CONTENTS (6pg 26K 7figs)
1. Contact Information
2. My experience and interests
3. Energy conversion technologies
4. Theoretical energy analysis
5. Transportation
6. Energy conservation
7. Technical investigations
8. Patents and Patenting
9. Machine design
10. Prototype construction
11. Computer aided design
12. Manufacturing processes
13. Productivity improvements
14. Writing
15. Documentation
16. Product design
17. Education

1. CONTACT INFORMATION

Updated: 2008Apr08
Mail: 8-1200 Brunette Ave. Coquitlam BC V3K1G3 Canada
Tel: 604-520-6321
Website: www.benwiens.com

3. ENERGY CONVERSION TECHNOLOGIES...primary expertise
I have been researching various energy conversion devices for many years. Stirling engines ...they are ideal for generating electricity from solar energy. Otto ...Newer direct injection gasoline engines promise higher efficiency than the diesel. Atkinson ...The modern Miller cycle accomplishes nearly the same thing, but not quite. Brayton piston ...are beautiful running engines but suffer from high air frictional losses. Diesel ...it is hard to beat it's simplicity and efficiency for many applications. Steam turbines ...it looked like these were becoming a dying technology, but high temperature designs may raise efficiencies substantially. Gas turbines ...Presently it appears that gas turbines combined with solid oxide fuel cells will result in the highest efficiency. MHD ...gasifying coal and using fuel cells will replace these. Thermoelectric ...new high efficiency solid state materials may make these useful for air conditioning and electricity generation. Solar cells ...lab models are approaching 40% efficiency and will become big business unless fusion power becomes a reality. Fuel Cells ...it is possible that they will be widely used in the future, but which type and when is not clear. Batteries ...may be used in a big way for transportation if fusion power is available. Fission nuclear ...powerplants will likely be discarded in favor of other technologies. Fusion nuclear ...powerplants may never be developed, but if it does will change everything. Hydrogen economy ...is not clear whether this will be a reality. Ethanol economy ...liquid fuel has advantages and may become the fuel of choice for portable applications. Artificial photosynthesis ...is possible and ethanol alcohol or hydrogen could be produced in a type of solar cell.

4. THEORETICAL ENERGY ANALYSIS...primary expertise
In the early days of my career I was more interested in the mechanics of different conversion technologies. Later I became more interested in increasing the efficiency of these devices and started looking into the theory behind energy conversion. Eventually I realized that the efficiency of most devices is calculated using what is often referred to as First-law analysis methods. It is really the Second-law analysis methods that are more important when trying to determine how much useful energy such as mechanical power can be obtained from different devices. These methods can determine the efficiency of each component of the process. Second-law methods for some reason are not widely used and are somewhat complicated. Because of this I perfected new methods for analyzing energy conversion devices such as the carnot-ratio, helmholtz-ratio, and the plural energy system. I believe these are much simpler to understand than many of the present concepts and can be valuable in presenting information to people that find it difficult to understand concepts like entropy. When I analyze any device for loss of efficiency the processes are broken down into as many as 28 common forms of energy. This is much more precise than the present exergy method which often only uses the two forms of energy and exergy.

5. TRANSPORTATION...primary expertise
I have extensively studied different modes of transportation such as automobiles, buses, trucks, bicycles, trains, submarines, ships, and airplanes. Practical experience was obtained at Ballard, Flyer Bus, Western Star trucks and Mogas. Have experience in the following areas that can be applied to different transportation projects. Fuel Cells ...not only Solid Polymer, studied many different types such as Solid Oxide which can operate on natural gas with little reforming. Linear Induction motors ...helped machine and design these, worked on power supplies for them. Motors ...knowledge of many different types including new developments such as the Borealis polyphase type. Engine design ...knowledge of many different types including the upcoming direct injection gasoline and natural gas engines. Practical knowledge of engines ...have repaired and rebuilt engines. Hybrid vehicle design ...studied various systems such as parallel and series designs. Alternative Fuel systems ...studied natural gas, hydrogen, ethanol systems. There is a lot of hope that hydrogen storage will become practical but there is little progress being made. At Mogas worked on different natural gas fuel systems. Batteries ...aware of the latest designs such as zinc-air which have an incredible energy density but have problems with cycling. Fabrication of bus and rapid transit type coaches ...have studied all types of construction methods and worked at Flyer Bus. Worked in the fabrication business as well. Brake systems ...worked on evaluation of brake testing equipment. Development ...have experience in development of new products and can relate to designers in various companies. Coin mechanisms and card readers ...worked on development of these with Chameleon and Copycard. Advanced Road Systems ...have researched various systems including freeway gate systems, computerized traffic light timing, limited height city underpasses. GIS database systems ...knowledge of basics of which can be used for planning and information.

6. ENERGY CONSERVATION...primary expertise
Usefulness ...conservation of energy will always be important for our society. Even if fusion power would be developed, there are still infrastructure costs associated with moving the power to the consumer. In the case of solar energy, there is only so much room on a rooftop for a certain amount of solar panels. Ideas ...I have many ideas on conservation by improving efficiency of devices and processes. Big picture ...we should think beyond just making engines and motors more efficient. We have to make society more efficient to ensure a high standard of living.

7. TECHNICAL INVESTIGATIONS...helpful skill
Analysis ...presently perfecting methods for analyzing and making logical decisions on complex information. Logic ...studies show that many large decisions are presently based on hunches coming from the subconscious ming. It is true that studies and reports are written, but the results are not always used in a logical way. Industries ...I have worked in many industries and can help organize any projects that have a great deal of technical issues. Financial ...am able to evaluate basics of financial statements. Do double-entry accounting for my company. Made my own zero-sum style accounting software using a database. Took a nightschool course on the basics of double-entry corporate accounting. In another nightschool course learned the basics of financial management, money systems and investing.

8. PATENTS AND PATENTING...helpful skill
Courses ...took a nightschool course in inventing and later was involved in very specific details of patenting several inventions. Patent searches ...have used the Internet, computer search services and manual searches through the patent attorney. The best method of searching I found is to use all three. It is usually best to collect many patent references in the order of 100-2000 and then narrow this down. Patenting ...it is hard for laypeople to write a good patent. The claims are hard to format. Patent attorneys know how to do this, but they are often in a hurry and leave out many ideas in the patents. Patent drawings ...I have done many of these using CAD. They are not hard to do if you can use a 3D CAD program to create the isometric views but the patent office is very fussy on the line and text format which is not well defined in books. Patentability ...relates to whether you can get a new patent for your idea. If it has been patented before, you can not get one. Infringement ...many people are only worried about getting a patent. Their new idea may be patentable but still may infringe on some aspects of another patent. The patent should also be written to get as much coverage as possible, this is seldom done. To get a good patent in a crowded field requires lot's of analysis, something patent attorneys are not always ready to do. I use a computer database to list and tag the claims. Personal patents ...I am named as inventor on several patents: US Patent 5,176,966 ...Ballard fuel cell construction methods, US Patent 5,996,445 ...Universal Toolcraft mechanics wrench, US Patent Pending ...J & R Distributors air breathing device, US Patent Pending...Linkers Products Inc. toy construction system, US Patent Pending

9. MACHINE DESIGN...helpful skill
Specialty ...my experience is varied and should be useful especially where the work requires some research and a new approach. Research ...I like to base my designs on careful research. I don't like to reinvent the wheel. For example many ideas can be obtained through searching patents, journals, books and competitors literature. Computer Aided Design ...is largely thought of as a tool for drafting, but I prefer to use it as a design tool. One of CAD's greatest design advantages is being able to draw to accurate scale. Very few calculations need to be done. Experience ...have worked in many companies.

10. PROTOTYPE CONSTRUCTION...helpful skill
Prototype machining ...have done some prototype machining. Welding ...have knowledge of different types and have done welding myself. Painting ...developed airless painting equipment at HERO. Sheet metal ...have worked in various fabricating companies and worked with the tools myself. Composites ...have worked with fiberglass and epoxy.

11. COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN...helpful skill
Software ...use a solid modeling program by Autodesk called Mechanical Desktop v3.0 which incorporates solid and surface modeling as well as 2D R14 AutoCAD. I also use 3D Studio MAX for rendering and animation. This is quite beneficial for demonstrating new concepts. Competing CAD programs ...have knowledge of various CAD systems and their problems and differences. Was president of the Vancouver AutoCAD Users Society and editor of the newsletter CADvisory.

12. MANUFACTURING PROCESSES...helpful skill
Training ...manufacturing engineering was my specialty in post secondary education. Knowledge ...am familiar with many types of manufacturing equipment as I have worked for many manufacturing companies such as Flyer Bus and Weiser Lock.

13. PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS...helpful skill
Organizing ...am skilled in organizing technical aspects of projects and writing reports. Operations management ...have studied various ways of organizing different operations and increasing their efficiency and applied it in several positions such as at Island Paper Mills where I looked at the efficiency of a paper packaging line.

14. WRITING...helpful skill
Focus ...learned to write because words are an effective means of communicating and organizing information. Experience ...have done technical reports, manuals, magazine articles, and Internet documents. Manuals ...helped produce a parts manual for Western Star Trucks. Magazine articles ...have had several published: Fuel Cells for Distributed Power Production ...Jun1999 Design Product News, readership 40,000 in Canada. 3D Mechanical Desktop shows versatility ...Mar1997 Design Product News. Turbo Expo shows off latest in gas turbines ...Sep1996 Design Product News. Newsletter articles ...editor and publisher of newsletter CADvisory for 1 year, wrote many articles about design and CAD. Courses ...took a two year long correspondence writing course.

15. DOCUMENTATION...helpful skill
Focus ...I know a lot about documentation because studies, reports, and research need to be carefully written up. Results need to be effectively transmitted to others involved. Programs ...use Ventura Publisher, Word, Publisher, Excel, Access, CorelDraw, Photopaint, and AutoCAD. Cross use...know how to integrate documentation from various sources such as CAD, illustration, desktop publishing, presentation, and Internet programs. Databases ...have been using them extensively for organizing and retrieving information.

16. PRODUCT DESIGN...helpful skill
Integrated design ...have experience both in Industrial design and Mechanical design, so my goal is to create an integrated design for least expensive production. Experience ...worked with large manufacturing companies such as Weiser Lock, Storkcraft, Chameleon, Cymbolic Sciences, Mobility Engineering, and Statpower. Ergonomics ...studied this field extensively and worked with companies such as Optimum Management and Zodiak. Courses ...basics of SLR photography. Lectures ...presented a talk on "Aesthetics of Machine Design" at the University of British Columbia.

17. EDUCATION
Diploma of Mechanical Engineering from British Columbia Institute of Technology.

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