Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2005
CLS Signs First On-Site Contract with Synodon Inc.
SASKATOON – The Canadian Light Source recently signed a contract with Synodon Inc of Edmonton. The agreement, signed April 14, is the first commercial contract that will be conducted on one of the synchrotron’s beamlines. Previous commercial work carried out by CLS scientists used other synchrotrons in the USA and Great Britain.
“Synodon is very pleased to be able to utilize the leading edge CLS facility. The measurements that we will be making can only be done at the CLS and are crucial to allow us to optimize the performance of our instrument,” says Doug Miller, Synodon’s Vice President of Engineering.
Synodon manufactures realSens™, an advanced airborne sensor system that detects leaks in natural gas pipelines. Previous detection systems relied on handheld sensors that had to be carried by workers walking along kilometers of pipeline. By mounting the new technology on a helicopter, over 100 km of pipeline can be covered in an hour, identifying and locating small leaks before they can become a big problem. The synchrotron’s infrared beamline will be used to conduct spectroscopic analyses of gases, the results of which will go into refining Synodon’s technology.
“This is an important milestone for the CLS,” says Dr. Jeffrey
Cutler, Associate Director of Research for Industrial Science. “Not
only are we working with a company that’s building a great new tool,
it also marks the first of many applied science projects that will be done
here at Canada’s synchrotron.”
Officially opened in October 2004, the national synchrotron facility at the University
of Saskatchewan is one of the country's largest science projects in the last 30
years. It is funded through an unprecedented collaboration among the university
and all three levels of government: the federal government; the provinces of Saskatchewan,
Ontario and Alberta; and the City of Saskatoon. Significant funds were also provided
by industry partners in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors. The synchrotron
will be used by researchers in academia, government and industry to advance scientific
knowledge and industrial capabilities.
Further information regarding realSens™ is available on Synodon’s website, www.realsens.ca.
More information on the Canadian Light Source is available at www.lightsource.ca.
For more information contact:
Matthew Dalzell
Communications Coordinator
Canadian Light Source Inc
Ph: (306) 657-3739 Fax: (306) 657-3535
Cell: 227-0978
matthew.dalzell@lightsource.ca
Doug Miller
Vice President of Engineering
Synodon Inc.
Ph: (780) 468-9568 Cell: (306) 341-4956
doug.miller@synodon.com
Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:44