Grants and Contributions

The purpose of this CanExport SMEs agreement is to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for activities related to export market development that are part of an export business case for a specific target market, particularly where activities are targeting departmental priority markets and sectors.

Preventative leak detection is a growing field in the pipeline monitoring industry. Distributed fiber optic sensing is a major technology platform for this service. Hifi's high fidelity dynamic sensing system (HDS) is capable of sensing acoustics, temperature, strain and vibration in or near a pipeline in very high fidelity. The system, which can monitor very long distances, has been successfully used for leak detection in land and offshore pipelines in Canada and the United States, as well as in other international regions such as South America and Europe.

A variety of artificial intelligence / machine learning based software methods such as leak signature classification, flow anomaly localization, and observing major changes in the pipeline acoustic propagation model, are being developed for leak detection. Results from independent lab tests where the efficacy of the system in detecting pinhole leaks with pressure ratings as low as 5 psi and flow rates down to 0.1 LPM has been proven. Hifi's HDS technology can help make pipelines safer and represent an excellent made-in-Canada solution to a very relevant Canadian problem.

Success of the HDS™ technology in the pipeline sector has sparked interest in other resource industries, notably global mining entities interested in its use for monitoring of long-run conveyor systems. This project aims to develop the capability for autonomous identification of faulty conveyor components (idlers) through use of advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms to improve operating efficiencies and preclude the need for high-risk conveyor maintenance activities. The mining application presents several novel challenges including the nature of key events, ambient environment, and required spatial resolution and this project focuses on the R&D required to understand and overcome these challenges en route to a commercial solution.

International Co-innovation Action Program (ICAP) will prepare HiFi Engineering to enter into international co-innovation projects targeting the emerging hydrogen economy and associated infrastructure.