Powertech Labs Inc, Surrey, British Columbia

Address: 12388-88 Ave
Surrey, BC V3W 7R7
CA

Mailling Address: 12388-88 Ave
Surrey, BC V3W 7R7
CA

Phone: (604) 590-7500

Fax: (604) 590-5347

Website: http://www.powertechlabs.com

Powertech Labs Inc

Powertech Labs is a wholly owned subsidiary of BC Hydro, the principal electric utility in British Columbia.

Many technical issues are complex, requiring several disciplines for complete assessment and remediation. In a single facility Powertech offers electrical, chemical, environmental,
mechanical, metallurgical, materials, civil and structural engineering expertise gained over years of research and testing. The resulting solutions to technical problems are practical,
timely, and cost-effective.

The company is organized around five distinct business units: Applied Chemistry; System Studies; Electrical Technologies; Civil, Coatings; Power Engineering Laboratories; and
Technologies.

The Powertech facility in Surrey, BC has 18 laboratories and about 80 professional engineers, scientists and technologists. Through resource sharing, they form a network that provides
a one-stop analysis service for BC Hydro industries such as utilities, transmission and distribution, transportation, and pulp and paper.

Powertech's quality management system received ISO 9001 registration in 1997.

Environmental Services:
Powertech provides analytical services and participates in studies to enable our clients to meet today's environmental regulations. Powertech can help industries to reduce their impact
on the environment. Our expertise spans a wide variety of environmental technologies, from the destruction of PCBs as well as organic and halogenated compounds to the assessment
of environmentally friendly wood preservatives, lubricating oils and oil-free bearing systems. We evaluate products and processes using life cycle assessment. Our environmental
testing facility is supported by a network of laboratories which include applied chemistry, metallurgy, civil, mechanical and electrical testing.

Analytical Testing:
Powertech has a comprehensive testing laboratory which has been developed over the last 30 years. Our expertise can address the special analytical requirements of industry. We also
provide data interpretation and technical assistance. Our comprehensive analytical testing services include:

PCB analysis;
TOX analysis;
waste oil analysis;
waste water analysis;
analysis for soil contaminants;
gas analysis;
toxicity studies;
biodegradability testing;
comprehensive testing of environmentally friendly lubricant and coolants;
AAS, ICP and mercury cold vapour analysis;
GC-MS, GC-FTIR work;
analysis for thermal degradation products;
interfacial Tension of organics in water;
TCLP/SWEP leachate analysis;
flashpoint determinations.

Impact Studies:
Impact studies completed recently include:
fleet emission studies;
electric vehicles and their impact on utilities;
reservoirs and greenhouse gas emissions;
environmental assessment of pole yards;
evaluation of Environmental Technologies.

Powertech has evaluated oil containment systems designed for generating stations and substations, including geomembrane systems for containment, oil traps, drains and various
materials that stop oil from seeping into the ground. Powertech's evaluation of boron based preservatives for the remedial treatment of utility poles in environmentally sensitive areas
resulted in adoption of the treatment by BC Hydro for use throughout the province.

Environmental technologies that we have evaluated include:
oil containment and remediation;
soil remediation;
reclamation of PCB contaminated insulating oils;
PCB destruction technologies;
CFC refrigerant disposal;
reduction of indoor ozone levels.

Life Cycle Assessment:
Powertech helps customers achieve significant savings by selecting the most cost efficient product or process that meets their environmental goals. We have developed tools to
evaluate products based on the life cycle cost, including environmental impacts. We have completed life cycle assessment studies on wood poles, steel structures, packaging materials
and plastic materials.

Our comprehensive life cycle assessment services include:
inventory of environmental burden;
impact assessment;
life cycle cost management;
improvement analysis.

Powertech has evaluated containment and remediation technologies for hazardous wastes such as PCBs, wood preservatives, oil, red lead paint, mercury and other heavy metals. We
conduct waste audits for our customers and implement monitoring systems to track waste minimization programs. We have evaluated technologies to recycle glass, oil, batteries, rags
and wood.

Our comprehensive waste management services include:
waste generation audit;
recycle and reuse technologies;
hazardous waste audit;
development of Energy Efficient Technologies.

Powertech performs tests on the use of clean electrotechnologies such as electrical motors, adjustable speed drives, water heaters, lighting and other electrical products. We have
designed a radio frequency kiln for use in the wood products industry. It has the potential to reduce overall energy consumption through reduction of waste heat.

Our comprehensive services in development of energy efficient technologies include:
efficiency tests on consumer products;
research and evaluation of new electrotechnologies such as microwave waste destruction and RF drying.

Powertech's superb indoor and outdoor test facilities are located on an 11 acre site near Vancouver, British Columbia.

Indoor Facilities:
1,500 MVA high power laboratory;
3,200 kV high voltage laboratory;
high current laboratory;
mechanical engineering laboratory;
motor testing laboratory;
insulating fluids lab;
fuels, lubricants and coolants lab;
materials chemistry lab;
environmental analysis lab;
protective coatings lab;
cable test lab;
stator bar test lab;
pressure vessel test lab;
nondestructive evaluation lab;
lighting lab;
civil lab;
instrumentation lab;
metallurgy lab.

Outdoor Facilities:
cable test bed;
pressure vessel test area;
NGV cylinder test area;
wood preservative test area.

Company Details

Year Established: 1988

Total Sales ($CDN): $5,000,000 - $10,000,000

Number of Employees: 92

Products

Environmental Products And Services

Environmentally Friendly Lubricants, Oils And Solvents
Oil spills associated with bearings, linkages, and cranes and hydraulic systems used in governors, gates and valves have to be contained. It is often difficult to provide secondary containment for hydraulic systems where lines extend under fresh water or lie in the proximity of fresh water, such as those in spillways, or intake gates. A realistic and economic alternative to containment is the selection of an environmentally friendly oil that is biodegradable and non-toxic to aquatic life. The use of traditional transformer oils, cable oils and coolants in such areas are also potentially harmful in case of spills. 'Green fluids' of different manufacturers and origins are evaluated for performance and environmentally friendliness. Biodegradability is commonly measured by the Co-ordinated European Council (CEC) test CEC-L-33-A-93. In this test substances are ranked from 0% to 100% in biodegradability. In North America, must also meet toxicity standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and LC50 aquatic toxicity tests as required by environmental agencies. Powertech has tested and evaluated a variety of 'Green fluids' for environmental friendliness and application performance.

Environmentally Acceptable Preservatives And Reduction Of Preservative Leachates
Based on the results of long term field studies on the use of boron based wood preservatives for remedial treatment of wood poles, fused boron rod preservatives are now employed to extend the life of wood poles near environmentally sensitive areas such as salmonid bearing water bodies. Boron compounds have extremely low toxicity to mammals and fish. The quantities, which are slowly released from the treated poles to the environment over a long period of time, are below levels naturally occurring in soils and do not pose an environmental hazard to fish. A study is being carried out to evaluate the use of encapsulating the bottom sections of utility poles as a method of reducing wood preservative losses to the environment and to minimize the need for remedial treatments. A research project was also recently initiated to examine a more environmentally benign preservative for the treatment of internal decay in wood poles.

Destroy The Pcb Using Sodium Process
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) were used widely in electrical equipment before they were banned because of environmental concerns. However, much of the PCBs are still trapped in equipment taken out of service and in contaminated materials. The conventional means for the destruction of these PCB-contaminated solids is usually incineration, a process that produces atmospheric emissions and can potentially contaminate a wide area around the plant. Powertech has developed an effective and economical process for the destruction of these PCB-contaminated liquids and solids. This chemical process is based on our patented sodium process which has been used to decontaminate over 12 million litres of PCB-contaminated transformer oil. The process uses a finely dispersed suspension of metallic sodium to dechlorinate the PCBs. The sodium also reacts with chlorobenzenes, organic acids, and any oxidation products in the oil. The present operating plant is designed to reclaim oils containing less than 5,000 ppm PCB. The process can be scaled and modified for different feed materials as well as to treat liquids containing up to 100% PCB. The plant has been operating in BC since the mid 1980s. A 3300 kg/shift plant is being designed and built for the decontamination of fluorescent ballast wastes, such as potting compound and capacitor windings. The plant is designed to have the capability to operate continuously on a 3-shift per day basis. The plant is expected to be operating by the summer of 2000. Both plants are capable of destroying PCBs to well below 2 ppm and produces nohazardous effluents. Atmospheric emissions consist of nitrogen (sometimescontaining traces of hydrogen), and carbon dioxide. Small amounts of neutral sludge, and inorganic sodium compounds are produced as harmless by-products. The liquids plant reclaims transformer oil to such a high purity that it can be reused in transformers. Solids processed by the solids plant can be safely landfilled. Technology licensing is available from Powertech for the use of the process.

Services

Consulting - Electric Power Utility Technologies POWERTECH LABS Inc. is a wholly owned technology subsidiary of B.C.Hydro. We offer practical, cost-effective technology solutions from a base of expertise in chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, metallurgical and materials engineering. Over seventy technical personnel provide high quality (ISO 9001) practical services using eighteen specialized laboratories to support experience in poblem solving. Although our experience is based in the electric power industry, our technology services and products are serving an ever increasing circle of clients from a diverse field of industries and commerce.

Consulting - Electric Power System Performance Electric Power Systems are modeled and analyzed by Powertech's systems studies experts to fully assess and enhance performance and efficiency under a variety of conditions, such as facility outages and load fluctuations.

Consulting - Equipment Performance POWERTECH operates one of the best equipped gas equipment testing facilities in North America. We perform development testing, acceptance testing, failure analysis, and accelerated ageing testing.

Consulting - Condition Assessment POWERTECH helps improve preventative maintenance programs and minimize downtime through condition monitoring of equipment and structures. Services include nondestructive evaluation, vibration analysis, insulating fluid analysis, fitness-for-purpose evaluation, and life assessment studies.

Consulting - Maintenance Engineering POWERTECH provides sophisticated technology in areas critical to life extension of plant and equipment, such as weld repair, maintenance techniques, overlay protection, and protective coatings systems.

Consulting - Materials Technology POWERTECH'S expertise in materials handling identification, characterization, specification, and failure analysis covers virtually any material application, from massive concrete dam repairs to qualification testing of rubber formulations used in linemen's safety gloves.

Consulting - Environmental And Alternate Energy POWERTECH analyzes water and soils for trace elements and recommends appropriate technologies for disposal and remediation of waste products. We perform product life cycle assessments and recommend environmentally acceptable materials and components. Alternative options for electricity generation, such as wave energy, fuel cells, or photovoltaic systems are studied and evaluated, and alternative transportation fuels assessed for safety, reliability, and economic viability.

Consulting - Gas System Technologies POWERTECH is recognized worldwide for its expertise in on-board storage systems for natural gas in vehicles. We evaluate NGV cylinders and other pressure vessels for structural integrity and performance, and assess natural gas refueling stations.

Testing And Analysis Services Our eighteen laboratories include chemistry, civil, metallurgy, mechanical, coatings, polymer, as well as a full range of electrical laboratories, including high power and high voltage. We provide value added solutions and products to a wide variety of internattional clients. Our centers of excellence include such diversity as compressed gas storage for transportation, self-lubricated bearings, embankment dam seepage monitoring, forensic analysis and expert witnesses. We are registered to ISO 9001 quality assurance standard.

Equipment Performance Certification testing of equipment for intended use using various standards.

Powertech Labs Inc

Powertech Labs Inc

Company Details

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