
PhD (Process Control) Qld
BE, ME Zhejiang
Professor Jie Bao is a Process Control expert of international repute, particularly in dissipativity/passivity based process control. He is the Director of ARC Research Hub for Integrated Energy Storage Systems and also leads the Process Control Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering. He has been awarded over AUD 12 million competitive research funding (excluding infrastructure funding) in the field of process control, control theory and applications, including 11 Australian Research Council Discovery Projects/ARC Large grants, 1 CSIRO National Flagship project, 1 ARC Industry Research Hub Project, 1 Australian Coal Association Research Program project and several major industrial research grants. His research interests include dissipativity theory-based process control, networked and distributed control systems, system behavioural theory and control applications in membrane separation, flow batteries, coal preparation and Aluminium smelting. He has published extensively in major process control and chemical engineering journals. He is an Associate Editor of Journal of Process Control (an International Federation of Automatic Control affiliated journal) and Associate Editor of Digital Chemical Engineering (an IChemE affiliated journal). He also serves on the International Federation of Automatic Control Technical Committees: Chemical Process Control (TC6.1); Mining, Mineral and Metal Processing (TC6.2).
Title of project and names of Chief Investigators |
Source and scheme |
Duration |
Amount AUD$ |
Data-based Control of Process Feature Dynamics through Latent Behaviours (DP220100355) Chief Investigator: J. Bao |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2022-2024 | $405K |
Improved Redox Flow Batteries and Integration into the Grid Chief Investigators: C. Menictas, J. Bao, M. Skyllas-Kazacos, K. Meng |
ARC Research Hub/Industry |
2022-2024 | $996K |
A System Behavioral Approach to Big Data-driven Nonlinear Process Control (DP210101978) Chief Investigator: J. Bao International Partner Investigator: B. Huang (University of Alberta) |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2021-2023 |
$449K |
ARC Research Hub for Integrated Energy Storage Solutions (IH180100020) Key Chief Investigators: J. Dong, G.X. Wang, R. Amal, K.F. Aguey-Zinsou, J. Bao Leading Virtual Storage theme |
ARC Industry Research Hub (Category 1 grant) |
2019-2025 |
$3,058K |
Power Modulation of Aluminium Smelting Cells for Power Demand–Supply Balancing Chief Investigators: J. Bao, B.J. Welch, M.Skyllas-Kazacos |
ARC Research Hub/Industry (Emirate Global Aluminium) co-funding |
2020-2024 |
$1,000K |
A Distributed Optimization-based Approach to Flexible Plantwide Control using Differential Dissipativity (DP180101717) Chief Investigator: J. Bao International Partner Investigator: J.F. Liu (University of Alberta) |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2018-2020 |
$383K |
Advanced Distributed Cell Control for Aluminium Smelting Cells Chief Investigators: J. Bao and B.J. Welch |
Industry (Emirate Global Aluminium) |
2018-2023 |
$867K |
Advanced Anode Current Monitoring System for Aluminium Reduction Cells, UNSW-EGA Collaborative Research Project Chief Investigators: J. Bao, B.J. Welch and Y.C. Yao |
Industry (Emirate Global Aluminium) |
2020-2023 |
$209K |
An Integrated Approach to Distributed Fault Diagnosis and Fault-tolerant Control for Plantwide Processes (DP160101810) Chief Investigator: J. Bao |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2016-2018 |
$285K |
Control of Distributed Energy Storage System using Vanadium Batteries (DP150103100) Chief Investigators: J. Bao, M. Skyllas-Kazacos |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2015-2017 |
$341K |
Dissipativity based Distributed Model Predictive Control for Complex Industrial Processes (DP130103330) Chief Investigator: J. Bao International Partner Investigator: J.F. Liu (University of Alberta) |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2013-2015 |
$315K |
Anode current distribution monitoring and analysis Chief Investigators: J. Bao, M. Skyllas-Kazacos and B.J. Welch |
Industry (DUBAL) |
2013-2015 |
$528K |
Feedback destabilizing control of electro-osmotic flow for reducing fouling and enhancing productivity of membrane systems (DP110101643) Chief Investigators: J. Bao and D.E. Wiley International Partner Investigator: A. Alexiadis |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2011-2014 |
$276K |
Advanced Dynamic Control for Paste Thickeners – First stage for control of complete CHPPs (C21055) Chief Investigators: J. Bao (UNSW project leader), G. Bickert (GBL Process project leader) |
Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) (Category 1 grant) |
2012-2013 |
$131K |
Plantwide control of modern chemical processes from a network perspective (DP1093045) Chief Investigator: J. Bao International Partner Investigator: B.E. Ydstie (Carnegie Mellon University) |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2010-2014 |
$280K |
Breakthrough Technology for Primary Aluminium - Advanced Control (process data and regulation approaches) (Project 9B) Chief Investigators: J. Bao, B.J. Welch and M. Skyllas-Kazacos |
CSIRO Light Metal National Flagship Research Cluster Fund (Category 1 grant) |
2009-2012 |
$438K |
Dynamic Controllability Analysis for Plantwide Process Design and Control (DP0558755) Chief Investigators: J. Bao and P.L. Lee |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2005-2007 |
$178K |
Defining Fundamental Principles for the Design and Operation of Membrane Systems from Time-Varying Performance Analysis (DP0343073) Chief Investigators: D.E. Wiley, J. Bao, D.J. Clements and D.F. Fletcher |
ARC Discovery Projects (Category 1 grant) |
2003-2005 |
$375K |
Passivity-based Fault-tolerant Decentralized Control for Linear and Nonlinear Processes (A00104473) Chief Investigators: J. Bao and P.L. Lee |
ARC Large Projects (Discovery) (Category 1 grant) |
2001-2003 |
$201K |
Interaction analysis and decoupling control of complex processes (CH060018) Chief Investigator: J. Bao |
DEST International Science Linkages |
2007-2009 |
$16K |
Studies on Failure-tolerant Decentralised Control based on the Passivity Theorem Chief Investigator: J. Bao |
ARC small (Category 1 research grant) |
2000 |
$16K |
CURRENT/RECENT RESEARCH PROJECTS:
Power Modulation of Aluminium Smelting Cells for Power Demand–Supply Balancing (ARC Industry Research Hub/Emirate Global Aluminium, 2020-2023, $1000K)
The aluminium smelting process is very energy-intensive, with Australia’s smelting industry consuming 29.5 TWh of electricity in 2007, representing 13% of total electricity generated in Australia. Existing aluminium smelting operations typically operate at constant current levels to reduce the variability of the smelting process and simplify process operation. However, this approach results in little flexibility in power modulation of smelting cells. New smelting process operation strategies, and cell monitoring and control approaches will be developed to allow flexible power modulation. This will enable the production rate of aluminium to be reduced or increased to match the supply of power and/or electricity prices. Such virtual storage can provide significant benefits to the stability and efficiency of the electricity network while reducing operating costs for aluminium producers. There are major challenges in power modulation of aluminium smelting cells. Variable amperage may lead to significant problems in heat balance of the cells and current efficiency, and abnormal conditions may occur if the smelting cells are not tightly controlled. The research will focus on (1) studying the feasible operation ranges that minimise irreversible damage to smelting cells based on coupled thermal and mass balance of the smelting cells; (2) cell monitoring approaches that can detect and thereby avoid any abnormal operation conditions caused by power modulation, including using individual anode current measurements, and (3) advanced process control approaches for tightly controlling operations of smelting cells with varying current, based on multivariable nonlinear control theory.
In collaboration with Prof. Maria Skyllas-Kazacos, Prof. Barry J. Welch, Nadia Ahli and Amal Aljasmi.
Advanced Anode Current Monitoring System for Aluminium Reduction Cells (Industrial Project sponsored by Emirate Global Aluminium, 2020-2021, $209K)
This project aims to develop a prototype of the smart sensing system for monitoring aluminium reduction cells, which requires low maintenance. Soft-sensor techniques based on a multi-level extended Kalman filter is developed to estimate the important process variables in real time.
Supported by Emirate Global Aluminium, in collaboration with Prof. Barry J. Welch.
My Teaching
I teach the following subjects:
and also mentor