Enhancing passive cooling using flexible baffles. The project aims to develop a novel passive strategy using fluid-structure-thermal interactions to enhance passive cooling by natural convection and improve the energy efficiency of engineering systems. Comparing to the existing strategies, the new strategy does not require driving fan or pump and is quiet, reliable, self-adaptive and economical. The Multiphysics embodied in the proposal is at the leading edge of the field. Expected outcomes incl ....Enhancing passive cooling using flexible baffles. The project aims to develop a novel passive strategy using fluid-structure-thermal interactions to enhance passive cooling by natural convection and improve the energy efficiency of engineering systems. Comparing to the existing strategies, the new strategy does not require driving fan or pump and is quiet, reliable, self-adaptive and economical. The Multiphysics embodied in the proposal is at the leading edge of the field. Expected outcomes include advanced understanding of the complex Multiphysics and design rules for enhancing passive cooling by natural convection using flexible baffles. The research is expected to bring direct economic benefit to relevant industry and significant environmental and social benefit to the general public.Read moreRead less
Advanced multivariable nonlinear control methodology for matrix converters. The aim of this project is to explore a specific multivariable nonlinear control design problem. Motivation for the project arises from the control of Matrix Converters. Matrix Converters are considered one of the key enabling technologies for the electric transport of the future. However, their penetration into practice has fallen short of their promise. This is, in part, due to the associated control design problem whi ....Advanced multivariable nonlinear control methodology for matrix converters. The aim of this project is to explore a specific multivariable nonlinear control design problem. Motivation for the project arises from the control of Matrix Converters. Matrix Converters are considered one of the key enabling technologies for the electric transport of the future. However, their penetration into practice has fallen short of their promise. This is, in part, due to the associated control design problem which is extremely difficult involving coupled nonlinear dynamics and under-actuation. We plan to address these problems by using modern control system design methods. Our specific goal is to achieve a provably stable, closed loop control system whose performance is independent of unmeasured disturbances and model errors.Read moreRead less
Efficient Pipeline Transport of Highly Concentrated Wastewater Sludge . This project aims to investigate the rheology and fluid mechanics of highly concentrated wastewater sludges and develop tools to support effective pipeline designs for wastewater treatment plants. The project expects to generate new knowledge about the complex flow of concentrated wastewater which will enable predictive models to support the design and optimization of pipeline transport systems. Expected outcomes of the proj ....Efficient Pipeline Transport of Highly Concentrated Wastewater Sludge . This project aims to investigate the rheology and fluid mechanics of highly concentrated wastewater sludges and develop tools to support effective pipeline designs for wastewater treatment plants. The project expects to generate new knowledge about the complex flow of concentrated wastewater which will enable predictive models to support the design and optimization of pipeline transport systems. Expected outcomes of the project include a new toolkit that will enable wastewater treatment plants to design and optimize both existing and future pipeline systems. This will support the Australian wastewater industry to plan for future growth, increase throughput and efficiency, reduce environmental pollutants, and capital and operating costs.Read moreRead less
Application of exact coherent structures to transition and turbulence. This project aims to understand coherent structures and devise methods to prevent bypass transition to turbulence and reduce turbulent wall drag. Coherent structures in turbulence may be identified with nonlinear solutions of the exact equations of motion. Such "exact" coherent structures have their Reynolds number dependence described explicitly and apply for moderate to very large Reynolds numbers, well above the range of f ....Application of exact coherent structures to transition and turbulence. This project aims to understand coherent structures and devise methods to prevent bypass transition to turbulence and reduce turbulent wall drag. Coherent structures in turbulence may be identified with nonlinear solutions of the exact equations of motion. Such "exact" coherent structures have their Reynolds number dependence described explicitly and apply for moderate to very large Reynolds numbers, well above the range of full Navier–Stokes calculations. Understanding the fundamentals of turbulence is expected to lead to more efficient and cheaper air transportation, and better tools for climate prediction and short-term weather forecasting.Read moreRead less
A Novel Approach To Flow Control By Topography. The project will resolve important questions concerning the influence of boundary topography on transition to turbulence and on the exact coherent structures forming the backbone of turbulence.
The canonical topography known from previous work by one of the investigators is a wavy wall and, as well as resolving important issues in flow physics, the research is relevant to many flows of importance such roughness induced transition on aircraft wings, ....A Novel Approach To Flow Control By Topography. The project will resolve important questions concerning the influence of boundary topography on transition to turbulence and on the exact coherent structures forming the backbone of turbulence.
The canonical topography known from previous work by one of the investigators is a wavy wall and, as well as resolving important issues in flow physics, the research is relevant to many flows of importance such roughness induced transition on aircraft wings, flows in heat transfer/mixing devices, blood flow and the influence of topography on the atmospheric boundary layer.
Expected outcomes are an understanding of the interplay between transitional and turbulent flows with wall topography together with strategies to enhance mixing and drag reduction.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the enigma of turbulence by integrating simulation & modelling. This project will transform how turbulence and flow-induced noise is understood and predicted to help meet the challenge of ever-growing transport and energy demands in an affordable and sustainable way. This will be achieved by integrating the latest simulation advances with unique machine-learning approaches. The expected outcome will be a paradigm shift in how turbulence and noise models are created and used, informed ....Unravelling the enigma of turbulence by integrating simulation & modelling. This project will transform how turbulence and flow-induced noise is understood and predicted to help meet the challenge of ever-growing transport and energy demands in an affordable and sustainable way. This will be achieved by integrating the latest simulation advances with unique machine-learning approaches. The expected outcome will be a paradigm shift in how turbulence and noise models are created and used, informed by new scientific knowledge and data. The proliferation of these new models will allow the design and operation of more efficient, reliable and quieter technologies in the aerospace, naval and energy industries, benefitting the Australian economy and environment, and raise the international profile of our scientists.Read moreRead less
Engineering two dimensional polymers for membrane-based chemical separation. This project aims to develop novel two-dimensional polymers with precisely controlled pore-sizes for preparing membrane materials which can efficiently separate these gaseous chemicals at ambient temperatures. Key industrial chemical mixtures with similar size and boiling points are difficult to separate by conventional distillation methods. Currently, purification of olefins alone accounts for 0.3% of global energy use ....Engineering two dimensional polymers for membrane-based chemical separation. This project aims to develop novel two-dimensional polymers with precisely controlled pore-sizes for preparing membrane materials which can efficiently separate these gaseous chemicals at ambient temperatures. Key industrial chemical mixtures with similar size and boiling points are difficult to separate by conventional distillation methods. Currently, purification of olefins alone accounts for 0.3% of global energy use. The expected outcomes of the project will have a huge impact on industrial purification processing by providing a disruptive membrane technology, and will significantly reduce energy consumption and open up new routes for resources.Read moreRead less
Resolving the impact of pressure on hot and low-oxygen combustion. Despite the important role of renewable energy sources, combustion will remain essential for transportation into the foreseeable future. This project aims to investigate flames burning in a hot and low-oxygen environment. The objective is to better understand how these conditions could be applied to gas turbines. This project expects to generate new knowledge to enable a reduction in emissions, improvement in efficiency and incre ....Resolving the impact of pressure on hot and low-oxygen combustion. Despite the important role of renewable energy sources, combustion will remain essential for transportation into the foreseeable future. This project aims to investigate flames burning in a hot and low-oxygen environment. The objective is to better understand how these conditions could be applied to gas turbines. This project expects to generate new knowledge to enable a reduction in emissions, improvement in efficiency and increase in power output. Expected outcomes of this project include improved understanding of the governing physics to enable development of design tools for next-generation engines. This should provide significant benefits, such as reduced reliance on fossil fuels and a critical reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100154
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,000.00
Summary
Engineering twisted two-dimensional materials for mid-infrared detectors. This project aims to engineer twisted two-dimensional materials and develop efficient room-temperature mid-infrared detectors that sense both the intensity and polarisation of light. This project expects to generate a cost-effective, ultra-compact, and multifunctional mid-infrared optical platform with high energy conversion efficiency towards advanced sensing and imaging systems. The anticipated goal of this project is to ....Engineering twisted two-dimensional materials for mid-infrared detectors. This project aims to engineer twisted two-dimensional materials and develop efficient room-temperature mid-infrared detectors that sense both the intensity and polarisation of light. This project expects to generate a cost-effective, ultra-compact, and multifunctional mid-infrared optical platform with high energy conversion efficiency towards advanced sensing and imaging systems. The anticipated goal of this project is to deliver high value-added devices with reduced energy consumption for the electronics and photonics industries. This should provide significant economic and environmental benefits by realising technological innovations, savings in materials and energy costs, and reduced environmental impact in advanced manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL160100067
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,888,048.00
Summary
Transformational lighting: changing the way we live. Transformational lighting: changing the way we live. This Fellowship aims to advance the science of ultrathin efficient lighting technologies based on low embedded energy organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). By creating innovative semiconductor materials and diode architectures that optimise each step in light generation—from charge injection, transport and capture to light emission—the project aims to deliver transformative OLED lighting tha ....Transformational lighting: changing the way we live. Transformational lighting: changing the way we live. This Fellowship aims to advance the science of ultrathin efficient lighting technologies based on low embedded energy organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). By creating innovative semiconductor materials and diode architectures that optimise each step in light generation—from charge injection, transport and capture to light emission—the project aims to deliver transformative OLED lighting that is more efficient than standard fluorescents by 50%. The intended outcomes of the project are design rules for OLED componentry, including thin, flexible architectures for deployment in a range of environments. The project would prototype the new technology at scale, demonstrating a large-area lighting module with power efficiency of 150 lm/W.Read moreRead less