Profile
| Keywords: | Sensors, Metamaterials, Antennas, metasurfaces, Microwave Circuits, RF circuits, RFID, Internet of Things, Miniaturization |
FES Funded ProjectsOutputs
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| Temperature Sensing in Harsh EnvironmentsSteam Assisted Gravity Drainage systems, or SAGD, are a vital piece of Alberta’s energy sector and the
subject of several other Future Energy Systems projects.
SAGD wells go deep underground, with one injecting steam into the oil reservoir to reduce its viscosity,
while the other collects the oil and pumps it to the surface. Reliable, robust sensors are required for
real-time monitoring of factors such as blockages, corrosion, pressure and temperature - each of which
can impact productivity and environmental safety.
Our project focuses on producing a temperature sensor which can operate as a standalone device, or as
an integrable component for temperature calibration of other sensors.T07-P04, T07-P04NP | Activity | 2021-04-29 | Brent Leier | | A Microwave Stripline Ring Resonator Sensor Exploiting the Thermal Coefficient of Dielectric Constant for High-Temperature SensingThe paper describes the design and fabrication of a temperature sensor for use in harsh environments. The sensor uses a stripline transmission-line-based design that exploits the thermal coefficient of the dielectric constant of the microwave substrate material. The design includes a ring resonator and gap-coupled transmission lines, with upper and lower ground planes to shield the sensor from environmental disturbances. Compared to similar designs using microstrip technology, this design provides improved sensitivity due to the homogeneous dielectric. The fabricated sensor requires temperature-conditioning, and experiments show a linear sensitivity of ≈500 kHz/°C. The sensor is suitable for long-term temperature monitoring applications.T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2022-10-05 | | | Locally Strong-Coupled Microwave Resonator Using PEMC Boundary for Distant Sensing ApplicationsT07-P04, T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2019-10-01 | Mehdi Nosrati, Zahra Abbasi, Baghelani, M., Sharmistha Bhadra, Mojgan Daneshmand | | Discrete Microwave Spectroscopy using Planar ResonatorThis work presents wideband harmonic based liquid sensing using planar microwave resonators. A thin layer LTCC substrate is utilized to design and fabricate a ring resonator sensor, monitoring its harmonics up to 40GHz. Non-constant permittivity frequency spectrum of liquids generate correlated nonlinear frequency shifts in the harmonic frequencies. This information can then be employed to backtrack the liquid properties and permittivity across a wideband frequency. Sample reading in a frequency range of 3GHz to 40 GHz represents a satisfactory distinction between different kinds of the liquids under the test. Using de-ionized (DI) water, methanol and propanol, different frequency responses are gathered over the full frequency range of 40 GHz for 5-sample points as reference harmonics.
T07-P04, T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2019-05-01 | | | Planar microwave resonator with electrodeposited ZnO thin film for ultraviolet detectionA ZnO thin film is electrodeposited on the conducting strips of a planar microwave ring resonator to enable the formation of a novel sensor for ultraviolet irradiation. The fabrication of the sensor involves a low-cost process that basically utilizes a printed circuit board and an aqueous precursor solution. The resonator with no ZnO coating operates with a resonant frequency of 6.2 GHz and a quality factor of 170. The time-resolved microwave photoresponse of the sensor to UV illumination, under ambient conditions, is assessed through measurements of the resonance profile of the S21 parameter. The resonance frequency exhibited a highly sensitive downshift of ~ 6 MHz after a UV illumination time of ~ 3 min. This downshift is mostly attributed to the change in the dielectric constant of the ZnO film caused largely by the additional creation of bound charges. The usually reported long-lived and persistent post-illumination effects were not observed. The measurements of the resonance amplitude carried out at 20% and 70% relative humidities revealed average excess carrier relaxation lifetimes of 213 s and 185 s, respectively. Concomitantly, the measured resonance frequency downshifts increased with increased humidity. These results highlight the difference in the interaction mechanisms of photogenerated carriers with water and oxygen molecules on the surface and grain boundaries of the ZnO film. To our knowledge, this UV irradiation sensor is the first ZnO-based sensor device implemented with planar microwave circuit technology. In addition, the capabilities demonstrated by this simple photo-sensing method to determine induced carrier lifetimes make it a valuable technique for an in-depth investigation of the material properties.T12-P02, T07-P04, T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2019-12-01 | | | Selective real-time non-contact multi-variable water-alcohol-sugar concentration analysis during fermentation process using microwave split-ring resonator based sensorT07-P04, T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2021-01-01 | | | Non-contact real-time water and brine concentration monitoring in crude oil based on multi-variable analysis of microwave resonatorsT07-P04, T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2021-01-01 | | | Artificial Intelligence Assisted Non-Contact Microwave Sensor for Multivariable Biofuel AnalysisT07-P04, T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-01-01 | | | Selective Measurement of Water Content in Multivariable Biofuel Using Microstrip Split Ring ResonatorsT07-P04, T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-01-01 | | | Noncontact high sensitivity chipless tag microwave resonator for bitumen concentration measurement at high temperaturesT07-P04, T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-04-01 | | | Selective Volume Fraction Sensing Using Resonant-Based Microwave Sensor and its HarmonicsT07-P04, T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-01-01 | | | Wide-Band Label-Free Selective Microwave Resonator-Based Sensors for Multi-Component Liquid AnalysisT07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2022-02-01 | | | A Single-Wire Microwave Sensor for Selective Water and Clay in Bitumen Analysis at High TemperaturesT07-P04NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2021-01-01 | | | Microwave Sensor System and MethodMy invention describes a low-cost, single wire, self-resonance, microwave sensor for multivariable analysis of oilsands at high-temperature and high-pressure environmental conditions. The structure of the sensor includes a self-resonance system constructed from a metallic coil capable of withstanding extremely high temperatures well beyond the conditions of downhole Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) applications.
The sensor offers multiple resonance frequencies throughout its spectrum and according to the significant change in the dielectric permittivities of the target materials downhole SAGD (water, bitumen, and clay), the system is able to measure volumetric concentrations of the target materials.
Since the system is exposed directly to the target medium without utilizing a substrate, very high sensitivity is expected especially in the direct vicinity of its structure. Moreover, the pure metallic structural material of the sensor guarantees the sensor's capability to tolerate temperatures up to even 1000C which is well beyond the requirement of SAGD applications. This sensor is essential for improving the water and energy consumption rates, and therefore environmental protection.
The novelties of this invention rely on 1) utilizing multiple resonances for enabling multivariable analysis, 2) employing a single wire completely metallic structure capable of withstanding extreme conditions such as very high temperature and pressures, and 3) very high sensitivity of the structure as the result of removing the substrate. The elements of this novel structure are therefore non-obvious.T07-P04NP University of Alberta | IP Management | 2022-08-25 | | | Wireless Sensor Technology For Heavy Oil ApplicationsA presentation on Wireless Sensor Technology For Heavy Oil Applications broadcasted on YouTube through FES Channel.T07-P04NP University of Alberta | Activity | 2020-08-17 | | | A Battery-Less RFID Sensor Architecture with Distance Ambiguity Resolution for Smart Home IoT ApplicationsT07-P06NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2021-07-06 | | | A Survey on Battery-Less RFID-Based Wireless SensorsT07-P06NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2021-01-01 | | | A Battery-Less Six-Port RFID-Based Wireless Sensor Architecture for IoT ApplicationsT07-P06NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2022-03-22 | | | Asymmetric transmission in nanophotonicsT12-Q02 University of Alberta | Publication | 2023-04-10 | | | Wireless Capacitive Liquid-Level Detection Sensor Based on Zero-Power RFID-Sensing ArchitectureT07-P06NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2022-12-25 | | | A Battery-Less Non-Hybrid Six-Port RFID-Based Wireless Sensor Architecture for IoT ApplicationsT07-P06NP University of Alberta | Publication | 2023-03-20 | | | Asymmetric transmission and variable beam splitting using coherently coupled all-dielectric grating-insulator-grating (GIG) metamaterialsT12-Q02 University of Alberta | Publication | 2024-09-16 | | | $1.5M grant on Developing Resilient Networking and Communications Systems for 5G WirelessLed by Dr. Iyer from the University of Alberta, six innovators from UofA, UofT, and TMU bring a self-organized multidisciplinary group of researchers to collaborate and advance research in the 5G sensing and communication domain.T07-P06NP University of Alberta | Award | 2022-06-29 | |
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