High performance electrolyte for the vanadium redox flow battery. Vanadium batteries present a highly-scalable, sustainable solution for storage of renewable electricity, but the technology needs to be improved for robust and efficient operation in the warm Australian climate. This project aims to design and extensively test new high-performance electrolyte compositions with advanced thermal stabilising additives for safe long-term battery operation at 60 °C. New knowledge in materials science a ....High performance electrolyte for the vanadium redox flow battery. Vanadium batteries present a highly-scalable, sustainable solution for storage of renewable electricity, but the technology needs to be improved for robust and efficient operation in the warm Australian climate. This project aims to design and extensively test new high-performance electrolyte compositions with advanced thermal stabilising additives for safe long-term battery operation at 60 °C. New knowledge in materials science and electrochemistry will be generated. The core outcome of the project is a sustainable large-scale energy storage technology ready for immediate application in Australia. This will support the transition of the Australian energy sector to renewables and provide businesses with distributed energy storage solutions.Read moreRead less
Process Chemistry for Distributed Manufacture of Nitric Acid. This project will benefit Australia by enabling a new approach to the manufacture of explosives for the country's mining industry which will provide the entire explosives supply chain with greater safety and security. Development of this technology will enhance Orica's competitive position as the largest manufacturer of mining explosives in the world and will produce wealth for the country through the continued success of this ASX Top ....Process Chemistry for Distributed Manufacture of Nitric Acid. This project will benefit Australia by enabling a new approach to the manufacture of explosives for the country's mining industry which will provide the entire explosives supply chain with greater safety and security. Development of this technology will enhance Orica's competitive position as the largest manufacturer of mining explosives in the world and will produce wealth for the country through the continued success of this ASX Top 50 company and the export of the technology.Read moreRead less
High-productivity ammonia electrosynthesis. The aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate high-performance devices for ammonia production from renewables by a scalable electrolysis method. This will be achieved by experimental and modelling investigations of the nitrogen reduction reaction to guide the design of tailor-made cathodes. New knowledge in catalysis and materials science is expected to be generated. The target outcome of the project is a sustainable and affordable ammonia synt ....High-productivity ammonia electrosynthesis. The aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate high-performance devices for ammonia production from renewables by a scalable electrolysis method. This will be achieved by experimental and modelling investigations of the nitrogen reduction reaction to guide the design of tailor-made cathodes. New knowledge in catalysis and materials science is expected to be generated. The target outcome of the project is a sustainable and affordable ammonia synthesis method as an alternative to the current fossil-fuels-based and excessively greenhouse-emitting process. The technology to be developed in this project is anticipated to be of significant benefit to the Australian agriculture sector as a local, on-demand source of low-cost fertilisers.Read moreRead less
Thermal characterisation of iron ores and coals for HIsmelt operation. Substantial developments in direct reduction ironmaking (DRI) have been recently conducted providing sustainable way for metallurgical operations. The largest advantage of DRI is that it does not require cokemaking and sintering, two processes which are consistently causing environmental concerns. This project aims to thermally investigate coals and iron ores for optimising direct smelting, and to provide insight into effect ....Thermal characterisation of iron ores and coals for HIsmelt operation. Substantial developments in direct reduction ironmaking (DRI) have been recently conducted providing sustainable way for metallurgical operations. The largest advantage of DRI is that it does not require cokemaking and sintering, two processes which are consistently causing environmental concerns. This project aims to thermally investigate coals and iron ores for optimising direct smelting, and to provide insight into effect of the properties of ores and coals on the process. Structural changes using hot stage optical microscopy will be carefully clarified. Finally, a predictive model for DRI and energy requirements for direct smelting based on the experimental outcomes will be developed.Read moreRead less
Understanding extreme wind gusts and associated risks in NSW. Wind gusts are rare bursts of high wind, often associated with thunderstorm outflows. They can do significant structural damage, and their rarity and small scale make prediction and risk assessment difficult. This proposal seeks to better understand and predict wind gusts and their impacts to aid in planning. The project aims to use past observations, modelling, and basic theory to show what conditions lead to wind gusts and how like ....Understanding extreme wind gusts and associated risks in NSW. Wind gusts are rare bursts of high wind, often associated with thunderstorm outflows. They can do significant structural damage, and their rarity and small scale make prediction and risk assessment difficult. This proposal seeks to better understand and predict wind gusts and their impacts to aid in planning. The project aims to use past observations, modelling, and basic theory to show what conditions lead to wind gusts and how likely they are to exceed key thresholds. It targets important scientific and practical issues such as the joint occurrence of gusts and high rainfall, role of gusts in contributing to dust and other airborne pollutants, impacts of gusts on subsequent storm activity, and gusts in a warming climate.Read moreRead less
Will East Coast Lows change in frequency or intensity in the future? East Coast Lows, the largest storms on the south-east coast of Australia, produce both large benefits and losses for this highly populated region of the country. An urgent national priority exists to understand the driving mechanisms for these events and to quantify how the frequency and intensity of these systems will change due to climate change.
Optimizing blood flow in stented arteries: a fluid mechanics approach incorporating optical coherence tomography. Constriction in coronary arterial blood flow is a leading cause of death in Australia. Insertion of stents can rectify this problem but potentially lead to further complications. This project will use medical imaging data to construct computer models to study blood flow and particle motions in coronary arteries and improve stent designs.
Optimising haemodynamics in complex stented arteries. This project aims to optimise the hemodynamics (blood flow) in coronary arteries with high curvatures and bifurcations. Experience has shown that the build-up of plaque — and the resulting occlusion of blood flow — tends to occur in these complex arterial regions. The most common therapeutic strategy is the insertion of a stent to prop open the artery. However, the nature of the geometry often leads to post-stenting complications such as rest ....Optimising haemodynamics in complex stented arteries. This project aims to optimise the hemodynamics (blood flow) in coronary arteries with high curvatures and bifurcations. Experience has shown that the build-up of plaque — and the resulting occlusion of blood flow — tends to occur in these complex arterial regions. The most common therapeutic strategy is the insertion of a stent to prop open the artery. However, the nature of the geometry often leads to post-stenting complications such as restenosis and thrombosis, ultimately resulting in negative outcomes. In this project, advanced research methods from fluid dynamics and optimisation and control will be used to potentially minimise these highly undesirable effects.Read moreRead less
Precipitation in wintertime storms across southeast Australia, Tasmania and the Southern Ocean. The pristine conditions and strong wind-shear over the Southern Ocean affect the formation of precipitation in clouds over the region, which is vital to the water supply of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. This project will evaluate and improve the ability to simulate this precipitation, which will lead to better water resource management.
Investigation into flow over complex topography and escarpments for wind turbine siting using experimental and computational methods. This project will improve national capability to optimise power production from wind turbine farms in complex terrain by improving the understanding of the flow regime. By better understanding separated regions and the turbulent structures within these regions power production can be optimised and fatigue risks associated with turbine positioning in complex sites ....Investigation into flow over complex topography and escarpments for wind turbine siting using experimental and computational methods. This project will improve national capability to optimise power production from wind turbine farms in complex terrain by improving the understanding of the flow regime. By better understanding separated regions and the turbulent structures within these regions power production can be optimised and fatigue risks associated with turbine positioning in complex sites can be reduced. This will improve confidence in wind farm site assessment techniques and consequently reduce economic risks associated with current wind farm viability assessments. By increasing national capacity to generate clean energy stationary energy emissions can be reduced. This project will also deliver high calibre graduates that will be potential future industry leaders.Read moreRead less