This internship will numerically simulate the impact of flow structures on power production from river kinetic turbines. These turbines extract renewable energy from rivers from flow velocity rather than from a drop in river levels. To date, a proper mathematical approach of how to place these turbines in a river is not available. Mathematic tools […]

We aim to use 3D stereo display to visualize a data bank of characteristics common to spiral galaxies. We plan to use an immersive environment at the Industrial Technology Centre's Virtual Reality Centre (VRC), i.e. a "half]cave" in which the user walks around and interacts with the data. Our approach will use advanced computer algorithms, […]

The wear of polyethylene components in total knee replacements is one of the major factors limiting the longevity and success of knee replacements. The project will use finite element analysis and mathematical wear calculations to model wear in a total knee replacement. The model will then be used to compare the wear rate of conventional […]

Being able to accurately determine the model parameters for multi-conductor overhead and underground cable systems is important for power transmission system simulation. Current analytical based methods are limited to simple configurations of conductors and employ approximations that limit their accuracy at high frequencies. In this project we develop a numerical Finite Integration based technique for […]

Anaerobic digestion is an environmentally-friendly process that breaks down biomass into simpler, more stable components, while simultaneously capturing energy in the form of a methane-rich biogas.  Digesters are usually used to treat wastes, such as at municipal waste facilities, or from livestock farms.  However, anaerobic digesters are not very reliable, suffering from occasional “digester upsets”.  […]

The key challenge of condition monitoring is to predict, based on non-destructive inspection and operating data, whether or not a piece of equipment needs replacing or not. In this case the piece of equipment is an overhead power conductor – a critical element in electrical power supply. Measuring the voltage level of an overhead conductor […]

Pre-cast prestressed hollow core (HC) slabs are special design components that have not received much research attention. Several structures where deterioration due to chloride penetration is problematic often contain concrete slabs. Multi-story parking structures, bridges, commercial and industrial buildings are common examples of structures exposed to adverse chemical environments. A strengthening technique resistant to such […]

For the past decade, I have been researching new types of biofilters for treatment of livestock odours.  Although I anticipate the fabrication of a prototype biofilter by April 2011, I do not expect the design team to have time to evaluate the functioning of the biofilter.  It is my intention to recruit a student during […]

Our overall project objective is to determine factors to optimize removal of nutrients and organic micropollutants (e.g., pesticides, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products aka “drugs”) in rural municipal sewage lagoons, through manipulative experiments with bench-scale and field-scale constructed wetlands.  This work will provide sound science on how best to remove such contaminants from wastewaters […]

  Navigation interfaces (such as scrolling, zooming, and panning) are the key components that help users move between different views on a document. The project’s goal is to enhance current user interfaces for collaborative search tasks. Initially, we will use spatial documents (ie, maps) to explore potential enhancements. We will also provide visual features, to […]

  There are about 180 public water treatment plants in Manitoba relying on surface water with high organic content as their source of supply. Organic carbon reacts with disinfecting chlorine forming potentially carcinogenic disinfection byproducts. Portage la Prairie water treatment plant is an example of typical Manitoba lime/soda water treatment plants facing the challenge of […]

Microwave tomography (MWT) is a relatively new imaging modality that uses electromagnetic radiation to illuminate an object. Using the scattered field by the object of interest, MWT reconstructs the image of the object. We have been doing research on this topic for a few years and we have successfully developed several computational-imaging algorithms and experimental […]