Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101751
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$351,000.00
Summary
Nanofiller reinforced concrete for high performance thermal energy storage. Harnessing the abundance of solar energy has been one of the most attractive energy alternatives. This project aims to investigate the mechanical properties, thermal energy storage capacity, thermal conductivity, long-term durability and nano/microstructural changes in nanofiller reinforced concrete composites using modern characterisation and modelling techniques. The newly developed concrete will be accessed as a therm ....Nanofiller reinforced concrete for high performance thermal energy storage. Harnessing the abundance of solar energy has been one of the most attractive energy alternatives. This project aims to investigate the mechanical properties, thermal energy storage capacity, thermal conductivity, long-term durability and nano/microstructural changes in nanofiller reinforced concrete composites using modern characterisation and modelling techniques. The newly developed concrete will be accessed as a thermal energy storage medium for concentrated solar energy plants. The project aims to create the next generation of construction materials to reduce the cost of the storage medium for solar energy harvesting.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101249
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$401,000.00
Summary
Nanotechnology-based multifunctional smart window development. This project aims to develop a multifunctional smart window which combines thermal regulation of the indoor environment with solar energy harvesting by regulating thermal and light transmittance through the window while harvesting solar energy. This project expects to generate a low-energy building fabric for green building construction. The new product is expected to lead to a reduction in heating and cooling energy consumption in b ....Nanotechnology-based multifunctional smart window development. This project aims to develop a multifunctional smart window which combines thermal regulation of the indoor environment with solar energy harvesting by regulating thermal and light transmittance through the window while harvesting solar energy. This project expects to generate a low-energy building fabric for green building construction. The new product is expected to lead to a reduction in heating and cooling energy consumption in building and industrial applications, a reduction in carbon emissions and electricity generation for indoor lighting. This will provide significant benefits by expanding fundamental knowledge of material science and advanced manufacturing, and enhancing Australia's research capacity by promoting high quality research opportunities for early career researchers.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Technology for Removal of Trace Contaminants in Rural Water Supplies. Provision of safe drinking water treatment using sustainable technology which can be applied in rural locations and emergency situations is the main aim of this project. A hybrid membrane process will be combined with solar energy for the removal of pathogens and trace pollutants such as uranium, fluoride, arsenic, boron and nitrates. The technology will be designed for remote community situations and hence be robu ....Sustainable Technology for Removal of Trace Contaminants in Rural Water Supplies. Provision of safe drinking water treatment using sustainable technology which can be applied in rural locations and emergency situations is the main aim of this project. A hybrid membrane process will be combined with solar energy for the removal of pathogens and trace pollutants such as uranium, fluoride, arsenic, boron and nitrates. The technology will be designed for remote community situations and hence be robust and low in maintenance. Using solar energy is a challenge for trace contaminant removal as the operating conditions vary with the power fluctuations, which presents a substantially different situation to grid power connection.Read moreRead less
Lightly Loaded Energy Farm Foundations in Cracked Desiccated Soil. This project aims are to understand the effects of seasonal changes in moisture on piles in clayey soils that develop desiccation cracks during dry times of the year. The project is significant because the economics of energy farms requires low cost foundations for their viability, but current methods of foundation design require long piles to overcome uncertainties in capacity and serviceability when soil shrinks in dry periods ....Lightly Loaded Energy Farm Foundations in Cracked Desiccated Soil. This project aims are to understand the effects of seasonal changes in moisture on piles in clayey soils that develop desiccation cracks during dry times of the year. The project is significant because the economics of energy farms requires low cost foundations for their viability, but current methods of foundation design require long piles to overcome uncertainties in capacity and serviceability when soil shrinks in dry periods and swells in wetter periods. The main outcome of the project will be recommendations for the design of lightly loaded pile foundations in soils that shrink and swell significantly. The benefits will be the reduced risk and cost associated with the geotechnical aspects of foundation design.Read moreRead less
Reconstructing millennial-scale streamflow variability to assess near-future risks to water-generated renewable energy. Hydroelectric power is a key component of Australia's national renewable energy policy. The project will combine Hydro Tasmania's water supply and distribution network with historical reconstructions of streamflow variability to conduct stress tests of future water supplies and hydroelectric generating capacity for the Australian power grid.
Skin friction control using engineering and biological surface coatings. The development of techniques to reduce skin friction in water conveying assets will increase renewable energy production from existing hydro-electric plant and improve the energy efficiency of water conveying utilities. There is also potential for application to marine biofouling problems and reducing fuel usage by shipping. Passive (non-chemical) and biological control methods to reduce fouling and friction will be sought ....Skin friction control using engineering and biological surface coatings. The development of techniques to reduce skin friction in water conveying assets will increase renewable energy production from existing hydro-electric plant and improve the energy efficiency of water conveying utilities. There is also potential for application to marine biofouling problems and reducing fuel usage by shipping. Passive (non-chemical) and biological control methods to reduce fouling and friction will be sought to minimise environmental impact and maintain potable water quality. This multidisciplinary project combining engineering, photogrammetry and biological sciences will provide valuable training for the project team members and develop a pool of skilled personnel available to Australian industries.Read moreRead less
Improvement of water conveying efficiency in hydroelectric power generation systems by optimising pipe friction losses. The growth of bacterial and algal slimes on the surface of water conveying system significantly reduces the net electricity generation from Tasmania's hydroelectric system.
The aim of this project is to develop an optimal maintenance strategy to control this growth which will balance maintenance downtime against the potential increase in electricity production. The growth resp ....Improvement of water conveying efficiency in hydroelectric power generation systems by optimising pipe friction losses. The growth of bacterial and algal slimes on the surface of water conveying system significantly reduces the net electricity generation from Tasmania's hydroelectric system.
The aim of this project is to develop an optimal maintenance strategy to control this growth which will balance maintenance downtime against the potential increase in electricity production. The growth response to cleaning techniques and surface coatings will be investigated.
The potential for increased power production from this renewable energy source will have considerable economic benefit for Tasmania.Read moreRead less
Freshwater biofouling of hydraulic conduits: impact, mitigation, and control, and the consequences of Climate Change. National economic and environmental benefits will flow from increased outputs of renewable energy from hydroelectric power systems. Improved performance of canals and pipelines will enable energy and water losses to be reduced and will provide the National Electricity Market with additional renewable energy, lowering the requirement for fossil fuels. Knowledge of the impacts of ....Freshwater biofouling of hydraulic conduits: impact, mitigation, and control, and the consequences of Climate Change. National economic and environmental benefits will flow from increased outputs of renewable energy from hydroelectric power systems. Improved performance of canals and pipelines will enable energy and water losses to be reduced and will provide the National Electricity Market with additional renewable energy, lowering the requirement for fossil fuels. Knowledge of the impacts of Climate Change will enable industry to manage changes in rainfall pattern and conduit biofouling. An improved understanding of biofilms can be applied to achieve wider national benefit in water reticulation, irrigation systems and maritime applications. The team will develop research skills and technical expertise and train PhD students and industry counterparts.Read moreRead less
Harnessing the power of oceans: anchors for floating energy devices. This project aims to establish a geotechnical design framework for shared anchoring systems subjected to multidirectional cyclic loading for large integrated arrays of floating wind turbines and floating wave energy converters. This is expected to facilitate new, economic foundation solutions, generating radical cost savings to help unlock Australia's renewable ocean energy resources. The project aims to utilise a blend of stat ....Harnessing the power of oceans: anchors for floating energy devices. This project aims to establish a geotechnical design framework for shared anchoring systems subjected to multidirectional cyclic loading for large integrated arrays of floating wind turbines and floating wave energy converters. This is expected to facilitate new, economic foundation solutions, generating radical cost savings to help unlock Australia's renewable ocean energy resources. The project aims to utilise a blend of state-of-the-art centrifuge modelling techniques and numerical modelling, incorporating an energy-based method and yield envelopes. This innovative methodology aims to establish a validated framework for understanding and predicting foundation performance under the complex load histories arising in renewable ocean energy applications.Read moreRead less
Solutions for rapid penetration into sand for offshore energy installations. This project aims to develop a fundamental understanding of the response of saturated sand in seabeds during rapid penetration by offshore site investigation tools and foundation construction. The research is using innovative physical and advanced numerical modelling techniques to quantify the significant increase in sand resistance caused by rapid penetration, enabling reliable design and reducing risk of material fail ....Solutions for rapid penetration into sand for offshore energy installations. This project aims to develop a fundamental understanding of the response of saturated sand in seabeds during rapid penetration by offshore site investigation tools and foundation construction. The research is using innovative physical and advanced numerical modelling techniques to quantify the significant increase in sand resistance caused by rapid penetration, enabling reliable design and reducing risk of material failure associated with the high impact forces. Expected outcomes of the project include a conceptual framework and scientific-based design tool to predict the geotechnical performance of offshore installations. The research will provide the necessary scientific advances to install, moor and service offshore wind and wave energy devices more economically and efficiently.Read moreRead less