Coanda Research & Development

Derek joined Coanda Edmonton’s ranks in 2018 after completing his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Alberta. He has multiple years of experience in tailings related research, both in the public and private sectors. As a Research Engineer-In-Training at Coanda, Derek assists in project execution, achieving the highest technical quality with schedule and budgetary focus. He acts as a nexus point for information between the project team and both the Principal Investigator and Project Manager. His efforts in design, planning and coordination help push projects to completion while meeting all deliverables. Throughout his time at Coanda Derek has had a wide array of projects ranging from his roots in fluid tailings remediation to VOC online measurements, secondary extraction, mass transfer studies, non-aqueous extraction, process water treatment, and branching out into carbon capture technologies. #ChemicalEngineering #tailings #research #projects #watertreatment #carboncapture #Coandateam

Happy Holidays from the Coanda team! #happyholidays #HappyNewYear #NewYear #holidays

We're glad to have been part of this incredible year!

Viscoelasticity in Material Rheology A lot of materials exhibit rheological behavior that places them somewhere between a liquid and a solid, classifying them as viscoelastic materials. Emphasizing the determination of elastic properties of a fluid, while acknowledging its viscous properties, provides scientists with valuable insights into its molecular structure. This understanding enables them to modify the structure to meet specific application requirements. Many polymeric liquids possess long chain molecules that randomly loop and entangle with other molecules. When subjected to sudden high shearing forces, this chain network results in the fluid initially exhibiting a solid-like resistance. Subsequently, the chains undergo elastic stretching, and eventually disentangle and orient in the direction of the shearing force, at which point the fluid begins to behave more like a liquid. At slow rates of deformation, polymer liquids predominantly exhibit viscous flow behavior, with elasticity being less apparent. At high shear rates, a significant portion of the deforming energy is absorbed by elastic intra- and intermolecular deformation, storing energy that can be recovered during a relaxation phase. Testing the viscous and elastic properties of materials can be crucial, particularly in production processes like coating, spraying, and extruding. Elastic behavior often takes precedence over viscous response in these processes, as it frequently governs flow anomalies that can limit production rates. Rather than subjecting viscoelastic samples to a constant stress for achieving steady-state flow, it is common practice to expose them to oscillating stresses or strains. This approach enables the rheological examination of their "at rest structure" without inducing mechanical disturbance. At Coanda, we often perform oscillatory measurements to investigate the viscoelastic properties of different materials. Our expertise extends beyond conventional measurements, encompassing the handling and preparation of structured fluids along with more sophisticated rheological techniques to better understand material characteristics. #Viscoelasticity #Rheology #oscillatory

We're hiring! We're looking for a Warehouse Shipper / Receiver for our HQ in Burnaby, BC. Discover more details & apply on our website: https://coanda.ca/careers/ #jobs #careers #hiring #joinourteam #shipper #logistics #bcjobs #vancouverjobs #burnabyjobs

For the past few years, Coanda and our employees have been proud to contribute to a number charities and this year we are glad to be able to continue this tradition. We have set up holiday fundraising campaigns for the following charities in Western Canada: Calgary Food Bank https://lnkd.in/gJdpp8w9 Edmonton Food Bank: https://lnkd.in/gr-PBJnc Family Services of Greater Vancouver: https://lnkd.in/gc73cdse Coanda will be matching staff donations dollar for dollar, doubling your efforts to reach as far as possible. Please help us support these worthy causes before Friday, December 20th 2024. Thank you in advance for your generosity & support! #CoandaCares #CommunityFirst #GiveBack #TogetherWeCanMakeADifference #charity #christmascharity #TtGivesBack

Did you know that Coanda offers a full suite of Research & Development services to support the Water and Wastewater industries? We have decades of expertise in analyzing, evaluating, and optimizing existing water-related processes, combining physical and numerical modeling techniques including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). We have also played a key role in assisting clients develop new installations and troubleshoot large infrastructure projects all over the world. Read more about our capabilities and expertise in the water space at our new dedicated webpage: https://lnkd.in/gcR-qcZN #waterindustry #Wastewater #research #ComputationalFluidDynamics #CFD #infrastructure

We previously introduced the topic of sequestration and storage, providing examples of natural storage sites. However, the capacity of the oceans, plant life, and natural rock formations for permanent storage within a timeframe needed to lessen the impact of climate change is limited. We must therefore look for other safe and permanent storage sites for carbon removed from the atmosphere. In this post, we introduce proposed methods of trapping captured CO2 underground in geological formations. Geologic sequestration refers to the long-term storage of gaseous, liquid, or supercritical carbon dioxide in underground sites. The current focus is primarily on storage in saline formations, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, and unmineable coal seams. However, before any solution(s) can be implemented, it is first necessary to understand how CO2 will behave once injected underground, in order to minimize leakage back to the surface. Head over to our website to read the rest of this article: https://bit.ly/Coanda-CO2 #carbon #sequestration #CO2 #Geologic #oilandgas #criticalpoint #research #cleantech

Rodrigo holds a Diploma of Technology in Mechanical Engineering Design from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He has been an integral part of Coanda since 2010. His multifaceted expertise encompasses several critical areas. As the laboratory manager in Edmonton, Rodrigo oversees lab operations, equipment maintenance, and efficient processes. He excels in designing and upgrading test rigs and ensuring accurate and reliable results during testing processes. Beyond testing, Rodrigo actively promotes safety protocols within the organization, fostering a secure work environment for employees. Additionally, Rodrigo’s involvement extends to facility planning which includes ventilation, electrical, mechanical upgrades and infrastructure layout design. His effective project management skills keep projects on track, and he also streamlines day-to-day operations. Rodrigo’s dedication, adaptability, and diverse skill set make him an indispensable asset to Coanda’s Edmonton team. #laboratorymanager #MechanicalEngineering #Technology #equipment #safetyprotocols #infrastructure #projectmanagement #Coanda #ourteam

Caisson use to improve tailings dredging efficiency Management of fluid fine #tailings (FFT) in oil sands operations requires harvesting it from tailings ponds via dredge pumps followed by chemical/mechanical treatment. One of the challenges during harvesting is cone formation between the clear water layer and tailings, which adversely affects the density of FFT and its consistent delivery to the tailings processing facilities. The coning occurs due to the non-Newtonian nature of the FFT material. Currently, the main mitigation strategy is to move the dredge from time to time to a different location outside of the developed cone. However, such interventions are costly and necessitate frequent process interruptions. Decreasing the frequency of #dredge moves can reduce costs and streamline the withdrawal process. Therefore, improving the ability to withdraw denser material and develop a shallower cone can be very beneficial. Recently, Coanda completed an IOSI (Institute for Oil Sand Innovation) funded study to investigate the use of a #caisson —a large diameter cylinder placed coaxially around the dredge pipe—to mitigate the coning phenomenon. This is accomplished by increasing the effective dredge diameter and, therefore, the amount of slurry material withdrawn prior to significant density decrease. The study combined rheological experiments of aged material (to quantify the thixotropic nature of FFT), along with the development of a mathematical thixotropy model coupled with CFD flow simulations. In addition, small-scale withdrawal tests were conducted in Coanda’s lab to validate the comprehensive model, and finally, the model was applied to commercial tailing ponds to evaluate the advantages of a caisson. As can be seen from the graph, dredging with the caisson results in higher density of the withdrawn slurry but the variability of the material increases, evidenced by density fluctuations, particularly during the first 50 hours of the withdrawal process. The density distribution contour plots highlight the profile changes inside the caisson as the denser slurry reaches the dredge from under the caisson without engaging less dense material. Outside of the caisson, however, the density profiles are very similar.