The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s (ANSTO) computer modeller, Dr Guan Heng Yeoh, will be awarded a prestigious Brennan Medal by the UK’s Institute of Chemical Engineers for his work with bushfire planning.
The award recognises the best book published by the Institute each year. Dr Yeoh’s work involves modelling the direction of fires and his book, Computational Techniques for Multiphase Flows, examines the mixed or multiphase flows of substances commonly found in many industrial fields.
The behaviour is complex and often difficult to predict so modelling of responses when conditions change at a nuclear reactor, for example, or a large chemical plant, is vital because it can help enhance safety, reliability and optimise operating margins, according to ANSTO.
Dr Yeoh, who has also authored two text books on fluid dynamics, sits on the Fire Research Advisory Committee and several academic institutions to consult on modelling the direction of fires.
He said computational fluid dynamics is emerging as a powerful tool with numerous applications in the chemical, petroleum, mining, food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.
“This field has become more widespread as computers have become more powerful,” he said in a statement. “Because of this, we are able to put more information into our models, which means we can expect future work in this field to include fewer approximations and much more physics.”
Dr Yeoh will receive the Brennan Medal later this year.