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What goes around (water) comes around (as heat)

In February 2015, Lakeland College opened the doors of its new Bio-Energy Centre. The building features a micro cogeneration unit built by Yanmar Energy Systems Co. Ltd. of Japan. The cogen unit uses an engine fueled by natural gas to generate electricity; at the same time, water is heated by the engine’s warmth. Heat from the engine’s water jacket and exhaust is collected through heat exchangers and used to provide base heat to the centre. The Yanmar unit is rated to simultaneously produce 10 kW of electricity and 16.8 kW of heat.

The cogen starts up automatically when the building needs heat and begins to generate electricity; any electricity not used in the building is exported to the Lakeland College grid for use at the main campus. Electricity generated from the cogen is generally less expensive than purchasing grid electricity because natural gas is much less expensive than electricity — according to the Government of Alberta’s Utilities Consumer website, the average cost of electricity in 2014 was $0.0764/kWh, which is equivalent to $21.22 per gigajoule. The average price for natural gas over the same period was $4.51 per gigajoule, less than a quarter the cost.

Because the cogen is so efficient, Lakeland anticipated heating the building for free; researchers were monitoring results to determine if that were true.

Industry: Building | Environmental | Renewable Energy & Conservation

About Lakeland College

All colleges say they are educating the leaders of tomorrow. At Lakeland College in Alberta, our students are leading today. Students have the opportunity to... Learn more

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Plugging into a new housing concept

Family dynamics in Canada are fast becoming more diverse, but the housing industry has been slow to adapt to them. It used to be that families remained in one house for decades or even generations. Today, according to the Vanier Institute of the Family, each Canadian on average owns five houses over a lifetime, upsizing and downsizing as children are born, age, and eventually move out of the nest. Often, families renovate rather than move, which can be an expensive and disruptive process.

This is making the traditional notion of the family home obsolete. Families today need innovative housing models that can quickly and easily adapt to their changing needs. One possible solution is a housing model that can expand or contract as a family evolves. But adapting house models requires adapting everything in them — so this research project examined “plug-in” electrical circuits that can be snapped in and out as needed.

It was visionary Okanagan developer Andrew Gaucher, president of the Okanagan chapter of the Urban Development Institute and of Catalyst Land Development and its parent company, G Group, who approached Okanagan College in 2016, asking for research assistance to explore his idea.

Gaucher teamed up with a 17-year-old carpentry student, an electrical apprenticeship student and an electrical trades instructor, who is an emerging researcher, to explore the possibility of developing a revolutionary concept for housing units. Gaucher wanted help to realize his vision of living-space modules that could be joined and separated again.

“To bring this idea of modularity to reality we need to think about making it easy for families to add another module to their home or take it away as things change,” says Gaucher. “Safe, reliable, dependable and easy connections are vital. And while you’d think there were already-developed systems that meet that criteria, I wasn’t able to come up with any. The idea is to move away from hardwiring all connections to the grid.”

Investigation let Okanagan College researcher to recommend a plug-in system for electrical wiring that’s already commonplace in heavy industry. This system was chosen because it was weather resistant, complied with the Canadian Electrical Code and homeowners can operate it safely and simply, even when the electricity is connected. Now, with the electrical problems addressed, Mr. Gaucher is tackling other construction and infrastructure issues for his adaptable housing.

“I really appreciate and value the support of the College, Luke, and Noah, and the federal government,” Gaucher said. “The opportunity to innovate and create or refine different approaches to housing needs is clearly here and it’s tremendous to have this kind of resource at our fingertips in the Okanagan.”

Industry: Building | Manufacturing

Partner(s): The G Group

Funded by: Applied Research and Development (ARD) Grant, College and Community Innovation Program, The G Group

About Okanagan College

Situated in one of Canada’s most picturesque and dynamic regions, Okanagan College offers more than 130 different programs, and credentials that range from certificates to... Learn more

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Building with Peat Blocks

Housing development in Ontario’s far north is limited, largely because of the high cost of materials and construction challenges created by harsh weather conditions and permafrost. But local peat moss may offer an affordable alternative.

Cambrian College and its industry partners wanted to find a solution to the cost of shipping building materials in Northern Ontario by exploring the use of indigenous sphagnum peat moss as an aggregate in cemented peat construction blocks.

Peat moss has already been used for heat and electricity. The challenge for this project was to understand the technical issues in developing a handling and processing method that was adequate for block fabrication. The project aimed to perfect a mixture of peat, cement and binders to create a usable construction product. Cambrian Innovates, the college’s applied research centre, brought together a highly skilled team of industry partners, faculty and students.

Commercialization of peat building blocks would directly benefit Northern Ontario communities like those in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, which contains the largest peat reserve in the world. The potential new “green” building material comes at an opportune time, as the global building materials market is expected to grow and reach almost $890 billion in 2015.

Once the development of this product is completed, the industry partners Rainbow Concrete Ltd. and Sustainable Building and Energy Consultants Inc. plan to commercialize the product and manufacturing method.

Industry: Building

Partner(s): Energy Consultants Inc., Rainbow Concrete and Sustainable Building

About Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology

A Cambrian education is the total package. Based in Sudbury, Ontario, Cambrian College offers practical, hands-on experience in every program, a vibrant campus life, and... Learn more

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Cleaning Condo Air Quality

Condominiums and high-rise apartment buildings are often designed with ineffective corridor ventilation. In these buildings, fresh air is pumped into the hallways and then pulled into individual units. This means that most of the air in a unit comes from beneath the condo door, and can be full of tobacco, allergens, pollutants and dust from nearby construction sites.

Bordin Racing Inc. envisioned a lightweight retrofit that could be easily installed by a condo owner to help filter out most of these unwanted pollutants. Faculty and student researchers from the Mechanical Engineering program at George Brown College helped the company with suggestions for prototype refinement and fabrication, as well as research on building codes and testing.

The solution was a partial weather stripping of the apartment unit entry door while maintaining a modified opening with a custom filtration device—essentially “trapping” pollutants before they enter the unit while still allowing air to flow.

The company took the student designs and research and refined them, moving to the manufacturing stage and extruding the design in plastic. The product — now called the Door Filter — is equipped with a dense particulate filter capable of eliminating pests, allergens and even unpleasant odours or unwanted noise or light. It has been patented in six countries with three design patents and is being sold in Canadian and international markets. Door Filter has attracted a great deal of interest among international contractors eager to find a cost-effective, non-intrusive solution to high-rise living.

“We knew the concept could work. We knew it was a good idea. It was really a matter of where to go next. That’s why we came to George Brown. Help from the college was a great asset…it became almost a conversation in itself about the product’s credibility,” says Andrew Bordin, CEO and founder of Bordin Racing.

Industry: Building

Partner(s): Bordin Racing/Door Filter

About George Brown College

George Brown strives to build a seamless bridge between learners and employment by developing dynamic programs that are informed by industry and workplace-ready graduates who... Learn more

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Energy-Efficient Housing for Arctic Living

What does it mean to live sustainably in the North? With two months of darkness, monthly utility bills over $1,500, temperatures below -40 degrees Celsius, and variable permafrost, it can be a challenge.

SAIT Polytechnic’s Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS) department was approached by GBM Construction in Fort Simpson, NWT, to design a high-performance net-zero energy home. Through consultation with Fort Simpson-based engineers, architects and tradespeople, ARIS’s Green Building Technologies researchers brought together passive and active elements to design the ultimate sustainable home.

Fit for an extreme climate, “Arctic House” includes a high-efficiency, wood-fired boiler to generate the hot water used for radiant heat and domestic requirements, and embedded floor sensors to detect solar heat and trigger a small pump to redistribute hot water to cooler areas in the home. And, since the home will produce more solar energy than it needs during the summer’s long daylight hours, Arctic House will contribute the excess energy to the power grid and draw from the grid only when necessary – resulting in a net-zero energy consumption per annum.

“I think the sky is the limit in what we can do in the North. It’s a great place to test projects like these,” says Derek Erasmus, owner of GBM Construction.

The project will not only provide northern Canadians with more energy-efficient design options, but the lessons learned can help perfect net-zero energy housing design worldwide.

Industry: Building

Partner(s): GBM Construction

About SAIT

SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) is a leader in action-based learning, delivering relevant, skill-oriented education. We offer two baccalaureate degrees, three applied degrees, 73... Learn more

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Large Building Air Leakage Testing

Air leakage is now widely recognized as one of the most critical parameters affecting a building’s energy use, indoor air quality, comfort and durability. This is particularly true in Manitoba’s extreme climate, where there have been several notable and expensive large building envelope failures.

Red River College (RRC) and its research partner, Manitoba Hydro, have recently completed a project investigating the air leakage characteristics of 26 buildings. A CCI Applied Research Tools and Instruments grant provided funding to purchase equipment to conduct these tests.

This research project has helped to establish baseline air leakage rates and to develop a practical air leakage testing protocol for current building standards. The project findings have also influenced at least two building retrofit projects by identifying critical air leakage pathways.

“The whole idea of commercial building air leakage was not very well understood. The results from this project have provided significantly more data than we’ve ever had in the past,” said Harry Schroeder, Building Systems Engineer with Manitoba Hydro. “An advantage of working with the college has been that they have the resources and staff, but they also have the facilities, and there really aren’t a lot of facilities in Manitoba to do buildings-related research.”

Four RRC students were part of the research team. Continued work in this area will significantly expand knowledge about air leakage characteristics and testing techniques for commercial buildings at both a provincial and national level.

Learn more in this video.

Industry: Building

Partner(s): Manitoba Hydro

Funded by: Applied Research Tools and Instruments (ARTI) Grant

About Red River College Polytechnic

Red River College (RRC) is Manitoba’s largest institute of applied learning. The institution is renowned for providing accessible, innovative, applied learning and research in an... Learn more

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Feeling the Heat – the Furnace Minder

In the fall of 2013, a local heating and air-conditioning company contacted Humber College’s instructor of the Electronics Engineering Technician program to discuss the development of a new idea to remind customers about furnace maintenance.

Mike Martino of Martino Contractors envisioned the MB Furnace Minder as an automated device that will remind homeowners when it is time for regular maintenance of their furnaces. An Electronics Engineering Technician student and a Bachelor of Industrial Design student were hired as research assistants. Under the direction of instructor Georges Livanos, students worked with Martino staff to design and test their proposed automated system. The patent for the MB Furnace Minder was filed in March 2014, and the product is now undergoing final testing. Martino plans to make the MB Furnace Minder available to their clients for commercial use this year.

Martino Contractors is a family-owned company that provides heating, air conditioning and air quality products and services to their clients. Established in 1987, Martino has installed 70,000 furnaces and air conditioners in the greater Toronto and Ottawa regions.

“It’s awesome to work with the diverse professionals, with students as well as experienced coordinators and staff … to see how they undertake real projects was really helpful. It gives insight into the real world of design and production,” said Michael Voitov, a student in the Bachelor of Industrial Design program at Humber.

Industry: Building

Partner(s): Martino Contractors

About Humber Polytechnic

Humber Polytechnic is one of Canada’s leading postsecondary institutions, combining deep theoretical learning with applied, hands-on experience. Humber offers a wide variety of credentials including... Learn more

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Smart Technologies Enable Thermostat Management From Afar

A virtual thermostat developed through research at SAIT Polytechnic could allow building managers to have wireless control of heat throughout large facilities.

Kalen-Hudson Group is a manufacturer and importer of small electronic devices, especially thermostats and other control devices. Having previously worked with Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS) at SAIT to test and validate technologies, Kalen-Hudson knew where to turn when it needed to design a smart-control thermostat and a smaller, cost-effective consumer model.

“In order to develop the technology, having access to a facility like SAIT and the research grant gives us the chance to develop something new and be competitive with the major players. Without that ability, I don’t know that I’d be able to compete with them,” says Irfan Dhanani, owner of the Kalen-Hudson Group.

While researchers in the ARIS RADLab (RFID Application Development Lab) were working with Kalen-Hudson to design the software to support its new WiFi-enabled thermostat, its supplier in Asia ran into problems. In order to carry on the development of the device, a student researcher developed an application that could stand in as a virtual thermostat. This kept the project on time and on budget so a cloud-based client interface platform for the system could be developed.

At the end of the project, the SaaS engine developed by the RADLab was able to communicate to a large number of these new, wireless thermostats. This new technology will allow facilities managers and landlords to wirelessly control the various rooms in a larger building through a user-friendly interface.

Industry: Building | Information & Communications

Partner(s): Kalen-Hudson Group

About SAIT

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Using Radar for Outdoor Perimeter Security

Algonquin College student researchers have been key players in the design and testing of a new 3D radar system that an Ottawa security company is developing for perimeter surveillance of military bases and pipelines.

3D Sentry Corp. is a company founded by security industry entrepreneurs, Dr Keith Harman and David Baird, to develop the next generation of advanced outdoor perimeter security sensors. Such systems could provide improved protection of the outdoor perimeters of critical infrastructure facilities, such as military bases, power stations, petrochemical plants, and pipelines.

3D Sentry recently completed a successful project with Algonquin’s Applied Research and Innovation Centre to advance the development of a “Ported Coaxial Cable” prototype, a covert terrain-following cable-guided radar. The work was carried out at Algonquin by a student research team led by Dr. Theo Mirtchev and at the company’s purpose-built development site in Almonte, Ontario.

Completing the prototype represents a critical milestone in the company’s development. It allows 3D Sentry to continue the development, then test and start selling a fully functional Evaluation System. The prototype will possess all of the major attributes, functionality and characteristics specified for the final production system. This will allow the company to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of the system to customers, strategic partners, consultants, testing agencies and investors. 3D Sentry will then undertake further development to produce a market-ready final product.

“This project included the design and integration of advanced hardware controlled by Labview software. In my view this work would be challenging for an experienced team of engineers,” says Dr. Harman, Chief Scientist at 3D Sentry Corporation. “The success of the project has led to a system that can be demonstrated to customers and potential venture capital people. This was only possible with the enthusiastic efforts of the students and the dedicated work of Dr. Mirtchev.”

Industry: Building

Partner(s): 3D Sentry Corporation

Funded by: Innovation Enhancement (IE) Grant

About Algonquin College

The mission of Algonquin College is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, a national leader in applied and online learning, offers... Learn more

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Partnering with Industry in Green Building Innovation

Green-minded home buyers in Calgary have recently purchased two net-zero energy homes constructed by student researchers at SAIT Polytechnic.

Green Building Technologies (GBT) is one of SAIT’s leading research areas in the Applied Research and Innovation Services department. The GBT research initiative was established in 2008, and received a five-year CCI Innovation Enhancement grant in 2009. The research group has grown in expertise, industry-based applied research projects and laboratory capabilities.

One of the research team’s key partners is Avalon Master Builders, a pioneer in green construction that has developed a series of net-zero energy homes. Two of these houses were constructed on SAIT’s campus. These applied research projects provide students with hands-on experience in green building and allow the GBT team to research, test and demonstrate the latest in environmentally efficient building methods. The finished homes now belong to green-minded buyers and are located in two Calgary neighborhoods.

SAIT students and researchers still actively monitor the energy management systems in the Discovery 4 and Discovery 5 homes. And a student project to customize/virtualize Discovery 4’s energy-management system won the 2013 SAIT Student Showcase and DIRTT Student Innovation Award, and represented SAIT at the 2013 Polytechnics Canada Student Applied Research Showcase. Discovery 4 was also named Custom Project of the Year at the 2011 Net Zero Energy Home Awards in Toronto. Avalon will manage the construction of SAIT’s new 4,000-square-foot GBT Lab and Demonstration Centre – scheduled to break ground in early 2015.

Industry: Building | Environmental

Partner(s): Avalon Master Builder