ....Assessment and Optimisation of Mixing and Aerodynamic Characteristics of Multi-Fuel Burners for Rotary Kilns. Cement kilns are increasingly being used to dispose of waste and low-grade biomass fuels. Being nominally greenhouse neutral, these fuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels. However, their use also presents significant technical challenges, one of which will be addressed by the proposed program. In building capacity of local industry to utilise these fuels in cement kilns, it will open the door to other opportunities in the future. It will also increase the export earnings of an Australian company who will commercialise these outcomes internationally.Read moreRead less
Turbulent wall-bounded flow in adverse pressure gradient environments. This research will create additional research capacity in turbulence control and drag reduction. It will have direct benefits to the Australian economy via the transport industry by reducing the adverse impact of the carbon tax and rising fuel prices on long-haul air, water and road transport, on which Australia is disproportionately reliant.
Tidal generation of internal waves and currents. The North West Shelf (NWS) is a region of great significance to Australia, due mainly to the presence of the multi-billion dollar oil and gas industry, but also for fishing and national defense issues. This project will combine laboratory, numerical and field studies to quantify the production of internal waves on the NWS. The results will aid engineering design of offshore pipeline and structures, for both current production facilities and for fu ....Tidal generation of internal waves and currents. The North West Shelf (NWS) is a region of great significance to Australia, due mainly to the presence of the multi-billion dollar oil and gas industry, but also for fishing and national defense issues. This project will combine laboratory, numerical and field studies to quantify the production of internal waves on the NWS. The results will aid engineering design of offshore pipeline and structures, for both current production facilities and for future developments in deeper waters. The project will also provide quantitative knowledge and predictive behavior of the marine environment, allowing the development of earth and marine resources in a sustainable and informed way to protect the marine-based biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100968
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Lifting the Veil on Turbulent Convective Heat Transfer over Rough Surfaces. By understanding the influence of surface roughness on convective heat transfer, this project intends to reduce the unwanted heating and energy losses associated with surface roughness in gas and steam turbines used in power generation and transportation. The surface roughness that results from extended operation of gas and steam turbines can significantly increase the heating of their surfaces, increasing fuel consumpti ....Lifting the Veil on Turbulent Convective Heat Transfer over Rough Surfaces. By understanding the influence of surface roughness on convective heat transfer, this project intends to reduce the unwanted heating and energy losses associated with surface roughness in gas and steam turbines used in power generation and transportation. The surface roughness that results from extended operation of gas and steam turbines can significantly increase the heating of their surfaces, increasing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing operational life. Improvements would allow turbines to operate at higher inlet temperatures which will increase their efficiency and reduce fuel use, environmental emissions and maintenance costs.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101533
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
A risk-based approach to natural gas hydrates in oil and gas production. Like a cholesterol for oil and gas pipelines, gas hydrates are ice-like deposits that completely block the flow during production and are expensive to prevent as well as dangerous to remove. This proposal provides a risk-based approach to hydrate management that will increase the viability of natural gas production from fields in deep water.
Geometry of wall-turbulence and its potential to advance scalable models. This project aims to unravel the connections between the statistical geometry of wall-turbulence and the dynamical interactions of its instantaneous motions. Predicting the complex behaviour of turbulent fluid flow over surfaces in relative motion is central to atmospheric modelling for climate and agriculture, and reducing the environmental effect of fossil fuel usage. Wall-turbulence statistics organise according to a pr ....Geometry of wall-turbulence and its potential to advance scalable models. This project aims to unravel the connections between the statistical geometry of wall-turbulence and the dynamical interactions of its instantaneous motions. Predicting the complex behaviour of turbulent fluid flow over surfaces in relative motion is central to atmospheric modelling for climate and agriculture, and reducing the environmental effect of fossil fuel usage. Wall-turbulence statistics organise according to a predictable geometric structure, and the notorious complexity of turbulent wall-flow dynamics could be clarified through its inherent geometry. This project expects to construct a basis for predicting engineering and atmospheric wall-flows, which would enhance atmospheric flow prediction, reduce energy consumption and further environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Self-similar scale interactions in turbulent boundary layers. Predicting and controlling turbulent fluid flow next to a solid surface (the turbulent boundary layer) is of critical importance to ensuring a sustainable energy and environmental future. While recent research has yielded a clearer physical understanding of these flows, converting this understanding into tools useful to engineering practice remains a central obstacle. The proposed research directly addresses this fundamental challenge ....Self-similar scale interactions in turbulent boundary layers. Predicting and controlling turbulent fluid flow next to a solid surface (the turbulent boundary layer) is of critical importance to ensuring a sustainable energy and environmental future. While recent research has yielded a clearer physical understanding of these flows, converting this understanding into tools useful to engineering practice remains a central obstacle. The proposed research directly addresses this fundamental challenge by precisely connecting the eddy interactions of the turbulence to the mathematical equations that rigorously describe these flows. As such it holds breakthrough potential toward the development of turbulent boundary layer prediction and control schemes that do not rely on ad hoc models or assumptions.Read moreRead less
New understanding and models for two-phase solar thermal particle receivers. The project aims to provide the new understanding of, and computational design tools for, next generation solar thermal particle receivers and their hybrids. Particle receivers, which heat fine particles in suspension, offer much greater efficiency than current tubular receivers, but are presently unreliable due to the poor understanding of the complex and coupled mechanisms that govern their performance. The results ar ....New understanding and models for two-phase solar thermal particle receivers. The project aims to provide the new understanding of, and computational design tools for, next generation solar thermal particle receivers and their hybrids. Particle receivers, which heat fine particles in suspension, offer much greater efficiency than current tubular receivers, but are presently unreliable due to the poor understanding of the complex and coupled mechanisms that govern their performance. The results are expected to speed up the development and roll-out of these devices, to deliver cost-effective, low-emissions energy technologies for future power generation and thermo-chemical processes. The aims will be met by the parallel application of advanced laser diagnostic measurements and computational fluid dynamics modelling techniques.Read moreRead less
The role of internal wave-driven near-bed turbulent dynamics in coastal ocean sediment mobilisation. This project will determine the process of internal wave-driven sediment resuspension and transport in the coastal ocean. This will be achieved by using a combination of field observations and numerical modelling, at two diverse but representative Australian coastal regions where nonlinear internal waves dominate the dynamics. The study has significant application to the offshore oil and gas indu ....The role of internal wave-driven near-bed turbulent dynamics in coastal ocean sediment mobilisation. This project will determine the process of internal wave-driven sediment resuspension and transport in the coastal ocean. This will be achieved by using a combination of field observations and numerical modelling, at two diverse but representative Australian coastal regions where nonlinear internal waves dominate the dynamics. The study has significant application to the offshore oil and gas industry engineering design and operations as well as to environmental management of the coastal ocean ecosystems. This project will achieve a process understanding and create predictive tools describing sediment resuspension and transport for use by industry and marine managers.Read moreRead less