Industrial Tracks

in

The 2012 International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC) will introduce several new features to improve cross-linkages between measurement science and industrial applications. The general objectives of these new features are to make measurement specialists more aware of industrial needs and to make industrial participants more aware of relevant work in measurement science. Tutorial tracks will introduce measurement specialists to contemporary application and measurement needs in these industries; other tutorial tracks will provide refresher information enabling industrial practitioners to engage more fully with technical papers by measurement specialists during the conference program. Three industrial tracks, outlined below, have been identified as having particular significance to industry.

  • Tutorials presented by industrial specialists on the first day of the conference will provide measurement specialists with basic industrial applications know-how and an appreciation of current industrial issues. Tutorials by specialists from science and academia will review instrumentation and measurement fundamentals relevant to a broad range of industrial applications, with particular reference to specialized matters to be presented in the industry tracks.

  • Following the tutorial day, the conference will begin with keynote presentations for the industrial track fields presented by recognized authorities in these fields. The presentations will highlight each industrial track’s specific state of the art in instrumentation and measurement, including current limitations and challenges.

  • Special Sessions presenting reviewed technical papers and findings tailored to the industrial tracks will allow participants to acquire and deepen their understanding of the subject industry.

Industrial tracks will be structured to foster the exchange of know-how between industry and academia, thereby accelerating transfer of novel scientific solutions into industrial applications. Industrial track topics fit well with the conference theme, “Smart Measurements for a Sustainable Environment.” The industrial tracks are:

  1. Providing Sustainable Energy
  2. Enabling Alternative Vehicles
  3. Protecting the Environment

1.    Providing Sustainable Energy

Energy in its various forms is the major driver of economic growth, wealth, security, and mobility in industrialized societies. A reliable energy supply is essential for stability and development of families, companies, and the community of nations. The concept of sustainable energy involves the ability to satisfy present energy needs without compromising the ability to meet the energy requirements of future generations. Sustainable energy has two key components: energy efficiency and development of renewable energy sources (such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal energy, bioenergy, and tidal power).

It is recognized that, on a global scale, the transition from fossil fuels to a sustainable energy supply will take decades. It is also recognized that exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon resources will continue to be essential activities in the foreseeable future, for these sources will continue to provide raw feedstock for many vital non-fuel chemical and industrial processes. Hence, efficient drilling and mining with minimized negative environmental impact will remain crucial for future economic and environmental well-being. Instrumentation and measurement disciplines are essential to achieving these goals while helping avoid disasters like the recent Gulf oil spill and the Fukujima radiation release. This conference track will focus on advances in smart measurement and instrumentation needed to secure an environmentally harmless energy supply. This conference track will address, but is not restricted to:

Renewable Energy Generation, Transportation, and Conversion

  • Bioenergy – bioreactions and bioengineering
  • Geothermal energy – hydrothermal, EGS, heat pumps, and novel devices
  • Marine and hydroelectric energy – waves, tides, and dams
  • Solar energy – photovoltaics and solar thermal converters
  • Wind energy – turbines and electrical systems and controls
  • Energy resource assessment
  • Weather Forecast – short term forecast on a local scale: prediction of the available energy from a specific source like wind and solar


Fossil Energy Generation, Transportation, and Conversion

  • Conventional liquid and gaseous fuels: exploration, drilling and processing
  • Drilling Systems Automation
  • Downstream measurement 
  • Coal mining
  • Nuclear energy: fission, fusion, and related materials
  • Energy resource assessment


Energy Efficiency

  • Energy conversion: solid oxide, proton exchange membrane, and novel type fuel cells
  • Energy efficient buildings: photovoltaic and solar thermal converters
  • Energy storage: hydrogen, CNG, and batteries
  • Electric power distribution: conventional and superconducting transmission, fluctuating loads, and controls

2.    Enabling Alternative Vehicles

Emerging new vehicle concepts address concerns about pollution and climate, diminishing fossil energy resources, and increasing demands on space and infrastructure brought about by rapidly increasing motorization in megacities. These new concept vehicles, in their turn, require new measurement concepts and technologies. Upcoming vehicle concepts offer energy savings by advanced combustion engines utilizing alternative energy sources such as hydrogen, biofuel, methane fuel cells, and multifuel engines. Large-scale transportation energy efficiency improvements can be realized by vehicle-to-infrastructure or vehicle-to-vehicle traffic control developments.

New vehicles require novel technologies for high temperature sensing and data processing in the automotive environment. Powertrain electrification in electric and hybrid vehicles has changed the way vehicular energy is measured. Energy gauging requirements now involve a combination of electric (battery state of charge and generator output) and fuel (fossil or alternative) sources; control of unconventional energy-consuming devices within the vehicle requires new advances in measurement technology. This conference track will highlight the state-of-the-art, emerging challenges, and innovative approaches in instrumentation and measurement (I&M) arising from the introduction of new technologies in a demanding, high volume, and extremely cost-sensitive mass market. This conference track will address, but is not restricted to:

I&M for Transmission, Conversion, and Storage of Alternative Energy for Automotive Transport

  • Biofuels, Hydrogen, CNG, LPG,
  • Fuel cells, Batteries
  • E-Motors for automotive use
  • In vehicle measurement at novel vehicle concepts
  • Energy distribution measurement for automotive transportation
  • In vehicle fuel mass-flow sensing

I&M for Energy Management in Advanced Vehicle Concepts

  • Vehicle2Vehicle communication
  • Vehicle to traffic management
  • Alternative power trains (hybrid cars, electrical vehicles, fuel cell vehicles)

I&M for Advanced Combustion Engines

  • High temperature / pressure sensor elements
  • In-vehicle measurement of greenhouse gases 
  • Instruments to measure gaseous and particulates according to future legal emission regulations

3.    Protecting the Environment

Environmental protection has become increasingly important because of a growing awareness of environmental problems arising from population growth, habitat loss, and industrialization. Concern about global climate change, energy consumption, air and water pollution, waste treatment and recycling, and health risks from chemical exposure are familiar and omnipresent topics in print and other media sources. Even relatively benign information and communication technologies have environmental overtones due to growing energy demands and certain rare and potentially harmful materials used to construct physical devices.

Research and development directed toward ecological issues is needed to protect the environment without sacrificing the benefits of modern technology and a comfortable lifestyle. Instrumentation and measurement (I&M) play a crucial role in this endeavor. Major issues include the detection and monitoring of pollutants on scales having a tremendous dynamic range, from single molecules and nanoparticles to remote sensing of the earth’s surface. Efficient and clean operation of plants and machines, requiring precision measurements for monitoring and optimal control, represent continuing challenges as materials and technologies grow in sophistication. This conference track will address, but is not restricted to:

Pollution Monitoring

  • Air, water, sewage, and oil monitoring
  • Particle measurement and characterization
  • Food and drug quality monitoring
  • Analytical instrumentation
  • Sensor grids

Remote Sensing

  • RADAR, SAR, and LIDAR
  • High-speed and array detectors
  • Hyperspectral imaging
  • Chemical species imaging
  • Inverse problems

Lab-on-Chip

  • Microfabrication technology
  • System integration
  • Control of micro-actuators
  • Molecular sensing