Harry Valentine

Author and Researcher

Mr. Valentine has a degree in mechanical engineering from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada specializing in thermodynamics (energy conversion) and transportation technology. He has worked as a technical journalist for the past 10-years and has more than 2 decades of research in the transportation industry.

Ducted Propellers Could Boost Marine Wildlife Safety

By Harry Valentine 2019-01-13 16:04:58

Environmentalists and animal rights activists have for long sounded the alarm about boat propellers inflicting injuries on aquatic mammals and marine wildlife. To protect people, life guards at public beaches use powered watercraft built with inboard propellers and water-jet propulsion, while recent advances have occurred in boat propulsion system layouts that install the propeller inside a duct. Canada is one of the nations to have recently enacted legislation aimed at protecting marine wildlife from injuries inflicted by powered watercraft. Legal...

An Option for a Montreal – New York City River Cruise

By Harry Valentine 2019-01-06 17:56:04

It is presently possible for small private watercraft to sail between the shorter and more direct inland waterway route from New York City to the Lower Saint Lawrence River east of Montreal. However, a large commercial river cruise vessel carrying tourists could sail into the southern region of Canada’s Richelieu River and as far as the quaint Quebec town of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, located some 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Montreal. Introduction Following the demise of trans-oceanic passenger ship services that lost...

Parcel Courier Service Could Use Winged Boats

By Harry Valentine 2019-01-05 18:38:55

A major sector of the international transportation industry carries small parcels between cities both domestically and internationally, depending on fast delivery involving airlines, trucks and railways. There may be a market niche for winged boats to carry loads of parcels between coastal cities. Introduction The history of transporting small parcels between cities domestically and internationally dates back over centuries. In the modern era, a large segment of the small parcels transportation market requires fast delivery based on coordinated intermodal connections...

Molten Metal Energy Storage For Future Maritime Propulsion

By Harry Valentine 2018-12-22 16:46:59

The comparatively short sailing distances encountered along navigable inland waterways combined with stops at navigation locks enhances the attractiveness of using battery propulsion technology. While the popular electrochemical batteries involve lithium technology and chemical acid technology, other competing batteries operate at elevated temperatures, offer extended service lives utilize involve molten metal energy storage. Introduction While electrochemical batteries form the basis of modern mobile rechargeable energy storage technology, thermal energy storage once formed the basis of mobile propulsive energy storage. During...

Future Market Application for Semi-submersible Barge Carriers

By Harry Valentine 2018-12-08 19:35:26

Many years ago, a semi-submersible barge carrying vessel carried small freight vessels between some Indian west coast ports and Gulf ports. Ongoing development in international trade may be developing new market applications for such technology. During an earlier era and prior to modern port development, many of India’s west coast ports were only capable of berthing very small vessels that at one time had carried international trade. As ship size increased to carry greater volume and/or greater tonnage, sailing draft...

Adapting the Viking River Cruise Vessel to North American Service

By Harry Valentine 2018-12-06 15:34:57

River cruises have grown in popularity amongst tourists seeking a leisurely alternative to ocean cruising. The Viking long-ship cruise vessel has been well received by the tourist market that travels along historic European waterways. While the American inland waterway cruise industry has in recent years introduced classical style cruise vessels along major inland waterways, there may be scope to adapt a version of the Viking long-ship to North American waterway tourist service. Introduction There was a period in North American...

Reconsidering an Innovative Integrated Tug-Barge Concept

By Harry Valentine 2018-11-22 22:44:49

During the 1970’s, the engineering department of Marine Industries Ltd of Canada developed an innovative coupling concept for an integrated tug-barge capable of sailing through heavy seas. By late 1982, engineers had built a wooden scale model of the integrated tug-barge that had been shown to Departments of Transport in both the U.S. and Canada, also to Lloyd’s. Due to lack of available funding during a period of high interest rates and an economic downturn, the concept faded into history. ...

The Growing Need to Reverse Declining Caspian Sea Levels

By Harry Valentine 2018-11-17 21:43:29

During the mid-1970s, water levels in the inland Caspian Sea dropped to record lows before steadily rising until mid-1990s. Since 1995, water levels began to steadily decline by seven centimeters per year. Warmer summer temperatures have increased evaporation as summer winds push the humidity south across Iran toward the Arabian Sea. A population of some 80 million people would benefit from action aimed at replenishing Caspian Sea water levels and maintaining optimal peak levels. Introduction While water levels of inland...

Winged Vessels and the Case for Coastal Airports

By Harry Valentine 2018-11-10 17:34:27

Progress has been underway in Singapore, Germany, South Korea, China and Australia to develop wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) vessels that travel close to the water surface. While these vehicles may lift-off from and touch down on designated oceanic seaplane runways, there may also be a logistical case for these vehicles to touch down on and lift off from coastal airports. At the present time, transportation officials in different nations hold different views on the issue. Introduction Aeronautical engineers were puzzled when they...

Future India - China Container Transshipment Cooperation

By Harry Valentine 2018-10-27 18:51:57

Over the past several years, the BRIC member nations of India and China have experienced vibrant economic growth. While India develops a major transshipment port in their southwestern region, China has helped develop the transshipment terminal at nearby Colombo, Sri Lanka and is assisting the development of the Port of Gwadar at Pakistan. Despite economic rivalry between India and China, there appears to be prospects for the two nations to cooperate on civilian maritime trade transportation. Introduction Over the past...