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

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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Simulating heat transfer mechanisms for additive manufacturing processes

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a process family which is widely used for deposition of thin protective layers of novel alloy materials on components operating in severe conditions, and also for fabrication and repair of complex 3D parts. The scope of this research is to establish a process planning framework for metal based bead deposition processes […]

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Development of fabrication, microstructure and performance relationships in inkjet printed polymer electrolyte fuel cell electrodes for automotive applications

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) running on hydrogen are a preferred choice for on-board electricity generation in automobiles. A major challenge associated with this technology is its high cost due to the use of platinum as electrocatalyst. Implementation of inkjet printing as a fabrication tool has been investigated by the applicant and the academic supervisor […]

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Testing of Offshore Wind Turbine Positional Controller

A previous mathematical model of an offshore wind turbine was established and then, a positional controller was designed and simulated for a single Wind Turbine in order to provide movement around an area using the force of air that acts on the wind turbine. The goal of my research project is to validate this Position […]

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Innovative Ladder Design via Optimization and Design Methodology

As ladders are such a common tool, its potential improvement can be easily overlooked. The purpose of this project is to invent a new ladder design. To avoid the lock-in effect of existing ladders, topology optimization is applied to explore new possible designs. The key of this technique is to let algorithms search for theoretically […]

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Automation of Natural Fibre Properties Analyses

With increasing interest in the use of natural fibres, quality characterization is needed to provide benchmarks and uniform standards in order to use the abundance of natural fibre products in niche and higher value markets. Natural fibres are inexpensive, biodegradable and leave no waste, and are sustainable and readily available throughout Canada. By utilizing natural […]

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Aircraft Piston Engine Detonation Measurements and Data Analysis

Aircraft piston engines are widely used for aviation in North America and still use leaded fuel. 100 octane low-lead (100LL) aviation gasoline (avgas) is the common fuel used in aviation that contains lead in the form of Tetra-ethyl Lead (TEL). The TEL additive is mainly used to modulate the aviation gasoline octane levels to avoid […]

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Modeling Wind loading on Roof-mounted Solar Modules

Rooftop solar modules installations are growing in popularity as the benefits of implementing these features on previously unoccupied roof space are being realized. A major concern with these installations is the contribution to the roof load due to the interaction between high wind speeds and the angled modules. Similarly, there are concerns with uplift on […]

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Synchrotron investigation of water distribution in fuel cells and correlation to properties and performance

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electrical power through an electrochemical reaction, producing water and heat. These fuel cells have been considered for automotive powertrain applications. In this proposed work, a set of varying PEMFC materials will be investigated to advance the performance of PEM fuel cells. The fuel cells […]

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Data Centre Waste Heat Recovery for District Energy Systems

Data centres generate a large amount of heat, from operating computers 24/7. This heat is normally wasted and released outside the data centre building. This research will determine the best way to capture the waste heat from a data centre and distribute it to other buildings in the area that require heating. The vessel for […]

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