Advanced Materials Facilities

We have a number of facilities that offer unique research and testing cababilities:

• Slurry flow loop
• Sour lab
• PTA welding lab
• Industrial-scale welding and fabrication equipment
• Polymer processing lab
• Environment control chambers
• Pilot facilities

Slurry flow loop

We have a flow loop for evaluating material performance under oil sands hydrotransport conditions.

The flow loop can run with either 4" or 8" diameter with straight pipe section L/D > 60, solid load up to 30% by volume, superficial velocity up to 6 m/s. and temperature between 20-80°C.

This is a unique facility to characterize pipeline (or liner) materials performance in erosion/corrosion environment.

Sour lab

• Six (6) CorTest Proof Rings, 0-150,000 psi load capacity
• Hastelloy C PARR Autoclave, One (1) Gallon, 2000 psi, 400 C
• Adelaide Testing Machine (ATM) up to 25 kN, displacement control down to 3 x 10^-6 mm/s
• Hastelloy C CorTest Autoclave for mechanical testing in environments up to 320 C and 200 atm
• Custom-made vessels for testing in sour environments

PTA welding lab

The welding rig is an industrial scale facility, with the capability to deposit a full range of wear resistant (e.g. tungsten carbide-based composites) and corrosion resistant (e.g. Inconel alloys) overlays. The equipment is used to support materials R&D projects for oil sands related applications.  

• Stellite Starweld 300M/Excalibur torch PTA-system

Industrial-scale welding and fabrication equipment

• Lincoln 455M/STT multi-process inverter power source
• Miller Spectrum 1000 plasma cutter
• Roboweld Hybrid Automated Welding System (HAWS)
• Gullco Model 125 Rod Oven

Polymer processing lab

Batch mixer

• For blending of thermoplastic polymers and any required fillers or additives

• For continuous extrusion of thermoplastic polymers to be processed into a pelletized form, or for the extrusion of micron sized continuous fibres

Twin screw extruder

• For continuous compounding and extrusion of thermoplastic polymers and any required fillers or additives.
• Available twin screw side stuffing feeder allows for the introduction of fibrous material (both natural and synthetic) to afford structurally reinforced polymers.
• Various feeder configurations possible to allow for the addition of up to 4 components.

Resin transfer molding

• For production of thermosetting polymer resins reinforced with fibre mats, both natural and synthetic in a closed mold application. (not ordered yet, but will be soon)

Spray up system

• For production of thermosetting polymer resins reinforced with natural or synthetic fibres in an open mold application. (not ordered yet but will be soon)

Environment control chambers

• Walk-in controlled atmosphere testing room (23^oC, 50% RH)
• Humidity/temperature chamber programmable
• QUV accelerated weather test cabinet (Q-Panel)
• Q-Sun Xenon arc accelerated weathering cabinet
• Walk-in freezer (-30^oC)
• Walk-in furnace (200^oC)

Pilot facilities

• Machine shop
• 50U.S. gallon glass-lined chemical process vessels (jacketed)
• 100 U.S. gallon stainless steel chemical process vessels
• Pilot sized spray dryers
• Pilot-sized centrifuges and ovens