Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100098
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,000.00
Summary
A comprehensive gas/vapour sorption facility for the fast advancement of decarbonised energy technologies. Solutions to clean energy production, storage and use are critical to Australia’s prosperity, yet there is a significant lack of targeted research facilities for the development of the highly needed materials and technologies for powering a sustainable Australia. This facility will bring research efforts closer to practical solutions.
Improved models of nanoporous carbons for greater fundamental insight and better sustainable technology. Storage of hydrogen and energy from intermittent sources like solar and wind, and 'carbon capture' from coal-fired power stations are essential requirements for a sustainable future. A state-of-the-art computer model will be developed and demonstrated to help deliver these and other technologies for a safe and sustainable future.
Controlling nickel-base alloy high temperature corrosion in CO2-rich gases. Coal provides cheap energy for Australia but emits carbon dioxide (CO2) in large quantities. The solution is to improve the efficiency of coal fired power plants and use CO2 capture technology. This is feasible by raising steam temperatures and using oxyfuel process where coal is burnt in oxygen rather than in air. Thus the hot combustion gas is very rich in CO2 plus water vapour, which is however very corrosive at high ....Controlling nickel-base alloy high temperature corrosion in CO2-rich gases. Coal provides cheap energy for Australia but emits carbon dioxide (CO2) in large quantities. The solution is to improve the efficiency of coal fired power plants and use CO2 capture technology. This is feasible by raising steam temperatures and using oxyfuel process where coal is burnt in oxygen rather than in air. Thus the hot combustion gas is very rich in CO2 plus water vapour, which is however very corrosive at high temperatures. Traditional steels are inadequate. Instead, nickel-base alloys are needed. This project aims to investigate the corrosion behaviour of nickel base alloys in carbon dioxide - water atmospheres, and ways of preventing this corrosion by controlling gas composition and appropriate alloying, which is essential for next generation power plant design.Read moreRead less
Role of oxide grain boundaries in controlling high temperature corrosion of steels by carbon dioxide-rich gases. Advanced coal combustion technologies make carbon dioxide capture possible, but require improved materials to handle hot carbon dioxide-rich gases. These gases are surprisingly corrosive and the corrosion process is not fully understood. This project aims to achieve this understanding and to provide the basis for future alloy design.
Heat-resisting iron-nickel base alloys in challenging new applications: oxygen permeabilities and resistance to internal oxidation. There is a pressing need to develop heat resisting alloys which can function adequately in higher operating temperatures and gas mixtures rich in carbon and hydrogen to be handled in advanced technologies for power generation. The expected outcomes of this project will provide the basis for design/selection of these more corrosion-resistant alloys.
Reducing the environmental impact of passenger vehicles by the design of lightweight alloy components. There are approximately a billion passenger vehicles in the world and the number is growing each year. The reduction in vehicle weight is therefore critical as it is one of the major contributors to both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. A major challenge for the automotive industry is to address this problem by replacing high density materials with lighter weight materials with co ....Reducing the environmental impact of passenger vehicles by the design of lightweight alloy components. There are approximately a billion passenger vehicles in the world and the number is growing each year. The reduction in vehicle weight is therefore critical as it is one of the major contributors to both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. A major challenge for the automotive industry is to address this problem by replacing high density materials with lighter weight materials with comparable properties. The aim is to design new lightweight aluminium alloys with the desired properties to replace existing high density steel fasteners in vehicles. It is expected that the new components aim to reduce the total weight of a standard car by at least 20kg; this would be a significant achievement in the eyes of automotive manufacturers.Read moreRead less
Lead-free oxide perovskites for highly efficient solar cells. This project aims to develop nanostructured lead-free oxide perovskites for solar energy applications. These materials will strengthen the future of photovoltaic technology by overcoming bandgap voltage limitations and toxicity/stability issues that plague conventional silicon-based and emerging halide perovskite-based solar cells. This project is expected to advance the rational design of solar cells based on oxide perovskites, which ....Lead-free oxide perovskites for highly efficient solar cells. This project aims to develop nanostructured lead-free oxide perovskites for solar energy applications. These materials will strengthen the future of photovoltaic technology by overcoming bandgap voltage limitations and toxicity/stability issues that plague conventional silicon-based and emerging halide perovskite-based solar cells. This project is expected to advance the rational design of solar cells based on oxide perovskites, which are efficient, high output voltage, environmentally friendly photovoltaic technology Success of the proposed programme paves the way to promote photovoltaic technology as a mainstream power generation source and a significant contributor to achieving energy, environmental and economic goals.Read moreRead less
Development of high-performance lead-free piezoelectric superlattices for environmentally-friendly and biocompatible piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) applications. This program is aimed at development of environmentally friendly and biocompatible lead-free piezoelectric thin films and superlattices for the potential applications in pMUTs. The expected outcome includes deposition of BNT and BZT-based thin films and superlattices, and enhancement of their physical propert ....Development of high-performance lead-free piezoelectric superlattices for environmentally-friendly and biocompatible piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) applications. This program is aimed at development of environmentally friendly and biocompatible lead-free piezoelectric thin films and superlattices for the potential applications in pMUTs. The expected outcome includes deposition of BNT and BZT-based thin films and superlattices, and enhancement of their physical properties by strain and interface engineering.Read moreRead less
One-dimensional nanostructured catalysts for heterogeneous catalytic conversion of biomass to furan derivatives. A sustainable future depends on the partial replacement of petrochemicals, and the use of bioresources synthesise fine chemicals and fuels. This project will develop new-generation novel catalysts to make this possible by syntheisising essential starting compounds from biomass using a green chemical process.
Reducing gas and ash corrosion in advanced power generation. Advanced power generation using new coal combustion technologies increases energy efficiency and makes carbon dioxide capture possible, but increases the corrosion problems. This project aims to determine the corrosion behaviour of chromia-scale forming iron- and nickel-base alloys in the presence of deposits (coal ashes and salts) under carbon dioxide rich gas atmospheres. The increased understanding of alloy behaviour in hot corrosiv ....Reducing gas and ash corrosion in advanced power generation. Advanced power generation using new coal combustion technologies increases energy efficiency and makes carbon dioxide capture possible, but increases the corrosion problems. This project aims to determine the corrosion behaviour of chromia-scale forming iron- and nickel-base alloys in the presence of deposits (coal ashes and salts) under carbon dioxide rich gas atmospheres. The increased understanding of alloy behaviour in hot corrosive ashes and gases, will permit more effective materials design and selection leading to more efficient and economic technologies for reliable and low cost carbon capture in energy production, waste-energy conversion and related industries.Read moreRead less