Dr Sam Evans
Lecturer
School of Engineering
- Email:samuel.evans@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:(02) 4921 8879
Career Summary
Biography
Samuel is an early career researcher and Lecturer in the School of Engineering. He has over ten years' experience as a mechanical engineer in both industry and academia. He was awarded his PhD in 2017 on the topic of small wind turbine aeroelasticity, and continues to be active in this research field. This work has led to improved methodologies for predicting blade fatigue life and quantifying design loads as specified in the small wind turbine design standard (IEC 61400.2).
Samuel's secondary research interest focuses on computational biomechanics. This exciting field combines the application of computer aided engineering, medical imaging, and biology. Samuel initiated collaborative research on the feeding behaviour of the endangered sawfish species with biologists at Murdoch University. This resulting journal article received national and international media coverage in; New Scientist, Australian Geographic, Fairfax media, and Nine Network news. He has also undertaken collaborative research into the application of finite element analysis for modelling the biomechanics of bone tissue with colleagues at the University of New England.
Samuel is a co-founder of Diffuse Energy Pty Limited. This company is currently in the process of commercialising novel highly-efficient wind turbine technology developed within the University of Newcastle. Diffuse Energy have successfully completed both the CSIRO ON Prime and ON Accelerate programs (Australia’s national innovation accelerator program).
Research interests:
- Aeroelastic modelling of wind turbines (FAST)
- Classification of the built environment wind resource
- Wind turbine design standards (IEC 61400.2-2013)
- Computational biomechanics
- Finite element analysis
Collaborations:
- Murdoch University - Optimising the operation of small wind turbines in urban environments
- University of New England - Developing computational models of bony structures
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Newcastle
- Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Hons), University of Newcastle
Keywords
- Computational biomechanics
- Finite element analysis
- Renewable energy
- Wind turbines
Languages
- English (Mother)
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 091399 | Mechanical Engineering not elsewhere classified | 50 |
| 090608 | Renewable Power and Energy Systems Engineering (excl. Solar Cells) | 50 |
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
| Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|
| Lecturer | University of Newcastle School of Engineering Australia |
Invitations
Speaker
| Year | Title / Rationale |
|---|---|
| 2019 |
The 6th annual Off Grid and Stand Alone Power Conference Invited Conference Chair |
| 2018 | IMPACT7 2018 |
Teaching
| Code | Course | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| MECH4580 |
Computer Aided Engineering and Manufacturing Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment - The University of Newcastle (Australia) |
Course coordinator | 1/01/2017 - 30/06/2018 |
| MECH1110 |
Mechanical Drawing/CAD and Workshop Practice Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment - The University of Newcastle (Australia) |
Course coordinator | 1/07/2017 - 31/12/2018 |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Journal article (7 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 |
Evans SP, Bradney DR, Clausen PD, 'Development and experimental verification of a 5¿kW small wind turbine aeroelastic model', Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, 181 104-111 (2018) [C1]
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| 2018 |
Evans SP, Bradney DR, Clausen PD, 'Assessing the IEC simplified fatigue load equations for small wind turbine blades: How simple is too simple?', Renewable Energy, 127 24-31 (2018) [C1] © 2018 It is well known that wind turbine blades are fatigue critical, with much literature and methodologies available for assessing fatigue loading of large wind turbine blades.... [more] © 2018 It is well known that wind turbine blades are fatigue critical, with much literature and methodologies available for assessing fatigue loading of large wind turbine blades. Little research effort has been directed at assessing the fatigue life of small wind turbines which operate at higher rotational speeds and are subject to highly unsteady aerodynamic loading. In this paper the simplified load model proposed in IEC 61400.2 is used to determine the fatigue life of a small 5 kW wind turbine blade. This estimated life is compared to that determined from both measured operational data and aeroelastic simulations. Fatigue life was estimated by the standard at 0.09 years, compared to 9.18 years from field measurements and 3.26 years found via aeroelastic simulations. All methods fell below the 20 year design life, with the standard over-conservative by a factor of 102 and 36 for measurements and simulations respectively. To the best of the authors¿ knowledge these three fatigue methods specified in the standard have not been quantitatively compared and assessed for small wind turbines. Results are of importance to small wind turbine developers as they seek best practice for determining blade fatigue life. Shortcomings of the IEC methodology are detailed and discussed.
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| 2018 |
Wroe S, Parr WCH, Ledogar JA, Bourke J, Evans SP, Fiorenza L, et al., 'Computer simulations show that Neanderthal facial morphology represents adaptation to cold and high energy demands, but not heavy biting', PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 285 (2018) [C1]
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| 2017 |
Bradney DR, Davidson A, Evans SP, Wueringer BE, Morgan DL, Clausen PD, 'Sawfishes stealth revealed using computational fluid dynamics', JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, 90 1584-1596 (2017) [C1]
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| 2017 |
Evans SP, KC A, Bradney DR, Urmee TP, Whale J, Clausen PD, 'The suitability of the IEC 61400-2 wind model for small wind turbines operating in the built environment', Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability, 2 (2017) [C1]
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| 2015 |
Evans SP, Clausen PD, 'Modelling of turbulent wind flow using the embedded Markov chain method', Renewable Energy, 81 671-678 (2015) [C1] © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. Small wind turbines are usually installed to provide off-grid power and as such can be situated close to the load in a less-than-ideal wind resource. These wi... [more] © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. Small wind turbines are usually installed to provide off-grid power and as such can be situated close to the load in a less-than-ideal wind resource. These wind regimes are often governed by low mean speeds and high wind turbulence. This can result in energy production less than that specified by the manufacturer's power curve. Wind turbulence is detrimental to the fatigue life of key components and overall turbine reliability and therefore must be considered in the design stage of small wind turbines. Consequently it is important to accurately simulate wind speed data at highly turbulent sites to quantify loading on turbine components. Here we simulate wind speed data using the Markov chain Monte Carlo process and incorporate long term effects using an embedded Markov chain. First, second and third order Markov chain predictions were found to be in good agreement with measured wind data acquired at 1Hz. The embedded Markov chain was able to predict site turbulent intensity with a reasonable degree of accuracy. The site exhibited distinctive peaks in wind speed possibly caused by diurnal heating and cooling of the earth's surface. The embedded Markov chain method was able to simulate these peaks albeit with a time offset.
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| 2012 |
Evans SP, Parr WCH, Clausen PD, Jones A, Wroe S, 'Finite element analysis of a micromechanical model of bone and a new 3D approach to validation', Journal of Biomechanics, 45 2702-2705 (2012) [C1]
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| Show 4 more journal articles | |||||||||||
Conference (3 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |
Evans SP, Bradney DR, Clausen PD, 'Aeroelastic measurements and simulations of a small wind turbine operating in the built environment', Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Munich, Germany (2016) [E1]
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| 2016 |
Bradney DR, Evans SP, Da Costa MSP, Clausen PD, 'Comparison of computational modelling and field testing of a small wind turbine operating in unsteady flows', Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Munich, Germany (2016) [E1]
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| 2014 |
Evans S, Clausen PD, 'High Resolution Wind Speed Modelling of Turbulent Flow using Markov Chain Monte Carlo Simulation', Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Conference: Australian Solar Energy Society (Australian Solar Council), Melbourne (2014) [E1]
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Thesis / Dissertation (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Evans SP, Evans SP, Aeroelastic measurements, simulations, and fatigue predictions for small wind turbines operating in highly turbulent flow, University of Newcastle (2017) |
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 9 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $169,996 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20184 grants / $67,000
Minimum Viable Product grant$50,000
Funding body: NSW State Government
| Funding body | NSW State Government |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Jobs for NSW |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2018 |
| Funding Finish | 2019 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | C2220 - Aust StateTerritoryLocal - Other |
| Category | 2220 |
| UON | N |
CSIRO ON Accelerate - High Performing Team Grant$10,000
Funding body: CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
| Funding body | CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Australia's National Innovation Accelerator Program |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2018 |
| Funding Finish | 2018 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | External |
| Category | EXTE |
| UON | N |
Teaching Innovation Investment Scheme$5,000
Funding body: Centre for Teaching and Learning, The University of Newcastle
| Funding body | Centre for Teaching and Learning, The University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Teaching Innovation Investment Scheme |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2018 |
| Funding Finish | 2018 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
Research Conference Travel Grant$2,000
Funding body: Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment - The University of Newcastle (Australia)
| Funding body | Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment - The University of Newcastle (Australia) |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Faculty Conference Travel Grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2018 |
| Funding Finish | 2018 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
20175 grants / $102,996
Develop and optimise a cement lined water based end pipe fitting technology$33,108
Funding body: Pipe Lining & Coating Pty Limited
| Funding body | Pipe Lining & Coating Pty Limited |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Associate Professor Phil Clausen, Professor Craig Wheeler, Doctor Sam Evans |
| Scheme | Entrepreneurs’ Programme: Innovation Connections Partner Funding |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2017 |
| Funding Finish | 2017 |
| GNo | G1700887 |
| Type Of Funding | C3111 - Aust For profit |
| Category | 3111 |
| UON | Y |
Develop and optimise a cement lined water based end pipe fitting technology$33,108
Funding body: Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
| Funding body | Department of Industry, Innovation and Science |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Associate Professor Phil Clausen, Professor Craig Wheeler, Doctor Sam Evans |
| Scheme | Entrepreneurs' Programme: Innovation Connections |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2017 |
| Funding Finish | 2017 |
| GNo | G1700933 |
| Type Of Funding | C2110 - Aust Commonwealth - Own Purpose |
| Category | 2110 |
| UON | Y |
Quantifying the turbulent built environment wind resource$18,780
Funding body: Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment - The University of Newcastle (Australia)
| Funding body | Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment - The University of Newcastle (Australia) |
|---|---|
| Scheme | FEBE Strategic Pilot Grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2017 |
| Funding Finish | 2018 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
CSIRO ON Accelerate 4$15,000
Funding body: CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
| Funding body | CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Australia's National Innovation Accelerator Program |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2017 |
| Funding Finish | 2018 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | External |
| Category | EXTE |
| UON | N |
CSIRO On Prime Grant$3,000
Funding body: CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
| Funding body | CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation |
|---|---|
| Scheme | ON Prime |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2017 |
| Funding Finish | 2017 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | External |
| Category | EXTE |
| UON | N |
Research Supervision
Number of supervisions
Current Supervision
| Commenced | Level of Study | Research Title | Program | Supervisor Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | PhD | Fluid Rotations and Power Efficiency of Wind Turbine | PhD (Mechanical Engineering), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
| 2017 | PhD | Modelling the Structural Response of Small Wind Turbine Blades Subject to Unsteady Aerodynamic Loading | PhD (Mechanical Engineering), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
| 2016 | PhD | Effect of Wind Gusts on Small Wind Turbines | PhD (Mechanical Engineering), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, The University of Newcastle | Co-Supervisor |
Research Collaborations
The map is a representation of a researchers co-authorship with collaborators across the globe. The map displays the number of publications against a country, where there is at least one co-author based in that country. Data is sourced from the University of Newcastle research publication management system (NURO) and may not fully represent the authors complete body of work.
| Country | Count of Publications | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 8 | |
| Germany | 1 | |
| United Kingdom | 1 | |
| Italy | 1 | |
| United States | 1 |
News
Wind turbine innovator wins Stanford University Scholarship
April 20, 2018
Sawfish’s fearsome snout evolved to be undetectable to prey
March 29, 2017
Sawfish are the ultimate stealth hunters, study finds
March 24, 2017
Why the endangered sawfish is the ultimate stealth killer
March 23, 2017
Dr Sam Evans
Position
Lecturer
School of Engineering
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment
Contact Details
| samuel.evans@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Phone | (02) 4921 8879 |
| Links |
Twitter Personal webpage YouTube |
Office
| Room | ES402 |
|---|---|
| Building | Engineering Science |
| Location | Callaghan University Drive Callaghan, NSW 2308 Australia |
NEWS • Apr 20.2018
Wind turbine innovator wins Stanford University Scholarship
A University of Newcastle innovator who developed a small wind turbine with remarkable capacity, has won the inaugural Stanford Australia Foundation – CSIRO Scholarship.
NEWS • Mar 29.2017
Sawfish’s fearsome snout evolved to be undetectable to prey
The sawfish’s long, rigid snout – called a rostrum – looked oddly similar to some of the industrial wind turbine blades he had investigated as a professor of engineering at Australia’s University of Newcastle.
NEWS • Mar 24.2017
Sawfish are the ultimate stealth hunters, study finds
New research has shed light on the function of the distinctive 'saw' on sawfish – and how it enables the unusual species to sneak up on its prey.
NEWS • Mar 23.2017
Why the endangered sawfish is the ultimate stealth killer
Researchers at the University of Newcastle have shown that the water dynamics of the sawfish's weapon make it one of nature's deadliest stealth predators.
