Abstract: A screw pump has two parallel shafts mounted in a pump body, each shaft thereon and each rotor has at least one helical vane or thread. When the helical vanes or threads inter mesh causing a fluid to be pumped from an inlet towards an outlet of the pump. The bearings associated with each shaft are being positioned in cavities within the first and second rotors which are sealed at their ends closest to the pump inlet. A thermal shield is provided between the bearing arrangements and the internal cavity surfaces.

Abstract: A valve assembly comprising a housing having an inlet and space therefrom an outlet, means located in the housing for controlling the flow of fluid between the inlet and the outlet, said means including a main valve movable between a first relatively closed position and a second open position, said movement being controlled by a pilot valve assembly including a temperature sensitive member such that when the temperature in the fluid reaches a predetermined value the pilot valve is opened thereby allowing the main valve to move from said first to said second open position.

Abstract: A method for metal processing is provided in which a cooling atmosphere comprising hydrogen is used for accelerated cooling of a processed metal part in a furnace, resulting in improved properties for the metal part. A sintering furnace is also provided and comprises a means for inhibiting gas flows between a heating zone and a cooling zone of the furnace.

Abstract: An apparatus for use on board ship to reliquefy a compressed vapour employs pre-assemblies of components. The reliquefaction is effected in a closed cycle in which a working fluid is compressed in at least one compressor, is cooled in a first heat exchanger, is expanded in a turbine and is warmed in a second heat exchanger in which the compressed vapour is at least partially condensed. The apparatus comprises a first pre-assembly including the second heat exchanger and a second pre-assembly including the first heat exchanger, the compressor and the expansion turbine are positioned. The pre-assemblies are positioned on respective platforms.

Abstract: A method of forming a food product having therein a hydrogenated fat includes contacting a spray of the product in liquid form with a cryogen so as to cool the liquid product and effect a rapid conversion of the liquid product to a solid.

Abstract: A method for the abatement of one or more pyrophoric gases in a gas stream, which includes introducing water in to the gas stream and/or mixing the gas stream with preheated air and introducing the gas stream in to a container in which the pyrophoric gases are abated.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for recovering sulphur from a combustible gas stream comprising hydrogen sulphide, air, commercially pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched air. The combustible gas stream are fed to a burner which fires into an elongate furnace. A longitudinally extending flame is created which as a relatively oxygen-poor endothermic hydrogen sulphide dissociation region, and a relatively oxygen-rich, intense hydrogen sulphide combustion region. Residual hydrogen sulphide reacts with sulphur dioxide formed by the combustion to produce sulphur vapor. The furnace has an aspect ratio of about 8:1. The flame diverges from its root to occupy at its maximum cross-sectional area at least about 80% of the cross-sectional area of the furnace interior coplanar therewith.

Abstract: A two bed vacuum swing adsorption process for the production of oxygen is disclosed. Efficient use of air blowers and vacuum pumps maximizes the machine utilization and product gas purges in low flow and high flow modes to increase productivity while lessening power consumption.

Abstract: A method of separating a first gaseous component from a gas mixture comprising a first gaseous component and a second gaseous component comprising passing the gaseous mixture into an adsorption zone containing an adsorbent material capable of preferentially adsorbing at least one of the gaseous components in the gaseous mixture, to separate the first gaseous component from the second gaseous component wherein the adsorbent material is a monolithic wheel having a plurality of channels throughout, the channels being aligned parallel to the direction of flow of the gaseous mixture and having a wall thickness of less than 1 mm and recovering the non-preferentially adsorbed gaseous component from the adsorption zone. Preferably, the adsorption zone comprises multiple layers of monolithic structures in the shape of a wheel stacked one upon the other in a direction parallel to the direction of the flow of the gaseous mixture and formed by spirally winding a sheet of corrugated adsorbable material about a hub.

Abstract: A feed gas stream containing hydrogen sulphide is subjected in a furnace 6 to reactions in which part of the hydrogen sulphide is burned to form sulphur dioxide, and is which the sulphur dioxide reacts with residual hydrogen sulphide to form sulphur vapor. The sulphur vapor is condensed from the gas stream exiting the furnace 6 in a sulphur condenser 16. Residual sulphur dioxide is reduced back to hydrogen sulphide by hydrogen in a reactor 22. Water vapor is removed from the reduced gas in a quench tower 28 to form a water vapor-depleted gas stream. One part of the water vapor-depleted gas stream is sent to an adsorber vessel 30 in which hydrogen sulphide is absorbed in an absorbent. The resulting hydrogen sulphide-depleted gas stream is vented from the vessel 30 as a purge stream. Another part of the water vapor-depleted gas stream and a hydrogen sulphide-rich gas formed by desorbing hydrogen sulphide from the absorbent in a vessel 38 are returned as recycle streams to the furnace 6.

Abstract: A process for producing a purified gaseous product from a gaseous feedstream such as air containing impurities is disclosed. The impurities such as hydrogen, water vapor, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are removed from the gaseous feedstream in a vessel having layers of adsorbents and oxidation catalysts. The placement of the hydrogen to water vapor conversion catalyst downstream of the step of contacting the feedstream with a catalyst to convert the carbon monoxide to the carbon dioxide and the step of removing the carbon dioxide from the feedstream improves not only performance but also the economies of the purification system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a structured packing comprising a plurality of corrugated sheets and a plurality of flat, planar members alternating with and located between the sheets to inhibit turbulence in vapor ascending through the structured packing. The plurality of planar members are positioned so that at least the lowermost horizontal edge of the planar members and the corrugated sheets are situated proximal to one another as viewed when said structured packing is in use. When the planar members have substantially the same length and width as the corrugated sheets, the planar members and the corrugated sheets have perforations sized to inhibit transverse liquid and vapor flow while but allowing transverse pressure equalization through the structured packing. The size and number of perforations can be optimized for air separation applications.

Abstract: Sulphur is recovered from a first gas stream comprising hydrogen sulphide and at least 50% by volume of ammonia and from a second gas stream comprising hydrogen sulphide but essentially no ammonia, the first gas stream, the second gas stream, and combustion supporting gas comprising at least one stream of essentially pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched air are fed to a single combustion zone or a plurality of combustion zones in parallel with each other without premixing of first gas stream or the second gas stream with oxygen or air, and creating in the or each combustion zone at least one region in which thermal cracking of ammonia takes place, and taking from the reactor an effluent gas stream including sulphur vapor, sulphur dioxide, and hydrogen sulphide, but essentially no residual ammonia.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for removing nitrogen oxides from gas streams such as furnace or utility boiler flue gas streams. An adsorber system is used to adsorb nitrogen oxides from the flue gas streams. An oxygen/ozone gas stream contacts the nitrogen oxides to convert the nitrogen oxides to N2O5 which will exit the adsorber with the oxygen stream.

Abstract: A process for separating a gas component from a gas mixture is disclosed. A gas mixture is passed through an adsorption zone which contains an adsorbent which will selectively adsorb a gaseous component from the gas mixture. The adsorption zone contains a layer of monolithic adsorbent and a layer of adsorption beads. Optionally, a third monolithic layer may be employed. The adsorption zone is typically contained in an adsorption vessel.

Abstract: The present invention provides for methods and compositions for gas separation and purification utilizing a metallo-organic polymer adsorbent in processes for separating carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons from gas streams.

Abstract: A gas stream containing at least 50% by volume of ammonia but eventually no hydrogen sulphide is burned in a reaction region which is supplied with oxygen and oxygen-enriched air. Both combustion and thermal cracking of ammonia takes place in the reaction region. The rate of supplying oxygen moleculars to the reaction region is from 75 to 98% of the stoichiometric rate required for full combustion of all combustible fluids supplied to the reaction region. Under these conditions essentially no ammonia remains in the effluent gas but formation of oxides of nitrogen can be minimised.

Abstract: A flexible clamp comprising a plurality of plastics links each link being a snap-fit with the next adjacent link thereby permitting a user to alter the length of the chain by the addition or subtraction of one or more links, and means for latching the free ends of the chain together.

Abstract: A method of heating a surface provides for a central fuel rich jet having a peripheral shroud of substantially stoichiometric combustion products and one or more fuel lean jets each having a peripheral shroud of substantially stoichiometric combustion products. The fuel lean jets are placed around the periphery of the central fuel rich jet. The fuel lean jet or jets each having shrouds of substantially stoichiometric combustion products and a careful choice of relative velocities for each results in minimizing the mixing of the fuel rich and fuel lean jets until they are at or near the surface of the material to be melted. The placement of the fuel lean jet and fuel rich jets may be reversed in applications where an oxidizing atmosphere is required at the surface to be heated.

Abstract: The present invention provides for an improved electron gun evaporation source using high direct current negative voltage for forming high energy electron beams to produce thin-film coatings on a variety of substrates. The present invention further provides for the use of a grounded metallic shield which functions as an electrode enclosing both the filament leads and emitter structures of an electron beam source.