Canadian Prairies Group of Chartered Engineers

Archive


Past Technical Events.

Calgary - 2008

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Wednesday, 12th November 2008.

"UNDERGROUND OIL REFINERY FOR OIL UPGRADING
A FICTION OR REALITY FOR 21st CENTURY ?"

Guest speaker: Alex Turta, PhD, P.Eng.,
Senior Research Engineer, Alberta Research Council.

The following three topics will be presented:

The upgrading during the laboratory conventional in situ combustion (ISC) tests, conducted in controlled conditions. Both direct and reverse ISC processes (co- and counter-current) are analyzed.

The unintentional in situ upgrading, obtained in some field ISC tests, is discussed. Four field cases recorded various amounts of upgrading. The field cases pertain to both pilot/semi-commercial and commercial operations.

Finally, the upgrading during application of the new ISC approaches Toe-To-Heel Air Injection (THAITM) and catalytic THATM (CAPRITM) processes is briefly reviewed. The status of the field testing of THAITM process (WhiteSands Project in Athabasca) and the planned field testing of CAPRITM.



Wednesday, 8th October 2008.

"Alberta Oil Sands"

Guest speaker: Andrew Nikiforuk

Andrew Nikiforuk is a well known writer and speaker on topical subjects. He has written articles about the development of Oil & Gas resources of Alberta. His presentation to us will be stimulating as he plans to look at the big picture of energy resources in Alberta discussing the wealth generated, how we are consuming and exporting these resources and suggesting what our energy future holds.



Wednesday, 10th September 2008.

"Challenges of Running a Freight Railway through the Rocky Mountains"

Guest speaker: Brent Laing, M.Eng., P.Eng.,
General Manager Track Maintenance, Canadian Pacific.



Wednesday, 11th June 2008.

"The Marriage of Nerve Cells and Microchip Technology:
New Hope for Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries"

Guest speaker: Dr Naweed Syed, Professor and Head, Cell Biology and Anatomy
Director of Research, Hotchkiss Brain Institute.



Wednesday, 14th May 2008.

"Calgary's Intelligent transportation Systems:
Applications and Strategic Plan"

Guest speaker: Dr Lina Kattan, Urban Alliance Professor of Transportation System Optimization, Dept of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary.



Wednesday, 12th March 2008.

"ENMAX Distribution Automation Program"

Guest speaker: Dean Craig, P.Eng., Project Engineer, System Operations, ENMAX Power Corporation

In 2003 ENMAX Power Corporation embarked on a reliability improvement program to reduce the impact of distribution system power outages through the use of automation. Now entering its sixth year of implementation, the program involves the installation of automated distribution switches equipped with radio communications and innovative power restoration software. When a power outage occurs, the system locates the problem area and performs rapid automatic switching to isolate the problem and restore power to as many customers as possible. The presentation will cover the technical features of the system, implementation in the Calgary area, and results achieved to date.



Wednesday, 13th February 2008.

"Panasonic World Solar Challenge 2007 - Looking Back"

by Shawn Zwierzchowski, Chief Engineer

For some years, the University of Calgary has been active in the solar car development process and competitions, and its cars have taken part in contests in both North America and Australia. With a budget in excess of $750,000/- there is obviously a lot of thought and planning that goes into building such a machine as this. In the most recent Australian contest the car was involved in a serious accident, but, due to the great work of the crew, it was able to complete the Darwin to Adelaide race in 12th place and was the first Canadian entry to finish.



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