Abstract:
Shaped aluminium oxyhydroxide articles suitable for use as catalyst supports are made by mixing powder with an aqueous solution of a cationic alumina compound and shaping the resulting paste. The supports may be used for alkane isomerisation.
Abstract:
A method for mapping the crystal structure of a diamond comprises placing the diamond in a beam of monochromatic laser radiation, filtering the resultant scattered Raman radiation, and measuring the intensity of the filtered radiation at one or more different orientations of the diamond. The intensity may be recorded to produce a record of the diamond which may be compared with records of known diamonds to identify the diamond.
Abstract:
The water content of wet small coal is reduced by adding a defined amount of anionic surfactant, centrifuging, and adding a foam suppressing amount of a cationic organic compound to the aqueous effluent from the centrifugation step.
Abstract:
Asphaltenes are separated from hydrocarbon oil by bringing the oil into contact with formic acid or a water-soluble organic acid consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and having at least two functional groups.
Abstract:
A method for assessing diamonds of different quality characteristics in which a laser Raman spectrometer is initially calibrated by use of diamonds of known quality characteristics, the characteristics having been assessed for example by a conventional subjective procedure. Diamonds of unknown quality characteristic are successively placed in the spectrometer and irradiated with laser radiation of known frequency. The intensity of the scattered Raman signal from the diamond of unknown quality is monitored for one or more orientations of the diamond, the resultant signal being capable of relation to the quality of the diamond.
Abstract:
Mass flow of a multi-phase fluid is determined by feeding the fluid into a chamber through a positive displacement device and measuring the density of the fluid. The fluid is removed from the chamber at the same volume rate as that at which it is introduced. The density of the fluid in the chamber is measured together with the number of volume increments passed.
Abstract:
The stability of floating structures is determined using a plurality of changes in weight distribution and by processing the resulting signals from two inclinometers arranged so as to measure the inclination about two orthogonal non-vertical axes. The inclinometer axes need not coincide with the structure axes as any divergence is compensated by the specified signal processing steps.
Abstract:
Hydrocarbons having a carbon number greater than one are produced by contacting synthetis gas at elevated temperature and atmospheric or superatmospheric pressure with a catalyst having a composition represented by the formula: Coa.Ab.Lac.CeOx wherein A is an alkali metal, a is greater than zero and up to 25% w/w, b is in the range from zero to 5% w/w, c is in the range from zero to 15% w/w, x is a number such that the valence requirements of the other elements for oxygen is satisfied, and the remainder of the composition, subject to the requirement for x, is cerium.
Abstract:
Water is separated from a less hydrophilic fluid by contacting the mixture with one face of a membrane having an active layer which consists essentially only of polymers of an unsaturated organic acid with a ratio of carbon atoms to acid groups (not counting any carbon atoms in the acid groups) of not more than six. Water is removed as a vapour from the other side of the membrane.
Abstract:
A process for the preparation of an ester of dicarboxylic acid from an alkene, carbon monoxide. The process is catalysed by a catalyst which comprises a platinum group metal, for example palladium, and a copper compound. To avoid catalyst deactivation the process is carried out in the presence of a dihydrocarbyl peroxide which is reduced to a hydrocarbyl alcohol under the process conditions. The process can be used, for example, to prepapre succinate esters from ethylene, carbon monoxide, an alcohol and a dihydrocarbyl peroxide such as di-tertiary butyl peroxide.