High-speed interior permanent magnet synchronous machines. This project aims to develop a permanent magnet machine for high speed operation (more than 50,000 rpm). A high-speed interior permanent magnet machine will solve some of the complex constructional and sensor-less control issues related to high-speed drive systems. This project will develop permanent magnet machines with simple constructional features, reduced use of costly rare earth materials, inherent sensor-less control capability an ....High-speed interior permanent magnet synchronous machines. This project aims to develop a permanent magnet machine for high speed operation (more than 50,000 rpm). A high-speed interior permanent magnet machine will solve some of the complex constructional and sensor-less control issues related to high-speed drive systems. This project will develop permanent magnet machines with simple constructional features, reduced use of costly rare earth materials, inherent sensor-less control capability and flux-weakening. These machines are expected to be used in many global growth sectors including aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, energy generation and storage.Read moreRead less
A novel high-bandwidth sensorless controller for IPM synchronous machines. Sensorless control of interior permanent magnet synchronous machines (IPMSM) has undergone many developments lately. Existing low-bandwidth sensorless controllers have so far limited the use of such controllers to low-performance applications. High-bandwidth position sensing, resulting in the actuating machine to be utilised as its own position sensor, is required in a truly vast range of sensorless and fast responsive el ....A novel high-bandwidth sensorless controller for IPM synchronous machines. Sensorless control of interior permanent magnet synchronous machines (IPMSM) has undergone many developments lately. Existing low-bandwidth sensorless controllers have so far limited the use of such controllers to low-performance applications. High-bandwidth position sensing, resulting in the actuating machine to be utilised as its own position sensor, is required in a truly vast range of sensorless and fast responsive electric drive systems in industry. The project's proposed method, demonstrated for the first time in 2013 via modelling, is a new method of high-bandwidth sensorless control of the IPMSM. The project’s aim is to fully develop this method via further modelling and experimentation.Read moreRead less
Advanced fault tolerant drives for safety critical applications. The key aim of this project is to develop an electrical drive system with enhanced tolerance to system faults. The research is significant as it aims to satisfy the demands of emerging high-reliability applications for electric drive systems utilising a patented concentrated-wound permanent magnet machine. Applications for the research include the automotive, aerospace and resource sectors which are global growth sectors. A new hig ....Advanced fault tolerant drives for safety critical applications. The key aim of this project is to develop an electrical drive system with enhanced tolerance to system faults. The research is significant as it aims to satisfy the demands of emerging high-reliability applications for electric drive systems utilising a patented concentrated-wound permanent magnet machine. Applications for the research include the automotive, aerospace and resource sectors which are global growth sectors. A new high-quality model of the machine is expected to be realised. This new model is proposed to then inform the development of suitable control techniques for the machine driven by fault-tolerant inverter topologies. The research is then planned to be demonstrated on prototype research machines and the system performance compared with existing state-of-the-art technology.Read moreRead less
A brighter future: the pure-quartic soliton laser. This project aims to build an innovative, ultrafast laser based on the recent discovery of pure-quartic solitons, a new class of optical soliton. Investigating these solitons in their own right will provide new insights into the physics of soliton formation and propagation. The concept of the pure-quartic soliton laser is expected to lead to the transformation of ultrafast science and related applications with the benefit of to improving efficie ....A brighter future: the pure-quartic soliton laser. This project aims to build an innovative, ultrafast laser based on the recent discovery of pure-quartic solitons, a new class of optical soliton. Investigating these solitons in their own right will provide new insights into the physics of soliton formation and propagation. The concept of the pure-quartic soliton laser is expected to lead to the transformation of ultrafast science and related applications with the benefit of to improving efficiency, and significantly reducing the cost of high-energy ultrafast lasers. The project aims to provide benefits in ultrafast science, industrial materials processing, laser surgery, and molecular spectroscopy.Read moreRead less
Producing optimally short pulses at long wavelengths. This project aims to make the fluoride glass fibre platform the preferred material for generating ultrashort pulses at 2.8 nm and beyond. High power and efficiency from simple device architectures are essential for industry, medicine and defence. Modern sources of short pulses of light emitting mid-infrared wavelengths are complicated and inefficient. This project will improve fibre sources emitting short pulses and create the essential build ....Producing optimally short pulses at long wavelengths. This project aims to make the fluoride glass fibre platform the preferred material for generating ultrashort pulses at 2.8 nm and beyond. High power and efficiency from simple device architectures are essential for industry, medicine and defence. Modern sources of short pulses of light emitting mid-infrared wavelengths are complicated and inefficient. This project will improve fibre sources emitting short pulses and create the essential building blocks for future all-fibre arrangements that will be more robust. The sources are expected to have applications in non-linear optics and materials modification.Read moreRead less
Dynamic model and mechanical sensorless controller for a novel concentrated-winding interior permanent magnet machine for electric vehicles. The fractional-slot, concentrated-wound (FSCW) interior permanent magnet (IPM) machine offers very high power density, efficiency and constant-power speed range which are properties sought after for electric vehicles. Accurate mathematical models are essential for high performance control of the FSCW machine. This project seeks to develop these models, as w ....Dynamic model and mechanical sensorless controller for a novel concentrated-winding interior permanent magnet machine for electric vehicles. The fractional-slot, concentrated-wound (FSCW) interior permanent magnet (IPM) machine offers very high power density, efficiency and constant-power speed range which are properties sought after for electric vehicles. Accurate mathematical models are essential for high performance control of the FSCW machine. This project seeks to develop these models, as well as sensorless controllers for the FSCW IPM machine.Read moreRead less
Laser emission at the limit of glass transparency using nanocrystal doping . We will create a new composite glass providing strong fluorescence which fully exploits the high transmission of glass in the mid-infrared. When combined with emerging rare earth ion transitions and precise excitation processes, this project will help solve an important problem in optics; that the overall efficiency and power produced from deep mid-infrared light sources is not sufficient for all industries. The primary ....Laser emission at the limit of glass transparency using nanocrystal doping . We will create a new composite glass providing strong fluorescence which fully exploits the high transmission of glass in the mid-infrared. When combined with emerging rare earth ion transitions and precise excitation processes, this project will help solve an important problem in optics; that the overall efficiency and power produced from deep mid-infrared light sources is not sufficient for all industries. The primary outcome will be a series of robust fibre-based gain modules suitable for high power and very short optical pulses in the mid-infrared. These light sources will beneficially impact medicine, defence, sensing and manufacturing providing excellent opportunities for increasing Australian productivity and global competitiveness. Read moreRead less
Extending Remaining Useful Life of Second-life Battery Energy Systems. The project aims to develop a framework to reuse second-life battery packs with different degradation levels. This includes a novel machine learning and online battery state estimation algorithm that does not require past use case historical data of the SLBs, an advanced control algorithm to balance the energy in each battery pack and an optimized modular inverter architecture with integrated voltage boosting capability to ma ....Extending Remaining Useful Life of Second-life Battery Energy Systems. The project aims to develop a framework to reuse second-life battery packs with different degradation levels. This includes a novel machine learning and online battery state estimation algorithm that does not require past use case historical data of the SLBs, an advanced control algorithm to balance the energy in each battery pack and an optimized modular inverter architecture with integrated voltage boosting capability to manage the batteries and meet the control objectives. This benefits not only the environment through delayed e-waste or recycling cycles but also helps the Australian manufacturing sector through a circular economy of energy products and services.Read moreRead less
Regulation of the Cell Bus Voltages of Large Scale Modular Multilevel Converters: Advanced Energy Converters for Future Electricity Grids. Large scale power electronic converters are essential to the emerging “Smart Grid” electrical distribution networks, using large numbers of cascaded cells to operate at the very high voltages that are required for direct grid connection. At present, the fundamental factors that drive the fluctuations of the cell DC link voltages, including in particular the c ....Regulation of the Cell Bus Voltages of Large Scale Modular Multilevel Converters: Advanced Energy Converters for Future Electricity Grids. Large scale power electronic converters are essential to the emerging “Smart Grid” electrical distribution networks, using large numbers of cascaded cells to operate at the very high voltages that are required for direct grid connection. At present, the fundamental factors that drive the fluctuations of the cell DC link voltages, including in particular the complex non-linear interactions caused by the physical cell switching processes, are very poorly understood. This project will use a new harmonic analysis strategy to investigate the basic engineering science that underpins this voltage fluctuation phenomena, to achieve a quantum step in the understanding of the fundamental operating processes of large scale cascaded converters.Read moreRead less
The physics and biology of hearing in larval fish. Using the zebrafish model and an array of cutting-edge biophysics and neuroscience tools, this project aims to provide the first complete map of a functioning auditory system. This is significant because it has previously been impossible to study the brain at the levels of single cells, circuits, and brain-wide networks simultaneously. Expected outcomes include detailed descriptions of information flow through a simple brain and the ways that br ....The physics and biology of hearing in larval fish. Using the zebrafish model and an array of cutting-edge biophysics and neuroscience tools, this project aims to provide the first complete map of a functioning auditory system. This is significant because it has previously been impossible to study the brain at the levels of single cells, circuits, and brain-wide networks simultaneously. Expected outcomes include detailed descriptions of information flow through a simple brain and the ways that brain cells and circuits communicate to process information. Benefits include knowledge gained about sensory systems in nature, future biomimetic approaches for information processing, and the training of the next generation of Australian researchers in cutting edge optical physics and neuroscience.Read moreRead less