StFX student Lyza Ells says she feels fortunate to have spent her summer conducting lab and field research work testing equipment to better measure methane leaks.
The fourth year Diploma in Engineering student and advanced major in physics student from Antigonish, NS, is the recipient of the Richard Cunningham Engineering Internship at StFX, which provided $8,000 and 14 weeks employment.
Ms. Ells worked in the StFX Flux Lab, under the supervision of Dr. David Risk, conducting research around an open cell wavelength modulation absorption spectroscopy menthane sensor, built by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC.) The portable sensor features high sensitivity and fast responses time for measuring methane emissions.
Ms. Ells’ project was a temperature experiment to see how the sensor will measure the same amount of concentration of methane across changing temperatures.
“The goal is to be able to deploy the sensor in the field,” she says in order to find methane leaks.
“Since the sensor is deployed in the field, it could be operating under a range of temperature conditions. We want to understand the effect temperature has on the behaviour of the sensor in order to determine whether a methane anomaly detected in the field is caused by a methane emitter, or by a change in temperature. “
Over the summer, as part two of the project, Ms. Ells joined a one-week field excursion to Alberta to deploy the NRC sensor in and around gas facilities. She also took and tested a gas analyzer, that is very precise, but has a slower response time. The NCR sensor is quicker to pick up and measure methane leaks. They wanted to know if its detection could be altered depending on temperature.
Upon return, Ms. Ells wrote a few computer programs that will assess the data and look for patterns.
“I’m very grateful to have the experience,” says Ms. Ells, who plans to take an electrical engineering degree at Dalhousie after graduating from StFX this year. “It’s been super valuable.”
Ms. Ells says it’s been so beneficial to attend StFX where these opportunities are available. “Getting the chance to learn and use what you have learned in the classroom is really neat and valuable.
“It was really fun. Field work and programming are things I really like to do.”
She says she also enjoyed the opportunity to work in a large lab where there are researchers doing similar, but different work and the chance that provided to talk about and share information on different research projects.
