April 21, 2001
New engine may change the world
CALEB WARNOCK The Daily Herald on Saturday, April 21
LINDON -- Neldon Johnson, 55, of Lindon, wants to change the world -- and he may be well on his way to doing just that
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This entrepreneur, inventor and certified engineer is also president of International Automated Systems, Inc., a publically traded company that has developed a new kind of engine -- an engine that Johnson hopes will change the type of energy the world uses, while significantly reducing the cost.
The new turbine engine utilizes geo-thermal energy, according to Johnson, a lifelong resident of Utah County who was educated at BYU.
"We have discovered a new way to produce power that significantly reduces pollution and cost and, unlike fossil fuels, is basically a renewable energy source."
The first prototype of the engine was completed in March of this year and a patent on the new technology is currently pending.
"Our initial tests on the prototype engine have been incredible," said Johnson, who already has more than 20 patents to his name. "We have yet to see a downside to this break-through technology. This is only the beginning of our work in this field and we expect that as we progress, future versions of this new engine will only get better and better."
Johnson foresees his company's new engine making an unprecedented difference in the world's energy production, even reducing America's reliance on foreign oil.
"We are very excited about what we've been able to accomplish,"aid Johnson. "We have been contacted by people from around the world who are interested in building power plants with our new technology. The design of our engine can be adapted to any size, enabling us to build power plants and automobile engines and everything in between."
Johnson's company, which he started in 1988 in American Fork, has received a positive reception from members of the scientific and power-production communities as results of initial tests on the engine have been made public. "We have gotten a lot of good response from both the public and the business communities regarding the development of this new technology," Johnson said.
International Automated Systems expects to have the new engines in production within the next three-to-four months.
"Our turbine engines will be able to produce the same amount of electricity as traditional engines of the same size, at almost a quarter of the cost. We also expect to be able to adapt our engines for use in cars in the near future. It may be too early to say this, but we anticipate that this technology could actually change the way the world uses energy and that would be a benefit to everyone."
Caleb Warnock can be contacted at calebwarnock@myfamily.com.