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Encana Deep Panuke Fund

Call One:  Engineering R&D for the Offshore
Grant Award Announcement

Halifax, Nova Scotia. (21 September 2010)  Petroleum Research Atlantic Canada (PRAC) in collaboration with Encana Corporation, announces that three Nova Scotia universities and one private sector company have recently been awarded grants from the Deep Panuke E&T and R&D Fund – Call One (Engineering).

Call One sought R&D proposals under the broad theme of engineering, open to a wide range of engineering disciplines such as asset integrity, seismic, pipeline technology, metocean, and environmental and chemical engineering.  The primary objective of the Call was to source innovative engineering R&D, with the purpose of introducing new ideas, technologies and methodologies to implement step-wise improvements to Nova Scotia’s offshore petroleum sector.

The successful proposals are:

  • Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS).  Research led by Dr. Georges Kipouros, to develop a novel, low-cost portable sensor to detect the onset of corrosion under coatings, insulation and paint on offshore facilities. See the Dalhousie University news release;
  • St. Francis Xavier University (Antigonish, NS).  Research led by Dr. Truis Smith-Palmer, to design a new non-toxic and cost effective coating using biomimetics (mimicking the surface structure of marine organisms that avoid fouling) for applications on subsea instrumentation and other submerged surfaces associated with the offshore industry. See the St. Francis Xavier University news release;
  • GeoSpectrum Technologies Inc (Dartmouth, NS).  Research led by Dr. Bruce Armstrong, to develop a viable alternative technology to replace air-guns for conducting marine seismic;
  • Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, NS).  Research led by Dr. Jason Clyburne, to develop inexpensive designer chemicals - called ionic liquids -  to safely and efficiently remove carbon dioxide from gaseous industrial emissions.
    Over three years, $600,000 in funding is available to these researchers under the engineering call. See the Saint Mary's University news release.

Encana has partnered with PRAC to assist in managing the Deep Panuke E&T and R&D Fund. As part of Encana’s development and operation of Deep Panuke, a commitment was made to fund the advancement of education & training and research & development in relation to offshore petroleum resource activities in Nova Scotia.  Part of the commitment includes an annual Call for Proposals to the local research community.

PRAC is a member-based not-for-profit organization that funds and facilitates collaborative research and development to support the safe and environmentally sound development of Atlantic Canada’s petroleum resources. 

For more details regarding these awards, please contact Jennifer Pinks at PRAC.

Email:  Jennifer.pinks@pr-ac.ca;  or telephone:  (902) 494-2960 (Halifax).

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