Dr Peter Ireland

Dr. Peter Ireland was born in May 1975 in Sydney, Australia. He obtained his B.Sc. (Physics Hons.) from the University of Sydney in 1997 and his Ph.D. (Applied Physics) from the University of Sydney in 2002. His Ph.D. thesis was on impact fracture of glass. After spending several years as full-time carer for his two children, he joined the Centre for Multiphase Processes at the University of Newcastle in mid-2004. He has since become a member of the PRC for Advanced Particle Processing and the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources. Peter's research interests deal with the fundamental physics behind a number of processes in the minerals industry.

From the beginning of 2006-2010, his focus was on the electrostatic separation of particles under the aegis of AMSRI (the Australian Minerals Science Research Institute) Program 3 (Innovative processing). This work included experimental studies of frictional charging sliding particle beds, the behaviour of dense charged particle streams falling in an electric field, and a theoretical study of the effect of surface contact statistics on contact and sliding charging. This work will be continued and expanded from 2012 onward with the support of an ARC Future Fellowship. -

From 2006-2010 he led the Triboelectric Separation project within the Australian Minerals Science Research Institute (AMSRI), funded by the Australian Research Council and AMIRA International. He is currently the Chief Investigator on an Australian Research Council Discovery project, "Mass transport mechanisms in aqueous foam". - He has published papers on fundamental topics such as tribocharging of surfaces and particles and physics of foams and liquid films, and on applied topics such as froth flotation and electrostatic separation and beneficiation. - His work on triboelectric separation received the 'Young Author Award' at the XXV International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC), Brisbane (2010), and the 'Young Scientist Award' of the European Working Party “Static Electricity in Industry” (EFCE), at the 11th International Conference on Electrostatics, Valencia (2009). - He has worked as a consultant to Cement Australia, the largest provider of cement products and services in Australia, advising on electrostatic issues during cement processing. - Peter's Ph.D. was on fracture and failure of brittle materials, and he has carried this interest into the sphere of particle comminution (size reduction by crushing, grinding, or other means) A review paper on the physics of single-particle comminution is currently in preparation. In particular, he is interested in bringing some of the recent advances in the field of fracture mechanics to bear on the study of comminution.

Research Expertise
Peter's research interests deal with the fundamental physics behind a number of processes in the minerals industry. From 2006-2010, his focus was on the electrostatic separation of particles under the aegis of AMSRI (the Australian Minerals Science Research Institute) Program 3 (Innovative processing). This work included experimental studies of frictional charging sliding particle beds, the behaviour of dense charged particle streams falling in an electric field, and a theoretical study of the effect of surface contact statistics on contact and sliding charging. From 2012 onward, he will be continuing and expanding this work with the support of an ARC Future Fellowship. Peter has also investigated the factors affecting the forces on a coarse particle moving through an aqueous foam. This project has led to a number of important breakthroughs in understanding the interaction of foams and double surfactant films with imperfectly-wetted surfaces. He has also published a series of articles on the fluidisation and flow of liquid through aqueous foams, work that is applicable to fluidised media in general. Work continues on these topics, supported by an ARC Discovery grant. Peter's Ph.D. was on fracture and failure of brittle materials, and he has carried this interest into the sphere of particle comminution (size reduction by crushing, grinding, or other means) A review paper on the physics of single-particle comminution is currently in preparation. In particular, he is interested in bringing some of the recent advances in the field of fracture mechanics to bear on the study of comminution.

Teaching Expertise
Teaching experience: CHEE3920 - Guest lecturer - Comminution (2007- ) MATH2470 - Guest lecturer - Partial differential equations (2011- )


Collaborations
- Ph.D. project at the University of Sydney investigated the mechanisms of impact fracture in a window glazing system produced by the project's industry sponsor, Nippon Sheet Glass. - Since mid-2004, has worked on a variety of projects related to the mineral processing industry. Project on triboelectric separation (2006-2010) was funded as part of the Australian Mineral Science Research Institute (AMSRI), a linkage project between the ARC and AMIRA international (P924) with funding from some of the largest mineral processing companies in the world, including BHP Billiton, Xstrata, Anglo-American and Rio Tinto. - Work on flotation has directly addressed problems relevant to the mineral processing industry - for example, my work on the injection of wash water into foams led directly to development of a new wash water distributor for flotation cells, currently in the pilot stage. - Since 2010, Has been a consultant on electrostatic phenomena to Cement Australia, the largest provider of cement products and services in Australia.