IREQ
Encyclopedia
L'Institut de recherche d'Hydro-Québec (Hydro-Québec Research Institute), known by its acronym IREQ ("Institut de recherche en électricité du Québec", Quebec Electricity Research Institute) is a research institute
established in 1967 by government-owned
utility
Hydro-Québec
. IREQ operates from Varennes
, a town on the south shore of Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. IREQ operates on an annual research budget of approximately $100 million and specializes in the areas of high voltage, mechanics
and thermomechanics, network simulations and calibration.
In the last 20 years, the institute has also conducted research and development
work towards the electrification of ground transportation
. Current projects include battery
advanced materials, including work on molten salts
, lithium iron phosphate
and nanotitanate
, improved electric drive train
s and the impacts of the large scale deployment of electric vehicles on the power grid. Projects focus on technologies to increase range, improve performance in cold weather and reduce charging time
.
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
established in 1967 by government-owned
Government-owned corporation
A government-owned corporation, state-owned company, state-owned entity, state enterprise, publicly owned corporation, government business enterprise, or parastatal is a legal entity created by a government to undertake commercial activities on behalf of an owner government...
utility
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
. IREQ operates from Varennes
Varennes, Quebec
Varennes is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Lajemmerais. The city is approximately 15 miles from Downtown Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 20,950...
, a town on the south shore of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. IREQ operates on an annual research budget of approximately $100 million and specializes in the areas of high voltage, mechanics
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
and thermomechanics, network simulations and calibration.
In the last 20 years, the institute has also conducted research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
work towards the electrification of ground transportation
Electric vehicle
An electric vehicle , also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion...
. Current projects include battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
advanced materials, including work on molten salts
Molten salt battery
Molten salt batteries or liquid sodium battery are a class of primary cell and secondary cell high-temperature electric battery that use molten salts as an electrolyte. They offer both a higher energy density through the proper selection of reactant pairs as well as a higher power density by means...
, lithium iron phosphate
Lithium iron phosphate
Lithium iron phosphate , also known as LFP, is a compound used in lithium iron phosphate batteries . It is targeted for use in power tools and electric vehicles...
and nanotitanate
Titanate
In chemistry, titanate usually refers to inorganic compounds composed of titanium oxides. In some cases, the term is used more generally for any titanium-containing anion, e.g. [TiCl6]2- and [Ti7]2-. This article focuses on the oxides....
, improved electric drive train
Powertrain
In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission, drive shafts, differentials, and the final drive...
s and the impacts of the large scale deployment of electric vehicles on the power grid. Projects focus on technologies to increase range, improve performance in cold weather and reduce charging time
Rechargeable battery
A rechargeable battery or storage battery is a group of one or more electrochemical cells. They are known as secondary cells because their electrochemical reactions are electrically reversible. Rechargeable batteries come in many different shapes and sizes, ranging anything from a button cell to...
.