Study level

  • PhD
  • Vacation research experience scheme

Faculty/School

Faculty of Engineering

School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering

Topic status

We're looking for students to study this topic.

Research centre

Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy

Supervisors

Associate Professor Geoff Kent
Position
Principal Research Fellow
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Engineering
Dr Floren Plaza
Position
Senior Research Fellow
Division / Faculty
Faculty of Engineering

Overview

Cane sugar factories, while producing sugar and molasses, provide their own energy and power from the sugar cane biomass residue, are green house gas neutral and can export renewable electricity to the grid.  The performance of the milling train in extracting juice and dewatering the biomass bagasse residue are key components of the operation.  Understanding and modelling the process are seen as a way forward to improve the performance, for example by reducing the final bagasse moisture below the current levels.

Research activities

  • Adopt a recently improved structural Finite Element Model (FEM) in real time of the crushing process (LS-Dyna and ANSYS), understand how to use it.
  • Add automatic re-meshing option so that mesh distortion does not affect the solution process
  • Add permeability flow to model the flow of juice, development of pressure and effective stress
  • Predict the loads, torques and material compactions achieved and compare with industry measurements

Outcomes

An improved understanding and model of the crushing process, possibly improved reproduction of industrial measurements and indication of how to improve the process.

Skills and experience

A candidate needs a good understanding of structural behaviour and interest and previous skills in computer aided modelling.

Scholarships

You may be eligible to apply for a research scholarship.

Explore our research scholarships

Keywords

Contact

Contact the supervisor for more information.