Dr Brian Kirke

After graduating in civil engineering from the University of Adelaide in 1967, I worked in a variety of positions, ranging from professional engineer to lecturer in Aboriginal languages at SACAE. From an early age I have been interested in sustainability issues such as renewable energy and water supply. At the end of 2003 I resigned from a full time academic position at Griffith University, where I taught structural design, stress analysis, dynamics and hydraulics, to give more time to pursue interests relating to sustaibability. In 2004 I took up a position as an adjunct senior research fellow in the Sustainable Energy Centre at UniSA. In this position I have developed and taught MENG4014 Developments in Vehicle Technology, supervised undergraduate projects on tidal energy, wave enegy and pumped hydro energy storage, and assessed the potential for carbon sequestration and wastewater treatment by algae, with biodiesel as a byproduct. I am currently working on a retofit hybrid car project while doing private consulting on tidal turbine design.

PhD thesis in pdf, plus some other documents on current research interests

SEADOV: sustainable energy and desalination on vessel - an ambitious project to produce fresh water using renewable energy

• Sustainable energy

Fellow, Institution of Engineers, Aust

Member, Australian Water Association

Member, ANZ Solar Energy Society

BE (Civil)

ME (Civil)

PhD

• Hydrokinetic turbine design
• Vertical axis wind turbine design
• Surface pump design for efficient circulation and water quality maintenance in storage reservoirs
• Wind and wave-powered pumping for reverse osmosis desalination, artificial upwelling to enhance fish stocks, and sand pumping for river mouth stabilisation

Kirke, B.K. and Lazauskas, L. (2008), “Variable Pitch Darrieus Water Turbines.” JSME J. Fluid Sc & Tech. V.3, No.3, 430-438.

Kirke, B.K. (2003), "Enhancing fish stocks with wave-powered artificial upwelling." Ocean and Coastal Management 46, 901-915.

Kirke, B.K. (2002), "Problem solving by bridging between diverse disciplines and industry sectors." Int.J. Water Res. Development, Vol.18, No.1, 99-110.

Kirke, B.K. (2000). "Circulation, Destratification, Mixing and Aeration: Why and How?" Water (J.Aust Water Assoc), Vol.27, No.4, July, 24-30.

Kirke, B.K. and Elgezawy, A.S. (1997). "Design and Model Tests for an Efficient Mechanical Circulator/Aerator for Lakes and Reservoirs." Water Research 31/6, 1283-1290.

Kirke, B.K. (1996). "Optimum Matching of Non-electrical Loads to Wind Turbines." J. Power, Proc. Inst of Mech Engs, Vol 210, 213-221.

I am able to provide media comment in the following areas of expertise:

Discipline: Engineering

• Wind, tidal and wave energy
• steel structures
• reservoir destratification