Self-heating of porous lignocellulosic and coal particles. This project develops models for spontaneous heating of materials, which have substantial value to Australian economy, and whose self-heating behaviour have led to loss of life and significant material losses in industries processing these materials. The results will be immediately applicable to evaluate risks of spontaneous ignition in process plants in a more rigorous manner than performed presently. Furthermore, findings of this inv ....Self-heating of porous lignocellulosic and coal particles. This project develops models for spontaneous heating of materials, which have substantial value to Australian economy, and whose self-heating behaviour have led to loss of life and significant material losses in industries processing these materials. The results will be immediately applicable to evaluate risks of spontaneous ignition in process plants in a more rigorous manner than performed presently. Furthermore, findings of this investigation will allow considerable improvement in estimating green house gas emissions as a consequence of spontaneous combustion.Read moreRead less
Fundamental Fire Properties From Extinction and Piloted Ignition Experiments of Solid Fuels. Current approval methods for determining fire properties of construction materials are often incorrect in yielding properties that can be used in situations removed from test conditions. The main aim of this project is to obtain fundamental fire properties by examining the ignition and extinction processes of diffusion flames near solid surfaces. The project undertakes detailed study of flame spread in ....Fundamental Fire Properties From Extinction and Piloted Ignition Experiments of Solid Fuels. Current approval methods for determining fire properties of construction materials are often incorrect in yielding properties that can be used in situations removed from test conditions. The main aim of this project is to obtain fundamental fire properties by examining the ignition and extinction processes of diffusion flames near solid surfaces. The project undertakes detailed study of flame spread in the direction opposite to the flow of air, which defines the initial fire growth and is important in fire propagation. Results from this project will provide scientific underpinning for the development of approval standards for new materials, which are needed to support Australia's transition from prescriptive to performance based building codes.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0238345
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$373,000.00
Summary
Advanced Laser Diagnostics in Dilute Heterogeneous Combustion. This proposal seeks to establish a state-of-the-art laser diagnostics facility with unique capabilities for non-intrusive measurements in dilute multi-phase flows. Such heterogeneous flows which involve stationary surfaces, disperse suspended droplets or suspended particles are found in many applications including engines, furnaces, industrial and chemical processing and micro-combustion devices. This facility will give Australian re ....Advanced Laser Diagnostics in Dilute Heterogeneous Combustion. This proposal seeks to establish a state-of-the-art laser diagnostics facility with unique capabilities for non-intrusive measurements in dilute multi-phase flows. Such heterogeneous flows which involve stationary surfaces, disperse suspended droplets or suspended particles are found in many applications including engines, furnaces, industrial and chemical processing and micro-combustion devices. This facility will give Australian researchers the unprecedented opportunity to perform measurements of flow, mixing, temperature and composition fields in the gas and liquid or solid phases simultaneously. The resulting data will advance current knowledge in these complex flows and lead to new and improved reactor designs.
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Atomisation and Combustion Physics of Australian Bio-oils. Australia is highly dependent on fossil fuels for energy production and transport, and this dependence is growing. Wide spread substitution of liquid hydrocarbon fuels by indigenous renewable bio-oil has the potential to improve Australian's energy outlook and assist in reaching greenhouse gas targets. Understanding the interrelationships between the physical and chemical properties of bio-oil, its atomisation, droplet formation and com ....Atomisation and Combustion Physics of Australian Bio-oils. Australia is highly dependent on fossil fuels for energy production and transport, and this dependence is growing. Wide spread substitution of liquid hydrocarbon fuels by indigenous renewable bio-oil has the potential to improve Australian's energy outlook and assist in reaching greenhouse gas targets. Understanding the interrelationships between the physical and chemical properties of bio-oil, its atomisation, droplet formation and combustion physics is fundamental to the delivery of an efficient and reliable combustion process using this fuel. Measurements using laser based diagnostics of the atomisation flow, droplet formation and combustion process will provide the experimental data to understand this complex interrelationship.Read moreRead less
Enabling low greenhouse gas emissions from road vehicles through the proper use of alternative fuels. A major increase in alternative transport fuel use appears necessary in our response to the challenges of climate change and energy security. This proposal will advance our fundamental understanding of key aspects of the combustion of particular alternative fuels, thus enabling proper engine design and so maximising greenhouse and energy security benefits. Further, the Australian automotive indu ....Enabling low greenhouse gas emissions from road vehicles through the proper use of alternative fuels. A major increase in alternative transport fuel use appears necessary in our response to the challenges of climate change and energy security. This proposal will advance our fundamental understanding of key aspects of the combustion of particular alternative fuels, thus enabling proper engine design and so maximising greenhouse and energy security benefits. Further, the Australian automotive industry is a major employer and exporter, and needs to develop and/or maintain international leadership in low emission technologies to ensure its long term viability. This proposal builds a consortium of local organisations with common interests, thus helping local industry respond to several, significant challenges that they presently face.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0454172
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,127.00
Summary
Facility for Analysis of Thermal Decomposition of Solid Materials at High Pressures. This submission aims to establish an integrated facility for studying the kinetics of solid and gas-solid reactions at elevated temperatures and high pressures; a piece of infrastructure that is urgently needed in Australia. The facility will consist of a high-pressure thermal gravimetric analyser (TGA) able to operate at up to 5 MPa, which will be coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS) for identification and quan ....Facility for Analysis of Thermal Decomposition of Solid Materials at High Pressures. This submission aims to establish an integrated facility for studying the kinetics of solid and gas-solid reactions at elevated temperatures and high pressures; a piece of infrastructure that is urgently needed in Australia. The facility will consist of a high-pressure thermal gravimetric analyser (TGA) able to operate at up to 5 MPa, which will be coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS) for identification and quantification of gaseous reaction products. The facility constitutes unique and significant national research infrastructure for the simultaneous acquisition of mass loss kinetic measurements together with characterisation and quantification of emission rates of gaseous fragments generated in the reaction. As a major outcome, the facility will provide a means for consistent investigation of kinetics of elemental reactions occurring in solids, or on solid surfaces during pyrolysis and gasification processes at high pressure.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0230569
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$175,000.00
Summary
INTEGRATED PARTICLE IMAGE THERMOMETRY / VELOCIMETRY FACILITY. This proposal seeks to establish a specialised Particle Image Thermometry / Velocimetry (PITV) facility for simultaneous three-dimensional measurements of global temperature and velocity fields in complex flows. The proposed facility is needed to obtain experimental validations for theories and models developed for complex reacting and non-reacting flows that are strongly influenced by transient behaviour. Applications of PITV include ....INTEGRATED PARTICLE IMAGE THERMOMETRY / VELOCIMETRY FACILITY. This proposal seeks to establish a specialised Particle Image Thermometry / Velocimetry (PITV) facility for simultaneous three-dimensional measurements of global temperature and velocity fields in complex flows. The proposed facility is needed to obtain experimental validations for theories and models developed for complex reacting and non-reacting flows that are strongly influenced by transient behaviour. Applications of PITV include, but are not limited to, low-temperature reacting flows, mixing, jets, wakes, shear layers, time-dependent multiphase flows, unsteady turbulent flows, complex rotating machinery and other periodic flows, as well as natural convection studies.Read moreRead less
Development of engine management systems for turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engines with optional natural gas port-injection. This project aims to develop universal and programmable engine management systems for gasoline direct-injection engines with lean-burn technology and optional natural gas port-injection. The new engine management system will enable higher fuel efficiency than its predecessors and the increased use of nationally-produced natural gas. The project aims to overcome th ....Development of engine management systems for turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engines with optional natural gas port-injection. This project aims to develop universal and programmable engine management systems for gasoline direct-injection engines with lean-burn technology and optional natural gas port-injection. The new engine management system will enable higher fuel efficiency than its predecessors and the increased use of nationally-produced natural gas. The project aims to overcome three main problems that limit efficiency improvement of direct-injection engines, namely: misfiring, unstable combustion, and soot emission. How these issues are impacted by additional natural gas port-injection will also be explored. This project aims to accomplish this by combining fundamental in-cylinder optical measurements and detailed modelling.Read moreRead less
Microwave-generated plasma combustion for in-cylinder soot reduction. Microwave-generated plasma combustion for in-cylinder soot reduction. This project aims to develop a microwave-generated plasma combustion system for the in-cylinder formation of hydroxyl radicals, achieving cost-effective reduction of engine-out emissions in diesel engines. This new system should overcome high-load particulate emissions and high-cost fuel injection systems, which limit further improvement of diesel engines. T ....Microwave-generated plasma combustion for in-cylinder soot reduction. Microwave-generated plasma combustion for in-cylinder soot reduction. This project aims to develop a microwave-generated plasma combustion system for the in-cylinder formation of hydroxyl radicals, achieving cost-effective reduction of engine-out emissions in diesel engines. This new system should overcome high-load particulate emissions and high-cost fuel injection systems, which limit further improvement of diesel engines. This project expects to accomplish this by combining laser diagnostics in optical combustion facilities and computational modelling, which should lead to the scientific knowledge accelerating the development cycle of the new system.Read moreRead less
Development of low emissions compression-ignition engines via ethanol port-injection dual-fuelling. The project aims to develop a more efficient and more cost-effective way of utilising clean-burning ethanol fuel. Port-injection fuelling of ethanol as a separate fuel stream in compression-ignition engines will be studied fundamentally and combined with novel combustion strategies to overcome problems that occur at high ethanol substitution.