• There were so many things that I got out of this meeting :))) I asked him ‘What is the ideal inspection or pipeline material method’: he said that there is no idea method because the pipelines are subject to different conditions such as environmental, pressure (50 kPa, 100 kPa)
• Mr Bouchart was a really nice person to talk to: he is really welcoming to high school students.
• Did two inspections in the summer
• Something that I found valuable: there is only so much that is released online, like literally when he said ‘you guys might remember how we did two inspections’, I was like ‘wait it was two, how did I not know that, did they ever post this anywhere online?’ So, he really expanded my view on the process of incorporating new inventions into Calgary pipes, materials, costs, etc.
• Note: Jun 5, the feeder main broke down in Bearspaw
• Talking about case studies was really valuable. Case study 2004 pipeline broke down: they had patches of grass that were rich in sulfates, and the sulphites had reacted with the pipelines which broke them down, leading to leakage
• Talking with Mr. Bouchart really expanded my viewpoint on my next steps into the industry and how it all works: firstly, universities can have an idea. Then, the idea is backed up with data and test runs. For example, if I wanted to test for graphene concrete, then I would infuse different amounts of graphene into concrete and then test the tensile strength of the material (compression is not the problem, but it is stretching the pipeline). After that, you can find the ideal percentage of infusion and start finding effective costs.
• Another thing is that Calgary Water Services does not actually create the technology, like expected. The aim of Calgary Water Services does is try to provide the lowest-cost water services to everyone in Calgary. Don’t say cheap because cheap has some bad connotations. Calgary Water Services basically creates a set of criteria to meet: for example, the pipeline needs to withstand a certain psi, cannot contaminate the water, etc. Then, it sends people to look at the market and assess what options are available. Of course, they just look at what type of pipelines are available: they won’t have an idea to create something. After that, they bring their idea back to the Mr. Bouchart and after he validates it, it gets implemented.
• Mr. Bouchart recommended us to go see Pure Technologies: a pipeline company that is established here in Calgary and provides both on-line and off-line inspection for pipelines. The problem is that while on-line is more preferred (because then you don’t have to stop water from flowing), the quality of analysis is much more worse than off-line inspection cause the water distorts the analysis and stuff like that.
• Mr. Bouchart really emphasized the importance of physics in this whole field. Like, all inventions stem from physics, and the whole field of pipeline repair and inspection stem from the basis of physics
• I feel like this meeting was useful in the sense that I know my next steps: probably conduct experiments at home where I can create graphene like the videos online that I have watched. And then I am also pretty sure that I can create concrete at home, and then after infusing different amounts, I will subject the metal sample to some tensile pull and then assess the damage. If this all works out, the next step would be to contact universities that are doing this, especially the graduate student at rice university who created this, and then look to see if this can be implemented. Oh, another thing that he said is carry out something called a research project where I can contact big companies or universities, tell them to fund for a research project into this, and then conduct more data to verify the success of graphene-infused concrete.
• Another thing is that he brought awareness on the complexity of what lies underground. Literally, I have never thought about this, but how much stuff really lies down there? Oil pipelines, clean water delivery pipelines to houses, waste water pipelines to deliver to waste water treatment plant, electrical pipelines, etc. It is a whole web of pipes down there!
• Didn’t get a photo because he was in a rush for another meeting. But here is a nice photo of him: