Technology Development Network

Coming May 2022 New Book on Technology Development

    Technology Development

    Lessons from Industrial Chemistry

    and Process Design

 

    by Ron Stites

 

 

 

Ron has recently completed the manuscript for a new book on Technology Development under contract with Walter de Gruyter GmbH. De Gruyter is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. The new book should be available May of 2022. The Table of Contents below gives you an idea of the topics covered:

    Chapter 1: Introduction

    Chapter 2: What is Technology and Technology Development?

        Some Common Misconceptions

        Types/Classes of Technology

        B2B Markets

        Consumer Markets

        Government Markets

        Social/Common Good

        Impact on Existing Markets

        The Benefits of Technology Development

    Chapter 3: Some Basics Axioms of Technology Development

        Axiom 1 – Nothing is Completely Predictable

        Axiom 2 – Collaboration can be a Four-Lettered Word

        Axiom 3 – Money is the Final Unit of Measure

        Axiom 4 – Everything is Urgent

        Axiom 5 – Size Matters

        Axiom 6 – The Quest for Knowledge Requires Intuition and Deduction

    Chapter 4: The Science of Technology Development

        Markets First

        Investors/Stakeholders Second

        Go/No-Go Decision Process Third

        Finally, The Technology Development Process

        Planning to Learn

        Designing Your Experiments

            The Intuitive Phase

            The Deductive Phase

            Making Sense of Uncertainty

            Simple Statistics – Population, Sample, Average, and Standard Deviation

            Guarding Against Major Blunders

        Execute Your Plan

        Evaluation and Reporting

        Improve Your Experiments or Wrap Up Your Conclusions

        Valuation Methodology (Present Value/IRR)

        Evidence-Based Decision-Making and Data Science

    Chapter 5: The Art of Technology Development

        The Art of Human Relationships

            With Employees

            With Funders and Potential Funders

            With Customers and Potential Customers

            With Stakeholders

        The Art of Matching Technology with Markets

        The Art of Monetizing the Technology

    Chapter 6: Funding and The Discipline of Technology Development

        How Discipline Impacts Funding and the Growth of Wealth

        The Biz Plan

        Funding in Large Organizations

        Funding in Small Organizations

        Technology Development Startups – A Peculiar Subset of Small Business

        The Funding Process

            Dispelling Some Myths about Raising Capital

            Assessing Capital Needs

            Set Capital Goals

            Detail Capital Goals and Strategy

            Identify Potential Capital Sources

            Guiding Principles for Contacting Potential Investors

            Structure Capital Offering(s)

            Manage the Capital Campaign

    Chapter 7: The Future of Technology Development

        Critical Technology Development Needs

        Capital Sourcing Challenges

        Evaluation of Technology

        Use of Capital

        Scarce Supply of Capital for Small Business

        Accountability

        Patience

    Chapter 8:  Where Do We Go from Here?

        Reducing the influence of academics and Higher Education

        Strengthening review of government Technology Development programs

        Specifically requiring statistically sound review

        Encouraging small, primary investments directly in small businesses

        Graduated Capital Gains Tax

        Capital Gains Tax on Non-profits

        Phasing out Non-profit Status for all Non-profits

        Phasing in Strict Financial Reporting for all Non-profits

        Reforming all of Education to make it eventually Competitive, For-profit

        Requiring Grade-appropriate Probability and Statistics Curricula

        Requiring Appropriate Field Proficiency Probability and Statistics STEM and Professions

        Deregulating Crowdfunding for Small, Technology Development Companies

    Chapter 9: Some Final Words

If you would like information on how to get a copy, contact us at Ron Stites at ron@tek-dev.net

New Patent: Oil Shale to High-Value Products

On December 8, 2020, Ron Stites, of Stites & Associates, LLC (SALLC), was awarded a patent on a process to convert oil shale into high-value products. US Patent 10,858,592 discloses a unique method for retorting oil shale that vaporizes the oil and feeds it directly into a distillation column that can split the oil into various cuts. These cuts can be used as feedstock for producing multiple, high-value products.

This unique approach completely avoids burning the valuable kerogen oil as a fuel. Unlike many other approaches, this method does not consume additional energy making the oil into a fuel, only to burn it and put even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Instead, the oil is separated into cuts that can be used as the starting materials to make high quality asphalt, synthetic lubricating oils, adhesives, chemicals, and other high-value products. This process provides a unique, low carbon footprint method for turning oil shale into high-value products rather than low-value, commodity fuels.

The multiple benefits of this new process include:

1. Dramatic reduction in the CO₂ footprint of an oil shale industry by creating chemicals and building materials rather than fuels,
2. A closed system allowing capture of all environmentally troublesome compounds,
3. Creating products of higher value than crude oil,
4. Allows small plants and mines to be economically viable rather than huge strip-mining operations,
5. Eliminates the need for huge amounts of water to make the hydrogen needed to turn the kerogen oil into a precursor for fuels and
6. Allows small plants to be sited on only the best, most available oil shale resources.

The process has been studied and proven at large, bench scale at a temporary research facility in Vernal, Utah, using Utah oil shale. The studies were supported by a USTAR TAP grant awarded by the State of Utah. Development and commercialization of this process is still underway at both SALLC and a related Utah company, Kerogenic Products, LLC.

Your view the entire patent by clicking here: US Patent 10,858,592

For more information on this process and on-going efforts feel free to contact Mr. Stites at ron@tek-dev.net.

 

Ron Stites is the Founder and Principal at Stites & Associates, LLC, a group of technical professionals who work with clients to improve decision making in technology driven companies by applying good management judgment based on objective evidence and sound scientific thinking. For more information see: www.tek-dev.net or email us at ron@tek-dev.net .