Dr. Vasili Lisitsa – the father of air cushion technology – is the inventor of the Titan device used for crushing construction stones and producing artificial sand. He harbors a dream of working in Vietnam with his “dream equipment“.
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Dr. Vasili Lisitsa next to the Titan machine used for crushing construction stones and artificial sand |
Winter has arrived in Russia. Although the snow has not yet fallen, the cold feels like a knife cutting into the skin for anyone experiencing “Russian winter” for the first time. Hustling with the crowd, I boarded a train to Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) to meet Dr. Lisitsa early the next morning.
Seeing Vietnam in my Eyes
On schedule, I entered his office at the “New Technology” company. With his warm face, he humorously told me that he was sick, and there was no cure?! I asked him what was wrong, as he seemed to have lost weight. Taking a sip of hot tea, he said: “Since I returned from Vietnam, I often have insomnia. When I open my eyes, I think of the beautiful Ha Long Bay, the Vietnamese people are so sincere and close. The cuisine is the best in the world. In my life, I have never seen anything like it. To get well, I must go back to Vietnam and live there permanently. Is that too much to ask, my friend?”
I felt a surge of happiness and national pride. I replied: “My country is still very poor. It’s nice for you to visit, but if you lived long-term, would it still be like that?”
He said nothing for a while, then softly replied: “Perhaps, but nature surely will not change.”
“Ha Long Bay will always be beautiful. People may age over the years, but the warmth and friendliness of the Vietnamese surely won’t change. Looking at you, I remember a time of great Soviet Union pride in every Russian. I do not forget, but I feel nostalgic and sometimes painful in my heart because I am a scientist!”
Turning Knowledge into Wealth
Dr. Lisitsa’s story is long and filled with ups and downs that are hard to believe. He is Russian, having lived and worked for a time in Ukraine, then returned to Russia, went back to Belarus, and now works for new owners in Russia in Saint Petersburg!
He told me about the technology of “air cushion” that is currently causing a stir in Russia and the world of centrifugal impact crushers. He mentioned that while the laser was invented by Russians, applying it to engineering was done by others, not Russians! However, today the theory of spinning on air cushions was also conceived by Russians in the 1940s, but it was only known for spinning rotors lifted by 1mm. Nowadays, it is the Russians who have mastered and applied this technology brilliantly, leading the world.
In the near future, there will definitely be a revolution in cement crushing that does not use grinding balls but spins on air cushions!
The air cushion technology is a secret component of Russia’s defense equipment that is not widely publicized and was also used on the first Soviet space shuttle named Buran. Now, this technology has spectacularly entered the life of the centrifugal impact crusher named Titan from the “New Technology” company. The reforms in the Soviet Union brought both gains and losses. It was these reforms that gave him the opportunity to turn knowledge into wealth, as he is the author of the air cushion project, which has received nearly 50 patents, two-thirds of which are state secrets and not published.
The Second Man of Russia
| Artificial Sand Production in Vietnam Vietnam has a company in Ho Chi Minh City that signed a contract to purchase this equipment for the purpose of producing artificial sand and crushing Penpat materials. In December 2005, the equipment will be delivered to the factory in Saint Petersburg. Dr. Lisitsa also announced that at the beginning of December 2005, the “New Technology” company will collaborate with the Institute of Applied Mechanics in Ho Chi Minh City to organize a scientific seminar on producing high-quality stone and artificial sand using the Titan crusher. Following that, from December 7 to 9, the “New Technology” company will participate in the Vietnam Mining Fair in Hanoi. |
He spends a lot of time passing on his knowledge to his son, Andrey. The boy Andrey is very smart and quick-witted. Though he has not yet replaced his father, he is the second man in Russia to master this technology and is the soul of the “New Technology” company. The Titan device is used for crushing high-quality construction stones and artificial sand from stone, replacing natural sand. The whole world needs this device, including Vietnam.
Just as he finished speaking, his son Andrey walked in. Andrey told me that he would continue his father’s story with me in Vietnam in a few days – that is the story of producing artificial sand and gravel for dozens of hydropower projects in Vietnam that are currently under construction using roller-compacted concrete technology. The Vietnamese are only familiar with sand crushers from the G7, completely unaware of the new air cushion technology that is much more efficient and economical.
Indeed, the issue of construction sand is very topical today. Thank you, Dr. Vasili Lisitsa, for bringing Vietnam the “dream equipment” to progress towards prohibiting the extraction of natural sand like other countries are doing.
