Industry fuels innovative energy research

March 25, 2008

Government of Canada and industry partner to create
four new research chairs in science and engineering

Cutting-edge University of Calgary research that promises to unlock new stores of natural gas from deep inside the Earth’s crust and dramatically reduce bacterial corrosion of oil and gas pipelines received a major boost thanks to funding provided by the federal government and the private sector.

Four new research chair positions have been created through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Industrial Research Chairs program with $3.4 million in new funding announced today by the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) and Member of Parliament for Calgary-Nose Hill, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry.

“These research chairs, led by world-class scientists and engineers, are poised to deliver significant economic advantages and environmental benefits to Canada’s pivotal sectors: information technology and energy,” Ablonczy said. “Energy and information technologies are among the research areas that the government identified as priorities in the Science and Technology Strategy Prime Minister Harper unveiled last year and reinforced in Budget 2008.”

One of the chairs is created for petroleum engineer Roberto Aguilera, who leads a unique team of scientists and engineers that plans to make the U of C the international leader in the emerging field of “tight gas” research. Their work aims to recover methane trapped in geologically tight rock formations that are usually much older than conventional sources of natural gas.

“There is a pressing need to develop new methods and technologies to extract as much of this gas as possible, said Aguilera, holder of the new NSERC/ConocoPhillips/AERI Industrial Research Chair in Tight Gas Engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering. “It is anticipated that by 2025, approximately 40 percent of the gas produced in Canada will come from unconventional sources. If we can uncover even a small fraction of our  tight gas reserves, it will be of enormous benefit to the economy.”

Another chair has been created for Faculty of Science microbiology professor Gerrit Voordouw, who has spent decades studying the behaviour and genetics of an iron-eating bacteria known as Desulfovibrio vulgaris. The potent microbe found in oil and gas reservoirs can eat its way through a pipeline in just a few months, costing the petroleum industry millions of dollars every year. Voordouw was part of an international team that deciphered the bacterium’s entire DNA sequence in 2004.

“The NSERC Chair in Petroleum Microbiology recognizes that fossil fuels will remain the main staple of our energy supply for many years to come," Voordouw said. "The Chair aims to develop and help apply novel biotechnologies to (i) manage the sulfur cycle in oil and gas fields reducing the production of toxic hydrogen sulfide by the application of nitrates, (ii) to reduce metal corrosion in oil and gas fields and (iii) to improve production from conventional reservoirs and the oil sands. This effort is supported by an international consortium of companies including Commercial Microbiology, Computer Modelling Group, ConocoPhillips, Repsol YPF, Saudi Aramco, Shell Canada, Suncor Energy, and Yara."

New industrial research chairs have also been created to support work in the areas of quantum cryptography and interactive computer technology, both of which are leading to advancements in information security and how computers are used at home and in the workplace. Wolfgang Tittel of the U of C’s Institute for Quantum Information Science will hold the new NSERC/General Dynamics Canada/iCORE Industrial Research Chair in Quantum Cryptography and Communication, while professors Saul Greenberg and Sheelagh Carpendale, in the Department of Computer Science, will jointly hold the NSERC/iCORE/Smart Technologies Industrial Research Chair in Interactive Technologies.

U of C President Harvey Weingarten said the industrial research chairs provide important funding for work in high-priority research fields that are addressing many of society’s needs.

“The essence of research is to take on tough problems, to obtain or discover the relevant information to solve those problems and to generate meaningful solutions,” Weingarten said. “Solutions to all of the significant problems we face in society today requires new ways of thinking and all of these researchers embody our commitment to innovation in teaching, learning and research.”

NSERC’s Industrial Research Chairs program is designed to support major research endeavours in areas of interest to industry. ConocoPhillips spokesman Glen Bishop said partnering with leading experts at the University is key to solving some of the industry’s biggest challenges.

“We're excited to support the important research being conducted at the university, which will have a positive impact on the energy industry," said Bishop, Vice President, Canadian Arctic Business Unit for ConocoPhillips Canada. "Both projects will work towards solving key challenges; one will enhance public safety and the other will increase our ability to recover the resource. Additionally, this contribution fits with ConocoPhillips' commitment to supporting education initiatives and technological innovation.”

Aguilera, who joined the U of C last year after a successful career as an international energy consultant, said approaching research problems from an industrial mindset also yields practical and timely solutions for the benefit of business and consumers.

“We are taking a different approach from what normally happens at a university,” said Aguilera, who oversees a diverse team of researchers from various faculties and departments through in the U of C’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy. “Instead of people working in their labs independently, we’re doing what happens in industry. We’ve identified a problem, gathered the people necessary to investigate it, and we’ve got them working together to find solutions.”