August 3, 2015

Federal University of Paraná (UFPR)

We were greeted on the polytechnic campus of the Federal University of Paraná by Dr. Alexandre Pescador from the mechanical engineering department. He gave us a tour of the campus, then introduced us to Dr. Alessandro Zimmer, the head of UFPR's electrical engineering department, and one of the University professors involved in LACTEC ( Instituto de Tecnologia para o Desenvolvimento). LACTEC is a private non-profit involved in various aspects of innovation and testing. The 2 labs we saw were the hydraulics lab, which featured many scaled models of construction projects, and the high-voltage lab. In between the two lab visits, we stopped in to UFPR's microalgae lab.

Hydraulics Lab
LACTEC's hydraulics lab (CEHPAR) maintains contacts with several construction projects, so unfortunately no pictures were allowed because of non disclosure agreements. There were several scaled models of the Belo Monte Dam, and power plant on the Xingu River in Paraná. The first model was used to model the construction of the dam's effect on the area. Everything down to the rip rap used on the river bank was to scale. This model allows engineers to track flow patterns through the diversion structures by injecting a dye on the upstream side of the model. The first model we saw has already proved itself useful, as the engineers used data gathered at CEHPAR to eliminate 2 planned spillway structures (from 20 down to 18). Each one of these structures would be equivalent to building an office building at full scale, so the elimination of 2 of them is a huge cost savings opportunity for the companies involved.
Another dam being modelled was the SINOP dam, a proposed hydroelectric power station in Mato Grosso. This was a 1:100 scale model of the riverbed downstream from the dam's spillway. This model was used to determine the ideal rock size/composition to reduce erosion past the spillway. Each one of these models costs about b$2.5 million to build (about $720,000 US). This is still a cheaper and more inclusive method than computer modelling, which is limited by current technology to analysis of only a couple variables at a time.

Microalgae Lab
Our second stop was with Dr. José Virido Coelho Vargas, one of the professors involved in UFPR's bio-diesel facility. At this facility, students and faculty from UFPR and Florida State University study the feasibility of creating a totally self-sustainable bio-diesel production process using microalgae to produce bio-diesel. Algae is one of the simplest forms of organic matter, having survived on Earth for 3 billion years. This simplicity allows scientist to genetically modify it to produce higher yields of fatty acids (triglycerides), which when combined with methanol in a catalyzed reaction produces biodiesel. Most of the science went over my head (I haven't taken chemistry since I got a C in Freshman Chem), but the promise of a self-sustainable oil production process is pretty amazing.

There were 5 of these 10,000 L photobioreactors outside of the lab.

High Voltage Lab

After a stop for lunch in UFPR's campus cafeteria, we visited the high voltage lab. This lab is used to test power transmission lines, transformers, and substations by subjecting them to extremely high voltages (the lab can put out 3.2 Megavolts). Currently, they had 100 kV transmission lines to be tested, as well as a mock-up gas insulated substateion (similar to the transmission system used at Itaipu Dam). One thing that makes this lab unique in Brazil is the structure of the building itself. The metal walls are insulated from the ground in such a way that it acts as a Faraday cage (http://science.howstuffworks.com/faraday-cage.htm). This eliminates all outside electromagnetic noise, allowing the engineers at UFPR to obtain the most accurate measurements possible.

Vinicios, one of UFPR's Electrical Engineers, explains the processes and equipment being tested.