This possibility is still hotly contested, which is all the better as nuclear power is still one of the cleanest and safest methods of power generation on Earth.

There are a few regular criticisms of nuclear power often bandied about but there is less truth to these myths than one may realize. The first, and perhaps most well-known critique, is that nuclear power should not be used because of how unsafe or dangerous it is to people, a claim immediately met by modern nuclear safety standards.

According to the World Nuclear Association, “the design and operation of nuclear power plants aims to minimise the likelihood of accidents and avoid major human consequences,” if they do happen. While most of us are familiar with the devastating incidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi, it is worth noting that these are in fact “the only major accidents to have occurred in over 18,500 cumulative reactor-years of commercial nuclear power operation in thirty-six countries,” says the association.

The association emphasizes that “the evidence over six decades shows that nuclear power is a safe means of generating electricity. The risk of accidents in nuclear power plants is low and declining.”

Data collected by Australia’s Prime Ministerial Taskforce on Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy bears this out. When comparing different energy sectors between the years 1969 and 2000, nuclear power was found to be responsible for far fewer fatalities–or indeed, accidents of any sort–than coal, oil, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, or hydroelectricity. While accidents in these other sectors number in the hundreds to even thousands, with fatalities in the thousands to tens of thousands, the nuclear industry reported only one accident within that time, with thirty-one fatalities.

The Fukushima Daiichi incident of 2011 did raise a new safety concern for nuclear power: namely, “the loss of power to maintain effective cooling,” according to a 2015 fact sheet released by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). In response, the industry “has developed a diverse, flexible mitigation approach,” called the FLEX program. The program adds robustness and redundancy to existing safety systems by “stationing another layer of backup equipment at plant sites and regional depots,” states the NEI.

In terms of how effective the FLEX program and other safety initiatives have been, the NEI cites data monitored by the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) that illustrates how “U.S. nuclear energy plants continued operating at high levels of safety and reliability in 2014.” In that year, the nuclear power industry recorded just 0.03 industrial safety accidents per 200,000 worker-hours, far below the 2015 goal of 0.1 accidents per 200,000 worker-hours since 2010.

Indeed, “Data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that it is safer to work at a nuclear power plant than in the manufacturing sector, leisure and hospitality industries, and financial sectors,” says an NEI fact sheet.

After the safety of people, another consistent concern regarding nuclear energy is the effect it can have on the environment, an enduring thought that is not entirely based on truth. In a 2019 piece for the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry association, Kelly McPharlin reports that the nuclear power industry in the United States is “recognized as one of the safest industrial working environments in the nation.”

The industry promotes a safety approach called “defense-in-depth,” which provides “multiple overlapping levels of safety designed to prevent accidental radiation release,” McPharlin says. In addition, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) performs detailed safety and security procedures and plant check-ups.

In the 2021 article, 3 Reasons Why Nuclear is Clean and Sustainable, the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy counters another myth, which is that nuclear power is an unclean, unsustainable source of energy. Nuclear energy creates steam that is used to generate power via turbines and does not discharge combustion by-products into the atmosphere, whereas burning coal or gas releases a host of greenhouse gases and particulates that can form smog or acid rain.

In fact, according to the NEI, in 2019, if nuclear energy was not used in the United States, a further 476 million metric tons of carbon dioxide would have been produced.

The NEI also states that nuclear energy also requires far less land to generate the same amount of power compared to other clean energy sources, such as wind or solar.

Several industry experts also extol the uses of nuclear power as a clean resource. In a 2021 interview with CNET’s Daniel Van Boom, Dietmar Detering and Eric Dawson of the nonpartisan advocacy group Nuclear New York reveal that the big advantage is that “nuclear power produces huge amounts of electricity while emitting next to no carbon.” Fossil fuels, in contrast, are what Van Boom calls “consistent but dirty,” while renewables are “clean but weather dependent.”

James Hansen and Michael Shellenberger, meanwhile, in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, argue that “anyone seriously interested in preventing dangerous levels of global warming should be advocating nuclear power.” Nuclear already accounts for 93 percent of Pennsylvania’s clean, zero-emissions electricity; furthermore, if it “and Ohio’s nuclear plants close and are replaced by facilities that burn natural gas, it would be like adding 13.5 million new cars to the roads.”

Nuclear power has been in use in one form or another for decades, which puts it in the category of proven sources of electricity. In fact, nuclear power technology could evolve even further to utilize the process of nuclear fusion, a breakthrough scientists may be on the verge of making.

No approach to power conservation or generation is above critique but the reputation of nuclear power continues to be attacked based on claims brought about by fear and misinformation. Proponents of nuclear power must continue to present evidence for its safety and efficiency to ensure the viability and availability of nuclear power generation for the foreseeable future.

The post Safe & Sustainable<p class="company">Dispelling the Myths around Nuclear Energy</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

In March, America’s renewable energy sector received a boost when President Joe Biden announced bold initiatives to “catalyze offshore wind energy.” Vowing to build a clean energy economy and increase offshore wind power generation to 30 Gigawatts (GW) by 2030, the President said that this renewed focus on wind will ultimately create millions of new jobs – especially in Pacific and Atlantic coastal areas, and the Gulf of Mexico – and see an increase in the use of American steel to construct America’s first “compliant wind turbine installation vessel.”

With half of the American population living in these coastal areas and requiring tremendous amounts of power, the plan makes sense for a world shifting away from petroleum and coal-fueled energy to renewables.

Morale boost
The demand for energy remains voracious, even during the COVID crisis. Like every other nation on earth, America’s economy has been battered. And America’s spirit could also do with some good news right now. The Biden administration’s plan would see not only an increase in offshore wind power capacity, but also some 77,000 new jobs in the U.S., 44,000 of them direct, the other 33,000 indirect.

Since the president made this vow, the plan has been both widely praised and criticized. To date, nine states along the east coast of the U.S. – where a dozen or more offshore wind farms are likely to be built – are already looking to the federal government to alleviate potential losses to the commercial fishing industry, a long-time opponent of offshore wind farms.

For the fishing sector the issues are many, ranging from the size of offshore wind farms (standing five times the 171-foot (52 meter) height of the Barnegat Lighthouse off Long Beach Island), to the proposed number of turbines, and the as-yet-unknown impact on fish habitats and local economies.

Residents of areas where offshore wind farms are planned are concerned about potential impact on the value of their properties and losses to their investments.

Why offshore?
The consistent speed and dependability of coastal wind are just two reasons for the growth in offshore wind projects.

Like solar and other forms of non-polluting renewable energy, offshore wind harnesses the strength of nature. The force of wind rotates large propellers, which, through connected gearboxes, rotate high-speed shafts at over 1,500 revolutions per minute.

These feed into generators which convert this kinetic energy into electricity that flows from the towers through converters, transformers, substations, and on to homes and businesses through distribution networks.

Research has demonstrated differences in output and efficiencies between wind farms on land, and those constructed offshore. Onshore winds (from the sea onto land) are consistently stronger than winds on land, due to the lack of physical barriers at sea, and that when warm air over land rises, cooler air over the sea quickly moves to fill the space.

And according to the American Geosciences Institute, even slight increases in wind speed result in significant energy production increases, with turbines in winds of 15 miles per hour capable of generating twice as much energy as turbines operating in slightly slower 12 mph winds.

Unlike oil, gas, and coal, offshore wind and solar sites do not consume large quantities of water, nor do they generate greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) or polluting environmental waste.

The cons of offshore energy
Objections from residents and businesses to the impact on property values of offshore solar and wind projects are common in coastal areas. The fishing and seafood industry too, frequently voices its misgivings about proposed offshore energy sites and their effect on the environment, namely fish and other ocean dwellers.

Some of the reasons for the success of offshore wind farms can also work against them, with powerful winds and waves causing costly damage to energy installations both above and below the water, including to power cables on sea beds.

Part of the challenge of tapping into offshore wind involves erection of the turbines themselves. With today’s technology, construction of fixed-foundation wind turbines in waters exceeding 200 feet (60 meters) is more complex than land-based wind farms, and remains difficult.

To negate this problem, some other types of wind turbines are built on floating platforms, which have the advantage of being moorable in deeper waters far from shore.

Late bloomer
The United States is relatively backward in developing offshore wind and solar projects, far outpaced by Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, and the United Kingdom, which has the greatest installed capacity in all of Europe. With rising electrical costs, the closure of coal plants across the U.S. and the push towards greener forms of energy, America will undoubtedly see many more coastal wind projects in the coming years.

One of offshore winds’ best allies in the energy stakes is another form of green energy, namely solar. Recent studies demonstrate that large-scale solar-wind hybrid projects offshore generate power more efficiently than wind alone, and are easier to build than photovoltaic (PV) solar units alone.

A reason behind the merging of wind and solar is nature itself. Sun and wind follow their own schedules and don’t always appear over the sea at useful times, so a technology with two strings to its bow that’s able to take advantage of either form of renewable energy separately is at an advantage.

Scientists at Utrecht University in The Netherlands – one of the leaders in the solar-wind hybrid sector – recently conducted a feasibility study of a “floating solar installation,” part of a new 752 Megawatt (MW) North Sea wind farm. This resulted in a paper, Pooling the cable: A techno-economic feasibility study of integrating offshore floating photovoltaic solar technology within an offshore wind park.

Among the findings, authors of the paper say that integrating solar to offshore wind parks is an option to increase output, while sharing the costs of construction and maintenance, “leading to overall decreased capital and operational expenditures.” They add, “We have calculated optimal wind and solar combined capacity given meteorological conditions in the North Sea, showing that curtailment of solar is quite limited.”

Worldwide, other countries are also investigating the marriage between offshore wind and solar. A recent study from Ireland states that the combination could stabilize prices over the long haul.

Yet another recent report from Norway’s DNV GL, an international registrar / classification society, comments that the North Sea may be home to about 100 MW of floating solar capacity by 2030, jumping to 500 MW by 2035.

They describe the offshore wind industry as “booming.” Indeed, major players are onboard with the development of this technology, including GE Renewable Energy.

With GE active in areas including hydro power, grid solutions, and onshore wind, offshore represents yet another step towards renewable power for the energy juggernaut. It makes perfect sense. With increases in offshore wind energy from 17 Gigawatts (GW) to 90 GW projected for the coming decade, experts believe offshore wind power will be responsible for 15 percent of the world’s wind industry.

Biggest ever
Acknowledging the potential of offshore wind, GE has invested over $400 million in Haliade-X. Announced in March 2018, Haliade-X remains the most powerful offshore wind turbine to date.

With a 12 MW direct drive generator, the 260 meter tall turbine it will produce 45 percent more energy than any other offshore wind turbine in existence. Its blades measure 351 feet (107) meters in length – longer than a soccer field – and just one of the Haliade-X 12 MW turbines can generate about 67 GWh annually.

This is “enough clean power for up to 16,000 households per turbine, and up to one million European households in a 750 MW windfarm configuration,” according to GE.

The sheer power-generating capacity of Haliade-X would he been unthinkable just a few years ago. Like other wind projects, it will take advantage of stronger, more regular winds far away from shore.

And while the future of offshore wind farms remains assured, what does remain to be seen is how an acceptable balance between these huge projects’ value to society and their impact on the oceans and fisheries can be found.

The post Powering Tomorrow<p class="company">Offshore Wind and Solar Energy</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

“Our mandate is to connect you to opportunities to grow your business. We become an extension of your sales and marketing. We get you in front of people and provide you with [business] intelligence. We provide education to help hone your skills and make you better at what you do, and, of course, we’re always advocating on your behalf with our government and other governments and the industry as a whole,” states Managing Director Ryan McEachern.

MSTA CANADA’s 250 corporate members “represent the whole life cycle of the exploration and mining eco-system, right from exploration to development and design, to building [mining sites] and operating them, to refining and of course reclamation and closure, if that is required,” he continues.

Most member companies “are focused on what we call hard-rock mining. That’s your metals and diamonds, but there is crossover. Members do participate in coal mining and even work within the oil sands because the extractive process is similar to mining. Quite a few members cater to multiple sectors. They join because they want us to help them focus on the mining industry here and around the world.”

“Leveraging the Canada brand,” is a big part of what the association does, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, says McEachern. “Rather than go to a trade show by yourself, you are now connected and part of a delegation… instead of being isolated and hidden within the sea of other suppliers competing for business.”

MSTA CANADA traces its roots to a poolside strategy meeting conducted by members of a mining trade mission at a Peruvian hotel. This brainstorming session led to the founding of a group called Ontario Mining Equipment and Services for Export (OMESE) in 1981. The organization quickly expanded its geographical reach, becoming the Canadian Association of Mining Equipment and Services for Export (CAMESE) in 1989.

Among other activities, CAMESE hosted Canadian pavilions at mining industry shows that drew member companies together. This arrangement dramatically boosted the visibility of individual firms and allowed prospective clients to network with multiple companies in one location. In 2017, CAMESE changed its name to MSTA CANADA.

Since the early 1980s, mining has become increasingly technologically advanced—a fact reflected by changes to MSTA CANADA’s membership. “There are more technology-focused organizations coming into the fold. You see a lot of digital solutions coming in—drones and sensors, for example. [Our members’] needs are changing,” states McEachern.

Member companies can be listed in a MSTA CANADA publication called the Annual Compendium of Canadian Mining Suppliers. In years past, the association distributed paper copies of the compendium to mining companies and interested parties at trade shows. While not abandoning print, the association is increasingly offering promotional material of this kind in a digital format.

In the face of COVID, MSTA CANADA took on a new role, conveying pandemic-related information to its members to ensure the health of employees at member companies while maintaining the economic viability of the sector.

“When it first hit, there was a lot of uncertainty and questions. We were very active in trying to share as much information as possible. Our industry was quickly recognized as an essential service and rightly so. The industry has strong health and safety protocols, so it was easy to adopt new measures. As a whole, the industry fared quite well in terms of how it reacted, relative to other sectors, such as the service industry, which was hurt very hard,” McEachern says.

COVID shuttered trade shows and trade missions, prompting the association to beef up its online assets. The association has assorted social media profiles and has produced a stream of webinars and videocasts.

Webinars are focused on “providing opportunities for our members,” and raising awareness about innovation and industry trends, he says. MSTA CANADA hopes to “make sure [member companies are] going in the right direction and not moving towards obsolescence.”

McEachern hosts The Dig, a new MSTA CANADA videocast which can be viewed on the association’s YouTube channel. Launched after COVID began, the show features him chatting with industry guests about various mining topics.

While proud of the association’s virtual initiatives, McEachern is eagerly anticipating the return of in-person events. Trade show features such as business-to-business meetings, seminars, and presentations can be easily replicated online but the same cannot be said for all aspects of live events, he explains.

“Our experience was that what we called unstructured networking—talking to people on the trade show floor, evening events, bumping into each other—doesn’t work well in a virtual environment. Now as we start to see the light at the end of the tunnel and feel secure to start traveling again, people are really interested in wanting to do these things.”

COVID has not diminished MSTA CANADA’s advocacy role. The organization, in collaboration with other national mining and exploration associations, continues to convene with federal and provincial regulators to discuss issues and lobby for policies that will benefit the mining services and supply sector. Specific subjects of concern include taxes, export regulations, and innovation. In its advocacy work, the association stresses the importance of mining in the overall economy and the need for government support.

“How do you incentivize companies to adopt new technologies, services, and solutions? That’s been a bit of a push for us. There’s a real focus on innovation,” he says. “When we talk to the federal government, [we ask them] how are they helping our suppliers—the mining supply and service sector—as a whole? Is there support for innovation and [research and development]? How are we ensuring that we’re reducing the barriers to doing business and increasing the opportunities to build and grow business?”

MSTA CANADA meets with similar associations and mining representatives from other countries as well. McEachern says an excellent example is the association has “a great relationship” with Austmine, the self-described “leading not-for-profit industry association for the Australian mining, equipment, technology and services sector.”

“It’s about building bridges with other stakeholders. There are mining supplier associations developing in Africa that we’re looking to talk to. There are other organizations trying to support economic development between countries and companies. We’ll work with them in the context of the mining supply chain perspective. We’ll even talk to governments as well, within an international standpoint,” he adds.

In recent years, the rise of green energy has been an ongoing topic of discussion among the press, politicians, and public. Whether it is derived from solar, wind, water, or bio-fuel sources, green power is often presented as a cleaner, less harmful alternative to traditional power sources which, along with mining, are viewed as polluting and contributing to climate change.

McEachern bristles at such criticism and says mining is leading the charge in reducing climate change. “How do we address climate change? Mining is clearly a big part of that, because it starts with us… all the [green] solutions require raw materials to make it happen,” he notes.

To him, the climate debate needs to be reframed. If you ask an environmentalist whether they support traditional mining, chances are they will say no. Flip the question around, however, and suddenly traditional mining and green energy do not seem so mutually exclusive.

“If you ask people, do you think our country can contribute the metals and minerals to help us reduce carbon and get off fossil fuels and help climate change, they would say yes. So, it’s how the question is asked,” he says. “If we mine in a responsible manner and develop the minerals and metals critical to achieving a reduction, then who can argue with that?”

He points to low-emission lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles as an example of how mining helps green energy grow. Such batteries require lithium, nickel, and cobalt derived through mining. Responsible mining, meanwhile, entails minimizing waste, energy use and a company’s environmental footprint.

McEachern is excited by such developments and expresses optimism about the future of the industry. As MSTA CANADA marks a major anniversary, he offers an upbeat forecast and urges Ottawa to continue to recognize the economic importance of mining.

He would like to see the federal government increase its support for the industry over the next few years and see it as a key part of the value chain for addressing climate change; here, Canada can play a major role. “This is a nation-building opportunity. If we get this right, it will benefit all sectors and specifically, allow the mining supply and services sector to better achieve its goals to grow globally.”

The post 40 Years as the Voice of the Mining Services and Supply Sector<p class="company">MSTA CANADA</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

While consolidating its position as a mining equipment leader, the company is also looking at other markets that might welcome its solutions. Another potential venture might involve using its products to warn workers when they violate COVID-related social distancing protocols.

“The biggest challenge facing Jannatec at the moment is attempting to provide the technological capabilities that people are used to above ground in an underground environment. It may seem simple enough – something works on the surface; it should work underground, right? In fact, the complexities of an underground environment are far greater than many people realize,” states Project Manager Mark Burnett.

Throughout history, mining has been a dangerous business with a constant risk of cave-ins and accidents. In underground work environments, proper illumination, reliable communication, and the ability to detect danger and monitor workers’ movements are vital. Jannatec’s solutions address all these areas to reduce the risks associated with mining.

The company, founded in 1983, is based in Sudbury, Ontario, an epicentre of mining activity in Canada. Sudbury is “where we began, and this is where our main client base is located, due to the high degree of mining in the immediate and surrounding area,” Burnett says.

From the start, the focus was “to provide quality products and services to the mining industry,” he continues.

Jannatec’s earliest breakthrough product was called the Johnny Light – the first radio cap lamp built for the mining industry. Over the years, there have been multiple improvements and iterations of this product line including the G1 Johnny Light, G2, and now the G3 Johnny Light, while incorporating more devices such as proximity detection and tracking.

The company followed this light with a proximity detection solution called JAWS1 (Jannatec Advanced Warning System) in 2010. In a JAWS application, radiofrequency transceivers are attached to underground workers, vehicles, and fixed hazards to detect the presence of other workers and vehicles. The system issues warnings to help prevent collisions and potential injuries by enhancing situational awareness of workers and vehicle operators.

In 2016, the firm introduced the SmartView platform. The latest version of SmartView is packed with sensors, cameras and connectivity options for circle check entry, training based access control, vehicle tracking, proximity detection, engine diagnostics, video recording, data logging and other applications. The system features a ruggedized android tablet resembling display consoles found in most modern vehicles. The platform provides “multiple services in one device,” notes Burnett. “The modular approach allows our clients the flexibility to address immediate needs and add functionality as required based on future needs.”

SmartView was followed by the SmartHelmet in 2019. The SmartHelmet features high-visibility LEDs arrayed in a 360-degree pattern on the helmet brim, proximity detection, RFID tagging, communications, online connectivity, and a camera capable of taking video or single photographs that can be transferred to a computer or through an existing network.

“Currently, our top-selling product is our JAWS proximity detection system, which includes our SmartView hardware platform and our personnel proximity detection tag – which can be embedded in our SmartHelmet, our cordless cap lamp, or our corded and radio cap lamps,” states Burnett.

“Our SmartHelmet and our G3T Radio Cap Lamp are the only products of their kind globally,” he affirms. “Our SmartTalk device is one of only a handful of devices that can communicate via LMR (land mobile radio), WiFi, and LTE, lending itself to mines that currently use standard radios but wish to move forward in the future to more smart devices and connected workers.”

LTE technology can be used to provide very high-speed online connectivity in underground work settings. As Burnett points out, establishing a reliable underground communications system is not easy. “There are very few people who have a solid grasp and understanding of the full complexities in keeping communications working for what is essentially a city underground.”

While Jannatec primarily sells its own products, the company is also an authorized Motorola reseller as well as an OEM integrator of Motorola products. Jannatec has also now partnered with SENA Industrial to incorporate Bluetooth mesh technology into its SmartHelmet while also offering the SENA Industrial line of products.

Jannatec’s R & D and manufacturing activities are handled in-house. “Some products we manufacture from the bottom-up, and others we leverage and modify [using] existing products, but all of this work takes place at our Sudbury, Ontario location. We strongly believe in Canadian-built products, as they have proven to have the durability and quality required worldwide,” Burnett notes.

The company’s client base extends well outside of the Sudbury area; it has representation in Nevada (a major mining state), the province of Saskatchewan, and wants to expand further.

It has ISO 9001:2015 certification and a reputation for excellence, and its products have been widely embraced by the industry. All Canadian operations run by Vale, which describes itself as ‘the world’s largest producer of iron ore and pellets,’ use Jannatec equipment. Many Glencore mines, Kirkland Lake Gold, Pan American Silver, and Potash operations in Saskatchewan use the products as well.

The company’s products are not limited to any one particular kind of mining operation. “We’re open to doing business with absolutely any markets and any type of mines. Right now, we’re in potash; we’re in open-pit; we’re in hard rock, nickel and copper mines. We’re trying to be as flexible as possible,” states Burnett.

The company has won industry praise for its solutions and capabilities. In 2015, it was awarded a Bell Business Excellence Award in the category of innovation. These awards are presented annually by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. According to Burnett, Jannatec was also “the first company to be Cisco IoT (Internet of Things) certified for mining.”

As a manufacturer of safety equipment, Jannatec was deemed to be an essential service and was not required to close when COVID restrictions were introduced last year. However, it chose to voluntarily shut down for two weeks in March 2020 to develop a plan to keep its workers safe and guide the company forward. Strict health measures to limit the spread of COVID were introduced to protect the workforce.

Its main clients did not stop operating during the COVID crisis, so business was not hugely affected. COVID has even inspired the company to consider a new, safety-minded venture involving its products. “Oddly, the pandemic has presented us with a potential business opportunity, as we can now use our SmartHelmets for contact tracing and for notifying workers who use hard hats if they are not following social distancing guidelines,” says Burnett.

If two workers are wearing SmartHelmets, an alert can be triggered if they get within six feet of each other, explains Burnett. Proximity data can be recorded, to allow companies to enhance health and safety measures.

In a similar spirit, while mining is its biggest sector, the company is eager to explore new markets and has discussed the possibility of supplying SmartHelmets to offshore oil rig workers, for example. Jannatec will also be branching out to markets such as construction, warehousing, and manufacturing.

Although there are other firms in its space, Jannatec is unique in that it remains highly innovative, and as a relatively small business, it is “very agile, versatile and competitive,” Burnett says.

The company has twenty employees at present, down from twenty-two at this time last year. The drop in personnel was simply due to career changes, not COVID or other factors.

“We strive to create a fun and vibrant work atmosphere while still ensuring we take our jobs seriously and perform as expected. As an example, we have a billiards table in our main office that all staff are welcome to use, and we create events such as fun Fridays, where we take suggestions for team-building exercises that all staff are welcome to participate in,” says Burnett.

The company likes team players who “demonstrate a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job right and who understand that, ultimately, it is the customer who keeps the doors open, and it must be a priority to ensure their satisfaction. Of course, qualifications and abilities are a must for certain positions, and we do have criteria and even tests that need to be taken prior to consideration [as a new hire],” he adds.

Company officials offer an optimistic forecast. “We see Jannatec as continuing to be a leader in underground communications and we see our SmartHelmet changing the conversation around communications and safety in various markets. We may just have a few tricks up our sleeves that nobody sees coming,” states Burnett.

“Within five years, we hope to expand our client base not only within Canada but also into the United States, Latin America and globally and are looking at having representation in all of those markets while our sales and resource pool continue to expand, not only here in our home area but in all of these other markets as well.”

The post Keeping Workers Safe Underground<p class="company">Jannatec Technologies</p> appeared first on Resource In Focus.

The company’s mission is straightforward and customer-focused. The team’s commitment to an effective chemical application means always going the extra mile. “It’s more than just trying to create a product,” summarizes Director of Laboratory and Research and Development Services Justin Disney. “We are providing a service associated with that product.”

By solving customers’ problems, the team creates a mutually beneficial situation. “The bottom line is, if our customers don’t make money, then we won’t make money,” Disney says. “And so our goal is to try to understand what issues our customers have, whether or not we can solve them chemically or whether there are other options for solving their problems and then trying to come up with the best solution.”

The team’s commitment does not stop there; they have to prove the solution works as intended. “How do we show that value by validating that our products are working or that our customer is getting the value that we hope they’re getting?” Disney asks. “We do lots of testing, a lot of analytical work, and we invest very, very heavily in our R&D and technical capabilities to make sure that we are subject matter experts, not only on our products but also on our customers’ equipment. Many times they rely very heavily on us to be experts on what goes on with their equipment and to help them understand their failures and things like that.”

Jacam Catalyst nurtures employee talent to ensure they deliver the best solution to customers. “Our company culture tries very hard to unleash the potential in our employees,” Disney says. “We do have some corporate controls and things like that but we try hard not to stifle ingenuity and [not to] stifle creative thinking.”

The company’s relatively flat organizational structure helps make this possible by avoiding “layers and layers of bureaucracy,” which can “stifle people’s ability to get things accomplished,” he says. “So I think that people will find that it’s very refreshing here. If you need resources, if you need help, you don’t have to go through eight levels of management to try to get those resources. We can rapidly respond to our customers’ needs.”

Safety is another important part of the company culture. Jacam Catalyst makes sure that all employees have the opportunity to participate in and take ownership of the responsibilities associated with a healthy and safe workplace. The company provides all necessary training and continually invests in new safety programs, updated training classes, and new resources to reach the company goal of an accident-free workplace. The management actively leads each project and process with the specific goal of protecting the health and safety of all involved and of minimizing the impact on the environment.

Jacam Catalyst has enjoyed dramatic growth recently. The current company is a combination of three chemical companies that were acquired at different times to create one unified business. Each acquisition was carefully chosen based on where it was located and what value it would bring to the organization as a whole. Then, after the acquisition, the team made sure to keep that company’s strengths intact.

“We tried very hard, when we merged, to look at best practices for each company and then take the best of each, rather than be a merger of unequals,” Disney says. “Due to that, we’ve had a lot of success because we can capitalize on all the different products in our product portfolio, all the different technical resources we have, and try to pool all that collective knowledge and apply it as needed for each individual field. I think that that’s been very successful because it’s allowed us to take that shared collective knowledge and try to think differently in each particular region we’re located.”

The company’s expansion has been so successful that Jacam Catalyst has had to build a brand new, state-of-the-art laboratory to keep up with all the work. In the past, the team has added to its laboratory located in Texas’s Permian Basin, but eventually, the rapid growth required a more substantial solution.

“We eventually exceeded the reasonable capabilities of our existing infrastructure,” Disney says. In 2020, it broke ground on a brand new facility “that was designed from scratch with pure intent as a first-class laboratory environment.” At 11,000 square feet, “It’s the largest laboratory in the Permian Basin.”

This location is key because it allows the team to bring their technology and expertise to the field as rapidly as possible. “By having our resources where the oil field is… we can interact with our customers in a very timely manner versus trying to send something to a major metropolitan area,” Disney points out.

The company is eager to continue expanding. “We are always looking to grow into new shale plays where our customers are,” he says. “We are probably number three or number four in production chemicals in North America, and we think that there are still a lot of opportunities to grow.” He sees a particular advantage in cultivating prospects where the company already enjoys a solid presence. “We try very hard to capitalize on areas we’re already in. There are a lot of opportunities.”

To keep growing, the company has recognized the need to expand not just its presence but its brand as well. “One of the issues, the challenges we always face, is we don’t necessarily have the name recognition based on our size,” Disney explains. “It’s because we started as fairly regional companies. Most people don’t realize that we have a national presence, and I think that’s where we’re trying to get more and more education to our potential customers. We are a national chemical service company, and we are present at all the major oil fields throughout the U.S.”

With so much growth and success under the company’s belt, it is only a matter of time before the name achieves the recognition it deserves.

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Since its founding in New Orleans back in 1978, the non-profit (IRS 501-6C) AADE has grown to 11 chapters across America. A strong, volunteer-led organization, the AADE serves to educate thousands of people in the sector, including students and former workers.

From its website with hundreds of archived papers presented at past Fluids Technical Conferences and National Technical Conferences, monthly chapter meetings, all-day forums, and regular newsletter updates, to the upcoming 2022 Fluids Technical Conference & Exhibition and more, members keep up with the latest technologies and industry developments in forums that are both informative and social.

“It’s a great way to be involved, learn things, and meet people, all while doing some fun activities as well as work,” says Mary Dimataris of membership in the Association. “I think it’s the best buy in the industry. You’re not asked to put out tons of money, but there’s a huge value that comes your way. We have a great knowledge base that’s continually growing, from technical papers to meeting people, and tapping into those resources.”

A veteran oil and gas industry consultant, Dimataris serves as Conference Technical Program Coordinator at the Houston Texas-headquartered AADE, and continues to play an important role in the Association. One of the driving factors in creating the AADE was to address the needs of people in the industry which were not being met by other associations, such as the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).

“It’s not that we wanted to compete, but we wanted to fill some gaps,” explains Dimataris. “And so, there has always been a very strong field engineering component to our membership, keeping people who’re out in the field in the loop of knowledge, providing the chance to share information, meet other like-minded people. Education, too – from students to your average field engineer and keeping them up to date – has always been a huge priority.”

Inclusive, not exclusive
One of the greatest strengths of the American Association of Drilling Engineers is its many volunteers. Knowledgeable and passionate about the industry, these volunteers have a key role to play in the Association’s success and growth.

As a drilling and completion engineering manager with ENI Petroleum US LLC, Jeff Bruton serves as one of the at-large directors and president of the national board of directors. Enthusiastic about the AADE’s role – freely sharing and disseminating drilling information – he says that wasn’t always the case before the Association’s founding.

“Back in the late eighties, it wasn’t a very free flow of information,” comments Bruton. “It was more specialized, and felt more exclusive. The AADE was set up to be a very inclusive organization, to share and disseminate information, and promote drilling technology and investment of drilling practices in the industry.”

Along with Mary Dimataris and Jeff Bruton, one of the biggest advocates of the American Association of Drilling Engineers is Ahmed S. Amer. Product line director for digital solutions at Newpark Fluids Systems, he is fluids management group vice-chairman and conference co-chair at the AADE.

Like many others on the committee, Amer volunteers with more than one organization, and is also active with the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), and the American Petroleum Institute (API).

With chapters in New Orleans, Lafayette, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Rocky Mountain, West Coast (Bakersfield), the Permian Basin (Alaska), Anchorage, Mid-Continent (Oklahoma City -Tulsa), the Appalachian Basin (Coraopolis, PA) and Central Texas (San Antonio), membership in the AADE stands at about 3,000. The Association expects to see an increase this year as things slowly return to normal.

Best value in the industry
One of the many ways the AADE attracts and keeps people is through its extremely low membership rates. Known as one of the best value professional organizations in the oil and gas industry, reasonable annual dues bring in members who find the dues of other professional organizations, charging six to seven times more, exorbitant.

“With AADE, all technical publications and all the quarterly meetings and content are available for free online,” says Amer, “and all the quarterly events are free for members. You only pay for the conference.”

At the AADE, there are no limits to membership eligibility. While many members are active oil and gas workers, some are retired and want to keep-up with the latest industry developments.

Also popular with students in engineering and other disciplines, the AADE provides information on how to establish a student section, and offers school listings and links on its website.

A long-time advocate of women in the industry, (the first president of the Houston chapter was a woman), the AADE continues to take a leadership role, actively promoting membership to women. “We’ve definitely seen far more women entering, and it’s a wonderful thing,” says Dimataris. She says that the number of women joining regional chapters and attending national conferences has doubled in the last five years.

Upcoming Fluids Technical Conference & Exhibition
For months, the team at the American Association of Drilling Engineers has been working on the 2022 Fluids Technical Conference & Exhibition. Scheduled for April 19-20 of next year, attendance in person is encouraged, but the event will also have a hybrid virtual option of recorded presentations featuring recorded keynotes and certain topics available online.

Conferences alternate every other year between the Fluids Technical Conferences and National Technical Conferences. “Every other year, we have a fluids-centric or focused conference, as we are going to have in 2022,” says Bruton. “On the alternate years, we have a national tech conference.”

Whereas previous conferences have averaged about 700 in attendance, the 2022 event – to be held in Houston at the Marriott Marquis – will be limited to 450 delegates, with about 25 percent being university students. Expected to be sold-out, the Conference numbers are being limited for planning purposes. “If you miss that registration and we hit the maximum number of people that can attend, there is a virtual option available,” says Amer.

Presently working on keynote speakers, the AADE has put out a worldwide call for abstracts, and is looking at about 35 suggested topics. Once papers are received, the best will be selected, and grouped into categories which will become session topics for the Conference.

“We have a broader overview of the direction we would like the conference to take, which is the transition to greener drilling,” says Dimataris. “It’s an unwritten topic, but we think it’s a direction for innovation we would like to see.”

A popular event with students from first year to grads, the AADE is promoting the conference by contacting petroleum engineering departments, student sections, and announcing the University Student Poster Competition. Involving a poster, presentation, and now a recorded presentation, posters and presentations are due on April 1, 2022.

Working with different departments to pre-register students for the conference, it is not unusual for local universities to send buses of students to the event, which also has a scholarship portion. In previous years, some even flew in from the University of Alaska.

“We put a lot of energy into our student sessions,” says Bruton. “Our chapter members make an effort to get up there and interact with student sessions and support some of their activities.”

Respecting those who have dedicated years of their lives – if not their entire careers – to the sector, the Conference also features a Hall of Fame, which honors about five to six men and women, including those who have passed away.

Learning and growing
Open to industry workers, students, former oil and gas employees, retirees, and anyone with an interest in the sector, the American Association of Drilling Engineers continues to be an ideal place to learn and grow.

“It’s a great opportunity for those starting off in the industry, and for those looking to go from graduation and network into internships,” says Strategic Marketing Specialist Adelaide Nortier from AES Drilling Fluids, LLC.

“That’s a big selling point for a lot of our student sessions as well. They get a lot of those opportunities post-grads have with a bit of free time outside of their studies, to network and to use their chapters to get that experience ahead of the game. The AADE provides a lot of opportunity, room for growth, and networking.”

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With one of the trio departing a few years after its founding, the business today is under the leadership of President and Chief Executive Officer Derek Inglis, Chief Technical officer Gareth Hoar, and Vice President and General Manager Geoff MacIntyre.

Track, monitor, control
Xeos Technologies is a leader in designing and manufacturing low-power telemetry tracking equipment, solutions, and service. From state-of-the-art beacons and flashers to data relays, wave height sensors, remote head beacons, asset trackers, current drifters, and accessories, the Nova Scotia-based business provides highly reliable products for tracking, monitoring, and controlling assets at Sea.

“Derek and Gareth are the ones who have taken Xeos to where it is now,” says MacIntyre of the company, which sees Derek Inglis handling commercial aspects, with Gareth Hoar responsible for the technical side of the business.

In May, Xeos announced the purchase of the REF TEK seismic monitoring portfolio from U.S.-based Trimble. REF TEK is active in seismometers, accelerometers, seismic recorders, and software for earthquake hazard mitigation and scientific studies. Originally acquired by Xeos in early 2020, REF TEK spun out and became a separate company in November 2020.

With a staff of about 20, Xeos’s team includes engineers, electronics technicians and scientists. With all products made in Dartmouth, the company supports the local economy, including CNC machining and printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers.

With products ranging in price from about $800 to $5,000, beacons, wave height sensors and other items are distributed through many marine and data telemetry businesses worldwide from the United States to South Africa and everywhere in between. Selling direct to Canadian customers, Xeos is proud to serve clients wherever they are located.

Over 90 percent of Xeos’s sales are exports outside of Canada. “A big part of our business is in the United States, a big part is in Europe, and a big part is in Asia,” says MacIntyre of the company, which has a strong Internet presence. Representatives of the company are also regularly seen at international trade shows and scientific conferences. “A lot of our clients are scientists themselves,” says MacIntyre.

Built for brutal treatment
Xeos’s customers primarily include scientists, engineers, and technologists, people who are putting together platforms and robotic systems designed to go in the oceans either for scientific research or for marine operational projects, including oil and gas, offshore wind, and other marine renewable energy projects.

Unlike products made for use on land, Xeos Technologies’ beacons, asset trackers, wave height sensors and other items are created to withstand Earth’s most brutal environments, from sub-zero temperatures to highly corrosive salt water, and almost unimaginable ocean depths.

Some products remain on the surface, while others are submerged hundreds or even thousands of meters deep, often in remote areas, where they will sit on the floor of the ocean collecting data and performing their monitoring activities for up to two years before being recovered.

“Our products are made to go to the deepest parts of the ocean, which can be 11,000 meters down – at pressures of about 16,000 psi – and have to work when they get back to the surface,” says MacIntyre.

When it is time for the device to be retrieved, an acoustic ‘ping’ triggers a release. This releases the instrument package from its mooring, and it rises to the surface. From there, the beacon, by means of the GPS network and Iridium® – a 66-satellite voice and data communications system – sends a message to the user showing its exact location.

“That,” says Macintyre, “is one of the engineering challenges of making beacons that need to communicate with satellites, and then come back up. The antennas and all the systems need to be able to withstand extreme pressure, and still work.”

To protect the inner workings in punishing environments, cases are made from titanium. Much lighter and stronger than steel, titanium can handle deep oceanic pressures, and doesn’t corrode in salt water.

The size of Xeos beacons often depends on the reserve power capacity of batteries. Smaller beacons are about the size of a soda can, while larger ones are comparable to a large flashlight. “They are designed to be energy efficient and to last a long time,” MacIntyre notes.

Beacons are reusable once batteries are replaced. It is not uncommon for beacons to be alternately out in the field – that is, the depths of the ocean – and en route back to Xeos. This can be the life of a beacon for over a decade, returning from the deep blue every so often to be inspected and tested.

Anywhere technology
Much has changed since Xeos Technologies was first founded. Alkaline and lithium battery technology has evolved. Early beacons used radio signals and flashing lights to communicate which worked, but required someone to be on the deck of a ship with a handheld receiver and a radio beacon and antenna to pick up the signal.

Today, satellite communication networks have developed and evolved. “Most of our beacons now have satellite communication modems in them so they send the location back remotely. They can be anywhere in the world and you can track things from your office,” says MacIntyre.

“Those networks have improved drastically over the past 17 years to the point that they are much more reliable, with greater coverage. The use cost has gone down because they have many more applications now, and many more users.”

Xeos primarily uses the Iridium satellite system, owing to its reliability and years in business. Xeos became an official Iridium partner in 2012 and has been developing products and services with Iridium technology ever since. “It basically has 100 percent coverage of the entire planet and has very advanced technology. It can provide near-real-time communications anywhere in the world. So when a beacon pops up in the southern ocean, we can hear about it five minutes later.” Messages from less advanced systems can lag several hours due to the isolated nature of their satellites and inability to relay messages in real time.

To provide the highest level of access, Xeos created XeosOnline™, a cloud-based portal used by customers to manage all the beacons they have out in the field. A web-hosted application, XeosOnline streamlines management of beacons, including Iridium, Argos and cellular. Through this ultra-convenient platform, clients have everything in one place, from data collection and analysis to configuration tools. Accessible through a computer or mobile phone, XeosOnline alerts customers when a beacon surfaces. When a beacon reaches the surface of the ocean, it immediately acquires a GPS fix, determines its location, then sends a message through the Iridium satellite network to XeosOnline. From there an alert is sent by email to the customer, informing them of what happened, where it is and where it is headed.

Ocean Supercluster
One of Xeos’s current projects is with Canada’s Ocean Supercluster.

A large federally-funded organization, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster includes over 275 industry and associate members focused on sustainable ocean growth. A unique endeavour, it is focused on growing the nation’s ocean economy “in a digital, sustainable, and inclusive way,” according to https://oceansupercluster.ca.

With the support if the Ocean Supercluster, Xeos has teamed up with a small group of local Ocean Tech companies to produce a brand-new set of optical water quality sensors for aquaculture and environmental monitoring. The new sensors will measure critical water quality parameters like turbidity, algal fluorescence and pH to help inform aquaculture operators about the health of the environment within which their fish are growing.

While much of the company’s work centres on beacons to help locate platforms and instruments and buoys, Xeos is seeing an increase in devices attached to robotic autonomous vehicles in oceans used for exploration or inspection.

“All of these autonomous vehicles need to know where they are and operators need to communicate with them, so that’s a good market for us as well,” says MacIntyre. Other more unusual uses include dropping beacons from helicopters onto ice flows, monitoring shipping containers around the world, and even tracking oil spills and surface currents.

From measuring wave heights in real time to serving the aquaculture industry, Xeos Technologies maintains its position at the front of the pack.

“We are very responsive to customer needs and as such do a lot of customization. We pride ourselves on being flexible and agile,” says MacIntyre. “We are not like a big organization that’s difficult to turn – the key advantage of being small is that we can change direction pretty quickly. This happens a lot in the science and marine technology markets because the applications are evolving constantly – you have to keep up,” he says.

“We enjoy collaborating with customers on new projects, and developing something they might need if it doesn’t exist,” he shares. “We like to position ourselves as partners in customer projects, not just vendors.”

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