title: Study on heat transfer to supercritical water in application to SMRs

contributor:
Pioro, Igor
McKellar, Jennifer

subject:
Small modular reactors
Supercritical water-cooled reactors
Economics
Levelized unit electricity cost
Heat transfer

abstract:
The SuperSafe Reactor (SSR), a small modular reactor (SMR) concept with a supercritical water coolant, was subjected to a thermalhydraulic analysis and an economic analysis of its Levelized Unit of Energy Cost (LUEC).
Heat transfer data was examined for the onset of deteriorated heat transfer using three correlations that relied on NIST REFPROP v.10 for thermophysical property values. The experimental inside-wall temperature and heat transfer coefficient profiles were stable while the selected correlations generated poor predictions. NIST REFPROP v.10 was investigated at the critical point of water and the program was discovered to generate non-physical results.
G4ECONS calculated the SSR’s LUEC, and when compared to other nuclear technologies, the SSR was among the least economically competitive. The application of several economic factors unique to SMRs helped reduce the SSR’s LUEC and increase its economic value. Overall, the SSR would be a technologically viable SMR concept with potential long-term industry adoption.


title: Data hiding and detection in Office Open XML (OOXML) documents

contributor:
Lin, Xiaodong
Grami, Ali

subject:
Office Open XML
Steganography
OOXML
Data hiding

abstract:
With the rapid development and popularity of information technology, criminals and mischievous computer users are given avenues to commit crimes and malicious activities. One of the commonly used tactics, called steganography, is to hide information under a cover media so that except participants, no one else knows the existence of such information. Many techniques have been proposed for hiding data in images, videos and audios, but there is not much research devoted to data hiding in the popular MS Office documents which have recently adopted Office Open XML (OOXML) format.
In this research, we first focus on identifying several data hiding techniques for OOXML documents. Then, we design and develop a fast detection algorithm based on the unique internal structure of OOXML documents, which contains multiple XML files, by using multi-XML query technique. Experimental results show the proposed detection algorithm outperforms the traditional one in terms of detection speed and completeness, where performance is the key to success of detecting hidden data in OOXML documents due to the fact that millions of documents are generated and transferred over the internet every day.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Distributed policy-based management framework for wireless sensor networks.

subject:
Distributed systems
Policy management
Distributed policy management
Wireless sensor network (WSN)
PolicyP2P

abstract: Policy-Based Management Systems (PBMS) are becoming a critical component of any information technology environment, due to their ability to abstract hardware complexity from their users. Policy-based systems exist in such areas as data center management, security, privacy, and computer network management. The Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is no exception, although implementation of policy-based management in a WSN is still in its infancy. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are particularly challenging due to many characteristics, such as a working environment that makes maintenance and support a challenge; a deployment scale of hundreds, if not thousands, of nodes; and constrained hardware resources. Memory, processing, and battery power are limited, making WSNs capable of handling only applications with limited resource requirements. Consequently, the implementation of policy-based management applications on WSNs has to tackle these characteristics of WSNs and take these limitations into consideration during the design phase. Therefore, due to hardware resource constraints, policy-based management applications on WSNs can store only a limited number of policies in the local memory of a sensor node and must recycle them when additional policies are required. This recycling process creates communication overhead on the network and requires a policy deployment mechanism. The communication overhead will logically reduce the lifetime of the sensor's batteries, and the policy's deployment mechanism dictates system limitations and capabilities. To tackle these challenges, a new distributed policy-based management framework named TinyPolicy has been devised, which can store, locate, access, and execute any policy in the WSN. This new framework uses a newly created policy deployment mechanism named PolicyP2P, which is designed to make the distributed policy-based management system more robust against node failure, eliminate the threat of single points of failure, and improve policy availability. More importantly, it will increase the total number of policies that can be deployed in the WSN, which will result in more manageable constraints or tasks.


title: Deep learning methods applied to anomaly detection in vehicle manufacturing and operations

contributor:
Green, Mark
Ren, Jing

subject:
Artificial intelligence
Deep learning
Defect detection
Deep neural networks (DNN)
Autoencoder

abstract: As one of the most common modes of transportation, vehicles are very closely related to our lives. As a result, safety is an important issue in both vehicle production process and vehicle operations. Recently, unmanned vehicles have received much attention from both companies and academia. The first thing we need to consider for unmanned vehicles is safety. With the adoption of deep learning (DL) methods, DL-based defect detection and fault detection technology has evolved into a powerful tool with increased accuracy and autonomy compared with traditional detection technology. This thesis presents novel deep learning methods which can help detect defects in X-ray images of vehicle engines during the manufacturing process and various faults in the operation of autonomous vehicles. This thesis is focused on applying deep neural networks in image-based classification operations. The results show that the algorithms can successfully detect the anomalies with satisfactory accuracy.


title: Operationalizing the spatial influence of the risk factors behind the open-air drug markets in Durham region

subject:
Open-air drug markets
Risk terrain modeling
Spatial relationship
Risk

abstract: The social cost of illegal drugs has reached a very high point both in Canada and around the world. The efforts to control the global flow of illegal drugs have not achieved to compensate these costs. This thesis examines the relatively neglected approach of controlling open-air drug markets in an administrative region in Southern Ontario-Canada. The study is guided by a framework that views the results of controlling wholesale drug networks to be difficult due to their clandestine nature, their expense and their disappointing outcomes. The results are based on the use of the Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM) to explore tile spatial factors behind the open-air drug markets. In particular, the spatial influences of the criminogenic features, which are alcohol outlets, bus stops, street robbery, and prostitution areas on open-air drug dealing are operationalized through RTM. The geographical approach to open-air drug markets is assessed to understand better whether it can help authorities to make cost-effective decisions that control the drug markets. Findings suggest that open-air drug markets exist more in the areas close to alcohol outlets and bus stops, and where street robbery incidents and prostitution areas aggregate.


title: Study of contaminants in plasmas during decommissioning processes

subject:
Nuclear decommissioning
Plasma
Plasma chemistry
Decommissioning
Plasma cutting

abstract: With the intention of eventual development of on-site radionuclide capture technologies, methods to simulate radionuclide behaviour when contaminated components are subjected to plasma-based decommissioning processes are developed. Two parallel plasma systems are developed and investigated. A better-understood argon plasma based system has temperature measurement methods developed, along with an exploration of the resultant behavior when non-radioactive isotopes of cesium iodide contaminants are introduced. This plasma system produces traces of ionic species of cesium and iodide, as well as space-dependent deposition patterns: both of which are relevant towards understanding behaviour of contaminants in environments undergoing decommissioning processes. A physical simulation of a cutting process of a contaminated component is completed using an commercial plasma torch by cutting cesium iodide contaminated samples. This process produces some of the same ionic species as in the controlled experiment, proving a controlled argon plasma can be used to simulate plasma environments in decommissioning scenarios.


title: The effects of forward head posture on sensorimotor integration and neck and shoulder proprioception

subject:
Forward head posture (FHP)
Sensorimotor integration (SMI)
Proprioception
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs)
Motor performance

abstract: Forward head posture (FHP) is commonly seen in today’s society as a result of excess technology use. The central nervous system uses the position of the head with respect to the neck when interpreting the location of the upper limb. While experimental pain studies undoubtedly provide a link between pain and altered motor control, there is less evidence to support the potential progression to chronic pain as a consequence of altered motor control in the presence of FHP or fatigue. In this thesis, study 1 showed that individuals with FHP produced larger and more variable joint positioning errors when compared to individuals without. Study 2, used somatosensory evoked potentials to measure cortical activity related to sensorimotor integration following a motor learning task. This study was the first to report differential changes to SEP peak amplitudes in response to acute alterations in afferent input to the neck induced by FHP. With the growing use of technology in today’s society, these preliminary findings support the need for further research into this potentially problematic phenomenon.


title: Polymer translocation: a nonequilibrium process

subject: Polymer Translocation Nanopore Nonequilibrium Simulation

abstract:
3D Langevin dynamics simulations of the capture and translocation of polymers
through a nanopore are conducted for several polymer lengths and two
different Péclet values (that quantify the drift-diffusion balance of the system).
By measuring the average conformation of the polymer and the average duration
of each stage, simulations of the capture process reveal an elongated
polymer approaching the nanopore and either remains elongated or becomes
compressed just prior to translocation depending on the drift-diffusion balance.
This is in direct contrast with the standard approach of simulating only the
translocation process where the polymer is assumed to start translocation in an
equilibrated state. The conformational differences directly impact scaling results
of the translocation time by polymer length, where, even on a qualitative
level, simulations that assume equilibration may yield incorrect results. The
capture process is therefore an essential step for modelling and establishes the
nonequilibrium nature of the translocation process.


title: Secure and compromise-resilient architecture for advanced metering infrastructure

subject:
Smart meter
Security
Privacy

abstract: In recent years, the Smart Grid has grown to be the solution for future electrical energy that promises to avoid blackouts as well as to be energy efficient, environmentally and customer-friendly. In Smart Grid, the customer-friendly applications are a key element that provides the feature for recognizing the active expenditure of current energy via an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) subsystem. In fact, the smart meter, as a major part of AMI that is installed in residences, which provides more details about a consumer‟s usage. The smart meter measures hour-by-hour usage of a house, and then instantly transmits the record to the utility via two-way communications, unlike the previous electrical system that collects all usage monthly. However, the live measurement of the usage creates a potential privacy leak since each electrical usage records the behaviour of consumers in the home. Therefore, any communication channel between customers and utility should have some sort of confidentiality which protects consumer privacy. In reality, smart meters are generally located in an insecure area of the house (outside), therefore anyone can potentially tamper with the device, noting the fact that it is low-end device. As a result, there is a great possibility of compromising the smart meter, resulting in disclosure of consumer usage. Actually, the nature of a smart meter, and the cost constraints, create a challenge to secure the network. Therefore, the dual motivating problems are the protection of consumer privacy as well as achieving cost efficiency. In this research, we propose a new secure and compromise resilient architecture that continues two major components: a smart meters compromise attack detection scheme and a secure usage reporting protocol. Firstly, the smart meters compromise attack detection scheme improves the security of the smart meter, preventing an adversary from compromising the smart meter. Secondly, the secure usage reporting protocol improves the security of communication between the smart meter and the utility, preventing an adversary from identifying each household's usage reported by smart meters.


title: Dynamic accident sequence analysis using dynamic flowgraph method and Markov/cell-to-cell mapping technique

subject:
Dynamic and classical PSA
DFM
Markov-CCMT model
SMRs
Passive safety systems

abstract: In the recent years, numerous concerns have been raised regarding the capabilities and adequacy of classical probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) techniques (fault/event tree) to account for dynamic system interactions and time-dependent accident sequence evolution. Subsequently there is an interest within the PSA community to complement the classical techniques with dynamic methodologies; driven in addition by a goal to eventually develop a framework for integrated safety assessment. The first phase of this research investigates and addresses the limitations of classical techniques and performs a methodological comparison between classical and dynamic PSA techniques. The dynamic flowgraph method (DFM) and Markov model coupled with cell-to-cell mapping technique (Markov-CCMT) were the two dynamic methodologies selected for this research. These methods are ranked as the top methodologies with favorable and minimal uncertainties as determined by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The capabilities and limitations of the techniques are demonstrated by applying it to a benchmark liquid level control system exhibiting dynamic characteristics and interactions. Reliability analysis of the system using ET/FT are performed using the CAFTA code. DFM model of the benchmark system is developed using the DYMONDA code and coupling of Markov-CCMT model is performed using Fortran95 and MATLAB code. Classical techniques were found to overestimate the predicted top event frequencies by more than one order of magnitude depending on whether or not dynamic interactions among the units through the state variable is accounted for. The study shows that DFM focuses more on sequential probabilistic system evolution, whereas Markov-CCMT emphasizes the exact timing of a failure event. The second phase involves the development of a novel approach for integrated reliability assessment of passive safety systems in small modular reactors. A stochastic model of a passive Isolation Condenser System (ICS) was developed, and its state transition probabilities are computed using finite element method. The analysis predicts high system reliability, with the ICS most likely to fail by pressure boundary breach followed by condensate return and venting unit failure.


title: The effect of experimental pain on motor training performance and sensorimotor integration

contributor:
Yielder, Paul
Murphy, Bernadette

subject:
Sensorimotor integration
SMI
Motor performance
Effect of pain
Somatosensory evoked potential
SEP

abstract:
Sensorimotor integration (SMI) is the ability of the central nervous system (CNS) to integrate afferent (incoming) information from different body parts and formulate appropriate motor output to muscles. Effective sensorimotor integration is essential when learning new skills and when performing tasks at home and in the workplace (Rothwell &Rosenkranz, 2005). The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate the effect of acute experimental pain on sensorimotor processing. The primary outcome is the effect of acute experimental pain on somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) peaks. Secondary outcomes include the effect of pain on motor performance and the interactive effect of pain and motor training on SEP peaks. As expected for the placebo condition, no significant differences were found in any of the post-placebo peaks. Contrary to what was expected for the placebo condition, the only peak to be significantly different post-motor learning was the N24 peak. Contrary to what was expected, there were no significant differences for any of the peaks following capsaicin application. One of the secondary outcomes was the interactive effect of pain and motor learning on SEP peaks. The only peak to show any significant differences post-intervention/post-motor learning was the N24 peak. Another secondary outcome was the effect of pain on motor performance. In terms of accuracy, no significant differences were found for either condition following motor learning. However, the data does show a trend towards improved accuracy for the subjects in the intervention group while the subjects in the placebo show a trend towards decreased accuracy. As expected, there was a significant decrease in reaction time for both conditions post-motor
learning. However, contrary to what was expected, reaction time decreased to a greater extent in the intervention condition as compared to the placebo condition. It was anticipated that the reaction time would decrease to a greater extent in the placebo condition as it was hypothesized that pain would negatively impact motor performance. It is suspected that the effect of the pain induced by the capsaicin made the motor training task more difficult and participants would have had to focus greater attentional resources to learn the task which lead to the enhanced performance following motor training.


title: Motion planning for multi-link robots with artificial potential fields and modified simulated annealing

contributor:
Ren, Jing
Liscano, Ramiro

subject:
Artificial potential fields
Motion planning
Multiple link robot
Simulated annealing
Snake robot

abstract:
In this thesis we present a hybrid control methodology using Artificial Potential Fields (APF) integrated with a modified Simulated Annealing (SA) optimization algorithm for motion planning of a multi-link robots team. The principle of this work is based on the locomotion of a snake where subsequent links follow the trace of the head. The proposed algorithm uses the APF method which provides simple, efficient and effective path planning and the modified SA is applied in order for the robots to recover from a local minima. Modifications to the SA algorithm improve the performance of the algorithm and reduce convergence time.
Validation on a three-link snake robot shows that the derived control laws from the motion planning algorithm that combine APF and SA can successfully navigate the robot to reach its destination, while avoiding collisions with multiple obstacles and other robots in its path as well as recover from local minima. To improve the performance of the algorithm, the gradient descent method is replaced by Newton’s method which helps in reducing the zigzagging phenomenon in gradient descent method while the robot moves in the vicinity of an obstacle.


title: Approaches to accountability in city of Toronto long-term care homes

subject:
Accountability
Long-term care homes
City of Toronto
Regulations

abstract: Within the context of healthcare accountability are concepts such as quality and safety of care, resource allocation and the notion of value for money. When understanding accountability, questions such as who is accountable for what and how is accountability demonstrated arise. As the number of stakeholders and funders increase, and in a highly regulated long-term care sector, the answers to these questions increase in complexity. The goal of this study is to examine the approaches to accountability within ten homes that are publicly funded and publicly delivered by the City of Toronto, within a framework of accountability mechanisms including financial oversight, regulations and information, and professionalism. A case study research design, with both document review and semi-structured interviews, was utilized to understand the implications of key variables on the framework to evaluate accountability. The results are based on seven informants from publicly funded and delivered homes in the province of Ontario both from senior management and long-term care home administrators. The dominant mechanisms of accountability found in this research are financial oversight, regulations, and information, while professionalism played a marginal role. Key informants identified the challenges of being accountable to multiple funders, including five LHINs and to the City of Toronto. The increased need to be compliant with legislation requirements, LHIN performance indicators, and ensure high-quality resident care is not consistent with the finite and decreasing resources required to successfully demonstrate accountability to multiple stakeholders.


title: Design, analysis and experimental investigation of Cu-Cl based integrated systems

subject: Photo-electrocatalysis Photocatalysis Cu-Cl Hydrogen Exergy

abstract:
Burning fossil fuels for power generation results in emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx), which are harmful to living creatures and the natural environment. Due to the negative effects of using fossil fuels, significant research is being carried out in the area of alternative energy carriers such as hydrogen, which can replace fossil fuels in the future. Hydrogen can be produced in a relatively environmentally friendly manner by using the copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) thermochemical water splitting cycle (TWSC) due to its minimal reliance on fossil fuels, relatively lower operating temperature requirement and better overall efficiency as compared to other TWSCs. The electrolysis step of the Cu-Cl cycle is one of the most important steps, since it produces the hydrogen gas. The dependence of the Cu-Cl cycle on the electricity grid to run the electrolysis step impacts the overall environmental sustainability of the process.
The aim of this study is to perform experimental investigations of the hybrid photocatalytic hydrogen production reactor for the Cu-Cl cycle. The electrochemical, energy, exergy and exergoeconomic analyses of the hybrid reactors are carried out to observe the effects of variation in different operating parameters on the performance of the system. The comparative energy and exergy analyses of two solar-based integrated systems are also conducted to show how the performance of integrated systems can be improved by recovering reflected solar light intensity in the photocatalytic hydrogen production reactor.
The results obtained from the photo-electrochemical experimental study show that an increase in the voltage, solar light intensity, concentration of CuCl and concentration of ZnS increases the hydrogen production rate. The experimental results also show that the amount of voltage generated by inducing solar light intensity on titanium dioxide increases with an increase in the concentration of the titanium dioxide. The results based on electrochemical modeling of the hybrid reactor show that an increase in current density results in a higher voltage requirement by the hybrid photocatalytic reactor. The experimental hydrogen production rate and cost of hydrogen production is observed to
increase from 1.28 to 1.47 L/s and 3.28 to 3.36 C$/kg, respectively, with a rise in reactor temperature. Energy and exergy analyses of the solar-based integrated systems show that the rates of hydrogen production by systems 1 and 2 increase from 126.9 to 289.4 L/s and 154.1 to 343.9 L/s, respectively, with a rise in solar light intensity. The exergy efficiencies of systems 1 and 2 increase from 47.98 to 50.82% and 56.87 to 59.64%, respectively, with a rise in ambient temperature.


title: Achieving real-time video summarization on commodity hardware

subject:
Video summarization
Machine learning
Computer vision

abstract:
We present a system for automatic video summarization which is able to operate in
real-time on commodity hardware. This is achieved by performing segmentation
to divide a video into a series of small video clips, which are further reduced or
eliminated with the assistance of highly efficient low-level features. A numerical
score is then assigned to each segment by our model trained using a set of highperformance
hand-crafted features. Finally, segments are selected based on their
score to generate a final video summary. On our benchmark dataset, we achieve
results competitive to other methods. In cases where our accuracy is lower than
competitive methods, we achieve significantly higher performance. We additionally
present methods for generating additional summaries almost instantly, and for
learning user preferences over time—two processes which are often overlooked in
work on video summarization, but essential for real-world use


title: Implementation strategies used to reduce Unplanned Extubations (UPE) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)

subject:
Mechanical ventilation
Unplanned extubation
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
UPE reduction strategies
UPE risk factors

abstract: This study analyzed unplanned extubation (UPE) reduction strategies as well as patient characteristics and other risk factors for all UPEs that occurred between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2019 in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada. Six major implementation strategies decreased UPEs per 100 ventilator days from 2.38 to 0.45 between 2003 and 2019. The study sample included 302 UPEs (252 infants) with 12% infants with repeated UPEs. The study analyzed the association of NICU UPEs with previous UPE history, birth weight, gestational age, taping protocol, procedures prior to UPE, sedation concern, patient restraint, type of endotracheal tube, loose tape, length of mechanical ventilation and length of NICU stay. These findings would be helpful for other healthcare facilities and researchers to inform the development of UPE reduction frameworks, and to improve patient outcomes.


title: Power-optimal MIMO two-way relay networks

subject:
MIMO relaying
Two-way relay network
Total power minimization
Network beamforming

abstract: In this dissertation, we study MIMO two-way relay networks consisting of singleantenna users which wish to exchange information with the help of multiple multiantenna relays. The problem we aim to solve is to minimize the total transmit power consumed in the entire network while certain quality-of-service constraints are satisfied at the transceivers. To do so, we optimize jointly the relays’ beamforming matrices and the transceivers’ transmit powers. We assume that networks use the multiple access broadcast (MABC) relaying scheme where each round of information exchange between the transceivers takes place in two time-slots. In Chapter 3, the network is assumed to be synchronous while in Chapter 4, we study asynchronous networks. In asynchronous networks, the data transmitted from transceivers will arrive with different delays at relays and the data forwarded from relays will arrive with different delays at each transceiver. In Chapter 5, we use a massive number of relay antennas in a two-way relay network with multiple peer-to-peer communications established with the help of multi-antenna relays. We observe that under the assumption that the relay beamforming matrices are symmetric, the total power minimization problems in synchronous and asynchronous networks are amenable to semi-closed-form solutions. Considering asynchronous networks, we prove rigorously that at the optimum, only those relays corresponding to the power-optimal synchronous sub-network of relays must contribute to the data exchange between transceivers. Equipping relays in the multipair two-way relay networks with massive number of antennas, we study performance of linear relaying techniques such as the maximum ratio transmitting/combining (MRT/MRC) and the zero-forcing (ZF) schemes. Exploiting the approximate orthogonality among relaytransceiver channel vectors when number of relay antennas are very large, we show that the total power minimization problem for networks with a massive number of relay antennas will be amenable to a semi-closed form solution.


title: Functionalized carbon surfaces for clean electrochemical energy systems

contributor:
Easton, Brad
Zenkina, Olena

subject:
Non-precious metals
Electrochemistry
Energy
Fuel cells
Supercapacitors

abstract: The development and implementation of clean energy technologies is the way to overcome the global energy crisis and reduce pollution. Therefore, new energy solutions are rapidly needed. Fuel cells (FCs) may become one such solution. FCs are devices that utilize chemical reactions to directly produce electric energy. While these devices are ideal clean energy sources for the transportation industry, conventional FCs are based on expensive materials that implement platinum catalysts on a carbon support (Pt/C). The high cost and limited availability of platinum hinders the applicability of FCs. Nitrogen and metal-doped carbon supports have been investigated as a non-precious metal replacement for costly precious metal-based materials in various electrochemical energy applications. However, the design of non-precious metal materials (NPMMs) involves high temperature pyrolysis treatments, which leads to an almost random distribution of nitrogen atoms on the surface and therefore can limit efficiency. In this work, a method to graft only the most active nitrogenous groups and/or transition metals on the surface of carbon supports was developed. Specifically, diazonium coupling chemistry to covalently attach molecularly defined moieties bearing a terpyridine (tpy) group onto the surface of carbon supports, followed by the introduction of Fe (or other transition metal) centers into anchored tpy groups. Pyridinic nitrogenous groups, which are the basis of tpy, are believed to be required for high activity in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in FC applications and are thought to increase capacitance in SC applications. Upon metal coordination into the tpy sites, the metal-N3/C catalyst shows promising activity for the ORR and SC applications and opens the door for molecularly controlled, inexpensive, and efficient materials. Importantly, upon an energy intensive heat-treatment, the material’s activity does not improve. Confirming that this system’s properties are dictated by the molecularly defined tpy-Fe units, new efficient NPMMs can be fabricated using energy-saving conditions. This design can be applied and optimized to create a family of NPMMs for various clean energy applications. Modifying carbon-based materials opens the way for new low-cost materials for clean energy systems such as FCs, SC, and water oxidation.


title: Self-propelled rotary tool for turning difficult-to-cut materials

subject:
Rotary cutting tool
Hard turning
Difficult-to-cut materials
Tool design
Machining productivity

abstract:
Hard turning of difficult-to-cut materials is an economical method of machining components with high surface quality and mechanical performance. Conventionally in the machining industry, generating a component from raw goods includes a casting or forging process, rough machining, heat treatment to a desired hardness, and then finished-machining through a grinding process. Given the relative disadvantages of grinding, which include high specific energy consumption and low material removal rates, a newer technology has been introduced; hard turning. After the heat treatment of a cast part (generally in a range of 50-65 HRC), hard turning allows for immediate finished-machining. Hard turning reduces the production time, sequence, cost, and energy consumed. In addition, dry machining offsets environmental concerns associated with the use of coolant in grinding operations as well as other common turning operations.
Higher specific forces and temperatures in the contact area between the tool and workpiece lead to excessive tool wear. Generated tool wear affects the quality of the machined surface. Therefore, minimizing tool wear and consequently the generated surface quality become the status quo. Adverse effects associated with generated heat at the tool tip can be reduced by using
cutting fluid or by continuously providing a fresh cutting edge. The latter method will be applied in this thesis.
Rotary tool cutting involves a tool in the form of a disk that rotates about its axis. Different types of rotary tools have been developed, all with similar functional characteristics, however few are commercially available. Rotary tools can be classified as either driven or self-propelled. The former is provided rotational motion by an external source while the latter is rotated by the chip flow over the rake face of the tool.
A prototype self-propelled rotary tool (SPRT) for hard turning was developed which provides economical benefits and affordability for the user. It was tested on a turret-type CNC lathe by machining AISI 4140 Steel that was heat treated to 54-56HRC and Grade 5 Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V). Carbide inserts with ISO designation RCMT 09 T3 00 (9.5mm diameter) were used during machining. Both the SPRT rotational speed and the workpiece surface roughness were measured. Also, chips were collected and analyzed for each of the cutting conditions. The same procedure was followed during machining with the same tool which was denied the ability to rotate, therefore simulating a fixed tool with identical cutting conditions. Comparisons were made between tool life, surface roughness, and chip formation for the fixed tool and SPRT. Tool rotational speed was also analyzed for the SPRT. In general, the designed and prototyped SPRT showed very good performance and validated the advantages of self-propelled rotary tools.
A typical automotive component that is hard turned from difficult-to-cut materials is a transmission input shaft. These components demand high strength and wear resistance as they couple the vehicle‟s engine power to the transmission and remaining driveline.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Calculating thermochemical equilibrium for multiphysics simulations of nuclear materials : development of yellowjacket gibbs energy minimiser

subject: Computational thermodynamics

subject: Gibbs energy minimisation

subject: Global optimisation

subject: Yellowjacket gibbs energy minimiser

subject: Mutiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE)

abstract: Nuclear fuels and structural materials are highly complex systems that are remarkably challenging to understand and model. Material behaviours are influenced by multiple physical phenomena such as mechanics, chemistry, heat and mass transport, etc. Moreover, lower scale phenomena inform and drive the phenomena at larger scales. The strong interactions between multiple physics at different length and time scales creates a need for multi-scale, multi-physics modelling tools. In nuclear fuels and structural materials, the problem gets compounded by the fact that, in addition to an extreme environment, the composition of the system changes with time. For such complex systems, computational thermodynamics plays a valuable role in predicting many phenomena and is often necessary for understanding and informing others. For this reason, there has been an increasing interest in incorporating equilibrium thermodynamics calculations in multi-physics frameworks such as the Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE). To simulate corrosion in molten salt reactors, a new MOOSE-based tool named Yellowjacket has been developed and this work contributes to it. The objective of this work is to develop a new equilibrium thermodynamic solver to provide thermodynamic material properties and boundary conditions for Yellowjacket and other MOOSE-based codes. While several thermodynamics codes already exist, the new software, called Yellowjacket–GEM, adds native equilibrium thermodynamic capability to MOOSE and aims to address several concerns such as computational performance, limitations on system size and models, and Software Quality Assurance (SQA). Yellowjacket–GEM exploits the fundamental laws of thermodynamics to solve a non-linear, non-convex optimisation problem. Several thermodynamic models, including the Modified Quasichemical Model in Quadruplet Approximation (MQMQA) were implemented, and state-of-the art numerical solvers in Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation (PETSc) were used to efficiently solve the optimisation problem. In doing so, the work contributes to the understanding of MQMQA which until recently wasn’t well comprehended. Ensuring that the solver gives a true equilibrium solution also requires solving a global optimisation problem without severely compromising performance and reliability. Several global optimisation methods were compared through numerical experiments to objectively select the best approach for implementation. The C++ code follows MOOSE coding standards and SQA procedures and enables direct coupling of thermodynamic equilibrium calculations in multiphysics simulations performed using MOOSE.


title: Torque control strategy for off-road vehicle mobility.

contributor:
El-Gindy, Moustafa
Kishawy, Hossam

subject:
Torque vectoring
Vehicle
Multi-wheel
Mobility

abstract:
Multi-wheeled off-road vehicles behavior depend not only on the total provided power by the engine but also on the power distribution among the drive axles/wheels. In turn, this distribution is primarily regulated by the drivetrain layout and the torque distribution devices. At the output of the drivetrain system, the torque is constrained by the interaction between the wheels and the soft terrain. For off-road automotive applications, the construction of drivetrain system has usually been largely dominated by the mobility requirements. With the growing demand to have a multi-purpose on/off road vehicle with improved maneuverability over soft soil particularly at higher speed, the challenges confronting car designers have become more sophisticated.
A number of simulation studies, during longitudinal and cornering maneuvers, are conducted to investigate the contribution of typical significant parameters. In addition, the influences of different drivetrain arrangements are presented. The obtained results defined that both traction and cornering response of multi-wheeled off-road vehicles are highly affected by the driving torque distributed between axles/wheels.
In this thesis, the main challenge is to develop an effective torque distribution control strategy to improve both directional dynamics and safety of the vehicle. The developed torque vectoring control strategy can be widely applied to vehicles of two or more axles. In this research work, the application to multi-wheeled combat vehicles is extensively investigated. An advanced fuzzy slip control and a yaw moment control systems designed, and both performance and effectiveness of the developed controllers evaluated using different standard test maneuvers. Finally, the integrated control systems investigated to verify the proposed control strategy effectiveness on the vehicle direction stability and mobility based on some predefined standard test maneuvers.


title: Thermal network model development for an extended range electric vehicle battery pack with experimental verification through dynamic environmental exposure

subject:
Battery pack thermal model
Thermal network
Heat flux measurement
Chevrolet Volt
PHEV

abstract: The objective was to develop a thermal model of the Chevrolet Volt battery pack, with focused on the influence of packaging components external to the cell modules, and on the pack’s response to ambient environmental influences. The thermal network was refined experimentally using heat flux and temperature measurements on a production vehicle battery pack. The initial model representing lab conditions produced simulation results with very good accuracy, comparable to the level of signal noise itself. The verified lab model was then modified to match the environment of the real vehicle, considering engine bay temperature, chassis temperature, underbody convection, and road radiation. This full thermal model was verified using road test data, and reproduced temperature and heat flow with accuracy comparable to the lab test runs. The final thermal network can be employed to perform a dynamic thermal analysis through a wide range of drive profiles combined with environmental exposure conditions.


title: Biomechanical and physiological demands associated with laptop and smartphone use in both a subclinical neck pain and healthy student population

subject:
Head and neck flexion
Muscle activation
Laptop
Smartphone

abstract: The purpose of this thesis was to determine if flexed head and neck postures during long duration mobile device use will increase discomfort in two groups (healthy and neck pain – NP), or if a NP group would experience higher discomfort levels, increased neck muscle activity and examine if the NP group produces different cervical spine kinematics compared to healthy individuals. Eighteen University of Ontario Institute of Technology students completed two mobile device tasks (a one hour laptop and a 30 minute smartphone task). Participants completed three questionnaires, head and thorax kinematics were monitored, surface electromyography (SEMG) was monitored from six upper extremity muscles bilaterally (cervical extensors, upper trapezius and anterior deltoid) and electrocardiogram (EKG) monitored heart rate and breathing. Some significant differences between the smartphone and laptop tasks were identified.  This work is important because it evaluated long duration smartphone and laptop computer usage, which has seen limited attention in the academic literature to date.


title: Development of polymer based nanocomposite using electrospinning for sound absorption and isolation

contributor:
Mohany, Atef
Rizvi, Ghaus

subject:
Electrospinning
Nanofiber mats for sound absorption
Nanocomposite fiber mats
Sound absorption

abstract:
Excessive noise has adverse effects on human health. Therefore, it is necessary to find innovative methods for decreasing the exposure to noise in the environment. Various materials are used for dampening noise. In order to obtain promising results for sound absorption, these materials should have a large volume. Nanofibers, derived from polymeric materials, offer enormous benefits, and therefore, there is an intense focus on how this technology can be implemented to improve the performance of different applications. Nanofibers have a high surface area to volume ratio as well as a high porosity. In addition, fillers like carbon nanotubes (CNTs), wollastonite (WS), graphene (GN) and fiberglass (FG) show significant results for improving the mechanical and other properties. Therefore, in this work, polymeric nanofibers with and without fillers, have been investigated as sound absorbing materials. The polymers used in this study were polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polystyrene (PS), which were processed using electrospinning to produce nanofiber mats and tested for the sound absorption properties. To optimize fiber diameters, the process parameters were studied including the solution concentration, the solution flow rate, the high voltage used for generating an electric field, the distance over which the fibers were collected, and the speed of the rotating drum on which the fibers were collected. Statistical analysis and multiple regression techniques were applied to investigate the effects of the process parameter on the fiber diameters. Solution concentration and flow rate were determined to have the most significant effects on the fiber diameters. The study resulted in the development of a predictive model, which can be used to determine the parameter values required to produce nanofibers with a specified average diameter in the range of interest.
Various fillers were added to the polymer matrix in order to enhance its mechanical and sound absorption properties. The fillers used were CNTs, WS, GN, and FG. Single and multi-layered mats, with different fiber diameters, were produced to investigate the sound absorbing properties. Also, a mixture solution of two different polymers was electrospun to obtain a mat that consists of two polymers.

The results show that the nanofiber mats exhibit good sound absorption in the mid and low frequency ranges. As the fiber diameter decreases, the sound absorption increases. The addition of fillers to the nanofibers increases the sound absorption and improves the mechanical properties. Multi-layer mats produced from different types of polymer show a good sound absorption. The sound absorption improved using mats with graded fiber diameters structure. Increasing the mats thicknes enhances the sound absorption as well. Finally adding nanofibers mats to conventional sound absorbing materials improve the sound absorption in the low frequency range by 32%.
This study presents a promising road map for using electrospun polymer materials, with and without different types of fillers, for sound absorption in the mid and low frequency ranges. These materials will be particularly cost-effective in applications where saving space or volume is a major consideration, such as in the aerospace industry or in electronic devices.


title: Simulation of dynamic response of Self-Powered-Inconel-Neutron-Detector lead cables using a semi-empirical model

subject:
Lead cable
Detector
Inconel
Simulation

abstract: The work presented here was devoted to the modelling and simulation of the dynamic response of lead cables of Inconel self-powered neutron detectors in a CANDUpower reactor. The main goal was to develop a semi-empirical dynamic model of theInconel lead-cables in Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington Nuclear GenerationStation (NGS) able to simulate the lead cables’ response to arbitrary neutron-fluxtransients. A secondary goal was to compare lead-cable dynamic characteristicsevaluated in the Darlington reactor to lead-cable characteristics previously evaluated inAECL’s NRU reactor.A Simulink model of the lead cable was developed. The model’s parameterswere obtained by fitting simulation results to measured lead-cable signals acquiredduring reactor shutdown. The functionality of the Simulink model was demonstrated forarbitrary neutron flux transients and simulation results were found to agree within 1.2%with measurements for reactor trip transients. At the same time, differences between thedynamic characteristics (e.g. prompt fraction) of lead cables in a power reactor(Darlington) and research reactor (NRU) were identified. A tentative explanation ofthose differences was formulated. A comprehensive elucidation of the reasons for the observed differences will have to be addressed by future studies.


title: Design optimization of active trailer differential braking systems for car-trailer combinations

subject:
ATDB
Genetic algorithm
LQR
Mu synthesis
Eigenvalue

abstract: The thesis studies active trailer differential braking (ATDB) systems to improve the lateral stability of car-trailer (CT) combinations. CT combinations exhibit unique unstable motion modes, including jack-knifing, trailer sway, and roll-over. To address this CT stability problem, two ATDB controllers are proposed, which are designed using the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) and 𝐻∞ robust control techniques. In order to design the ATDB controllers, a linear 3 degrees of freedom (DOF) and a linear 5-DOF model are generated and validated with a nonlinear CT model derived using CarSim software. Eigenvalue analysis is conducted to examine the effects of typical trailer parameters on the lateral stability of CT combinations. The contribution of the LQR-based ATDB controller to the enhancement of CT stability is assessed. The thesis also investigates the insensitivity of the 𝐻∞ controller to parameter uncertainties. A genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to find optimal control variables of the active safety systems. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the parametric study may provide a guideline for trailer design variable selections, and the proposed ATDB systems can effectively increase the safety of CT combinations.


title: A big data and online health analytics framework extended to integrate clinical and countermeasure decision support

subject:
Space medicine decision support system
Information systems
Cloud computing
Big data analytics
Online health analytics

abstract: Computing frameworks that utilize big data analytics to support Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) have proven to impact human lives in applications on Earth and in space. In the application of Space Medicine Decision Support Systems (SMDSS) on ISS missions and future space missions to the Moon and Mars, there is no known methodology that supports the unique challenges of human physiology in microgravity where countermeasure activities are conducted to help astronaut adaptation to spaceflight. There exist challenges in data integration, data synchronization, and spacecraft-to-ground communication limitations. To help address these challenges, this thesis proposes a framework for SMDSS that extends an existing big data online health analytics platform, Artemis, to support Clinical and Countermeasure Decision Support Systems. This framework has been instantiated by extending the Artemis platform. This is demonstrated within the context of countermeasure activities on the International Space Station (ISS) and a firefighter cold stress training activity.


title: Poverty, structural violence, and harm in Ontario

contributor:
Alvi, Shahid
Fernando, Shanti

subject:
Poverty
Harm
Structural violence
Ontario

abstract: This study examined the experiences of those living in poverty in Ontario through the lens of social harm and structural violence. This research revealed that the experience of poverty is characterized by material hardship, chronic stress, poor physical and mental health, inadequate and unsafe living conditions, hunger, social exclusion, and violence. I argue that these conditions are largely the result of the structural violence, brought on by what may be described as criminal social systems. This argument is built up from the qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews and focus groups with people living in poverty and those who service them through frontline social and health service organizations. By engaging in qualitative analysis, I am better able to give voice to these experiences, helping to develop a more robust and accurate picture of poverty and the violence wrought on the lives of individuals and families.


title: Autonomous ground cover clearing utilizing a robotic wheel loader

subject:
Robotic
Clearing
Autonomous
Wheel loader
Depth camera

abstract: The ongoing need to remove ground covering such as sand, dirt and snow poses dangers to workers, from fatigue and repetitive work injures, to direct harm in hazardous locations. To address these challenges a robotic system capable of autonomous clearing of non-compacted material is presented, focusing on detection, clearing strategy and clearing validation. The robotic design is based on an articulating wheel loader, electrically driven with hydraulic articulation. The sensor suite comprises a depth camera used for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) and material detection. Potentiometers for joint positioning, motor encoder for distance measurements and an ultrasonic rear sensor for obstruction detection are implemented on the loader. To detect ground cover, pixel locations inline with the bucket provide depth information and subsequent ground cover validation. An overlapping path strategy is used to minimize material spillage based on bucket volume control. Testing of the system showed it was successful in ground cover detection, material removal and minimizing material spillage.


title: Empirically detecting colour: can we use solar cells as colour sensors?

contributor:
Gaspari, Franco
Tagliaferro, Alberto

subject:
Physics
Colour sensors
Solar cells

abstract: The purpose of this thesis was to explore the possibility of using solar cells as a colour sensor. Colour sensors already exist, yet they are either costly or fail at correctly sensing monochromatic light. Our experiment was set up in order to see if a solar cell would create a unique current response to a specific monochromatic wavelength. We tested our solar cells by measuring their individual current response at different voltages with different monochromatic light inputs. We concluded that the use of a single solar cell is not a feasible colour sensor due to high Delta E values. We then combined the colour matching functions of multiple solar cells. The Micromorph and DSSC combination had a lower Delta E average value in comparison to all single solar cells tested. At a light bandwidth of 60 nm, a Delta E value of less than 10 was achieved.


title: The synthesis and in vitro evaluation of chemically modified siRNAs that contain internal azobenzene derivative spacers for selective and tunable photocontrol of activity

subject: siRNA Azobenzene Photochemical Reversible

abstract: Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are biopolymers that are used as post-transcriptional gene regulators and as a natural endogenous defense against attack from viruses. These molecules hold a great deal of interest as pharmaceuticals for the knockdown of unregulated genes, such as in cancers. Through chemical modification of the RNA structure, inherent limitations can be overcome to make better pharmaceuticals. This study investigated the incorporation of azobenzene derivative spacers into the RNA backbone replacing 2 base pairs. A small library of siRNAs were synthesized and then characterized bio-physically through several means. After bio-physical characterization, these siRNAs were tested in vitro against firefly luciferase in order to determine gene silencing efficacy. The ability of these azobenzene siRNAs to be controlled with light was then investigated. Our results indicate that these modifications are well tolerated within the RNAi pathway and have a robust ability to be activated and inactivated with UV (ultraviolet) and visible light to control gene silencing.


title: A feasibility study of an eHealth intervention for dietary sodium reduction in primary care

subject:
Hypertension
Primary care
Dietary Counselling
Nutrition
Diet

abstract: This thesis assessed the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) protocol to implement a Sodium Calculator (SC) into primary care settings to determine if it improves quality of sodium reduction advice provided by physicians, with the results informing a fully powered RCT. Upon protocol implementation, the originally developed protocol was not initially feasible, but is expected to be with modifications, including: 1) employing a recruitment agency to recruit physicians and patients; 2) schedule recruited patients in consecutive blood pressure follow-up appointments to minimize study burden and increase recruitment and protocol adherence; 3) implement detailed procedures to minimize reporting bias. As part of this work, two questionnaires were developed and validated to evaluate quality of dietary sodium advice provided by physicians, and their self-efficacy in doing so. This research is the first phase of intervention implementation research related to the quality of care patients receive in hypertension prevention and management.


title: CBPsp: complex business processes for stream processing

subject:
Complex business processes
Event stream processing
Data streams
Real-time enactment
Clinical decision support system

abstract:
This thesis presents the framework of a complex business process driven event
stream processing system to produce meaningful output with direct implications to the
business objectives of an organization. This framework is demonstrated using a case
study instantiating the management of a newborn infant with hypoglycaemia. Business
processes defined within guidelines, are defined at build-time while critical knowledge
found in the definition of business processes are used to support their enactment for
stream analysis. Four major research contributions are delivered. The first contribution
enables the definition and enactment of complex business processes in real-time. The
second contribution supports the extraction of business process using knowledge found
within the initial expression of the business process. The third contribution allows for the
explicit use of temporal abstraction and stream analysis knowledge to support
enactment in real-time. Finally, the last contribution is the real-time integration of
heterogeneous streams based on Service-Oriented Architecture principles.


title: Development of H∞ control strategy for a multi-wheeled combat vehicle

subject:
Vehicle dynamics control
H∞ control
Multi-wheeled vehilce

abstract: A vehicle dynamics controller for an 8 x 8 heavy combat vehicle utilising both torque vectoring and third and fourth axle steering is propoed. The control scheme is composed of two controllers: a feedforward zero side slip (ZSS) controller actuates the third and fourth axle steering angles and a two DOF LPV H∞ controller that monitors steering wheel angle and yaw rate error and uses both the rear axle steering and torque vectoring is used at speeds above 40 kph. Gaussian distribution functions are used to switch from one controller to the other. The proposed control scheme is evaluated by using a validated TruckSim model in co-simulation with Simulink. Various standard events are used for testing. Two road friction coefficients are used, 0.35 and 0.85 µ at speeds between 40 and 100 kph. The proposed control system is able to greatly improve vehicle stability at high speeds and/or low friction and increase maneuverability at lower speeds and/or higher friction surfaces by decreasing vehicle response time delays and reducing steering wheel effort. A turning circle reduction of 30% was also obtained.


title: Effect of cutting tool microgeometry when milling hardened steels, a finite element simulation and surface integrity analysis

contributor:
Hosseini, Sayyed Ali
Kishawy, Hossam

subject:
Milling
3D finite element analysis
Cutting forces
Surface integrity
Inserts microgeometry

abstract: This research work presents a 3D finite element model for the milling of hardened steels. The model was developed using ABAQUS/Explicit software and the Lagrangian approach was utilized. Experimental milling tests were performed to validate the numerically generated cutting forces and chip morphologies. A close agreement between the results was reported. Moreover, experiments results were used to investigate the impact of cutting conditions and the microgeometry of cutting inserts on the cutting forces and the surface integrity. Two levels of feed rate, three levels of cutting speeds, and five levels of edge radii were utilized. The impact of edge radii on the workpiece surface integrity was analyzed in terms of 2D surface roughness, generated feed marks, subsurface plastic deformation, and subsurface microhardness.


title: Seasonal changes in functional fitness and neurocognitive performance in youth ice hockey players

subject:
Youth athletes
Functional movement screen
Y-Balance Test
Neurocognitive assessment
Ice hockey

abstract: Changes in functional fitness and concussion status were evaluated over the course of a competitive season in youth ice hockey players, and relationships between these variables and injury incidence were examined. Thirty-six participants (8.9 ± 1.1 years) completed pre and post-season assessments including anthropometric measurements, the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test (YBT-LQ) and a computerized neurocognitive assessment, ImPACT. Paired samples t-tests were used to compare pre and post-season data. Independent samples t-tests were used to compare FMS, YBT-LQ and ImPACT scores between injured and uninjured participants. The YBT-LQ composite score showed a decrease in reach distance scores between pre (86.10 ± 6.00) and post-season (83.20 ± 5.40, p<0.001). Neurocognitive assessment scores improved in all participants. There were no significant relationships between FMS scores, YBT-LQ and injury incidence. Future research is needed to understand the effects of functional fitness and concussion status as they relate to injury prevention.

abstract: University of Ontario Institute of Technology


title: Experimental investigation and modeling of lithium-ion battery cells and packs for electric vehicles

contributor:
Dincer, Ibrahim
Agelin-Chaab, Martin

subject:
Lithium-ion battery
Electric vehicle
Heat generation
IR images
Modeling

abstract:
The greatest challenge in the production of future generation electric and hybrid vehicle (EV and HEV) technology is the control and management of operating temperatures and heat generation. Vehicle performance, reliability and ultimately consumer market adoption are dependent on the successful design of the thermal management system. In addition, accurate battery thermal models capable of predicting the behavior of lithium-ion batteries under various operating conditions are necessary. Therefore, this work presents the thermal characterization of a prismatic lithium-ion battery cell and pack comprised of LiFePO4 electrode material. Thermal characterization is performed via experiments that enable the development of an empirical battery thermal model.
This work starts with the design and development of an apparatus to measure the surface temperature profiles, heat flux, and heat generation from a lithium-ion battery cell and pack at different discharge rates of 1C, 2C, 3C, and 4C and varying operating temperature/boundary conditions (BCs) of 5ºC, 15°C, 25°C, and 35°C for water cooling and ~22°C for air cooling. For this, a large sized prismatic LiFePO4 battery is cooled by two cold plates and nineteen thermocouples and three heat flux sensors are applied to the battery at distributed locations. The experimental results show that the temperature distribution is greatly affected by both the discharge rate and BCs. The developed experimental facility can be used for the measurement of heat generation from any prismatic battery, regardless of chemistry. In addition, thermal images are obtained at different discharge rates to enable visualization of the temperature distribution.
In the second part of the research, an empirical battery thermal model is developed at the above mentioned discharge rates and varying BCs based on the acquired data using a neural network approach. The simulated data from the developed model is validated with experimental data in terms of the discharge temperature, discharge voltage, heat flux profiles, and the rate of heat generation profile. It is noted that the lowest temperature is 7.11°C observed for 1C-5°C and the highest temperature is observed to be 41.11°C at the end of discharge for 4C-35°C for cell level testing. The proposed battery thermal model can be used for any kind of Lithium-ion battery. An example of this use is demonstrated by validating the thermal performance of a realistic drive cycle collected from an EV at different environment temperatures.
In the third part of the research, an electrochemical battery thermal model is developed for a large sized prismatic lithium-ion battery under different C-rates. This model is based on the principles of transport phenomena, electrochemistry, and thermodynamics presented by coupled nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) in x, r, and t. The developed model is validated with an experimental data and IR imaging obtained for this particular battery. It is seen that the surface temperature increases faster at a higher discharge rate and a higher temperature distribution is noted near electrodes.
In the fourth part of the research, temperature and velocity contours are studied using a computational approach for mini-channel cold plates used for a water cooled large sized prismatic lithium-ion battery at different C-rates and BCs. Computationally, a high-fidelity turbulence model is also developed using ANSYS Fluent for a mini-channel cold plate, and the simulated data are then validated with the experimental data for temperature profiles. The present results show that increased discharge rates and increased operating temperature results in increased temperature at the cold plates.
In the last part of this research, a battery degradation model of a lithium-ion battery, using real world drive cycles collected from an EV, is presented. For this, a data logger is installed in the EV and real world drive cycle data are collected. The vehicle is driven in the province of Ontario, Canada, and several drive cycles were recorded over a three-month period. A Thevenin battery model is developed in MATLAB along with an empirical degradation model. The model is validated in terms of voltage and state of charge (SOC) for all collected drive cycles. The presented model closely estimates the profiles observed in the experimental data. Data collected from the drive cycles show that a 4.60% capacity fade occurred over 3 months of driving.


title: Joint uplink-downlink beamforming in multi-antenna relaying schemes

contributor:
Grami, Ali
Shahbazpanahi, Shahram

subject:
General-rank beamformer
Signal to noise ratio
Multiple input
Multiple output

abstract:
The thesis examines the problem of joint receive and transmit beamforming for a wireless
network which consists of one relay node equipped with multiple antennas. The
transmitter and the receiver are single antenna systems. The communication system
consists of two phases. In the first phase the transmitter sends the information symbol
to the relay while in the second phase, the relay re-transmits a linearly transformed
version of the vector of its received signals. The concept of general-rank beamforming
is applied to this communication scheme for the case of the uplink (transmitter-relay)
and downlink (relay-receiver) channel vectors being statistically independent and statistically
dependent. In the general-rank beamforming approach, the multi-antenna
relay multiplies the received signal vector with a general-rank complex weight matrix
and re-transmits each entry of the output vector on the corresponding antenna. The
thesis presents a closed form solution to the general-rank beamforming power minimization
problem with proof that for statistically independent uplink and downlink
channels, the general-rank beamforming approach results in a rank-one solution for
the beamforming matrix. The simulation results have shown that when the generalrank
beamformer is applied to the case of statistically dependent uplink and downlink
channels, the general-rank beamforming technique significantly outperforms the separable
receive and transmit beamforming method.


title: Exploring the use of blogging in applied vs. academic mathematics classrooms

subject:
Blogging
Mathematics
Collaboration
Confidence
Ability groupings

abstract: Reports worldwide indicate that students are having difficulty with mathematics, specifically with their ability to problem-‐solve and communicate (EQAO, 2014; Muliis, Martin, Foy & Arora, 2012; OECD, 2012). This study investigated how blogging in grade nine applied and academic classrooms could be used to increase mathematical knowledge, communication and confidence. This study used a mixed methodology, with quantitative survey data and qualitative data from open-‐ended questions, performance tests, and blog analysis. Forty-‐eight participants (31 male, 12 female, 5 no response) in this study were grade nine students, aged 13-‐16 years old. Twenty-‐one students were enrolled in an applied mathematics program, and 27 were enrolled in an academic mathematics program. The results indicated students had a positive attitude toward blogging in mathematics class. Blogging had little impact on students’ mathematical confidence, however the confidence scale was not specific enough to measure confidence by unit. Blogging increased mathematical knowledge, however they cannot be directly linked as other teaching strategies were used during the study. Mathematical confidence did not increase, as students lacked the requisite collaborative skills and the ability to scaffold their learning on the blog site. Academic mathematical communication was slightly higher overall.


title: Test platform design and control of a bicycle-type two-wheeled autonomous vehicle

subject:
Bicycle
Test platform
Balance control

abstract:
Bicycle dynamics and behaviors have been vastly studied through modeling and
simulation. Due to the complexity, software models are often assumed subjecting
to di erent nonholonomic constraints in order to simplify the models and control
algorithms. A real life autonomous bicycle faces perturbances from the road, wind,
tire deformation, slipping among other external forces. Limitations of simulations
will not always allow these to apply. All these issues make the autonomous bicycle
research very challenging.
To study the bicycle control problems a few research results from the literature
are reviewed. A nonlinear bicycle model was used to conduct control simulations.
Model based nonlinear controllers were applied to simulate the balance and path
tracking control. A PID controller is more practical to replace the non-linear controller
for the balance control. Simulation results of the di erent controllers are
compared in order to decide the proper control strategies on the hardware platform.
The controller design of the platform complies with practicality based on the hardware
con guration. Two control schemes are implemented on the test platform;
both are developed with PID algorithms. The  rst scheme is a single PID control
loop in which the controller takes the roll angle feedback and balances the running
platform by means of steering. If the desired roll angle is zero the controller will try
to hold the platform at the upright position. If the desired roll angle is non-zero
the platform will be balanced at an equilibrium roll angle. A  xed roll angle will
lead to a  xed steering angle as the result of balance control. The second scheme
is directional control with balance consisting of two cascaded PID loops. Steering
is the only means to control balance and direction. To do so the desired roll angle
must be controlled to achieve the desired steering angle. The platform tilts to
the desired side and steering follows to the same side of the tilt; the platform can
then be lifted up by the centrifugal force and eventually balanced at an equilibrium
roll angle. The direction can be controlled using a controlled roll angle. Many implementation
issues have to be dealt with in order for the control algorithm to be
functional. Dynamic roll angle measurement is implemented with complementary
internal sensors (accelerometer and gyroscope). Directional information is obtained
through a yaw rate gyroscope which operates on the principle of resonance. To monitor
the speed of the platform, a rotational sensor was formed by using a hard drive
stepper motor attached to the axis of the vehicle's driving motor. The optoelectronic
circuit plays the vital role to ensure the system functionality by isolating the
electromagnetic noise from the motors. Finally, in order to collect runtime data, the
wireless communication is implemented through Bluetooth/RS232 serial interface.
The data is then plotted and analyzed with Matlab. Controller gains are tuned
through numerous road tests.
Field test results show that the research has successfully achieved the goal of
testing the low level control of autonomous bicycle. The developed algorithms are
able to balance the platform on semi-smooth surfaces.


title: Elder perspectives: leveraging digital tools in language revival initiatives

subject:
Language revival
Digital technology
Guarded optimism
FNMI
Elders

abstract: Elders are held in high regard in First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) communities. They are the intergenerational transmitters of ancestral language and Indigenous knowledge. Without language revival initiatives, ancestral languages in FNMI communities are at risk of extinction. Leveraging digital technologies while collaborating with Elders can support revival initiatives. Through semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis, this study addresses how three Elders who use technology in their ancestral language teaching (1) describe the benefits, drawbacks, and preferences of technology; (2) reveal the accuracy with which cultural knowledge is imparted through technology; and (3) view the impact of technology on their role as traditional knowledge keepers and intergenerational language transmitters? Findings suggest that while Elders acknowledge the benefits when leveraging digital tools in language revival initiatives, they have concerns about technology’s potential negative impacts on relationality [culture, spirituality, and medicine practices], a concept I have termed guarded optimism.


title: Dynamic safety assessment of FPGA-based safety critical systems with applications in nuclear power generation

subject:
FPGA
DFM
Fault tree
Reliability
Nuclear power plants

abstract: Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAS) are a type on integrated circuit that is configured by the end user to perform desired digital logic functions. FPGAs do not run any software or operating system, as the logic functions are configured as a hardware implementation on the FPGA chip. Documentation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states that FPGA implementations of I&C systems in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) is expected to increase significantly in the future. One issue facing FPGAs in the nuclear field is a lack of technical standards and design/review documentation. Therefore, the research program undertaken during this thesis considered the application of a new safety analysis methodology for the modelling and analysis of FPGA-based systems. The methodology chosen is a modern, dynamic (time-dependant) methodology known as the Dynamic Flowgraph Methodology (DFM), which is intended to be applied to digital I&C systems. Initially, a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) was performed to ascertain the potential failure modes that could affect FPGA-based systems, and that FMEA data was used to create and FPGA failure modes taxonomy. Using that FMEA data to provide information for fault injection, DFM was applied to analyze several FPGA-based test systems, and the results of the DFM analyses were compared and contrasted with results from Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), to determine the potential advantages and disadvantages of DFM. It was seen that DFM had several advantages when modelling clock delays, oscillating clock signals, and Multiple-Valued Logic, however for large systems DFM continues to experience the “state explosion” problem, limiting its effectiveness to small-medium sized systems. Potential avenues of future work are also presented.


title: Design and analysis of a three degrees of freedom (DOF) parallel manipulator with decoupled motions

subject:
parallel manipulator
screw theory
decoupled motion
isotropy
inverse kinematic
forward kinematic
jacobian
coordinate measuring machine

abstract:
Parallel manipulators have been the subject of study of much robotic research during the past three decades. A parallel manipulator typically consists of a moving platform that is connected to a fixed base by at least two kinematic chains in parallel. Parallel manipulators can provide several attractive advantages over their serial counterpart in terms of high stiffness, high accuracy, and low inertia, which enable them to become viable alternatives for wide applications. But parallel manipulators also have some disadvantages, such as complex forward kinematics, small workspace, complicated structures, and a high cost. To overcome the above shortcomings, progress on the development of parallel manipulators with less than 6-DOF has been accelerated.
However, most of presented parallel manipulators have coupled motion between the position and orientation of the end-effector. Therefore, the kinematic model is complex and the manipulator is difficult to control.
Only recently, research on parallel manipulators with less than six degrees of
freedom has been leaning toward the decoupling of the position and orientation of
the end-effector, and this has really interested scientists in the area of parallel
robotics. Kinematic decoupling for a parallel manipulator is that one motion of the up-platform only corresponds to input of one leg or one group of legs. And the input
cannot produce other motions.
Nevertheless, to date, the number of real applications of decoupled motion actuated parallel manipulators is still quite limited. This is partially because effective development strategies of such types of closed-loop structures are not so obvious. In
addition, it is very difficult to design mechanisms with complete decoupling, but it is possible for fewer DOF parallel manipulators. To realize kinematic decoupling, the parallel manipulators are needed to possess special structures; therefore, investigating a parallel manipulator with decoupling motion remains a challenging task.
This thesis deals with lower mobility parallel manipulator with decoupled motions. A novel parallel manipulator is proposed in this thesis. The manipulator consists of a moving platform that is connecting to a fixed base by three legs. Each leg is made of one C (cylinder), one R (revolute) and one U (universal) joints. The mobility of the manipulator and structure of the inactive joint are analyzed. Kinematics of the manipulator including inverse and forward kinematics, velocity equation, kinematic singularities, and stiffness are studied. The workspace of the parallel manipulator is examined. A design optimization is conducted with the prescribed workspace.
It has been found that due to the special arrangement of the legs and joints, this parallel manipulator performs three translational degrees of freedom with decoupled motions, and is fully isotropic. This advantage has great potential for machine tools and Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM).


title: Experimental and numerical investigation of the dynamic seat comfort in aircrafts.

contributor:
Mohany, Atef
Kishawy, Hossam

subject:
Transmissibility
Dynamic seat comfort

abstract:
This research focuses on the dynamic seat comfort in aircrafts specifically during takeoff, landing and cruise through turbulence flight conditions. The experiments are performed using a multi axis shaker table in the Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology subjected to sample takeoff, landing and cruise vibration recordings obtained onboard of an actual flight. The input vibrations introduced to the aircraft seats during actual flight conditions and during the experiments in the ACE are compared and it is concluded that the given flight conditions were successfully replicated for the interest of this thesis.
The experiments are conducted with two different aircraft seats, economy class and business class. Furthermore, to investigate the importance of seat cushion characteristics in addition to economy and business class seat cushions, three laboratory made cushions were included in the investigation as well. Moreover, the effect of passenger weight is also discussed by conducting the experiments with 1 and 2 identical dummies.
It is concluded that static seat properties play a significant role in the comfort perception level as well as flight conditions. Among the three flight condition, landing appeared to be the most uncomfortable case comparing to takeoff and cruise.
In addition to experimental work, a numerical study to simulate the flight conditions is undertaken with the initial work of CAD modelling. The simulated responses of the seat is partially matching with experimental results due to unknown parameters of the cushion and the connections of the aircraft seat that cannot be created in the CAD model due to unknown manufacturing processes.


title: Advancing the technology development for better quality wood plastic composites: process ability study

subject:
composites
green materials
wood plastic composites
extrusion
coupling agent
post consumer HDPE
profile extrusion
batch foaming
tensile strength
flexural strength

abstract:
Wood Plastic Composites (WPC) have advantages over natural wood such as improved
stiffness, recyclability, and waste minimization. However, issues such as the difficulty of
processing WPC with conventional methods, volatile emission from the wood and the
composites’ lack of strength must be addressed. A system for continuous extrusion of
rectangular profiles of WPC was developed and some critical processing strategies were
identified. The use of a lubricant and a calibrator also improved the profile extrusion of
WPC. In this work, glass was also added to improve WPC’s mechanical strength.
Generally, a glass content of 2.5% appears to improve the properties but further addition
does not have a significant effect. Foaming of WPC, which can enhance their properties,
was investigated through studying the effect of heating time and temperature on void
fraction and cell density.


title: Incremental learning algorithm for anomaly detection applied to computed tomography scans in nuclear industry

contributor:
Gaber, Hossam
Ren, Jing

subject:
Incremental learning
CT scan
Anomaly detection
Continual learning

abstract: During routine nuclear power plant (NPP) inspection, each maintenance tool is inspected manually before and after use on a nuclear reactor. This could result in long inspection duration (up to months), time, and resource wastage. To address this, an automated tool inspection process using a classification-based supervised anomaly detection technique is employed to categorize the CT scan of the NPP tool as defective (with missing tool parts) or not (defect-free). Furthermore, the incremental learning (IL) concept has been introduced for supervised anomaly detection and is suitable for data-restricted applications. Existing IL approaches have employed ML techniques such as Naive Bayes or proximity measures such as nearest neighbors on numeric 1D datasets and for intrusion detection. In this research, a new soft thresholding-based algorithm that can enhance model prediction in existing IL frameworks and ensure stable training towards the desired prediction accuracy for supervised anomaly detection on 2D data is proposed.


title: Understanding and predicting method-level source code changes using commit history data

subject:
Data mining
Software analytics
Machine learning
Resource management
Software development

abstract:
Software development and software maintenance require a large amount of source
code changes to be made to a software repositories. Any change to a repository can
introduce new resource needs which will cost more time and money to the repository
owners. Therefore it is useful to predict future code changes in an effort to help
determine and allocate resources. We are proposing a technique that will predict
whether elements within a repository will change in the near future given the development
history of the repository. The development history is collected from source
code management tools such as GitHub and stored local in a PostgreSQL. The predictions
are developed using the machine learning approaches Support Vector Machine
and Random Forest. Furthermore, we will investigate what factors have the most
impact on the performance of predicting using either Support Vector Machines or
Random Forest with future code changes using commit history. Visualizations were
used as part of the approach to gain a deeper understanding of each repository prior
to making predictions. To validate the results we analyzed open source Java software
repositories including; acra, storm, fresco, dagger, and deeplearning4j.


title: Ultrasonic array imaging for multi-layer materials in non-destructive testing applications.

subject:
Ultrasonic imaging
Signal processing
Array processing
Multi-layer imaging

abstract:
Ultrasonic imaging for a multi-layer medium is a common challenge in seismology,
medical diagnosis, and non-destructive testing. One application for multi-layer imaging
is ultrasonic immersion test where the material under test and transducer array
are immersed in water. The main imaging challenge in immersion test (or in any
multi-layer medium) is that since the sound wave propagates with different speeds
in different layers, the homogeneity assumption is not valid. Thereby calculating the
sound travel time for the backscattered received signal is complicated. In this dissertation,
we propose a new approach to model the array received signals in order to
image the material under test.
In the first approach, we propose a distributed reflector modeling approach to
characterize the interface between water and the solid as well as any crack inside the
solid test sample. This approach relies on incoherently distributed reflector modeling.
A distributed reflector can be modeled as infinitely many point sources located close
to each other. We use distributed reflector modeling in order to estimate the shape of
the reflectors. To do so, we present our data model in a two-dimensional coordinate
system, and then develop a covariance fitting based approach to parametric estimation
of the shape of the interface between the two media and that of a crack inside the
test material. Numerical computer simulations show the accuracy of the proposed
approach. However the proposed approach is a parametric localization method which
needs the repetition of the ultrasonic test.
In the second approach we present a data model to use for image reconstruction
of a multi-layer medium without need to repeat the ultrasonic experiment. In this
approach, we also use the spatially distributed source to model the interfaces between
the layers of a multi-layer medium. Then, based on the Huygens principle, we develop
a new array spatial signature for all the points inside a multi-layer medium. This
new array spatial signature can be used in existing imaging techniques including the
conventional beamforming technique, the MUSIC method, and the Capon algorithm
in order to image a multi-layer medium. These aforementioned three algorithms are
traditionally applied for a homogeneous medium where the sound velocity is constant
in the material under test. Numerical simulations as well as experimental data show
that the distributed reflector modeling outperforms other approaches such as rooted
mean square velocity.
In the third approach, to reduce the execution time for the imaging process, we
develop a Fourier-based imaging technique to estimate the scattering coefficient of
the points inside the second layer of a two-layer medium in order to obtain an image
of the region of interest. First, we use an approximation of the proposed data model
for the array backscattered signals due to the scattering of the point scatterers inside
the second layer of the material under test. Seeking the similarity with the definition
of Fourier transform, we propose a Fourier-based imaging algorithm, for imaging the
second layer of the material under test. In this proposed algorithm, the execution time
is considerably reduced compared to the three aforementioned imaging algorithms.
This proposed algorithm can be used in an online imaging process.


title: A pre-post study of patient journey modeling as a change management tool to increase clinician acceptance of EHRs.

contributor:
Percival, Jennifer
McGregor, Carolyn

subject:
Change management
Process modeling
IT adoption
Electronic health records
Change process model

abstract:
The purpose of this research was to determine if patient journey process modeling could
act as a change management tool to support electronic health record (EHR) adoption, at a
tertiary-care mental health centre. This research study was based on a pre/post design,
which evaluated the attitudes of clinicians’ pre and post implementation of the EHR. A
survey was used to assess the attitudes of various healthcare professionals, such as
physicians, nurses and a spectrum of allied health disciplines, at various phases of the
planning and implementation process. In addition to the surveys, current and future state
PaJMa (patient journey modeling architecture) models representing technology use and
process flows of all units were created by observational studies, and served as change
management tools. These PaJMa models were then presented as part of an intervention
that was held in the form of an educational session to highlight the benefits of
technology, and to address the common concerns identified from the initial survey
results.
The centre for mental health sciences facility was used as the case study to apply
the PaJMa model and assess its change management functionality. Since, the
organization was moving from paper to electronic based patient charts it was an ideal
choice for this research. It was predicted that the attitudes and opinions of clinicians
towards the EHR implementation, and EHRs in general, would change and become more
positive with increased knowledge and education. This in-turn would increase EHR
adoption and hence lead to a successful implementation.


title: Investigating the role of informal online communities of practice (CoPs) in professional learning: the experience of second/foreign language teachers

subject:
Communities of practice
Online communities
Informal learning
Social learning
Collaborative learning

abstract: This study examined Ukrainian language teacher notions, attitudes, feelings, and experiences related to participation in informal online Communities of Practice (CoPs) as an alternative means of professional learning. Findings from samples in Canada and Ukraine indicate opportunities for, and some challenges to, professional learning within virtual (online, Web-based) communities. In addition to traditional data collection methods, the study involved a novel case study analysis of two focus groups (4-6 teachers each), one in Lviv, Ukraine, which was physically co-located, and another in Edmonton, Alberta, conducted using the Adobe Connect online meeting platform. Group members in each city participated in a Repertory Grid activity, the aim of which was for participants to move towards consensus on elements and constructs they felt characterize informal online CoP experiences for professional learning—itself an exercise in community-building (Gaines & Shaw, 2012b). A theoretical framework was developed to guide the investigation, called the “Autonomous Learning Framework for Informal Online CoPs (ALFIO-CoPs),” which helps to elucidate knowledge creation in informal online inquiry communities. The framework was used to address some of the factors which influence the broader informal online CoP experience for personally meaningful professional learning. The Ukrainian language teachers involved in this investigation strongly approved of the informal online CoP for professional learning, some even suggesting that it is the only distinct form of alternative online professional learning, while viewing other online networks and groups as more casual or personal in nature. As professionals, they recognized that emotional self-efficacy, technological self-efficacy, and technological pedagogy are uniquely supported in these communities, owing to such factors as community self-determination, mentorship, apprenticeship, and the ubiquity of the learning experience. Nonetheless, other factors, such as awareness of this form of professional learning, Internet access, time commitment, praxis issues, and professional recognition of the community experience were among the challenges to participation identified by the teachers involved in the study, and which warrant further research.


title: Analytical model for force prediction when machining metal matrix composites

subject:
Metal matrix composites
Machining
Cutting force

abstract: Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) offer several thermo-mechanical advantages over standard materials and alloys which make them better candidates in different applications. Their light weight, high stiffness, and strength have attracted several industries such as automotive, aerospace, and defence for their wide range of products. However, the wide spread application of Meal Matrix Composites is still a challenge for industry. The hard and abrasive nature of the reinforcement particles is responsible for rapid tool wear and high machining costs. Fracture and debonding of the abrasive reinforcement particles are the considerable damage modes that directly influence the tool performance. It is very important to find highly effective way to machine MMCs. So, it is important to predict forces when machining Metal Matrix Composites because this will help to choose perfect tools for machining and ultimately save both money and time. This research presents an analytical force model for predicting the forces generated during machining of Metal Matrix Composites. In estimating the generated forces, several aspects of cutting mechanics were considered including: shearing force, ploughing force, and particle fracture force. Chip formation force was obtained by classical orthogonal metal cutting mechanics and the Johnson-Cook Equation. The ploughing force was formulated while the fracture force was calculated from the slip line field theory and the Griffith theory of failure. The predicted results were compared with previously measured data. The results showed very good agreement between the theoretically predicted and experimentally measured cutting forces.


title: Development and assessment of integrated energy systems with ammonia synthesis and fuel cells

subject:
Hydrogen
Ammonia
Solar
Wind
Ammonia fuel cell

abstract: Hydrogen and ammonia comprise two important clean fuels, which are expected to play a vital role in the development of clean energy production and utilization. Currently, their production relies heavily on fossil fuel-based resources that entail considerable environmental detriments. The utilization of renewable energy such as solar and wind energy resources for the production of these important commodities can address the current challenges associated with conventional production methods. However, their intermittent nature have hindered their usage in such applications. Nevertheless, ammonia entails several favorable properties that make it a promising candidate to be utilized as an energy storage medium. In this thesis, integrated solar and wind energy-based energy systems are developed for clean production of electricity, hydrogen and ammonia. Three new integrated energy systems are developed utilizing ammonia as a medium to store energy. Direct ammonia fuel cells are utilized for clean power generation via electrochemical ammonia oxidation through the utilization of alkaline electrolytes. A new multi-bed catalyst reactor was developed and investigated experimentally for ammonia synthesis. Performance improvement in comparison with a conventional catalyst-based reactor is determined. Comprehensive thermodynamic, electrochemical, exergoeconomic and multi-objective optimization studies are also performed on the developed systems to assess their performances. The peak daily ammonia and hydrogen production amounts are found to reach 98045.8 kg and 19887.6 kg, respectively. The peak overall energy and exergy efficiencies of 57.8% and 60.5% are attained. Multi-objective optimization results provided optimal operational points entailing overall exergy efficiencies of 51% and 44.6% at total cost rates of $4503.3 per hour and $6007.2 per hour, respectively. These correspond to different combinations of solar intensity and wind speed levels. The direct ammonia fuel cell stack is found to have an open circuit voltage of 1399 mV and a peak power density of 13.4 W/m2 that entailed an increasing trend with rising humidification temperatures. Various sensitivity analyses are also performed to determine system performances under varying operating conditions and system parameters.