Shale reservoirs have become a very important source of hydrocarbons, especially in North America. Shales are rocks with very low permeability and therefore, produce the hydrocarbons stored in them is difficult. In order to do it, oil companies have to inject high pressurized fluids to break the rock. But, by using this unique strategy, most hydrocarbons are being left in the subsurface. This work aims to use mathematical and numerical models to investigate different methods that can lead to recover a bigger portion of the hydrocarbons stored in shale reservoirs.

Shale reservoirs store gigantic volumes of petroleum (oil and gas). However, because of the complex nature of the reservoir rock, it is difficult to recover the oil and/or gas stored in shales. Under normal conditions, it is possible to extract only as much as 10% of the resources in place, thus leaving behind a huge potential that promises to satisfy the energy needs of Canada for several decades.

In the telecommunications industry, many schemas exist to cap or limit bandwidth at certain levels for clients. However, there are no real options available to allow clients to intelligently utilize spare bandwidth above their committed purchase rates. We propose to design, implement and evaluate novel bandwidth allocation mechanisms for high speed networks like the Cybera network. Cybera is a not-for-profit, technology-neutral organization responsible for driving Alberta’s economic growth through the use of digital technology.

Corrosion of internal reinforcement of concrete bridges represents a significant issue. Due to a presence of deicing salts, cycles of freezing and thawing, sustained and repetitive loads, the concrete loses its ability to protect the internal reinforcement. Unprotected reinforcement starts to corrode sooner than anticipated and, therefore, reduces the bridge service life. To avoid shortening of the service life, and safe cost of maintenance, several types of advanced corrosion resistant materials have been developed.

The main outcome of this Mitacs-sponsored project will be a robust navigation software capable of providing accurate navigation solutions for commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Such a software will further elevate the industrial competitiveness for the partner corporation, the Profound Positioning Inc. (PPI). After finishing this project, PPI will be able to offer more comprehensive embedded integrated UAV navigation products.

The aim of this proposal is to assist in the development and validation of a dedicated 4D flow MRI analysis software for the evaluation of aortic valve insufficiency. Before being commercialized this software requires validation considering the large amount of data required to be pre-processed (over 2,000 files per case), elemental data corrections, data analysis preparation, data analysis algorithms, and 3D visualization.

As well as being green, wind energy is one of the cheapest ways of generating electricity and it is currently the most common generating technology for new installations in Canada. Wind farm owners, however, are finding that key turbine components, such as the generators and gearboxes, can fail long before the 20 year lifetime that is normally assumed. This project will develop methods to use the outcomes of monitoring those components to develop techniques to improve the detection of component faults and allow better and cheaper scheduling of maintenance.

The efficient utilization of automation systems necessitates a clear understanding of the interaction of the human operator, the automation system and any automated routines being run. Precision Drilling is installing the newest generation of drilling automation control systems on their fleet of rigs and wishes to understand both the interaction of the human driller with the automation system by creating a monitoring application which will record all human inputs to the system as well as catalog the routine or operation the automation system executes during a normal drilling operation.

This project aims to determine prevalence rates of Echinococcus species tapeworms in domestic dogs and to compare these rates to those obtained from wild canids including wolves, coyotes, and foxes. This will shed light on infection rates and risk factors for both the human population and their pet dogs. This research will benefit Bayer as they produce many pharmaceuticals that combat Echinococcus infection and believe an increased public awareness of this parasite is important for public health.

Objective and reliable assessment of balance and postural sway has the ability to drastically improve the screening process for risk of falls among elderly populations. Standard assessment protocols and questionnaires are in place, however these do not provide objective, reliable fall prediction. Standard concussion assessment protocols determine the presence and severity of a concussion, as well as the athlete’s return to play fitness by measuring balance and postural sway.