Energy Management and Control System for Off-Grid System

The goal of this research is to facilitate utilization of solar energy in Caribbean islands. Currently, the Caribbean islands mainly depend on the scarce oil-based energy resources. This research will assess and define cost effective suitable solar-PV technology with storage and associated energy management and control system for utilization of the solar energy resources available […]

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Valorization of Byproducts from Bio-diesel and Pulp/Paper Plants into Green Chemicals and Fuels

Glycerol is generated in a large quantity as a byproduct in bio-diesel plants, and hence utilization of crude glycerol for value-added chemicals (such as 1,2-propanediol – an important commodity material used in the production of polyester resins and pharmaceuticals) will yield both economic and environmental benefits to bio-diesel plants. On the other hand, the declined […]

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A comparison of the solvent extraction of betulin and betulinic acid from tree bark with a bark oil containing a complex mixture of compounds

B. W. BioEnergy Inc. produces high-quality carbon from renewable hardwood trees (birch, alder, willow and maple) in a patent-pending torrefaction process. The trees are debarked to produce the carbon which is 10-times more effective than commercial coconut carbon. Tree bark is a waste product and currently used to fuel the torrefaction process. Mi’kmaq and other […]

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Statistical advancements in the analysis of migratory movements using a novel broad-scale automated radio-telemetry array.

Partnerships among researchers and corporations are continually pushing the advancement of animal tracking technology, allowing smaller animals to be tracked for longer periods, over greater spatial scales, and at finer scale spatial resolutions. Yet the statistical analyses of these data is lagging behind. Using a novel, state-of-the-art network of 57 automated telemetry arrays distributed across […]

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Impacts of tidal turbines on marine mammals

Canada’s coastal regions are an excellent source of marine renewable energy. These regions are also popular with marine mammals, providing good feeding opportunities. However little is known about how marine mammals will be affected by tidal energy developments. Concerns include the impacts of sound on animals’ ability to find food and navigate, the indirect effects […]

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Design, optimization and testing of baffle-type parallel-channel flow field plates within a 200-cm2 fuel cell short stack with a highly-active catalyst

Enhancing the current and power density in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is one of the main challenges to their large-scale commercialization and hence in tune with the pending needs of the PEMFC industry. The volumetric power density in PEMFC stacks is strongly affected by the flow field plates due to their critical impact […]

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Determination of active surface area and gas permeability of fuel cell catalyst layers

Within a hydrogen fuel cell, the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) is generally considered a limiting component in overall performance due to sluggish oxygen reduction reaction kinetics. The proposed internship is comprised of two projects, each characterizing the materials used in the CCL. The first project will investigate the permeability of oxygen, nitrogen, and helium gases […]

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Validation of Off-gassing method and Development of Repeatability and Reproducibility of Data for the Iso-thermal Calorimetry (for ISO Standard development)

The key objective of this research is to validate the methodology for measurement of off-gassing from storage of wood pellets as well as development of data on heat generation from wood pellets. Canada is one of the main producer and exporter of wood pellets. 90% of this production belongs to British Columbia. Thus development of […]

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Optical determination of membrane defects and correlation with fuel cell performance and durability – Year two

There is a strong push toward producing fuel cells on a commercial scale. This means a greater focus on production speed and yields with a need to understand the unintended features that arise from larger-scale manufacturing processes. This project requires the set up of state-of-the-art, camera-vision, defect detection equipment to find and collect observed membrane […]

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Development of Ex-situ Mechanical Durability Tools and Thermo-mechanical Design Curves for Fuel Cell Membranes – Year two

Hydrogen powered polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are a clean energy technology that generates electricity without harmful emissions at the point of use. Current R&D efforts mainly target to commercialize PEMFCs through cost reduction and durability enhancement. The lifetime of PEMFC is limited by the degradation and failure of the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM). […]

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Magnetotelluric exploration at the Canoe Reach geothermal prospect

Geothermal energy extracts heat from the ground which can be used directly, or converted into electricity. In a geothermal power plant hot water is extracted from an underground reservoir with a borehole, and geophysics is used to locate these reservoirs. In the planned research, a geophysical method called magnetotellurics (MT) will be used to image […]

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Design and Synthesis of Stimuli Responsive Viscosifying Agents for use in Fracturing Fluids

Fluids used in hydraulic fracturing are designed to open fractures and transport proppant along the fracture to ensure conservation of the fracture. Scientists in the industry use commercially available polymers that are produced at low-cost in high volumes for other industries (e.g. water treatment) without really understanding the reasons why these polymers have the desired […]

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