Innovative Projects Realized

Dérisquage technologique des applications d’un microscope à grandchamp de vue pour l’imagerie volumétrique avec la technique HiLo

Il est possible avec des techniques spécialisées de rendre des cerveaux de souris transparents permettant ainsi de les analyser pour mieux comprendre leur fonctionnement. Toutefois, ces méthodes demeurent en développement et il est très difficile de perfectionner ces techniques rapidement. Le projet consiste à développer un microscope ayant une vision très large permettant ainsi de voir un cerveau de souris au complet en une image. Ce microscope utilise des technologies très spécifiques pour voir le plus de détail possible pour ainsi aider les biologistes dans le perfectionnement de leurs protocoles. Pour ce faire, on utilise des lasers, des mathématiques et de l’électronique pour rendre le microscope plus performant.

Fire retardant fabrics for active workwear applications

Besides sport activities, active wear has found its way into people’s routine life because of its fashionable appearance and comfort. Active workwear is also preferred for some jobs with strenuous activities, like operators working in factories or construction fields. Each of these environments has its own list of hazards, such as fire, chemical spills, or falling objects. Accordingly, specific protective clothing has been designed for such hazardous environment. However, they are not necessarily comfortable. Therefore, the demand for work clothing with active wear appearance and characteristics is increasing. This project is thus aimed at producing a fabric suitable for comfortable active wear while offering resistance to fire and other functionalities such as liquid barrier, UV-blocking and insect repellency.

Mean flow stress modeling towards development of high strength steel

Hot rolling is one of the most significant processes during modern steel production. Complex metallurgical phenomena could take place during and after the application of high pressure and temperature, which largely affect the product properties. A simulation or model that could predict these microscopic events real time is extremely beneficial in the production. Therefore, the aim of this project is to firstly understand an existing model adopted by the partner organization and secondly, to use recorded production data to improve on an semi-empirical model with well-established philosophy developed by scholars, which eventually will be used to improve on the existing model. With the improved model, partner organization could better predict the quality of the product and could largely reduce cost in developing new production schedules.

A Behavioural Risk Model for Deposit Only Customers

In this joint collaboration with BNS, we will develop a behavioural risk model to predict the likelihood of future risk of breaking the promise to pay debt for customers who only hold deposit products with BNS. The model will be utilized to support business operations such as credit card and loan pre-approvals. That is to say, if you are a customer who only have chequing, saving and/or investment accounts with BNS and plan to buy a car, you will be scored in this model for the car loan pre-approval. This model will also contribute to building a centralized retail models system to model all retail customers of BNS.

Up-scalable production of high efficiency perylene diimide (PDI)-based organic light emitting devices using slot die coating methods

With respect to large-area display applications, it is desirable to have not only the active layers but also the electrodes in the OLEDs that can be formed by solution fabrication process. To address the manufacturing challenges of high-performance OLEDs, several scalable techniques such as doctor blading, ink-jet printing, and ultrasonic spray coating have been developed or employed. Hence, OLEDs provide a wider scope for researchers to either develop or demonstrate a variety of new methods that are cost-effective, large-area, and roll-to-roll (R2R) compatible, and more importantly, have excellent efficiency.
As OLEDs technology becomes more established, further improvement in device performance can be expected. However, successful and timely commercialization of this technology to replace already-existing but expensive LCD technologies depends on how some of the critical issues, such as (1) providing strategies for optimization of OLEDs, (2) combining facile synthetic methods with greener processing for efficient polymer-perylene diimide based OLEDs and (3) employing efficient, high performance slot die coating technology for OLED applications, are addressed.

Investigation of the potential of static liquefaction of tailings by taking into account the evolution of the hydro-geotechnical properties during and after their deposition – Year two

Mines generate large quantity of tailings. In most cases, they are transported by pipes and deposited in tailings ponds and confined by dams. To limit the footprint and land area of tailings pond, the dams have to be uplifted progressively with the increase in the tailings level. Several methods exist to uplift the tailings dams. Our partner is particularly interested by the upstream dam construction and a critical concern is how to evaluate the maximum height of the uplift to avoid any static liquefaction. Several numerical models exist to this end. Most of them use constant hydro-geotechnical properties obtained with tailings samples taken at a specific time and at a specific position. The variation (in space) and evolution (with time) of the tailings’ hydro-geotechnical properties during and after their deposition were not taken into account. The objective of this project is to provide an analytical or a numerical model that can be used to evaluate the tailings’ potential of static liquefaction by taking into account the variation and evolution of the hydro-geotechnical properties of the different tailings layers subjected to the cycle of deposition, self-weight consolidations and loading by the tailings depositions of subsequent overlying layers.

Investigation of the potential of static liquefaction of tailings by taking into account the evolution of the hydro-geotechnical properties during and after their deposition

Mines generate large quantity of tailings. In most cases, they are transported by pipes and deposited in tailings ponds and confined by dams. To limit the footprint and land area of tailings pond, the dams have to be uplifted progressively with the increase in the tailings level. Several methods exist to uplift the tailings dams. Our partner is particularly interested by the upstream dam construction and a critical concern is how to evaluate the maximum height of the uplift to avoid any static liquefaction. Several numerical models exist to this end. Most of them use constant hydro-geotechnical properties obtained with tailings samples taken at a specific time and at a specific position. The variation (in space) and evolution (with time) of the tailings’ hydro-geotechnical properties during and after their deposition were not taken into account. The objective of this project is to provide an analytical or a numerical model that can be used to evaluate the tailings’ potential of static liquefaction by taking into account the variation and evolution of the hydro-geotechnical properties of the different tailings layers subjected to the cycle of deposition, self-weight consolidations and loading by the tailings depositions of subsequent overlying layers.

Action Recommendation Engine (ARE)

Project NOVA will build on the University of Ottawa and Ciena’s advanced analytics capabilities to allow networks around the world to understand where video flows run over their network. This will allow the network operators to improve video Qualify of Experience for their end customers, more quickly and cost effectively fix video impacting network problems, plan their networks to better support video, and provide greater customer service awareness of end customer over the top video quality.

Ciena anticipates this capability will propel it into be the world leader in network video analytics with a growing employee base to support this significant business and associated research initiatives to evolve and expand its capability within this market and in to adjacent markets.

Study on the hydro-geotechnical properties and establishment of a numerical model for waste rocks – Year two

Mines produce large amount of waste rocks, mostly disposed on ground surface in form of pile. In underground mines, waste rocks are increasingly used to construct barricades to retain mining backfill in the stopes. Waste rocks can also be used as inclusions to accelerate the drainage and consolidation of tailings. To properly evaluate the stability of these infrastructures, numerical models are needed. However, the existing numerical models suffer from two major limitations. First, it is difficult to determine the mechanical properties of full-scale waste rocks, due to the excessively large size of the particles. Second, the most commonly used Mohr-Coulomb model fails to describe the nonlinear behavior of waste rocks. To overcome the two limitations, the objectives of this project are (i) identifying or proposing a method to correctly predict the hydro-geotechnical properties of the full-scale waste rocks and (ii) establishing a numerical model to describe the hydro-geomechanical response of the waste rocks. A more efficient failure criterion, called MSDPu criterion, will be introduced and built in FLAC 3D for stability analysis. It is expected that the infrastructure design based on the results ensuing from the realization of the project will be more economic and more reliable.

Study on the hydro-geotechnical properties and establishment of a numerical model for waste rocks

Mines produce large amount of waste rocks, mostly disposed on ground surface in form of pile. In underground mines, waste rocks are increasingly used to construct barricades to retain mining backfill in the stopes. Waste rocks can also be used as inclusions to accelerate the drainage and consolidation of tailings. To properly evaluate the stability of these infrastructures, numerical models are needed. However, the existing numerical models suffer from two major limitations. First, it is difficult to determine the mechanical properties of full-scale waste rocks, due to the excessively large size of the particles. Second, the most commonly used Mohr-Coulomb model fails to describe the nonlinear behavior of waste rocks. To overcome the two limitations, the objectives of this project are (i) identifying or proposing a method to correctly predict the hydro-geotechnical properties of the full-scale waste rocks and (ii) establishing a numerical model to describe the hydro-geomechanical response of the waste rocks. A more efficient failure criterion, called MSDPu criterion, will be introduced and built in FLAC 3D for stability analysis. It is expected that the infrastructure design based on the results ensuing from the realization of the project will be more economic and more reliable.

Techno economic assessment of state-of-art innovative fast pyrolysis solutions in bio-economy processes – Year two

The present project will evaluate the techno-economic and environmental performance of an Integrated Biorefinery System that employs an innovative state-of-art fast pyrolysis processes for the production of bio renewable fuels in the bio-economy. A systematic design methodology will be defined using state-of-the-art process systems engineering tools which include market analysis, techno-economic assessment, cost accounting, energy integration analysis, life cycle assessment, as well as multi-criteria decision-making to identify forward the most preferred biorefinery strategies that fulfill the needs of the forest industry partner considering best case scenarios and critical risk issues. The outcomes of the project will illustrate the effectiveness of a comprehensive technical and economic framework for the identification of innovative biorefinery strategies within an existing Canadian paper and pulp mill that represents an attractive investment, and at the same time is environmentally beneficial especially with regards to climate change. The industry partner, Domtar, seeks to identify this solution in the context of their overall biorefinery strategy – and will be closely involved at all stages of the project.

Techno economic assessment of state-of-art innovative fast pyrolysis solutions in bio-economy processes

The present project will evaluate the techno-economic and environmental performance of an Integrated Biorefinery System that employs an innovative state-of-art fast pyrolysis processes for the production of bio renewable fuels in the bio-economy. A systematic design methodology will be defined using state-of-the-art process systems engineering tools which include market analysis, techno-economic assessment, cost accounting, energy integration analysis, life cycle assessment, as well as multi-criteria decision-making to identify forward the most preferred biorefinery strategies that fulfill the needs of the forest industry partner considering best case scenarios and critical risk issues. The outcomes of the project will illustrate the effectiveness of a comprehensive technical and economic framework for the identification of innovative biorefinery strategies within an existing Canadian paper and pulp mill that represents an attractive investment, and at the same time is environmentally beneficial especially with regards to climate change. The industry partner, Domtar, seeks to identify this solution in the context of their overall biorefinery strategy – and will be closely involved at all stages of the project.