Detection of natural gas diversion in residential pipelines is important for public safety. Detection of such diversion in a nonintrusive manner is important for customer satisfaction and the companies’ reputation. This project aims to develop non-intrusive guided-wave ultrasonic testing methods combined with machine learning to detect and locate diversions in residential gas pipes. These pipes are commonly polyethylene pipes connected to a steel riser, and are deployed below ground.

FortisBC proposes to replace a pipeline in Kamloops, B.C. Of concern are habitat losses, loss of native plant communities and alteration of the composition of plant communities due to introduction of invasive species. My research addresses the role of order of seed arrival, called priority effects, and soil amendments such as straw matting and wood ash in facilitating ecosystem restoration after pipeline replacement.

The proposed study will focus on extending the Wilden Living Lab (WLL) Research Program by constructing a net-zero house (as the third house of the program) with new material combinations and construction practice. A post occupancy evaluation will be conducted to identify cost-effective material selection tools for building energy-efficient detached homes. Accordingly, a net-zero house will be built in collaboration with the partners, and the user behavioral data will be monitored and assessed for the next 3 years.

The Paris Agreement, which was signed in December 2015 and went into effect in November 2016, outlines a framework for a new market mechanism that could incentivize countries to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs). ITMOs enable countries to transfer emissions reduction credits between countries to efficiently find those areas where emissions could be reduced most efficiently and cost-effectively, thus resulting in greater net reductions globally.

This project investigates substitution of fossil fuels with electricity from renewable sources for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in British Columbia. Burning natural gas, gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products heats our buildings, drives out cars, and powers our industries. Electricity generated from hydro, wind, and solar power can provide those same services, but producing sufficient electricity from variable sources at the right time remains challenging.

The Paris Agreement, which was signed in December 2015 and went into effect in November 2016, outlines a framework for a new market mechanism that could to incentivize countries to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs). ITMOs enable countries to transfer emissions reduction credits between countries to efficiently find those areas where emissions could be reduced most efficiently and cost-effectively, thus resulting in greater net reductions globally.

Detection of natural gas diversion in residential pipelines is important for public safety. To maintain utilities companies’ reputation and customer satisfaction, such diversion must be detected in a nonintrusive manner, without digging or using endoscope cameras. Thus, it is important to develop techniques for residential gas pipeline diagnosis using an external small device that can detect a diversion if it exists, and determine its location. The goal of this project is to develop non-intrusive diversion detection and localization techniques using ultrasound signals and signal processing.

FortisBC Energy Inc. is exploring novel technologies and methods for mercaptan monitoring to detect natural gas leakage in industrial, field, and household settings. Since commercial mercaptan detectors are bulky and expensive, there is a need for low-cost and miniaturized mercaptan detectors. The proposed project will lead to the development of a handheld mercaptan detector which will integrate a highly sensitive and selective microfluidic-based mercaptan sensor.

Exploring the best smart energy choices to meet the growing energy needs of British Columbia (BC) is important due to Canada’s new climate change mitigation targets as well as the rising economic burdens of energy use. A collaborative study has been proposed between UBCO and FortisBC identify smart solutions energy conservation, climate change mitigation, demand side management, and the development of net-zero communities, and to provide recommendations and define long-term implementation strategies for the above smart energy choices.

The main mission of FortisBC is delivering energy (in the form of electricity and natural gas) safely and reliably at the lowest reasonable cost with lowest emissions. Any maloperations or unexpected interruptions in equipment of the energy supply network may lead to unreliable and unsafe conditions of power delivering to the consumers. For this purpose, continuous monitoring of the condition of the significant elements of the network is a vital need. This project aims to focus on two main components of the energy network, i.e., Power Transformers, and Transmission Pipelines.