Eigen Technology Team

Principals and Associates

The experience and expertise of the principals and associates of Eigen Technologies, Inc., are briefly described below. Together we have more than 200 years experience in compressor market analysis, concept inception, product development, components design and assembly, manufacturing, testing, product design audit, and failure analysis.

Wen Jeng Chen, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASME
Dr. Chen is the founder of Eigen Technologies, Inc. He has worked in compressor industry for over 18 years. He has made significant contributions in the area of rotating machinery as a practical industrial engineer and outstanding researcher. His achievements have been both analytical and design-oriented and have spanned a broad spectrum of topics in the field of rotating machinery. He has published a number of journal papers and written a book in rotordynamics and bearing design. Many universities use his book as a textbook in graduate study. His most significant accomplishment has been the development of two outstanding finite element computer codes which have revolutionized the process of both rotordynamics and bearing analysis and made it possible for engineers to solve complex rotordynamics problems. These programs are widely used by government agencies (FAA, NASA, US Air Force, and US Navy), universities, and various industries (Boeing, GE, GM, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman, Siemens, Concepts NRES, …etc.). He also holds several patents in bearing design. He received IR President’s Award in recognition for his outstanding engineering achievement and significant contribution to the growth and success of the company while worked with Ingersoll-Rand Company. He has consulted with NASA, GE, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell, Borg Warner, Ramgen Power Systems, and many companies in rotordynamics, bearing analysis and design, and vibration problems. He is constantly giving short courses in rotordynamics, bearing analysis, and design. He is a Fellow of ASME and has served as a technical reviewer for several ASME journals. He received the H. H. Jeffcott Award for outstanding ASME technical paper on rotating machinery. He is listed in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, 2000/2001.

Robert King
Mr. King has worked in the centrifugal compressor industry for over 30 years. He has successfully managed the development of many best-seller compressors for Ingersoll-Rand Company. He held various positions while working for IR and has extensive experience in compressor conceptual establishment, detailed component design and manufacturing, complete assembly, prototype testing, failure analysis, and project management. His contribution to the success of Ingersoll-Rand Company was recognized with many awards from upper management including IR President’s Award for his outstanding engineering achievement and product development. He has several patents in compressor component design. He is well known for his excellent skill in project management and product development.

Ron Haugen, Ph.D., P.E.
Dr. Haugen has over 30 years experience in compressor design and manufacturing. He was the Manager of Engineering, Worldwide, at Ingersoll-Rand Company, Compressor Division. He was responsible for all the engineering activities ranging from air end and package development, high-speed gearing, bearings and seals, aerodynamics, components, controls, contract, drafting, testing, and reliability. He holds numerous patents in all fields of compressor design from aero and mechanical components to control logics and surge protection. He has developed many extremely valuable design tools in all aspects of compressor design and performance prediction. These tools have accelerated the product development and shortened the design cycle in many IR compressors. Dr. Haugen was the architect of the popular Centac© II compressors and is well respected in the compressor industry. He received the IR Chairman’s Leadership Award for Excellence in Product Design.

Frank Olsofka
Mr. Olsofka has over 30 years experience in developing centrifugal compressors. He was Manager of Design Engineering at Ingersoll-Rand Company, Compressor Division and managed design teams that were responsible for developing new Centac© centrifugal compressors for worldwide manufacture and sales. He was recognized with the IR Chairman’s Leadership Award for Excellence in Product Design. He designed all the aero components for new Centac© products. He created design tools that enhanced the performance of older designs for aftermarket products, reoccurring revenue that accounted for 25% of Group operating income annually.

Keith Bugar
Mr. Bugar worked for Ingersoll-Rand Company over 30 years from application engineer to senior aero engineer. He had aero performance responsibility over all the large frame size (over 1000 hp) compressors, special engineered products, and API applications. Besides the development assignment, he also supported manufacturing, production, field service analysis, re-rate, and retrofits.

Pat Powers
Mr. Powers was the Lab Manager for over 25 years responsible for all the compressor prototype assembly and testing. He has built and tested almost all Centac© prototype compressors in his career. He was also involved in the compressor component testing for development, manufacturing, and aftermarket departments, ranging from aerodynamics, impellers, diffusers, bearings, seals, valves, control, and instruments. He also performed data collection and reduction during the compressor testing, both aerodynamics and mechanical tests.

J. P. Zhang, Ph.D., P.E.
Dr. Zhang has worked on turbomachinery mechanical analysis and design for over 18 years including many years with NREC. He has extensive experience in finite element analysis using ANSYS and ADINA, also in geometric modeling using Pro-E and Solid Works. He has worked on all aspects of the mechanical components analysis and design including modal analysis, fracture mechanics, fatigue life analysis, thermal induced stress, containment analysis, and non-linear transient analysis. He has worked on many difficult engineering problems on the compressors and turbines. He has successfully solved many mechanical problems and machine failures through his innovative designs based on his strong engineering capability.

Edgar J. Gunter, Jr., Ph.D., Fellow ASME
Dr. Gunter has worked in the field of vibrations of rotor machinery and fluid bearings for over 40 years and written over 150 technical papers and reports on various aspects of the dynamics of rotating machinery, fluid film bearings and balancing. Dr. Gunter is now a professor emeritus, after teaching for 34 years in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at the University of Virginia. He has worked with industry and government on various rotor dynamic and vibration problems. He also consulted with NASA and participated in hands-on work on the space shuttle program in its early days. NASA engineers utilize DyRoBeS software extensively, and Dr. Gunter has presented numerous on-site training courses at NASA on the use of both the rotor dynamics and bearing components of the software.