Energy

This project is split into two parts. The first is to model the arrival process to take into account the forms of dependence in the forecast call center of Hydro-Quebec. A second aspect concerns the proposal for a control system for real-time reallocation of agents. For the first part the need for more accurate models of stochastic processes has been made by officials of Hydro-Quebec. We therefore propose a model incorporating both dependence and intraday dependence between call types. It would then provide better predictions of future arrival of calls during the day.

Cementing operations are carried out on oil and gas wells at various stages. Primary cementing encases the well in a layer of cement. The purpose is to both seal the outside of the well and provide structural integrity. The impact of poor primary cementing is felt both economically (reduced production rates) and environmentally (leakage to surface). In extreme cases poor cement can be a contributing cause of a blowout, (e.g. BP’s Deepwater Horizon incident).

Of the total primary energy consumed in Manitoba, 34% is spent on heating with the majority supplied by imported natural gas while Manitoba has considerable solar and biomass resources. Similar to the use of electricity as an energy carrier to distribute renewable power, investigating the use of water as an energy carrier to distribute renewable heat and cooling is of interest to Manitoba Hydro.

The building sector is one of the most important energy consumers and CO2 producers. Recent statistics collected in the EU have shown that the building sector accounts for approximately 40% of the energy consumed and 40% of the total CO2 produced. These trends are reflected in both North America and Asia. International organizations such as ISO have developed new measures of building system energy performance.

Many fundamental and important scientific and industrial processes can be described in terms of transport phenomena, or processes in which particles are physically displaced from one location to another. Transport phenomena are broadly categorized into three types: transport of mass, transport of energy and transport of momentum.