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Research: 2004 Seminar
Series
Thursday 25th November 2004
- Dr Ian Wilson, Department of Chemical Engineering, University
of Cambridge, UK
- Fluid dynamic gauging - a fluid mechanical AFM?
ABSTRACT
Many materials of interest to chemical engineers
are not that easily studied using conventional techniques,
and examples are the soft-solid fouling layers that form
on reactor walls and heat exchangers. These layers are
frequently complex in terms of composition, rheology and timescale
- they can dissolve quite quickly - so ideally we'd want to
study them in situ and in real time. The technique of
fluid dynamic gauging has been developed at Cambridge from
a method to measure the thickness of such films to one which
can be used for deformation studies as well, employing a nozzle
and a slow moving Newtonian fluid to mimic the action of the
atomic force microscope, albeit at a much larger length scale. This
talk will describe the genesis of the technique, its application
to various biomaterials and polymers, and a little bit
of computational fluid dynamics.
Thursday 18th November, 2004
- Prof. Gregory S. Yablonsky, Department
of Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis
- TAP (Temporal Analysis of Products) - Theory
and Application
A TAP (Temporal Analysis of Products) - approach is discussed. The approach is considered as an advanced kinetic strategy at the boundary between traditional applied kinetics and surface science. The basic principles, examples of application in heterogeneous catalysis, particularly for selective oxidation of hydrocarbons, and theoretical framework are discusse
Thursday 11th November, 2004
ABSTRACT
The application of nanotechnology in
biology and medicine promises enormous benefits ranging from
nanosensors with new functionalities to disease diagnosis,
drug discovery and drug delivery.
Thursday 4th November, 2004
- Professor Aibing Yu, Center for Simulation and Modeling
of Particulate Systems (Simpas), The University of New South
Wales
- Microdynamic modeling and analysis of particle-fluid flow in mineral processing
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Thursday 28th October, 2004
- Dr John Bartlett, Leader, Functional Materials Section, ANSTO Materials and Engineering Science
- Nanostructural Engineering of Thin Films by Sol Gel Processing and Atomic Layer Deposition– A Materials Chemistry Perspective
ABSTRACT
Sol gel chemistry provides the “nanostructural engineer” with a range of well defined nanosized precursors for the production of thin films with tailored properties, thus providing the basis of a “bottom up” approach to the construction of materials with controlled nanostructures. This talk will present two novel approaches to the control of nanostructural evolution in oxide and nanohybrid thin films using sol gel processing. In
the first approach, ordered oxo organo titanium (IV) clusters
(including [Ti6O4](OR)8(OOR’)8 and [Ti6O6](OR)6(OOR’)6 prepared
by controlled hydrolysis of carboxylic acid modified alkoxides
are used to deposit titania coatings via spin coating and subsequent annealing. The corresponding microstructures were characterised using spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional TEM. The structure of the oxo organo titanium (IV) clusters was characterised using single crystal X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR and Raman). The
second approach involves the synthesis of organic-inorganic
hybrids, which offer a versatile new approach for fabricating
thin films for a wide range of applications, including sensors,
waveguides, integrated optics, and corrosion/scratch resistant
coatings. A critical issue for industrial applications of
these coatings is their mechanical behaviour and adhesion
to the substrate.
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Thursday 28th October, 2004
- Prof Jennifer Sinclair Curtis, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Florida
- Fluid-Particle Flows: Some Next Steps in CFD Model Development
ABSTRACT
This presentation will overview the work in my
research group in the development of improved computational
fluid dynamics (CFD) models for the simulation of both dilute
and dense-phase fluid-particle flows. Specifically, the
effects of particle clustering and particle shape will be highlighted. In
addition, the influence of the interstitial fluid on particle
velocity fluctuations and particle-phase stress will be discussed. The
linkage between DEM (Discrete Element Method) and CFD will be
shown; specifically, how DEM simulations can give insight into
improved constitutive models for the particle-phase stress to
account for the effect of particle clustering. Model
predictions are validated with experimental measurements obtained
using laser Doppler velocimetry.
Thursday 14th October, 2004
- Dr Murray Rudman, CSIRO Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology
- Direct Numerical Simulation Of The Turbulent Pipe Flow Of Shear-Thinning Fluid
ABSTRACT
The flow of non-Newtonian fluids and slurries in pipes
occurs in a wide range of practical applications in the
process industries. If the fluid has
a significant yield stress, or if its effective viscosity is high, industrially
relevant flow rates may occur in the laminar flow regime (e.g. for thickened
slurry discharge). However in some cases the flow can be turbulent,
and indeed there are advantages in operating pipe flows in a transitional
flow regime because the specific energy consumption is lowest there. Although
some experimental work has appeared on the transitional and turbulent flow
of non-Newtonian fluids, little fundamental understanding exists. General
theories of turbulence are lacking for non-Newtonian fluids, and the development
of mathematical and computational models is not well advanced. Computational
modelling of non-Newtonian flows, especially using direct numerical simulation
(DNS), shows promise in helping to understand transition and turbulence in
these fluids. The main benefit of using a DNS technique is that once
validated, it can be reliably used to model the flow behaviour and provide
a detailed picture of turbulent structure. Such a picture is difficult
to obtain experimentally especially in opaque, fine particle suspensions. The
effects of modifying individual rheological parameters can also be easily
isolated in a simulation, whereas they are often coupled in laboratory
fluids.
This talk presents the results of direct numerical simulation
of the weakly turbulent flow of non-Newtonian fluids for
two different generalised Newtonian rheology models
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Thursday 7th October, 2004
- Ms Claire Anderson, Dept of Chemical dn Biomolecular Engineering,
The University of Melbourne
- Our Energy Future - Conclusions of the World Energy Congress
2004
ABSTRACT
Can we achieve energy sustainability? How do
we stop global warming? How do we ensure that every
person, especially those in developing countries, have access
to energy? What are the future technologies? Will
we still need fossil fuels?
These important questions were passionately discussed at the recent World Energy
Congress held in Sydney from 5-9
September 2004. As part of a delegation of 200 young people from all
over the world, Clare Anderson participated in the Youth Symposium of this
World Energy Congress. In this seminar, Clare will discuss her experience
with a particular emphasis on the answers to the questions above presented
by the today’s
world energy leaders and the youth delegation.
Thursday 9th September, 2004
- Prof Anton P.J. Middelberg, ARC Federation Fellow and Professor of Bioengineering, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, Australia
- Nanostructural Bioengineering
ABSTRACT
The Centre for Nanostructural Bioengineering,
CNB, is associated with the Australian Institute of Bioengineering
and Nanotechnology and the School of Engineering. Nanostructural
Bioengineering is the field that brings together bio-molecular science and engineering
science with the aim of delivering complex nanostructured biological products
to society. The
mission of CNB is to advance the knowledge base of each discipline while
staying focused on this technological aim.
This seminar will begin with a personalized view of some of the opportunities
that present at the interface between the traditional domains of biological
science and engineering, leading into a perspective on Nanostructural Bioengineering. The
specific research thrusts of CNB, namely Nanoparticle Bioengineering and Interfacial
Bioengineering, will then be discussed in some detail. The Center's
work in Nanoparticle Bioengineering is inspired by the observation that viral
proteins can self-assemble in certain process environments to give highly defined
nanoparticles having function in a range of both medical and non-medical applications. The
Center's work in Interfacial Bioengineering seeks to understand bio-molecular
behavior at liquid-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces, and to exploit this
knowledge in a diverse set of applications including those related to food
processing and interfacial design.
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Thursday 2nd September, 2004
- Dr David Provis, Lawson and Treloar Pty Ltd
- Hydrodynamics of Port Phillip Heads, The Rip
ABSTRACT
The Port of Melbourne Corporation is examining a proposal
to deepen the shipping channels into the Port of Melbourne. This includes some deepening in Port Phillip Heads, the area known as The Rip. As part of the investigations for this project, measurements and modelling of the hydrodynamics of the heads has been undertaken. The Heads includes shallow banks with water depths of about 20 m intersected by a canyon with depths close to 100 m and near vertical walls. The
result is an area of currents in excess of 3.5 m s-1, with complex
flow patterns. It is shown to be the major control for water movements in and out of the bay. Measurements indicate strong and persistent eddies and large gradients in the sea-surface elevation as well as very strong vertical-variations in the currents. The
eddies are believed to play an important role in the exchange of water from
Bass Strait with that in the bay. The major features are well reproduced
by models with both two and three-dimensional modelling being used.
Thursday 19th August, 2004
- Professor Brian Briscoe - Dept of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College, London
- The Compaction of Powders - Recent Observations
ABSTRACT
The proposed seminar will describe recent
experiment and numerical simulation studies carried out
at Imperial College on the compaction of ceramic and pharmaceutical
powders and relate, where appropriate, these studies to
precedents in the literature. The experimental method adopted
was largely based upon single - ended - uniaxial cylindrical
die pressing normally with planar punches.
Several issues will be addressed including the development
of nonhomogeneous density gradients and the challenges
of attaining near net shape in ceramic systems. The
use of various methods will be described for both ceramic
and pharmaceutical green compacts. The phenomena of "lamination "and "capping" will
be reviewed as will be the influence of compaction stress and material
ductility upon the tensile failure stress as measured
by the Brazilian Method. The material ductility was
deduced from compaction curves and nanohardness studies.
Finally, the behaviour of certain binary pharmaceutical
systems will be review as including the general area
of ejection force profiles.
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