Diffusion and transport of saltwater in coastal aquifers. Saltwater intrusion is a severe environmental problem in coastal regions of Australia, resulting in loss of agricultural land at an alarming rate. This project aims to develop a three-dimensional mathematical model for the simulation and prediction of saltwater intrusion into complex coastal aquifers based on recent advances in the theory of anomalous diffusion, stochastic modelling and numerical methods. The parameters of the model such ....Diffusion and transport of saltwater in coastal aquifers. Saltwater intrusion is a severe environmental problem in coastal regions of Australia, resulting in loss of agricultural land at an alarming rate. This project aims to develop a three-dimensional mathematical model for the simulation and prediction of saltwater intrusion into complex coastal aquifers based on recent advances in the theory of anomalous diffusion, stochastic modelling and numerical methods. The parameters of the model such as hydraulic conductivity and porosity will be estimated using multifractal techniques based on field data at the microscale. Once validated from measurements, the model will be used directly for resource management and planning.Read moreRead less
Quantification of Traffic Generated Nano and Ultrafine Particle Dynamics and Toxicity in Transit Hubs and Transport Corridors. The socio-economic benefits to Australia will include (i) new knowledge for the multiparameter assessment of nano and ultrafine particles, pollutants in the centre of current scientific, medical and policy debates (ii) a breakthrough in the scientific understanding of traffic generated particles in the urban atmosphere (iii) determining the toxicological impact of these ....Quantification of Traffic Generated Nano and Ultrafine Particle Dynamics and Toxicity in Transit Hubs and Transport Corridors. The socio-economic benefits to Australia will include (i) new knowledge for the multiparameter assessment of nano and ultrafine particles, pollutants in the centre of current scientific, medical and policy debates (ii) a breakthrough in the scientific understanding of traffic generated particles in the urban atmosphere (iii) determining the toxicological impact of these particles on biological systems. The ultimate economic benefit will be improved urban design to lower human exposure to ultrafine particles, thus reducing health care cost and productivity losses. The research will also place Australia at the forefront of international progress towards better methods for achieving environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Making the most of remotely sensed data: Bayesian spatio-temporal models for enhanced natural resource management and design. This research will provide methods for cost-efficient spatio-temporal data collection and analysis, with increased capacity for better decision-making about managing Australia’s natural resources. Through the Linkage partners’ networks, these benefits will be disseminated throughout regional bodies, government agencies and research groups across and outside Australia. The ....Making the most of remotely sensed data: Bayesian spatio-temporal models for enhanced natural resource management and design. This research will provide methods for cost-efficient spatio-temporal data collection and analysis, with increased capacity for better decision-making about managing Australia’s natural resources. Through the Linkage partners’ networks, these benefits will be disseminated throughout regional bodies, government agencies and research groups across and outside Australia. The statistical techniques derived in this project will enhance Australia’s capability in the national priority area of mathematical sciences, and will contribute to knowledge in a wide range of disciplines including natural resources, medicine and genetics. Read moreRead less
A new generation high crash energy absorbing barrier for improved road safety. The new, high energy absorbing road safety barrier developed in this project will provide better protection for all road users than current barriers by reducing the severity of car crashes. Current road barriers result in an average loss of 1600 lives in Australia annually, including a disproportionate number of young lives. The new barrier will be highly efficient in absorbing collisions from vehicles travelling at s ....A new generation high crash energy absorbing barrier for improved road safety. The new, high energy absorbing road safety barrier developed in this project will provide better protection for all road users than current barriers by reducing the severity of car crashes. Current road barriers result in an average loss of 1600 lives in Australia annually, including a disproportionate number of young lives. The new barrier will be highly efficient in absorbing collisions from vehicles travelling at speeds between 60 to over a 100 kilometres per hour. Installation of the new road safety barrier systems in high accident zones will save lives by reducing the severity of accidents involving road barriers. This will significantly benefit the community by reducing injury, medical, rehabilitation and property damage costs, and improve quality of life for all road users.Read moreRead less
Development of Canonical Mist Filter Models. Over one million tonnes of oil (mist) is wasted every year – and emitted to the atmosphere through inefficient filtration. Over 50 per cent of energy usage in most process industries is for filtration and separation processes, yet mist filters and separators are largely designed by trial and error, resulting in sub-optimal, inefficient designs. Recent advances by the research team have, only now, made it possible to develop accurate models for such sy ....Development of Canonical Mist Filter Models. Over one million tonnes of oil (mist) is wasted every year – and emitted to the atmosphere through inefficient filtration. Over 50 per cent of energy usage in most process industries is for filtration and separation processes, yet mist filters and separators are largely designed by trial and error, resulting in sub-optimal, inefficient designs. Recent advances by the research team have, only now, made it possible to develop accurate models for such systems. This work intends to be the first to develop accurate, broadly applicable models for all processes in mist filters, thereby providing immense process efficiency benefits, together with improved worker and environmental protection, and less wastage of dwindling oil resources.Read moreRead less
A new biomechanical model for understanding aging of stored Red Blood Cells. This project plans to develop a novel modelling framework to accurately represent the biomechanical properties of red blood cells (RBCs) over time under stored conditions. Stored RBCs suffer ageing-related deformability changes which impede RBC functions. The framework aims to integrate models for RBC membrane, inside haemoglobin and outside storage solution, and accounts for ageing effects by embedding time-dependent c ....A new biomechanical model for understanding aging of stored Red Blood Cells. This project plans to develop a novel modelling framework to accurately represent the biomechanical properties of red blood cells (RBCs) over time under stored conditions. Stored RBCs suffer ageing-related deformability changes which impede RBC functions. The framework aims to integrate models for RBC membrane, inside haemoglobin and outside storage solution, and accounts for ageing effects by embedding time-dependent correlations. It should provide new insights and understanding of the mechanisms of deformability changes of RBCs during stored lifespan. Therefore, it should significantly improve blood storage industry practices in terms of improving RBC storage protocols with preventative ageing strategies.Read moreRead less
Insulated sandwich panels in high temperature environments. A robust model comprising pyrolysis of polymeric material coupled with gas combustion will be developed to predict the burning behaviour of expanded polystyrene insulated sandwich panels. These models will provide an effective design tool for fire safety engineering design and the assessment of a wide range of polymeric materials in fire conditions.
Boosting up Productivity: Optimizing Scaffolding Life Cycle Management with Virtual Design and Construction. Scaffolding management can be critical to construction industries across oil and gas, building, and infrastructure sectors. It can lead to low productivity and safety due to static and poor planning. This project aims to innovatively integrate a decision support system, virtual design and construction, and onsite monitoring into one dynamic planning system to significantly lift productivi ....Boosting up Productivity: Optimizing Scaffolding Life Cycle Management with Virtual Design and Construction. Scaffolding management can be critical to construction industries across oil and gas, building, and infrastructure sectors. It can lead to low productivity and safety due to static and poor planning. This project aims to innovatively integrate a decision support system, virtual design and construction, and onsite monitoring into one dynamic planning system to significantly lift productivity. The emphasis is on producing optimal solutions for planning, design, erection, monitoring, dismantling, and relocation of scaffolding, so that productivity is maximised subject to satisfying required cost and safety constraints. The project aims to therefore secure long-term economic benefits by improving productivity and enhancing project performance.Read moreRead less
Automatic Energy Tuning of Parallel Applications on a Hybrid Supercomputer. Energy efficiency is a critical challenge in building next-generation supercomputers. This project aims to provide a new energy-tuning tool integrated with Cray’s systems, to simplify the process of tuning hybrid applications and managing efficient energy use. Although hardware components play a dominant role in saving energy, heterogeneous systems offer the opportunity to exploit the extremely high concurrency with mode ....Automatic Energy Tuning of Parallel Applications on a Hybrid Supercomputer. Energy efficiency is a critical challenge in building next-generation supercomputers. This project aims to provide a new energy-tuning tool integrated with Cray’s systems, to simplify the process of tuning hybrid applications and managing efficient energy use. Although hardware components play a dominant role in saving energy, heterogeneous systems offer the opportunity to exploit the extremely high concurrency with modest energy consumption using accelerators. Accordingly, the future of parallel computing must consider the trade-off between obtaining the optimal performance and the allowed power budget. The project plans to design parallel programming environments that support energy analysis and tuning.Read moreRead less
Interface structures mediating load transfer between soft and hard tissues. This project aims to develop a novel technology platform to mediate load transfer between synthetic and biological materials with dissimilar mechanical properties, creating an effective interface mechanism. It will generate new knowledge in materials engineering by combining interdisciplinary expertise and state-of-the-art technologies in computational modelling, biomaterials, and additive manufacturing. Expected outcome ....Interface structures mediating load transfer between soft and hard tissues. This project aims to develop a novel technology platform to mediate load transfer between synthetic and biological materials with dissimilar mechanical properties, creating an effective interface mechanism. It will generate new knowledge in materials engineering by combining interdisciplinary expertise and state-of-the-art technologies in computational modelling, biomaterials, and additive manufacturing. Expected outcomes are high-tech ceramic structures optimized to interface effectively between synthetic soft tissues and natural hard tissues. This could ultimately benefit Australian industry engaged in developing next-generation synthetic orthopaedic solutions, providing a significant competitive advantage in an expanding global market.Read moreRead less