Tracking and managing the dynamic location of mobile assets is critical for many organizations with mobile resources. Current tracking systems are costly and inefficient over wireless transmission systems where cost is based on the rate of data being sent. The intern is part of a team at UOttawa which focuses on tracking GPS-enabled mobile devices mounted on the asset by understanding the behaviour of typical traffic generated by a mobile device for reporting GPS data in various demographics.

Litens Automotive currently uses an axially mounted non-contact magnet based rotational position sensor in several applications to accurately and precisely measure shaft rotational position. This type of sensor has no moving parts, which allows it to be extremely durable with respect to useful life. With this robustness, coupled with low per unit cost, it has great potential to be used in mass produced items.

There are about 180 public water treatment plants in Manitoba relying on surface water as their source of supply. Optimization of water treatment processes offers many operational savings for these plants. Portage la Prairie and Sanford water treatment plants are examples of typical Manitoba water treatment plants. Both plants utilize lime/soda softening processes to remove water hardness. The softening process requires serious water pH control, otherwise it can lead to the precipitation of calcium carbonate particle that causes excessive wear on filters, among other consequences.

Modern society is highly dependant on electricity; large scale blackouts can cost billions of dollars. High-voltage power transmission systems that transmit electricity from the generating stations to load centres could be subjected to a variety of disturbances such as faults, lightening strikes etc. These transmission systems must be protected against faults using suitable protective equipment to ensure the safety of equipment and people.

This research project will develop a numerical model of in-floor-heated slab foundations in Manitoba. With in-floor-heated slab foundations, it is important to know how to insulate the foundation to minimize heat losses to the ground while preventing frost heave. The proposed model will be used to analyze the effects of the amount and placement of insulation and the placement of in-floor-heating tubes in the foundation on energy transfer to the building exterior and ground.

Haptics is a growing area of robotics in which users physically interact with dynamic real/virtual environments via active robotic hand-controllers, known as “haptic devices”. Recent emerging applications of haptic technology such as rehabilitation or surgical training simulators require stable high-performance human-to-human interaction in real/virtual environments. Such haptic interaction requires powerful high-performance haptic devices that can produce large force/torque levels suitable for human-level interactions over sustained periods of time.

Real-time simulators are increasingly important in power system studies and equipment tests by manufacturers, universities, research institutes and power system utilities. Yet their capability for accurately simulating some aspects of very large systems is limited by the burden of additional hardware requirements. Thus, the aim of this project is to develop an improved wide-band system equivalent technique for the real-time digital simulator (RTDS) that will improve its capabilities on super-large power systems.

Tidal currents can provide a significant and predictable source of renewable energy. This project will research the use of composite materials for the blades of a tidal turbine to harness this energy. The rotor blades are currently made of steel, which leads to several problems in the marine environment, expensive manufacturing processes and difficulties in handling (due to weight). Composites are potentially able to solve these problems.

This research project is a study of the engineering design process. The goal is to study the design process at Manitoba Hydro to better understand: how design works, how information flows, and how the process is communicated. The intern’s research team will study the design process from within the organizational environment. This will involve a study of how research is conducted and how information flows between different levels within the design groups. The results of this study will be a better understanding of the design process within the corporate environment.

Many chemical reactions can produce unwanted byproducts which require additional purification steps and lead to unwanted waste. Additional purification steps consume large amounts of energy, and waste products can have a significant environmental impact. The chemistry can be modified so that the desired products are favored over the unwanted byproducts, and the mixing can be intensified so that molecules are more rapidly and intimately mixed. Both of these approaches will reduce byproducts.