Dr Frank Darmann
Electrical Project Engineer
Phone +61 (02) 9717 9863
Mobile +61 425 203 095
Email Frank.Darmann@ansto.gov.au
Frank Darmann manages the Bragg Electrical Engineering team - consisting of seven ANSTO staff and two external contractors - for Neutron Beam Instrumentation. The scope of work includes motion control, safety interlock systems, general automation, control cabinet construction, clean earthing, cabling, and commissioning with an emphasis on standardisation, maintainability, superior quality, and compatibility between instruments and instrument control systems; as well as budgeting and reporting to PCG and BIAG. To date, this work has involved the integration of 202 axes of motion control including motors, encoders, cabling, connectors, and limit switches, as well as the management and construction of nineteen control cabinets built in house by ANSTO staff and contractors for seven instruments.
Franks areas of expertise include project management, planning, budgeting, electro-magnetics, patenting, motion control, safety interlocking, cryogenics, vacuum systems and general automation.
Frank joined ANSTO as an electrical project engineer in 2003. He has over eight years experience in electrical design and project management and is widely published in the field of High Temperature Superconductivity (HTS) particularly in relation to the practical aspects of AC losses and their accurate measurement in practical superconducting devices, theoretical and practical aspects of the design of HTS Transformers, and the design of new types of Fault Current Limiters incorporating HTS. When Frank is not working he is either jumping waves, endurance swimming, or hiking in the wilderness
Qualifications and achievements:
- PhD, MBA, BSc (Physics, Hons), BE(Hons)
- UNSW Department of Energy award for research into superconducting cryogenic calorimeter ($600k)
- Spirt grant and industrial sponsorship in support of PhD studies ($90k)
- ARC APAI grant in support of two PHD students ($350k)
- Australian Strategic Technology Partnership (ASTP) program funding for research into Fault Current Limiters ($60k)
- Six international patents approved, four pending
Key Publications
Pilz PSS systems protect nuclear scientists and;
Safeguards at Australia's nuclear reactor world's best
Media article December 2006
F. Darmann, "Determination of the AC losses of Bi-2223 HTS coils at 77 K at power frequencies (40 to 200 Hz) using a mass boil-off calorimetric technique", IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 13(1), 1-6 (2003)
F. Darmann, "New Fault Current Limiters for utility applications using High Temperature Superconducting Coils", Proceedings of TechCon, (2003)
F. Darmann, "Design and loss calculations of a 100-kVA transformer employing multi-filamentary Bi-2223 Ag sheathed superconducting tapes", Cryogenics, 41(9), 611-621 (2001)
F.Darmann, "Calculation of the critical current in pancake-coiled long length Bi-2223/Ag tapes in non-uniform local magnetic fields perpendicular to the grain alignment axis", Cryogenics, 39(5), 445-451, (1999)
F. Darmann, C. Friend and T. P. Beales, "AC losses of filamentary HTS twisted filament round wires and flat tapes", IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 9(2), 789-792 (1999)
F. Darmann, R. Zhao, G. McCaughey, M. Apperley and T. P. Beales, "Properties of Z stack elongate (Bi2-xPbx)Sr2Ca2Cu3O10-d/Ag Manufactured by the Tape-in-Tube technique", Physica C, 306(1-2), 75-81 (1998)
F. Darmann, R. Zhao, G. McCaughey and, M. H. Apperley, "Electrical and Magnetic Properties of individual layers of filaments in Ag-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes", Superconducting Science and Technology, 11, 1024-1027 (1998)
F. Darmann, R. Zhao, G. McCaughey and M. H. Apperley, "Transport AC losses of multifilament Ag-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes with periodically arranged filaments in the ZX configuration, Superconducting Science and Technology", 11(10), 1049-1052 (1998)
F. Darmann, R. Zhao, G. McCaughey and M. H. Apperley, "Design considerations for a High Temperature Superconducting Coil suitable for the manufacture of a 1 Tesla magnet", IEAust EECON/AUPEC, (1998)