Dynamic CFD Simulations and Scale-Up of Three-Phase Slurry Reactors for Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) Technology. The gas-liquid-solid flow patterns in three-phase slurry bubble column reactors will be studied using experiments and CFD. The effect of various reactor parameters will be studied to develop the scale-up heuristic for the slurry bubble column reactor. The Findings of this study will be used to optimise the reactor system for the offshore natural gas locations of Australia. A successful impleme ....Dynamic CFD Simulations and Scale-Up of Three-Phase Slurry Reactors for Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) Technology. The gas-liquid-solid flow patterns in three-phase slurry bubble column reactors will be studied using experiments and CFD. The effect of various reactor parameters will be studied to develop the scale-up heuristic for the slurry bubble column reactor. The Findings of this study will be used to optimise the reactor system for the offshore natural gas locations of Australia. A successful implementation of this project will bring a huge economic benefit to Australia by utilising the vast amount of remotely located and otherwise unusable stranded natural gas reserves. The project falls within one of National Research Priorities: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Hydrodynamics of Bubble Column Reactors. This project will study the hydrodynamics of bubble columns with the aim of optimising these reactors for offshore gas-to-liquid plants. Along with experiments using the state-of-art techniques such as the particle image velocimetry, radioactive particle tracking, electrical capacitance tomography and optical probes, computational fluid dynamics simulations will be conducted to gain a deeper insight into bubble-induced turbulence and regime transitions in ....Hydrodynamics of Bubble Column Reactors. This project will study the hydrodynamics of bubble columns with the aim of optimising these reactors for offshore gas-to-liquid plants. Along with experiments using the state-of-art techniques such as the particle image velocimetry, radioactive particle tracking, electrical capacitance tomography and optical probes, computational fluid dynamics simulations will be conducted to gain a deeper insight into bubble-induced turbulence and regime transitions in these reactors. This information will then be used to devise scale-up strategies of these complex and industrially important equipment.Read moreRead less
Improving the efficiency of silent discharge plasma systems through an effective high voltage power converter design match. The proposal seeks to develop important new technologies which will have an impact on our environment. Australia suffers from water resource scarcity and SDPSs represents an accepted solution for waste-water treatment. The project has significant implications for improving the cleanliness and efficiency of our energy production systems. Improved operation of SDPSs will enab ....Improving the efficiency of silent discharge plasma systems through an effective high voltage power converter design match. The proposal seeks to develop important new technologies which will have an impact on our environment. Australia suffers from water resource scarcity and SDPSs represents an accepted solution for waste-water treatment. The project has significant implications for improving the cleanliness and efficiency of our energy production systems. Improved operation of SDPSs will enable better filtering of vehicle exhaust emissions and through the capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide which reduces green gas emission. This will improve the efficiency of ozoniser systems which has many benefits as ozone is one of the most useful and environmentally friendly oxidising agents.Read moreRead less
The development of homogeneous catalytic processes for the manufacture of new chemical products derivable from Australia's resources. The research proposed is deliberately aimed at exploiting opportunities that will arise as a result of changes that are taking place in the global petrochemical industry. It is almost certain that Australia will take part in these changes through the utilisation of its gas and coal reserves and abundant biomass. Early advances in the processes that are presented a ....The development of homogeneous catalytic processes for the manufacture of new chemical products derivable from Australia's resources. The research proposed is deliberately aimed at exploiting opportunities that will arise as a result of changes that are taking place in the global petrochemical industry. It is almost certain that Australia will take part in these changes through the utilisation of its gas and coal reserves and abundant biomass. Early advances in the processes that are presented above will allow Australian industries to benefit from these changes, and will allow significant value-adding to Australia's resources.Read moreRead less
New metal-molecule binding motifs for self-assembled monolayers and nanodevices. The goal of this research is to investigate technologically interesting electronic materials using new molecular assemblies. We explore their application in some fundamental components of molecular electronic systems and anticipate that knowledge gained from our investigations will have significant impact on the field of nanotechnology, especially in the area of molecular electronics. Our basic research will contrib ....New metal-molecule binding motifs for self-assembled monolayers and nanodevices. The goal of this research is to investigate technologically interesting electronic materials using new molecular assemblies. We explore their application in some fundamental components of molecular electronic systems and anticipate that knowledge gained from our investigations will have significant impact on the field of nanotechnology, especially in the area of molecular electronics. Our basic research will contribute to Australia's reputation as a source of innovative research and ideas in an area where there is growing international momentum.Read moreRead less
Radicals in unconventional media - improving the sustainability of radical reactions through next generation ionic liquid radical chemistry. Despite significant advances over the past few decades, many free radical reactions are still carried out in organic solvents that are often toxic, flammable, difficult to recycle and employ undesirable reagents. It is timely that new free radical chemistry be developed that moves away from this "conventional" landscape. This proposal will develop a fundame ....Radicals in unconventional media - improving the sustainability of radical reactions through next generation ionic liquid radical chemistry. Despite significant advances over the past few decades, many free radical reactions are still carried out in organic solvents that are often toxic, flammable, difficult to recycle and employ undesirable reagents. It is timely that new free radical chemistry be developed that moves away from this "conventional" landscape. This proposal will develop a fundamental understanding of how free radicals interact with, and react in, (unconventional) ionic liquid solvents. This understanding will lead, in turn, to the development of new, more efficient, free radicals methods for the preparation of important materials that include biomolecules. Reduced environmental impact of free radical chemistry is the ultimate aim of this work.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of Pyrolytic Thermal Regions in Coal Macerals using Computer Aided Thermal Analysis. The research will assist in the fundamental understanding of coal pyrolysis mechanisms. All coal contains proportions of different fossilised plant material, which behaves differently when heated. This proposal studies thermal behaviour of the density separated fractions in Australian coals using a highly sensitive technique. The characterisation adds value and use to current coal reserves and ....Characterisation of Pyrolytic Thermal Regions in Coal Macerals using Computer Aided Thermal Analysis. The research will assist in the fundamental understanding of coal pyrolysis mechanisms. All coal contains proportions of different fossilised plant material, which behaves differently when heated. This proposal studies thermal behaviour of the density separated fractions in Australian coals using a highly sensitive technique. The characterisation adds value and use to current coal reserves and is aimed towards producing an advanced modelling capability to promote efficient coal usage in existing and future technologies. Such innovative approaches support the sustainability of Australian coal reserves, particularly in the transition towards decarbonised energy.Read moreRead less
Scaleable Microstructured Chemical Process Systems. This project seeks to revolutionize the way bulk chemicals are made industrially. By combining highly integrated process designs, with profound process intensification, we will create the basis for chemical process technology that is efficient and economical at relatively small scale. This development will reinvigorate the Australian chemical industry, with enormous benefits to the country in terms of improved security of supply of chemicals an ....Scaleable Microstructured Chemical Process Systems. This project seeks to revolutionize the way bulk chemicals are made industrially. By combining highly integrated process designs, with profound process intensification, we will create the basis for chemical process technology that is efficient and economical at relatively small scale. This development will reinvigorate the Australian chemical industry, with enormous benefits to the country in terms of improved security of supply of chemicals and fuels and reduced trade deficit. This new type of plant will be scaleable and without the technical risk normally associated with plant scale-up. At the smallest scale, it will be mobile and able to utilise remote and dispersed feedstocks such as stranded natural gas, coal bed methane, or biogas. Read moreRead less
Autonomous Discovery of Green Inhibitors. The project aims to develop autonomous material design by integrating evolutionary algorithms and robotic experimentation. The project expects to pioneer a new method of materials discovery that could cut discovery times to 20% of traditional methods. Its expected to have significance through its discovery of new classes of corrosion inhibitors that are safe to both humans and the environment. The expected outcomes of this project will be a rapid disc ....Autonomous Discovery of Green Inhibitors. The project aims to develop autonomous material design by integrating evolutionary algorithms and robotic experimentation. The project expects to pioneer a new method of materials discovery that could cut discovery times to 20% of traditional methods. Its expected to have significance through its discovery of new classes of corrosion inhibitors that are safe to both humans and the environment. The expected outcomes of this project will be a rapid discovery methodology that can be used across materials science and new classes of safe corrosion inhibitors. This should provide significant benefits to workplace n safety and the environmental impact of the coatings industry while also increasing the rapid of innovation of new materials.Read moreRead less
Tracking flood waters over Australia using space gravity data. This project aims to assess the utility of near-real-time data from the currently operating space gravity satellite mission to quantify and track flood waters in Australia. Through analysis of the satellite data and fusion of observed signals with rainfall, river flows and conventional hydrological modelling, it expects to create new knowledge of soil moisture and movement of flood waters. Expected outcomes include a capability to im ....Tracking flood waters over Australia using space gravity data. This project aims to assess the utility of near-real-time data from the currently operating space gravity satellite mission to quantify and track flood waters in Australia. Through analysis of the satellite data and fusion of observed signals with rainfall, river flows and conventional hydrological modelling, it expects to create new knowledge of soil moisture and movement of flood waters. Expected outcomes include a capability to improve hydrological models by including the information of water signals obtained from the near-real-time observations. This should provide significant benefits such as more accurate land saturation maps and better predictions of runoff and flood risk.Read moreRead less