APRIL 2008 Issue
keyser file
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He’s No Rocket Scientist — Or Is He?
by Tom Keyser
Freelance Writer
It’s not technically correct to call Tokunosuke Ito, P.Eng., a rocket
scientist. But he did help NASA out of a serious jam back in 1985.
Now chief technology officer for an Alberta production operation management company known as Zedi Inc., Dr. Ito counts on his gas well monitoring technology to keep much of the business flowing. But back in the day, he was an Oklahoma State University grad student in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Dr. Ito was also an active participant in what was then called the Fluid Power Research Center. A results-oriented think tank, it helped industry bigwigs sort through difficult issues relating to pneumatic and hydraulic systems.
Aerospace giant Rockwell International came to call. The challenge: fix a problem with the space shuttle’s hydraulic servo valves, a recurring glitch stubborn enough to delay three planned launches.
“Rockwell International was in charge of booster control and hydraulic systems for the space shuttle,” Dr. Ito recalls. “We spent an intense week, working 12 to 14 hours a day, trying to address the issue.”
Dr. Ito quickly formulated a theory but kept it to himself. Then he set about trying to prove the existence of a design flaw he believed to be the root of the problem.
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DR. TOKUNOSUKE ITO, P.ENG. |
“Eventually, we were able to show that the setting of the control schema was incorrect. I can’t reveal more details because the information is restricted,” he says, flashing an infectious grin.
Before he left Oklahoma State, Dr. Ito also assisted in the creation of an intelligent active control design for hydraulic vehicle suspension, which was eventually adapted by automaker Volvo. In addition, his team developed a mobile robot system and robotic ammunition loader system for the U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory.
Allure of the Lore
Such historical facts have become cornerstones of Zedi’s corporate lore. It is also true that the 160-plus employees of the Calgary-based company owe their livelihoods to another of Dr. Ito’s brainchildren.
Known as the Smart-Alek, it’s a super-accurate, explosion-proof, and now intrinsically safe wireless pipeline and gas-well monitor, and it has been enthusiastically embraced by most of the major natural gas producers. Sales for the publicly traded company topped $29 million last year and the success of Smart-Alek was a key driver.
Zedi clients have installed almost 10,000 units, providing them with precise pressure, temperature and well-flow readings, instantly accessible by senior managers and field personnel via the Internet.
If well readings veer outside of pre-set parameters, Smart-Alek sends out an instant Internet alarm, including cell phone/pager message, e-mail and web presentation.
“This tool also helps to ascertain the size and quality of a given reservoir,” says Dr. Ito. “Our customers know that by accurately recording their production flow while measuring the nature of their asset, they can optimize their production efficiency.”
From Japan to Edmonton
Known as Toku to his friends and colleagues, Dr. Ito grew up in Japan but nursed an ambition to study in the U.S. He wound up at Oklahoma State, the first of many universities which accepted his application.
Eventually, he followed a relative to Edmonton, where Dr. Ito co-founded Zedi as a manufacturer-distributor of precision downhole tools. Seeing that key business accounts are all in Calgary, Zedi decided to move the headquarters to there in 1997.
At a critical juncture of Zedi business in 2000, his design and development team swung into action after Zedi engineers spent months in the field, asking their customers to define their most important unfilled needs.
The result: Smart-Alek.
One of the world’s biggest energy producers originally balked at the device for security reasons, refusing to buy a product that transmits sensitive data via satellite and cyberspace. But the tech wizards at Zedi won over their wary customer by demonstrating the strength of Smart-Alek’s impenetrable encryption code.
“It was the first time their people had seen equipment that could generate data that’s fully encrypted at the wellsite,” Dr. Ito says. “We use a sophisticated encryption code that’s nearly impossible to crack.”
Ultimately, the customer revoked its own no-Internet policy and bought in. Dr. Ito may not be a rocket scientist, but he definitely finds a way to get things done.