Abstract:
A method of separating high molecular weight fractions of and inorganic ingredients (eg aluminum, silicon, nickel, phosphorous, boron, vanadium, chromium, copper, titanium, zinc, lead, iron, nitrogen, magnesium, calcium and sulphur) from hydrocarbon liquids (eg spent diesel lubrication oil, crude oil or pipeline blend crude oils and heavy oils, and bitumen), wherein, at a viscosity less than 600 centipoise, the hydrocarbon liquid (2) is passed through a membrane (18), having at least an outer layer (34) on the high pressure side comprising a microporous, polysulfone, polyacrylonitrile, polyamide or polyvinylidene fluoride membrane, at a pressure differential in the range 1 to 100 atmospheres oil to 10 MPa. The microporous structure is such that it provides the said at least outer layer with a molecular cut off less than 20,000 when measured in an aqueous medium. The viscosity of the hydrocarbon liquid may be reduced by heating (14) or a solvent (8) for the hydrocarbon involved in the separation. The microporous structure preferably provides the said at least outer layer with a molecular weight cut off of less than 4,000 when measured in oil.
Abstract:
An apparatus for measuring AP in coal is described which comprises: (a) a plurality of dosed metallic coal sample cups; (b) a gas manifold flow connected to each of said sample cups by way of a separate electric valve and said manifold being connected to a source of methane by way of electric valve means and connectable to a source of vacuum by way of electric valve means; (c) a pressure transducer connected to said manifold and adapted to measure absolute gas pressure in the manifold, and (d) processing means adapted to actuate said valves to sequentially (1) introduce vacuum to evacuate the manifold and one or more sample cups; (2) introduce methane gas to the manifold and saturate one or more coal samples therewith; (3) close sample cup valves and evacuate the manifold; and (4) selectively open individual sample cup valves. The processing means is also adapted to measure and record pressure in the manifold at short time intervals to indicate the pressure rise in the manifold with passage of time, thereby obtaining the AP index fore the coal sample.
Abstract:
An improved railroad stub switch is described in which the axial rail tension or compression forces due to temperature fluctuations are transmitted through the switch by means of radius arms connected to both the switch and fixed rails, thereby eliminating the need for expensive expansion joints at the switch. In a preferred embodiment, interlocking point shoes are also employed so as to hold the butt ends in vertical and horizontal register and transmit a signal to the trailing side rail of the impending approach of a load from the approach side rail, thereby reducing batter on the trailing side rail.
Abstract:
A disc-shaped marine structure (10) fabricated of steel and/or concrete, able to support useful loads as great as -125,000 tonnes is tethered to float stably in very deep water, with only minor response motions to waves of large amplitude and long period. A planar disc (15) of diameter about 135 up to 200 meters carries a centered primary buoyancy tank (16) of span 2.5 to 4.5 times the draft. The strongly braced sidewall (17) of the tank is spaced about 10 meters inward of the disc edge, defining one wall of an upwardly open confinement chamber 23. A thin cylindric outer shell wall (12) extending upwardly from the margin of the base has about 26 % to 35 % of its area comprised of tubular passages (21, 22) set radially, of length and diameter about one meter or more. Radial bracking frameworks (19) of 50 % aperturing interconnect the tank with the base disc and outer wall.
Abstract:
A burner head for the combustion of oil with air to produce a sun-flower shaped flame with the nozzle (2) surrounded by three tubular members (4, 8, 12) to form a nozzle space, a primary air passage and a secondary passage, a perforated annular disc (22) at the downstream end of the nozzle space, a first set of deflector vanes (16) in the primary air passage, a second set of deflector (18) vanes in the secondary air passage, the lead angles of the vanes to the normal to the longitudinal axis of the burner being in the range of the order 50° to 60°.
Abstract:
Phytochemical products are obtained by a semi- continuous method of culturing plant cells in vitro by introducing into the medium an elicitor capable of stimulating the production of the phytochemical, separating intact cells and product phytochemical from the medium, replenishing the medium at least once and optionally adding additional elicitor, and recovering excess cells from the replenished medium and further product phytochemical.