2016 News Archive

To year 21 and beyond

In the last five years, the Canadian wind industry has seen exponential growth. More than 6,000 grid-connected turbines pepper the Canadian landscape, but what happens once these towering machines reach end of life?

A University of Windsor researcher has teamed with industry and academia to find out.

“It’s coming and there’s been little planning” said Dr. Rupp Carriveau, a UWindsor associate engineering professor and director of the UWindsor Turbulence and Energy Lab. “They haven’t been building megawatt class machines that long.”

Carriveau has partnered with Kruger Energy, the Wind Energy Institute of Canada (WEICan) and Enbridge to create an investment decision support system for commercial wind energy. Each partnering outlet has committed $42,000 to the project over the next two years in addition to $180,000 in national funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and $120,000 from the Ontario Centres of Excellence.

The project is called YEAR21, referencing the year following the machine’s 20-year life expectancy. Carriveau will collaborate with Western University’s Matt Davison, a Canada Research Chair in Quantitative finance to conduct economic forecasting, as well as engineering reliability specialists also from Western, Han Ping Hong and Tim Newson.

Student projects bridge gap between theory and practice

Sometimes you have to fail to succeed. That’s the case with a project for third-year students in Amr El Ragaby’s class finite element for analysis and design.

The civil engineering professor challenges groups to design and build models of a truss bridge, predicting how they will react when subjected to pressure from a custom-built crusher. They are rewarded for designs that hold up well, and for accuracy in their analysis of the load capacity of their models.

Engineering faculty and staff recognized for dedication and service

A commitment to innovation, teaching and engineering at the University of Windsor landed nine engineering faculty and staff members medals of excellence at a ceremony on June 29.

Dr. Mehrdad Saif, the dean of engineering, handed out five medals as well as four honourable mentions at the engineering faculty’s 2016 Medals of Excellence Ceremony at the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation for outstanding faculty and staff performances in research, teaching and service.

UWindsor prof inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering

Dr. Hoda ElMaraghy, a UWindsor professor and recent Order of Ontario appointee, has been named a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

As a fellow of the academy, the professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering and Canada Research Chair in Manufacturing Systems joins Canada's most distinguished and experienced engineers who provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canada.

Ontario provides millions to boost UWindsor-FCA automotive research

A portion of an $85.8 million grant given to FCA Canada by the Ontario government will enhance innovative research at the University of Windsor - Fiat Chrysler Canada Automotive Research and Development Centre (ARDC).

Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement on June 15th during a celebration of the 20-year partnership between UWindsor and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Canada. The automotive industry and academia partnership led to the inception of the ARDC in May 1996, marking the first of its kind in Canada.