
PhD (University of Southern Qld)
Biography:Floren Plaza has approximately 24 years experience in delivery to industry in factory research, consulting, maintenance, reliability, and capital projects. Floren has a proven record of delivering improvements through the application of Computational Fluid Mechanics (CFD) for fluid flow for equipment including boilers and process vessels, and the application of Finite Element Analysis (FEM) to the structural analysis of equipment. Floren also has some experience in the application of Discrete Element Methods (DEM) to industry problems, including coupling of DEM with CFD, and a particular interest in the development of solid mechanics models and their coding into commercial software. Boiler skills include site inspections, measurements and application of modelling to deliver:
- Assessment of boiler efficiency and capacity performance.
- Identification of causes of boiler problems such as dust emissions.
- Boiler modifications for improved combustion performance, heat transfer performance, reduced wear of convection bank, air heater and economiser tubes, and reduced corrosion of air heater tubes. The economic benefits obtained are substantial, for example, increasing the convection bank tube life by 50% has a benefit of approximately $500,000 over 10 years in Australia.
Overseas boiler modifications carried out including in Nicaragua, Argentina, Mauritius, and China. Responsible for tendering and supervision of capital projects in Australian sugar factory including the delivery of furnace and convection bank re-tubes, water pumps and air compressors to the value of ~$4 million. Detailed involvement in energy studies and environmental audits as well as many process projects, for example, the design, supervision of drafting and manufacturing, and operation of portable pilot evaporators at sugar factories. Detailed involvement in experimental equipment design. For example, the design, drafting, manufacturing, and commissioning of a permeability and diffusivity rig for sugar cane straw that can measure properties in two directions for the same material sample. In 2003 Floren Plaza was awarded a PhD entitled ´Measuring, modelling and understanding the mechanical behaviour of bagasse´. The multi-disciplinary project was aimed towards understanding the behaviour of sugar cane materials during the extraction of juice from sugar cane and how to model that behaviour. A special soil direct shear test geometry was designed to measure the mechanical (compression, shear and volume) behaviour of sugar cane prepared cane and bagasse which could cope with the large deformations experienced by sugar cane materials. It was shown that prepared cane and bagasse behave like a soil, that is, that bagasse exhibits critical state behaviour at the large range of pressures that are present in the milling process (3 kPa to 20 MPa). Then statistical analysis was carried out using specialised Parameter Estimation software (PEST) to show which material parameters, and their values, could be determined from different parts of the data. A critical state elastic-plastic material model from the soil literature was modified and showed improved reproduction of bagasse behaviour than existing models available in commercial software. Subsequently, preliminary modelling was carried out using the finite element package ABAQUS of the three roll pressure feeder of an Australian milling unit using the measured material parameters and the improved material model. The project provided a platform from which the milling process could be better understood and improved.
Projects (Chief investigator)
- Strategies to minimise impacts of processing existing soft cane varieties, and industry cost/benefit analysis
- Technical and Financial assessment of natural flocculant production from Australian bagasse biomass
Projects
- Assess operations at each Australian factory to identify opportunities for improvement
- Biogas from sugarcane
- Development and evaluation of a pilot scale bagacillo removal system from juice
- Development of factory training for the Australian Sugar Industry
- Evaluate the operational performance and industry application for the final evaporator design at Victoria Mill
- Mercurius Australia
Additional information
Professional Experience:
- 2008 to current Senior Research Fellow / Senior Engineer, Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Qld. University of Technology, Brisbane.
- 2006 to 2007 Boiler Reliability Engineer, Kalamia Mill, CSR Sugar.
- 2005 to 2005 Senior Research Fellow / Senior Engineer, Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Qld. University of Technology, Mackay.
- 2004 to 2005 Senior Engineer, Engineering group, Sugar Research Institute, Mackay
- 1991 to 2004 Engineer, Engineering group, Sugar Research Institute, Mackay.
- 1990 to 1991 Research Railway Engineer, Systems Engineering group, Sugar Research Institute, Mackay.
- Plaza F, Mann A, Joyce K, (2006) Improved Estimates of Boiler Performance by Combining Empirical and CFD Models, Proceedings of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 2006 p409-414
- Plaza F, (2011) A further step in the modelling of the mechanical behaviour of bagasse, International Sugar Journal p505-508
- Kent G, Plaza F, Booth A, Quagliata P, (2012) Pelleting mill mud and ash, International Sugar Journal p16-20
- Rainey T, O'Hara I, Mann A, Bakir H, Plaza F, (2013) Effect of depithing on the safety and environmental aspects of bagasse stockpiling, Process Safety and Environmental Protection p378-385
- Steindl R, Rainey T, Plaza F, (2010) Low moisture mud from solid bowl decanters, Proceedings of the 27th International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists Congress p1-12
- Dixon T, Mann A, Plaza F, Gilfillan W, (2005) Development of advanced technology for biomass combustion - CFD as an essential tool, Fuel p1303-1311
- Mann A, Dixon T, Plaza F, Joyce J, (2005) Opportunities for improving the performance and reducing the costs of bagasse-fired boilers, International Sugar Journal p404-409
- Mann A, Dixon T, Plaza F, Joyce J, (2005) Opportunities for Improving the Performance and Reducing the Costs of Bagasse-fired Boilers, International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists Proceedings of the XXV Congress p241-247
- Title
- Improved modelling of wet scrubbers (4046)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT055
- Start year
- 2012
- Keywords
- Title
- Increasing Awareness of New Material Options to Reduce Factory Maintenance Costs
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT042
- Start year
- 2010
- Keywords
- Materials;Sugar Mill;Wear;Seminar
- Title
- Determination of factory processing procedures to better manage sugar quality issues(4045)
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- QUT057
- Start year
- 2012
- Keywords
- Clarification;Crystallisation;Sugar Manufacturing;Sugar Quality