Nature's mechanisms for leaching and remobilising metals. This project aims to understand the chemical and physical processes that govern reactive transport and metal scavenging in rocky environments. Much of Australia's mineral wealth is the result of the interaction of warm fluids with rocks deep in the Earth over geological timescales. The formation of ore deposits is governed by the physical chemistry of mineral dissolution and crystallisation, and by fluid flow through porous rocks and frac ....Nature's mechanisms for leaching and remobilising metals. This project aims to understand the chemical and physical processes that govern reactive transport and metal scavenging in rocky environments. Much of Australia's mineral wealth is the result of the interaction of warm fluids with rocks deep in the Earth over geological timescales. The formation of ore deposits is governed by the physical chemistry of mineral dissolution and crystallisation, and by fluid flow through porous rocks and fractures. This project integrates innovation in geology, chemistry, and mineral engineering, and will deliver mineral-scale reaction models that will increase efficiency of in-situ mining and leaching technologies. Knowledge generated can be applied to improve mineral exploration, mining, and processing, contributing to unlocking billions of dollars’ worth of resources tied up in low grade, mineralogically complex ores.Read moreRead less
New Silent Anchors for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines in Calcareous Sand . Reliable wind energy sites are in deeper waters and require offshore floating structures to harness the wind energy. Such floating structures require a reliable anchoring system that is secure and environmentally friendly. Calcareous sands, rich in carbonate content, pose unique challenges with their behaviour difficult to predict. In this project, a novel silent anchoring system is investigated that can be installed wit ....New Silent Anchors for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines in Calcareous Sand . Reliable wind energy sites are in deeper waters and require offshore floating structures to harness the wind energy. Such floating structures require a reliable anchoring system that is secure and environmentally friendly. Calcareous sands, rich in carbonate content, pose unique challenges with their behaviour difficult to predict. In this project, a novel silent anchoring system is investigated that can be installed with minimum noise and vibration compared to more traditional counterparts. Through the state of the art development in numerical modelling and centrifuge modelling, this project will advance Australian Science and Practice in designing floating wind turbines in carbonate rich soils offshore and help energy transition.Read moreRead less
Catastrophic Rock and Concrete Brittle Failures. Brittle rocks and concrete under extreme stresses fracture spontaneously and without pre-warning. In deep mining and tunnelling this causes fatalities, injuries and serious damage. Based on recent advances by the CIs in understanding the effect of biaxial loading and the free surface on catastrophic fracture propagation, the project aims to develop a new paradigm of monitoring, prediction and prevention of dangerous skin rock burst-type failures. ....Catastrophic Rock and Concrete Brittle Failures. Brittle rocks and concrete under extreme stresses fracture spontaneously and without pre-warning. In deep mining and tunnelling this causes fatalities, injuries and serious damage. Based on recent advances by the CIs in understanding the effect of biaxial loading and the free surface on catastrophic fracture propagation, the project aims to develop a new paradigm of monitoring, prediction and prevention of dangerous skin rock burst-type failures. A unique experimental methodology, measurements and analytical and numerical models will be employed to provide a better understanding of the fundamental processes in rock fracturing. This will lead to safer and more cost-effective deep rock engineering designs.Read moreRead less
Novel Characterization of Porous Structure and Surface Chemistry of Carbon. The aim of this project is to develop novel characterisation methods that probe the structure and surface chemistry of carbons, ranging from highly graphitised thermal carbon black through ordered mesoporous carbon to disordered porous activated carbon. The project plans to develop a new generic molecular model based on wedge-shaped pores. Conventional parallel sided pore models fail to account for real structures and th ....Novel Characterization of Porous Structure and Surface Chemistry of Carbon. The aim of this project is to develop novel characterisation methods that probe the structure and surface chemistry of carbons, ranging from highly graphitised thermal carbon black through ordered mesoporous carbon to disordered porous activated carbon. The project plans to develop a new generic molecular model based on wedge-shaped pores. Conventional parallel sided pore models fail to account for real structures and therefore for the physics of adsorption in real materials. The project then plans to back the theoretical model with high-resolution experimental measurements. It is expected that the model will unify the structural analysis for all carbons and account for all experimental isotherms within a rational and physically plausible framework.Read moreRead less
Bio-recovery of rare earth elements from Australian soils and mine tailings. This project aims to discover how microbes dissolve weathering-resistant phosphate minerals that contain valuable rare earth elements used widely in modern technology. This discovery would create new knowledge in the interdisciplinary fields of biogeochemistry and biohydrometallurgy, using an innovative combination of techniques in metagenomics, microbiology and mineralogy. Expected research outcomes include new, more ....Bio-recovery of rare earth elements from Australian soils and mine tailings. This project aims to discover how microbes dissolve weathering-resistant phosphate minerals that contain valuable rare earth elements used widely in modern technology. This discovery would create new knowledge in the interdisciplinary fields of biogeochemistry and biohydrometallurgy, using an innovative combination of techniques in metagenomics, microbiology and mineralogy. Expected research outcomes include new, more economic and environmentally sustainable biotechnologies for recovering rare earth elements and increasing phosphorus availability in Australian mineral deposits and soils. These outcomes should benefit the mining and agricultural sectors, by decreasing Australia's dependency on overseas REE supply and the use of fertilizers.Read moreRead less
Finite Strain with large rotations: A new hybrid numerical/experimental approach. Deformation up to large strains and rotations is important in rocks, metals, polymers, and biomaterials. Computational mechanics is a standard tool for modelling such deformations. However, in earth sciences, mechanical theories use small-strain formulations or large-strain approaches with classical stress rates. Classical stress rates can lead to incorrect stored energies. This project proposes to test a new large ....Finite Strain with large rotations: A new hybrid numerical/experimental approach. Deformation up to large strains and rotations is important in rocks, metals, polymers, and biomaterials. Computational mechanics is a standard tool for modelling such deformations. However, in earth sciences, mechanical theories use small-strain formulations or large-strain approaches with classical stress rates. Classical stress rates can lead to incorrect stored energies. This project proposes to test a new large-strain theory tailored to rocks experimentally, and to apply it to a pivotal geological problem: shear zone formation. The project will advance our fundamental understanding of the mechanics and energetics of rock deformation and provide a novel tool for the modelling of large deformations.Read moreRead less
Design and Construction Error Mitigation in Infrastructure Projects. Human errors committed during the design and construction process of infrastructure projects increase costs by as much as 25 per cent. The costs associated with such errors would be significantly higher in the event of an engineering failure and loss of life. This research will develop a model that can be used to mitigate errors and improve the performance and safety of infrastructure projects. A reduction in errors will reduce ....Design and Construction Error Mitigation in Infrastructure Projects. Human errors committed during the design and construction process of infrastructure projects increase costs by as much as 25 per cent. The costs associated with such errors would be significantly higher in the event of an engineering failure and loss of life. This research will develop a model that can be used to mitigate errors and improve the performance and safety of infrastructure projects. A reduction in errors will reduce the financial burden placed on taxpayers for cost overruns experienced as well as improve the profitability of organisations. This will lead to greater investment, and contribution to gross domestic product.Read moreRead less
Transition to Customer Response Driven Networks. The project seeks to develop an electrical network costing framework that appropriately rewards customers who act to reduce network stress. The solution to the existing explosion in distribution network costs is to develop customer-responsive solutions in demand management and use of storage. The aim of this project is to develop a framework for network costs that is driven by local congestion and which would reward customer-responsive solutions. ....Transition to Customer Response Driven Networks. The project seeks to develop an electrical network costing framework that appropriately rewards customers who act to reduce network stress. The solution to the existing explosion in distribution network costs is to develop customer-responsive solutions in demand management and use of storage. The aim of this project is to develop a framework for network costs that is driven by local congestion and which would reward customer-responsive solutions. The vision is that the aggregator would provide customers with communications/control equipment that would automate the changes in the responsiveness so that customer-generated load shifting would act to limit peaks.Read moreRead less
Innovations in stability, reliability and protection of electric power distribution systems to enable increased use of green energy. This project will develop the innovative concepts necessary to increase the number of renewable energy sources in electric power distribution systems. The aim is to enable systems with a distributed mix of conventional rotary generators and renewable converter interfaced generators to operate safely and to required standards of reliability.
Biomechanics Meets Robotics: Methods for Accurate and Fast Needle Targeting. This project intends to create a novel integrated framework for biomedical systems that can accurately target a needle. Accurate surgical targeting means less trauma and better patient outcomes. Needles are used in over half of all surgical procedures, but up to 38 per cent of these are affected by targeting errors. Achieving sub-millimetre accuracy is extremely difficult because inserting a needle displaces the tissue ....Biomechanics Meets Robotics: Methods for Accurate and Fast Needle Targeting. This project intends to create a novel integrated framework for biomedical systems that can accurately target a needle. Accurate surgical targeting means less trauma and better patient outcomes. Needles are used in over half of all surgical procedures, but up to 38 per cent of these are affected by targeting errors. Achieving sub-millimetre accuracy is extremely difficult because inserting a needle displaces the tissue and moves the target. How, then, can ultra-fine targeting be achieved? This project plans to integrate non-linear biomechanical models that predict tissue motion with accurate and principled motion control. It seeks to create new methods for surgical robots that will predict target motion and guide a needle to accurately intersect the target.Read moreRead less