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.

Adapting the Free Wing to Sailboat Propulsion

By Harry Valentine 2019-10-20 01:27:26

During the mid-1940’s, an innovation called the “free-wing” was developed in the U.S. to improve flight stability of small aircraft. A flap mounted at the end of a long lever that extended rearward behind the wing, maintained wing angle during flight. The free-wing concept may be adapted to sailing vessels propelled by an aeronautical-style airfoil-sail or wing-sail in place of a more traditional fabric sail. Introduction Using traditional sails to propel a boat requires that each crew member be highly...

Future Arctic Navigation and Northwestern Atlantic Ports

By Harry Valentine 2019-10-13 18:21:10

The looming prospect of trans-Arctic ship navigation has prompted China’s ship industry to develop container ships capable of seasonally sailing through the Russian side of the Arctic, ferrying containers between Eastern Chinese ports and Western European ports. Due to comparatively shallow draft, Chinese trans-Arctic ships are being built to small size and intended to carry medium priority container traffic between China and Western Europe, with railways carrying high priority containers. The increased sailing draft through the Canadian side of the...

Applying Rollers to Hydrofoils and Sails

By Harry Valentine 2019-10-05 22:50:47

Many technical innovations developed in the aeronautical industry have successfully been adapted maritime application. Several years ago, a model airplane builder installed transverse axis, cylindrical paddle wheels into the top sides of airplane wings to allow for extremely low flight speeds. Adapting that innovation to maritime application offers the promise of improving hydrofoil performance, airfoil-sail performance, boat rudder performance and kinetic ferry propulsive performance. Introduction It is possible in transportation history that innovations first developed in the maritime sector might...

The Rise and Decline of Kinetic-Hydraulic Power

By Harry Valentine 2019-09-21 19:05:28

Some 10 years ago, there was great interest in kinetic free flow turbines able to generate electric power from rivers, ocean currents and tidal currents as well as from coastal ocean wave conversion. While still being considered in some regions, interest in the technology has declined. Introduction The practice of converting power of rivers to mechanical work dates back over some 4,000 years to Ancient Greece, when innovative people built a mechanism to use river energy to convert grain such...

Cruise Ships and Caribbean Region Power Generation

By Harry Valentine 2019-09-05 19:08:11

Evolving developments in power generation in countries located around the Caribbean Sea enhances prospects of sailing LNG powered cruise ships in this region. Introduction Many of the countries and regions located in and around the Caribbean Sea have endured problems generating and distributing electric power. Several locations generate local grid scale electric power using marine piston engines that consume diesel fuel and even bunker fuel. The rise of fuel prices in recent decades, along with increasing demand for electric power...

Container Port Congestion and Overhead Railway Transfer

By Harry Valentine 2019-08-31 20:56:49

While container ships have increased in size to reduce transportation cost per container, ports have become congested increasing the amount of time required to transfer containers between larger and smaller ships, also between large ships and overland transportation. In the future, even larger container ships will require ports to develop faster methods for transferring containers off and on the super-size ships, using less waterfront port terminal area. Of the technologies being considered to facilitate faster transfer of containers at ports,...

Moving More Containers Through Congested Ports

By Harry Valentine 2019-08-22 18:46:18

The introduction and operation of ever larger container ships challenges ports to rapidly quickly move increasing volumes of containers through their terminals. One option could involve possible modifications to trucks and trains that move containers. Introduction On August 9, 2019, a ship carrying almost 24,000 TEUs sailed through the Suez Canal, and plans are underway to further develop the canal to transit deeper and possibly wider ships. Within the next few years, major Asian and European container transshipment terminals might...

Jesse Richman, an American kitesurfer and kiteboarder (source Wikipedia)

Renewable Energy in Future Water-Based Sport

By Harry Valentine 2019-08-17 18:19:19

The combination of climate change, the growing need to convert to renewable energy and new technical developments in watercraft provides the basis to develop new forms of water-based competition. Introduction The history of athletic competition dates back to Ancient Greece. Competitive wind-powered sailing dates back to the late 1600’s with competitive rowing dating back to the same time period. Over the centuries and decades, the technology of both oar driven and wind driven boat propulsion has advanced. Modern wind-powered competition...

Seeking to Develop Container Traffic Along the Seaway

By Harry Valentine 2019-07-27 20:35:54

While the Saint Lawrence Seaway between Montreal and the Great Lakes carries minimal container traffic, evolving developments in the world economy and in container transportation offers a possibility of increasing container traffic along the Seaway. Introduction The Port of Montreal located at the west end of the Lower Saint Lawrence River is the busiest container port between the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Great Lakes. It is operational throughout the year and is designed to transfer containers between ships...

Western Med Transshipment Ports and Northeastern North America

By Harry Valentine 2019-07-11 19:00:52

The opening of deep-draft container ports in East Asia invites future development of larger container ships of 28,000 to 35,000-TEU that would expand transshipment opportunities at Western Mediterranean container ports to include Northeastern American destinations. Introduction Work is underway along the Suez Canal to reduce future transit time from 18-hours to 11-hours, increasing permissible draft to 20 meters (66 feet) and doubling the number of vessels that sail the canal by 2023. By the end of 2020 (or perhaps very...