Reference number : GC-2017-Q2-00350, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Rivard, Benoit (University of Alberta), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Alberta, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for Universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : ConeTec is an international site investigation company with specialization in the design and use of in-situ soil_x000D_
testing equipment including a wide range of cone penetration testing (CPT) probes and sampling systems._x000D_
ConeTec is currently one of the service providers for the oil sands operators in Alberta. The oil sands operators_x000D_
need CPT for geotechnical characterization of tailings. In regards to geotechnical characterization of tailings,_x000D_
estimation of the swelling potential of clays is of great importance for the management of tailings. The activity_x000D_
of clays significantly affects the settling and consolidation of tailings and the geotechnical stability of a final_x000D_
tailings deposit for reclamation purposes. The activity of oil sands tailings solids is typically determined using_x000D_
the methylene blue index (MBI), an analytical technique that quantifies the ionic absorption capacity of a_x000D_
sample. Currently, ConeTec needs to collect samples from different depths of the tailings ponds that are then_x000D_
sent to commercial laboratories for the estimation of the tailings MBI. This procedure is costly and time_x000D_
consuming. Dr. Rivard's research group at the University of Alberta (UofA) has investigated the use of spectral_x000D_
sensors for tailings characterization. This research has laid the foundation to establish a quick and reliable_x000D_
in-situ method for determining the MBI of tailings based on hyperspectral observations. Consequently ConeTec_x000D_
is interested in integrating a hyperspectral sensor in their CPT probes for the downhole estimation of MBI. In_x000D_
such case, the spectral measurements would be collected through a sapphire window embedded in the CPT_x000D_
probe. The proposed work is therefore a feasibility study to address the challenge of collecting spectral_x000D_
measurements of tailings through a sapphire window and assess the quality of such data for the purpose of MBI_x000D_
estimation., program purpose french : ConeTec is an international site investigation company with specialization in the design and use of in-situ soil_x000D_
testing equipment including a wide range of cone penetration testing (CPT) probes and sampling systems._x000D_
ConeTec is currently one of the service providers for the oil sands operators in Alberta. The oil sands operators_x000D_
need CPT for geotechnical characterization of tailings. In regards to geotechnical characterization of tailings,_x000D_
estimation of the swelling potential of clays is of great importance for the management of tailings. The activity_x000D_
of clays significantly affects the settling and consolidation of tailings and the geotechnical stability of a final_x000D_
tailings deposit for reclamation purposes. The activity of oil sands tailings solids is typically determined using_x000D_
the methylene blue index (MBI), an analytical technique that quantifies the ionic absorption capacity of a_x000D_
sample. Currently, ConeTec needs to collect samples from different depths of the tailings ponds that are then_x000D_
sent to commercial laboratories for the estimation of the tailings MBI. This procedure is costly and time_x000D_
consuming. Dr. Rivard's research group at the University of Alberta (UofA) has investigated the use of spectral_x000D_
sensors for tailings characterization. This research has laid the foundation to establish a quick and reliable_x000D_
in-situ method for determining the MBI of tailings based on hyperspectral observations. Consequently ConeTec_x000D_
is interested in integrating a hyperspectral sensor in their CPT probes for the downhole estimation of MBI. In_x000D_
such case, the spectral measurements would be collected through a sapphire window embedded in the CPT_x000D_
probe. The proposed work is therefore a feasibility study to address the challenge of collecting spectral_x000D_
measurements of tailings through a sapphire window and assess the quality of such data for the purpose of MBI_x000D_
estimation., agreement title english : Collecting hyperspectral data of tailings through a sapphire window to assess the feasibility of instrument development, agreement title french : Collecting hyperspectral data of tailings through a sapphire window to assess the feasibility of instrument development, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2017-08-23, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada