CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory

2011/62 (a)

Backgrounder

The CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory, with facilities in Hamilton and Calgary, is the largest research centre in Canada dedicated to metals and materials fabrication, processing and evaluation. Scientific and technical staff are involved in research and development to provide materials solutions for Canadian industry in the energy, transportation and metal-manufacturing sectors. Canada has long been a leader in this field.

The mandate of the CANMET materials lab is to develop and deploy technologies that improve all aspects of producing and using value-added products derived from metals and minerals. Particular emphasis is placed on solving technological problems of relevance to NRCan's mandate in clean energy and sustainable development, and on transferring materials technology to Canadian companies. In doing so, CANMET strives to develop technologies that improve the reliability of energy production and energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts, result in innovative products for a green economy and enhance health, security and safety.

CANMET’s materials research focuses on three industrial sectors that are enormous users of Canada’s natural resources and, therefore, are central to the mandate of NRCan. Laboratory staff work closely with clients and stakeholders in each sector:

  • transportation — particularly the manufacturers of vehicles, engines and components, which require new advanced-materials solutions to improve fuel efficiency while maintaining safety and performance;
  • energy — components for use in clean energy production (such as next-generation nuclear reactors and clean combustion systems for fossil fuels) and reliable pipelines to transport gas, oil, biofuels and carbon dioxide; and
  • metal manufacturing — components for a variety of other sectors, such as defence, aerospace, health and construction, which require high-performance materials.

CANMET also studies other aspects of sustainable development, such as achieving process efficiencies and the recycling of materials, and has expertise and facilities for the pilot-scale production and performance assessment of novel materials. It houses unique facilities for handling hot and molten metal in pilot-scale quantities in its experimental casting and metal-forming laboratories. It also characterizes the microstructure of innovative materials and assesses their mechanical, corrosion, thermal and electrochemical performance.

These unique facilities are used by university researchers through CANMET’s academic access program, which is supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). The program has supported 64 research projects from 18 universities across Canada.

CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory - Calgary

The CANMET Calgary laboratory located in NRCan’s Geological Survey of Canada facility in the University of Calgary Research Park has recruited four scientific and technical personnel in the area of pipeline materials science to sustain more effective collaborations with long-standing partners in the pipeline community in Western Canada. The Calgary team will coordinate work with other experts relevant to pipeline materials at the Hamilton laboratory and make use of the extensive facilities there. The creation of this Calgary laboratory allows advanced materials expertise to be more readily available to the National Energy Board and to pipeline companies and their suppliers who utilize CANMET’s materials science expertise.

Collaborative Research Agreements

Given the importance of emerging technologies for new and existing pipelines, Natural Resources Canada has signed collaborative research agreements with the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta. Researchers at the Calgary lab will undertake research on pipeline engineering, advanced high-strength steels, strategies for corrosion and fracture management, challenges related to CO2 transportation, welding and joining technologies and advanced microstructural characterization.

The research will be applied by working with the National Energy Board on the development of codes and standards for improved safety and reliability and working with industry stakeholders to implement new knowledge and technologies.

Research Collaboration Steering Committees will encourage interactions to develop specific research, such as mechanisms to arrest crack growth or mitigate corrosion.

The research agreements are effective for five years.

Media may contact:

Julie Di Mambro
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
613-996-2007

or

Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
613-992-4447

NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media/index-eng.php.