INNOVATION July-August 2014

PowerHalt: Air Intake Emergency Shut-off Valves for Diesel Engines Pacbrake has developed an effective safety device for the diesel industry. Diesel engines normally do not incorporate a valve to limit air into the engine, as diesel engine speed is primarily a function of the rate of fuel injection. The scope of this product is to effectively close the air intake in the case of a diesel engine runaway. In this state, the engine experiences uncontrolled combustion which may cause catastrophic engine failure. One of the potential causes is the ingestion

of unregulated hydrocarbons from airborne gasses. Pacbrake’s PowerHalt will starve the engine of air, safely and effectively shutting it down. Design challenges included extreme thermal and vibration environments, development of effective sealing systems and scalability for a wide range of engine sizes. Owner: Pacbrake. Team members: Kody Taylor, EIT; Ovidiu Alb; Kelly Williams, P.Eng.; Peter Stec, EIT; Edmund Astafanus (UBC Co-op); Clayton Lund (UBC Co-op).

Optimal Alignment Optimization Software Softree Optimal is a revolutionary new software

technology developed by Softree Technical Systems for optimizing the vertical alignment of a road- or corridor-based project. This technology provides the best alignment in terms of excavation and embankment costs as well as Earth movement costs, based on horizontal alignment, detailed cross section and other design criteria. McElhanney Consulting Services has recently applied the new Softree Optimal to a number of road and corridor projects. As early adopters, McElhanney has found ways to use this new technology to improve their workflow and provide their customers with improved designs in terms of construction costs and environmental impact. Professionals involved: Dave Mills, P.Eng.

Energy OASIS (Open Access to Sustainable Intermittent Sources) BC Hydro and BC Institute of Technology partnered with Siemens, Panasonic, Schneider Electric and Car2Go to design and construct Canada’s blueprint of future “gas stations” for electric vehicles—a network of fast-charging stations for electric cars using distributed energy resources. Called OASIS, the

system supports both Level 2 and Fast DC electric vehicle chargers and incorporates the intelligence required to provide “cloud-based” fast- charging service for electric vehicles without jeopardizing the integrity of the electricity grid. These stations will reduce charging times of electric vehicles from hours into minutes. The system is designed to be the blueprint of Canada’s future EV charging stations along highways, country roads and outside cities, where drivers need to get a quick charge to continue their way towards their destination. Project team: Kip Morrison, Helen Whittaker, Giuseppe Stanciulescu, P.Eng. (BC-Hydro); Kim Dotto, P.Eng., Hassan Farhangi, P.Eng., Ali Palizban, P.Eng., Minoo Shariat-Zadeh, P.Eng. (BCIT); David Leboe, P.Eng. (Powertech Labs); Michael Blackman, P.Eng., Brett Conning, P.Eng. (Read Jones Christoffersen); Frank Thede, P.Eng. (Acclaro Management Corporation)

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