Theoretical and experimental study of elastic properties of porous media permeated by aligned fractures. The aim of the project is to develop a theoretical model for the elastic properties of fractured porous reservoir rocks, taking into account the wave-induced fluid flow between pores and fractures. This will be done by theoretical analysis based on the model of fractures as planes of discontinuity in porous rock, and on the theory of wave propagation in anisotropic porous media. The theoretic ....Theoretical and experimental study of elastic properties of porous media permeated by aligned fractures. The aim of the project is to develop a theoretical model for the elastic properties of fractured porous reservoir rocks, taking into account the wave-induced fluid flow between pores and fractures. This will be done by theoretical analysis based on the model of fractures as planes of discontinuity in porous rock, and on the theory of wave propagation in anisotropic porous media. The theoretical model will be verified using numerical simulations and ultrasonic measurements made on synthetic porous and fractured samples. The results are expected to benefit seismic exploration and the production of oil and gas in fractured reservoirs.Read moreRead less
WAVE TRAPPING BARRIERS. Traditional noise barriers have poor performance when installed as parallel barriers in front of noise sources with large reflection surfaces. This is because that the reflected noise from the far side barrier or from the source surfaces contributes significantly to the noise level at the receiver location. This project involves the investigation of a novel barrier, the wave trapping barrier (WTB), which is capable of retaining the noise between the source and the barrier ....WAVE TRAPPING BARRIERS. Traditional noise barriers have poor performance when installed as parallel barriers in front of noise sources with large reflection surfaces. This is because that the reflected noise from the far side barrier or from the source surfaces contributes significantly to the noise level at the receiver location. This project involves the investigation of a novel barrier, the wave trapping barrier (WTB), which is capable of retaining the noise between the source and the barrier and to provide maximum sound absorption at the frequencies of concern, and thus to minimize the contribution due to the reflection. The aim is to develop a theoretical and experimental model for the physical understanding and optimal design of the WTB. Outcomes include a new generation of noise barriers that are potentially light-weighted, fiberless and with higher insertion loss.Read moreRead less
Seismic response of partially saturated petroleum reservoir zones: towards quantitative recovery monitoring. In most Australian reservoirs less than 50% of the original oil in place is recovered. A major factor that contributes to low recovery rates is bypassed oil/gas. Even a small, 1% improvement in recovery is of substantial economic significance. The proposed project aims to develop quantitative models for reservoir monitoring of zones with bypassed hydrocarbons using time-lapse (4D) seismic ....Seismic response of partially saturated petroleum reservoir zones: towards quantitative recovery monitoring. In most Australian reservoirs less than 50% of the original oil in place is recovered. A major factor that contributes to low recovery rates is bypassed oil/gas. Even a small, 1% improvement in recovery is of substantial economic significance. The proposed project aims to develop quantitative models for reservoir monitoring of zones with bypassed hydrocarbons using time-lapse (4D) seismic measurements, and thus to improve the hydrocarbon recovery factors. Developing these models will be a cutting edge research achievement, which will make a significant contribution to the knowledge base of the discipline and advance the international reputation of Australian science.Read moreRead less
Seismic attenuation and dispersion in reservoir rocks: broad-band experiments versus theoretical modelling. We propose to develop theoretical models of seismic attenuation and dispersion in hydrocarbon reservoirs, and a new method for experimental testing of these models. These models will provide new information to substantially improve characterisation of hydrocarbon reservoirs from geophysical data. The results will help optimise exploration and improve oil and gas recovery through developmen ....Seismic attenuation and dispersion in reservoir rocks: broad-band experiments versus theoretical modelling. We propose to develop theoretical models of seismic attenuation and dispersion in hydrocarbon reservoirs, and a new method for experimental testing of these models. These models will provide new information to substantially improve characterisation of hydrocarbon reservoirs from geophysical data. The results will help optimise exploration and improve oil and gas recovery through development of new technologies for quantitative reservoir characterisation in Australian basins. This research will enhance Australian competitiveness in basic and applied geophysical research, and will benefit the Australian geophysical industry as a provider of advanced geophysical technologies for oil exploration and production.Read moreRead less
Measurement of the spatial distribution of temperature and velocity in lakes using Acoustic Tomography. This project will investigate the use of acoustic tomography in lakes to continuously measure the lake-wide distribution of temperature and velocity. The challenges with lake acoustic tomography are the accuracy required in the travel time measurements over shorter distances, acoustic losses due to reflections and ensuring enough rays travel through the thermocline, the region of greatest inte ....Measurement of the spatial distribution of temperature and velocity in lakes using Acoustic Tomography. This project will investigate the use of acoustic tomography in lakes to continuously measure the lake-wide distribution of temperature and velocity. The challenges with lake acoustic tomography are the accuracy required in the travel time measurements over shorter distances, acoustic losses due to reflections and ensuring enough rays travel through the thermocline, the region of greatest interest in lakes. A pilot experiment in a deep lake will investigate the quality of travel time measurements computed from rays travelling through the thermocline of a strongly stratified lake. This has wide applications for the water quality management of lakes and reservoirs.Read moreRead less
Acoustic observation of Antarctic ice rifting and calving events using remote hydroacoustic listening stations. The calving activity of the Antarctic ice shelves is one of the major indicators of global climate change. Global warming induced by an increase in atmospheric CO2 will affect the Antarctic Ice Sheet, primarily in form of disintegration of the Antarctic ice shelves surrounding the continent. The processes of calving on the ice shelves may lead to a substantial increase of sea level aro ....Acoustic observation of Antarctic ice rifting and calving events using remote hydroacoustic listening stations. The calving activity of the Antarctic ice shelves is one of the major indicators of global climate change. Global warming induced by an increase in atmospheric CO2 will affect the Antarctic Ice Sheet, primarily in form of disintegration of the Antarctic ice shelves surrounding the continent. The processes of calving on the ice shelves may lead to a substantial increase of sea level around the world, with devastating effects on the continental coasts and low-lying islands. The method of remote acoustic observations investigated in this project is a new approach to the problem of creating an efficient and cost effective system to monitor rifting and calving of the Antarctic ice shelves. Read moreRead less
A Skin Detection Micro-Sensor for Face Identification using Color and Stereo Information. The objective of this research is to develop a micro-sensor for face identification, using color and stereo information. The micro-sensor chip performs a real-time search of the scene to locate human skin for subsequent face detection. This micro-sensor could also be used for gesture recognition, lip reading, monitoring driver's hypo-vigilance or tracking a person in a crowd. The chip image-recognition capa ....A Skin Detection Micro-Sensor for Face Identification using Color and Stereo Information. The objective of this research is to develop a micro-sensor for face identification, using color and stereo information. The micro-sensor chip performs a real-time search of the scene to locate human skin for subsequent face detection. This micro-sensor could also be used for gesture recognition, lip reading, monitoring driver's hypo-vigilance or tracking a person in a crowd. The chip image-recognition capabilities will spur the development of a new generation of consumer products with "intelligent eyes".
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Advanced microelectronic transistor structures for novel biosensor technology. This international, interdisciplinary team aims to develop an electronic biosensor technology that will significantly advance biomedical research to combat human disease. This is likely to have a major social impact on the community, improve health outcomes and generate substantial economic potential for the pharmaceutical industry. The principal benefit of this research will be the fabrication of electronic devices b ....Advanced microelectronic transistor structures for novel biosensor technology. This international, interdisciplinary team aims to develop an electronic biosensor technology that will significantly advance biomedical research to combat human disease. This is likely to have a major social impact on the community, improve health outcomes and generate substantial economic potential for the pharmaceutical industry. The principal benefit of this research will be the fabrication of electronic devices based on advanced materials, significantly reducing the time, the biological material used and the complexity of assessing human cell function. In addition to improving health through novel biosensor techniques, this technology is expected to lead to the creation of commercially important intellectual property.Read moreRead less
Investigation of vertical magneto-transport in infrared detector structures based on InAs/GaSb type-II superlattices. Infrared sensors and systems are finding increasing use in Australia's core industries: particularly defence, mineral exploration, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, homeland security, and medical diagnostics. Due to the reduced cooling requirements, the Infrared detector structures to be investigated in this project have the potential to deliver high performance in ....Investigation of vertical magneto-transport in infrared detector structures based on InAs/GaSb type-II superlattices. Infrared sensors and systems are finding increasing use in Australia's core industries: particularly defence, mineral exploration, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, homeland security, and medical diagnostics. Due to the reduced cooling requirements, the Infrared detector structures to be investigated in this project have the potential to deliver high performance infrared technology at a significantly lower cost and, hence, widening its applications. The new science proposed in this project, and new technological knowledge expected from its application, will allow Australian researchers to participate and significantly contribute to the international effort in this field and to exploit any developed intellectual property. Read moreRead less
Model-Reduction Techniques for Control, Communication and Circuits. Model reduction is an important area of study in the analysis and design of dynamical systems. Its objective is to obtain a low-order model given a high-order system model such that the low-order model closely approximates the input-output behaviour of the original high-order system. Although theory and application of model reduction is well developed, there are many unresolved issues such as efficient model reduction techniq ....Model-Reduction Techniques for Control, Communication and Circuits. Model reduction is an important area of study in the analysis and design of dynamical systems. Its objective is to obtain a low-order model given a high-order system model such that the low-order model closely approximates the input-output behaviour of the original high-order system. Although theory and application of model reduction is well developed, there are many unresolved issues such as efficient model reduction techniques for large-scale circuit simulation and communication applications, frequency-weighted model reduction techniques for controller-design applications, and error bounds for the reduction techniques. The project aims to address these issues.Read moreRead less