Curriculum Vitae

Richard van Leeuwen, P.Eng. (Electrical)

Nationality: Canadian
Languages: English and French

Experience:
April 1994 to present
van Leeuwen and Associates, West Vancouver, B.C.

As founder and principal of this independent organisation, I have offered my broad electrical and business background to the insurance industry and investigated and reported on electrical insurance losses. These losses are extremely varied in nature and in size. The investigations are for insurance companies, adjusters, and lawyers. I have investigated over 70 electrical failures per year in the last nine years and have been accepted as an expert by the B.C. Supreme Court on 1999 Feb. 9 (C964610 B.C.S.C.) and in the Yukon Supreme Court in 2002 July 29 (00-A0174 Y.S.C.)

April 1991 to April 1994
NATIONAL AUTOMATION INC., Richmond, B.C. As Senior Electrical Engineer for this consulting firm which specialises in instrumentation and electrical engineering (process control) I have supervised or personally completed all of the electrical activity undertaken by the firm since joining; including:

• the electrical design of a new scrubber and ash handling system with control by an A-B PLC 2-30 for Cariboo Pulp and Paper in Quesnel;
• the replacement of a Modicon 584 with a G.E. Series 6 PLC for the brown stock washing and high pressure filter areas in "B" mill for Northwood Pulp and Timber in Prince George. (The project had one wiring error and no programming errors);
• all the electrical design of a turpentine plant including the addition of an A-B PLC 5 I/O rack connected to an existing DCS, for Eurocan Pulp and Paper in Kitimat, B.C.;
• the development of an "expert witness" business for the insurance industry.

August 1986 to April 1991
H.A. SIMONS LTD., Montreal, and Vancouver As Electrical Project Engineer for this pulp and paper oriented consulting firm, I managed, and supervised the design of:

• a T.M.P. (Thermo-Mechanical Pulp) plant at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, on time and on budget (the only discipline to achieve that goal) with a staff of three designer-drafters over six months (4000 hrs.) (Kruger Inc.)

As Electrical Engineer, I completed the design of:

• a power distribution system for a complete paper machine, and some modifications in a T.M.P. plant, which had been started by others. (Donahue Malbaie Inc., Clermont);
• a medium and low voltage system for a new paper machine (Consolidated Bathurst Inc. Grand'Mere, Que.);
• a low voltage system, a control system, and a logic diagram for the complete chip handling system (Daishowa Canada Inc. Peace River);
• the recausticizing area low voltage distribution system including about 75% new equipment and re-use of the remaining equipment during which I helped develop a system to automatically produce about 170 drive schematics. (Fletcher Challenge, Crofton, B.C.).

May 1985 to August 1986
KIMBERLY-CLARK, Terrace Bay, Ontario
As Engineer, Electrical Projects, I supervised and monitored the electrical engineering and labour portion of a power boiler rebuild, and hog fuel handling system, within which I redesigned and greatly simplified a "Hooper" reclaimer because it would not work as built. I also installed an uninteruptable power supply to solve the electrical supply unreliability.

March 1984 to April 1985
MANFOR LIMITED, The Pas, Manitoba As Electrical Project Engineer for this 400 ton per day kraft pulp and paper mill, I managed the electrical part of a 40 million dollar expansion which included:

• a new press section
• a new speed and draw system on the paper machine (1.7 million)
• a new digester
• a new line of 2300V starters
• a new 230kV, 25MVA substation (2.5 million)

In liaison with suppliers, consultants, and plant personnel, the project was brought to a successful conclusion, within its budget. Within this project I tackled a "voltage rise due to self excitation" problem on the Manitoba Hydro supply line which endangered the plant's electrical equipment. I also solved a design problem in the 2300V starters which caused about 10 failures in the preceding 10 years (at a cost of about $50,000 per failure) and was a contributing factor to the plant's only fatality to that date.

January 1983 to March 1984
van LEEUWEN ENGINEERING, Vancouver, B.C.
As Proprietor of an independent engineering firm, I tackled the recession by offering my services to companies who could not justify a full time engineer. During that time, I engineered, planned and managed the electrical portion, and sometimes all of:

• a D.T.P.A. bulk handling system ($ 36,000)
• a paper machine dryer pocket ventilation system ($533,000)
• a pulp mill water supply chlorination system ($ 81,000)
• a boiler burner safety system ($397,000)
• a pipe fitters' shop ($15,000)
• an interim peroxide plant expansion ($750,000)

November 1978 to November 1982

MacMILLAN BLOEDEL LIMITED, Harmac, B.C.
As Electrical Project Engineer, I acted as consultant on the electrical portion of the work handled by the department, and I was directly responsible for all projects of an electrical nature. I dealt with consultants, contractors, and plant personnel (approximately 1000). Some of the significant projects handled were:

• an electrostatic precipitator ($4,800,000)
• a ventilation system ($55,000)
• a chemical reclaim system ($4,000,000)
• in 1980 alone, I completed 50 separate projects, including drawing review, consulting, field supervision, electrical design, and in some cases the total design.

March 1976 to November 1978
CHROMASCO LIMITED, Montreal, (now Toronto)
As Corporate Electrical Engineer for this ferro-alloys producing company, I supervised one draftsman and one secretary, and managed all electrical projects as well as solved electrical problems at the plant level, such as:

• a crushing system ($100,000) Designed and specified the electrical requirements for a crushing system, making use of existing equipment where possible;
• an air pollution control system ($7,000,000) Reviewed all the control drawings submitted by suppliers and designed, specified, and supervised the installation of the power supply, which was about 9000 KW I moved the control room to a new location and made improvements in the controls used;
• an electric furnace control room ($100,000);
• a kiln improvement system ($700,000) Designed and specified the instrumentation system for two kilns as well as all electrical control panels and power wiring.

June 1971 to March 1976
HARLAND CONTROLS AND SYSTEMS LIMITED, (now A.S.E.A.) Montreal
As Chief Contract Administrator for this variable speed drive equipment supplier, I supervised three engineers and one secretary and assigned, or managed all projects accepted by the company. I have:

• revised document flow, vastly improving efficiency
• re-defined department responsibilities
• re-defined employee responsibilities to improve management of small projects
• increased the standardisation of products, resulting in the improved delivery from 12 months to 6 months

October 1967 to January 1971
R.C.A. CANADA LIMITED, Ste.-Anne-de-Belleview, Qué
While in the Communications Divisions, I supervised two draughtsmen, one technician, and one engineering clerk. As Project Engineer, I managed projects including:

• supply of modem equipment to Western Union ($1,000,000)
• supply of telecommunications equip. to Pakistan ($10,000,000) Including:
• customer liaison
• circuit design
• environmental testing
• purchasing and specification writing
• solving manufacturing problems

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION:
1996 "Fire Science and Fire Investigation" University of British Columbia
1977 "Advances in Substation Equipment" McGill University
1975 "Application Problems in Power Systems" McGill University
1966-70 Diploma In Management McGill University
-a nine course program which is one half of the "Masters in Business Administration" degree 1961-66 B.A.Sc. (Electrical Engineering) University of Waterloo (Co-op)

POST GRADUATE EDUCATION:
-Managing Interpersonal Conflict
-Fundamentals of Supervision
-Introduction to Ocean Engineering
-Project Management Seminar
-I.E.E.E. Industrial Power Systems Conference
-Industrial Ventilation
-Comprehensive Instrument Engineering
-Supervisory Management Course

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:

• Ordre des Ingenieurs du Quebec (since 1966)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (since 1964)
• Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario (since 1977)
• McGill University Alumni Society (since 1972)
• University of Waterloo Alumni Society (since 1966)
• Montreal Power Squadron (Advanced Piloting certificate)
• Association of Professional Engineers of B.C. (since 1979)
• elected Vice Chairman 1981
• nominated Chairman 1982 (Vancouver Island Branch)
• International Association of Arson Investigators (since 1993)