Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result ....Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result in an increase of the overall capacity and performance of engineering systems. This will contribute significantly to reductions in power consumption and improvements in productivity and work environment, leading ultimately to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Design tools for optimising data centre layout to minimise energy usage. Data centres are major consumers of energy worldwide, mainly through the need to cool the equipment. It has become imperative to develop the science for reducing this consumption. Rising computing demand, increasing power density, and increasing infrastructure and energy costs are major issue for data centres around the world. Our research will provide a powerful alternative to conventional thermal management techniques for ....Design tools for optimising data centre layout to minimise energy usage. Data centres are major consumers of energy worldwide, mainly through the need to cool the equipment. It has become imperative to develop the science for reducing this consumption. Rising computing demand, increasing power density, and increasing infrastructure and energy costs are major issue for data centres around the world. Our research will provide a powerful alternative to conventional thermal management techniques for cooling high-density heat loads in mixed-density environments. We will address the key issue of energy minimisation through a detailed flow analyses by the use of numerical simulations and optimisation algorithms.Read moreRead less
Transport by Natural Convection in Reservoir Sidearms. This project is a first step in developing models of the distribution of water quality parameters in reservoirs by a range of small scale dynamical processes not included in commercial water quality models. Specifically, the project will investigate the transport of suspended materials from the shore to the deeper parts resulting from the interaction of the meteorological forcing and the topography. This will contribute to the development of ....Transport by Natural Convection in Reservoir Sidearms. This project is a first step in developing models of the distribution of water quality parameters in reservoirs by a range of small scale dynamical processes not included in commercial water quality models. Specifically, the project will investigate the transport of suspended materials from the shore to the deeper parts resulting from the interaction of the meteorological forcing and the topography. This will contribute to the development of improved water quality models, and therefore to better management of water quality of Australia's water resources.Read moreRead less
Conjugate natural convection boundary layers. Conjugate natural convection systems occur when a conducting vertical wall separates fluids at different temperatures (that is at a window separating the interior of a room from the outside or when a container of fluid is placed in a refrigerator). This project will provide accurate predictions of such flows together with scaling relations.
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC170100032
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,272,072.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies. The ARC Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies aims to train a cohort of industry-focused researchers to improve the fire safety of lightweight materials and structures and fire protection systems. The Training Centre expects to create knowledge on novel green and durable fire retardant materials, advanced fire models for urban and built environment, fire suppression technologies, and new flamma ....ARC Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies. The ARC Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies aims to train a cohort of industry-focused researchers to improve the fire safety of lightweight materials and structures and fire protection systems. The Training Centre expects to create knowledge on novel green and durable fire retardant materials, advanced fire models for urban and built environment, fire suppression technologies, and new flammability tests for compliance with fire safety regulatory standards. An expected outcome of this Training Centre is to accelerate the transformation of Australia’s industries in fire retardant materials, products and engineering services.Read moreRead less
Characterisation and Treatment of Reverse Osmosis Concentrates from Water Recycling Applications. Concentrates from reverse osmosis (RO) pose a considerable threat to both the environment but also the successful implementation of reverse osmosis as a technology. Naturally, the concentrate contains everything that the RO retains and hence contaminants such as viruses, organics such as pharmaceutically active compounds and hormones as well as nutrients and salinity. Treatment of such waste streams ....Characterisation and Treatment of Reverse Osmosis Concentrates from Water Recycling Applications. Concentrates from reverse osmosis (RO) pose a considerable threat to both the environment but also the successful implementation of reverse osmosis as a technology. Naturally, the concentrate contains everything that the RO retains and hence contaminants such as viruses, organics such as pharmaceutically active compounds and hormones as well as nutrients and salinity. Treatment of such waste streams will enhance the health of receiving water bodies and reduce the risk of increased build up of contaminants if wastes are recycled into wastewater treatment plants. New ways to treat such contaminants will be explored, the efficiency and cost evaluated in the broader water cycle and sustainability framework.Read moreRead less
Novel framework for optimising battery-cooling microchannel heat exchangers. Thermal overheating can affect the capacity, safety and life expectancy of batteries for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. Microscale heat exchangers are a potential high-efficiency, low-bulk solution. This project aims to develop a novel computational methodology to optimise the design of those heat exchangers in which viscoelastic fluids are used to control flow instabilities and enhance heat transfer at ....Novel framework for optimising battery-cooling microchannel heat exchangers. Thermal overheating can affect the capacity, safety and life expectancy of batteries for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. Microscale heat exchangers are a potential high-efficiency, low-bulk solution. This project aims to develop a novel computational methodology to optimise the design of those heat exchangers in which viscoelastic fluids are used to control flow instabilities and enhance heat transfer at the microscale. A new microscopic fluid physics model will provide data for an innovative neural network framework to optimise the working fluid conditions and microscale design, which could contribute to increased adoption of renewable energy technologies that are supported by microscale heat exchangers.Read moreRead less
Insulin resistance (the inability of ordinarily insulin-sensitive tissues such as muscle and adipose tissue to respond to insulin) contributes to a number of diseases including diabetes and obesity. A key metabolic step in these tissues is the uptake of glucose from the blood stream. This step is accelerated by insulin thus allowing efficient clearance of glucose from the bloodstream after a meal. Our laboratory has played a major role in showing that insulin regulates glucose uptake into muscle ....Insulin resistance (the inability of ordinarily insulin-sensitive tissues such as muscle and adipose tissue to respond to insulin) contributes to a number of diseases including diabetes and obesity. A key metabolic step in these tissues is the uptake of glucose from the blood stream. This step is accelerated by insulin thus allowing efficient clearance of glucose from the bloodstream after a meal. Our laboratory has played a major role in showing that insulin regulates glucose uptake into muscle and adipose tissue by stimulating the movement of a glucose transport protein from inside the cell to the cell surface (see http:--www.imb.uq.edu.au-groups-james-glut4 for an animated description of this process). The purpose of this proposal is to dissect the molecular mechanisms by which this glucose transporter can be held inside the cell in the absence of insulin and then allowed to be released from this site moving to the surface in the presence of insulin. Our studies over the past 5 years have brought us much closer to understanding this process in detail. The identification of the molecules responsible for this regulatory step will not only aid our understanding of this process but it will also provide a valuable target for development of therapeutic agents that can be used to combat insulin resistance.Read moreRead less
Mechanism Of Action Of Sec1p-like Proteins In Membrane Trafficking
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$234,936.00
Summary
One of the most important evolutionary changes that has occurred is the development of intracellular compartments. All eukaryotic cells possess numerous membrane-encased structures which provide the basis for intracellular specialisation. For example, in order to degrade unwanted components cells have developed degradative enzymes. It is vital for the cell that these enzymes are sequestered away from other cellular components to avoid destruction of valuable molecules. In addition, the cell has ....One of the most important evolutionary changes that has occurred is the development of intracellular compartments. All eukaryotic cells possess numerous membrane-encased structures which provide the basis for intracellular specialisation. For example, in order to degrade unwanted components cells have developed degradative enzymes. It is vital for the cell that these enzymes are sequestered away from other cellular components to avoid destruction of valuable molecules. In addition, the cell has developed a complex assembly line of modifications that are added to proteins in a specific order as they travel to their final destination within the cell. This necessitates the accurate passage of molecules between compartments, a process known as vesicle transport. To orchestrate the complex network of vesicular transport steps between all of the various intracellular compartments it is necessary to employ complex machinery to guide and check that these steps occur with high fidelity. The goal of our research proposal is to define the function of one of the molecules involved in this control process, the so-called Sec1p proteins. The strength of our proposal lies in the diversity of our approach. We intend to explore the molecular advantages of a relatively simple eukaryotic organism, a yeast cell, and apply the findings obtained from this cell to a more complex but highly related vesicular transport process; that of the insulin-regulated movement of a glucose transporter in mammalian fat and muscle cells. While we intend to apply our findings to the treatment of patients with diabetes, it is our ultimate goal to be able to learn more about this fundamental cell biological process so that we can apply our knowledge to understanding many different disease states.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100089
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
Performance level structural testing facility. A structural testing facility is proposed for the new Advanced Engineering Building at The University of Queensland. The focus of the research supported by this facility will ensure the functionality of Australia’s infrastructure resources and the development of new engineering solutions that will enhance the country’s long-term economic growth.