Dr Madoc Sheehan completed his PhD in chemical/environmental engineering (molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics modelling of solvent reactions) at UMIST in Manchester in 1999 before joining as a lecturer in the Chemical Engineering discipline at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. He is currently a senior lecturer at James Cook University. Dr Sheehan has a diverse range of interdisciplinary research interests associated with process modelling, energy conservation, drying and de-watering. These include the development, validation and use of CFD, geometry and process systems models in the multi-scale modelling of particulate drying systems, particularly flighted rotary drying. Dr Sheehan has been modelling flighted rotary dryers for more than 20 years with direct experience in industries such as minerals processing (nickel and zinc), raw sugar milling and bagasse and macro algae drying. Dr Sheehan also researches bioreactor design, optimisation and life cycle analysis in bio-film microalgae and other applications. Dr Sheehan is a passionate teacher and has worked on the design and mapping of engineering curriculum in order to embed sustainability into undergraduate education. He has received National and Institutional teaching and learning awards for both his curriculum work as well as for innovations in his assessment and teaching practices. 

Teaching

• CL2501: Process Analysis (Level 2; TSV)
• CL4071: Chemical Engineering Design (Part 1 of 2) (Level 4; TSV)
• CL4538: Bioprocess Engineering (Level 4; TSV)

Interests

Professional

• Sugar Research Australia (SRA) - invited to set strategic research directions in Milling Research

Research

• Water quality and risk assesment - GBR Cleveland bay Drying Heat and mass transfer algae bio-films multiscale modelling Particles Algae Drying CFD simulation Image analysis
• Enhancing energy productivity in sugar mill cogeneration systems: boiler and dryer modelling, bagasse drying rates, sustainability and life cycle analysis

Teaching

• Systems analysis Modelling Life cycle assessment Sustainability Design

Research Disciplines

• Interdisciplinary Engineering (0915)
• Industrial Biotechnology (1003)
• Chemical Engineering (0904)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Renewable Energy (8505)
• Energy Conservation and Efficiency (8507)

Awards

• 2019 to 2020 - NQLD Australian water association - Best paper award (with Laura Kuskopf)
• 2018 to 2019 - Co-author in best Student Paper award - Aust Soc Sugar Cane Tech. conference, Townsville (Giles Bezzina)
• 2017 - Co-author in best Student Paper award - Aust Soc Sugar Cane Tech. conference, Townsville (Harrison Slogrove: bagasse drying models
• 2014 - Highly Commended: Education and Training award, 2014 IChemE Global Awards.
• 2014 - Co-author in best Student Paper award - Aust Soc Sugar Cane Tech. conference, Townsville (Jarrah May: bagasse dryer design)
• 2013 - Co-author in best Student Paper award - Aust Soc Sugar Cane Tech. conference, Townsville (Jon Gilberd: bagasse dryer integration)
• 2013 - JCU Teaching citation - Embedding sustainability
• 2012 - JCU TropEco curriculum award (highly commended)
• 2007 - JCU Teaching citation - Complex systems analysis
• 2007 - ALTC - Carrick Australian award in T&L - Complex systems analysis

Fellowships

• 2011 to 2012 - JCU Teaching & Learning Academy Fellowship: Embedding sustainability in engineering education

Other

• 2009 to 2012 - QLD Gov't - Curriculum Refresh Project: Embedding sustainability in engineering

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Hammond L, Bai L, Sheehan M and Walker C (2018) Experimental analysis and diffusion modelling of solar drying of macroalgae - Oedogonium sp. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 65. pp. 427-432
• Afshar S and Sheehan M (2017) CFD and infrared thermography of particle curtains undergoing convection heat transfer: image analysis and edge prediction. Powder Technology, 325. pp. 167-179
• Holmes D, Sheehan M, Birks M and Smithson J (2017) Development of a competency mapping tool for undergraduate professional degree programmes, using mechanical engineering as a case study. European Journal of Engineering Education, 43 (1). pp. 126-143
• Palma H, Killoran E, Sheehan M, Berner F and Heimann K (2017) Assessment of microalga biofilms for simultaneous remediation and biofuel generation in mine tailings water. Bioresource Technology, 234. pp. 327-335
• Yin S, Tuladhar R, Sheehan M, Combe M and Collister T (2016) A life cycle assessment of recycled polypropylene fibre in concrete footpaths. Journal of Cleaner Production, 112 (Part 4). pp. 2231-2242
• Afshar S, Sheehan M and Fazlollahi A (2015) Using CFD to derive reduced order models for heat transfer in particle curtains. Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, 15 (2). pp. 71-80
• Ajayi O and Sheehan M (2015) Pseudophysical compartment modeling of an industrial flighted rotary dryer with flighted and unflighted sections: energy. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 54 (49). pp. 12331-12341

Conference Papers

• Bezzina G, Sheehan M and Walker C (2018) The influence of gas velocity and fibre density on the drying kinetics of bagasse. Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. In: ASSCT 2018: 40th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, 17-20 April 2018, Mackay, QLD, Australia
• Claxton C, Rodman D and Sheehan M (2018) Influence of ethanol and sulphite dosing on oxygen scavenging in sugar mill boiler feedwater. Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. In: ASSCT 2018: 40th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, 17-20 April 2018, Mackay, QLD, Australia
• Afshar S and Sheehan M (2017) Applying infrared thermography and image analysis to dilute 2-phase particulate systems: hot particle curtains. Energy Procedia. In: 1st International Conference on Energy and Power (ICEP2016), 14-16 December 2016, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Slogrove H, Sheehan M and Walker C (2017) Modelling and experimental determination of the drying kinetics of Bagasse fibre. Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. In: ASSCT 2017: 39th Annual Conference of the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists, 3-5 May 2017, Cairns, QLD, Australia
• Berner F, Heimann K and Sheehan M (2015) A perfused membrane biofilm reactor for microalgae cultivation in tropical conditions. Proceedings of the 16th Asia Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering Congress. In: APCChE 2015: 16th Asia Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering Congress, 27 September - 1 October 2015, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 54+ research outputs authored by Dr Madoc Sheehan from 2000 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Sph Modeling of the Physics of Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage in Heavy Oil Recovery. (PhD , Advisor Mentor)
• Assessment of the Ecological Risk of Emerging Contaminants Released from the Cleveland Bay Purification Plant (CBPP) (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Sustainability Evaluation for Macroalgae Processing (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Nutrient recovery from source separated urine — Modelling and experimental study (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Optimizing bio-oil production from biomass using catalytic pyrolysis (PhD , Secondary Advisor/AM)

Completed

• Assessment & design of perfused microalgal biofilm cultivation processes (2016, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Kinetic investigations of struvite crystallisation in Poiseuille flow using discretised population balance methods (2017, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Investigations on biochar production from biosolids via microwave assisted pyrolysis and its potential applications (2018, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Intrusion, wall fountain and stratification of homogeneous fluid in confined space filling with fountains (2019, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Modelling and infrared thermal imagery of hot particle curtains (2015, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Harnessing seasonal GCM forecasts for crop yield forecasting through multivariate forecast post-processing methods (2019, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.