Abstract: For the presulphurization of catalysts based on metal oxides, intended especially for the hydrotreating of hydrocarbon feedstocks, at least one tertiary mercaptan (for example tert-dodecyl mercaptan) is employed as sulphurizing agent. This tertiary mercaptan can be employed alone or combined with another sulphur-donor compound. The presulphurization according to the invention may be carried out in situ or ex situ.

Abstract: To purify a dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), it is placed in contact with a plurality of cation exchange resins at least one of which is a resin of sulphonic type in —SO3H or —SO3NH4 form, it being possible for the other or others to be of chelating type. The DMSO thus obtained has an iron cation content lower than 1 ppb and a sodium cation content lower than 2 ppb.

Abstract: A microemulsion is prepared containing: a mixture of (1) nitrogenous compounds, (2) from 10-5% by weight of an alkyl or alkenyl phosphoric ester surfactant, the alkyl and alkenyl groups of which contain less than 12 carbon atoms per group and the ester surfactant containing from 1 to 10 alkoxy radicals, (3) from 3 to 20% by weight of at least one cosurfactant, (4) a vegetable oil, an animal oil or a fatty acid and (5) a plasticizer. The microemulsion having a viscosity at 5° C. less than or equal to 200 mPa·sec and is stable at a temperature of −10° C. to +50° C. Further, the microemulsion is useful as a biodegradation accelerator.

Abstract: A method is provided for zeolite synthesis from a synthesis medium containing in particular a trivalent aluminum source, a tetravalent silicon source, at least an alkaline or alkaline-earth cation in hydroxide form and water in a reactor containing a solid helical moving body in a guiding tube defining an internal space and a space external to the tube. The invention is characterized in that the synthesis medium is circulated in the reactor in a continuous flow passing through the internal space then the space external to the tube and returning to the internal space, only driven by the roation of the solid helical moving body, at a speed of less than 500 rpm, in the tube which is kept fixed, the synthesis medium being kept at a temperature suitable for at least one of the ripening operations or the crystal growth of the synthesized zeolite. The invention also is directed to a device for implementing the method.

Abstract: The method consists in building a common midpoint gather of seismic traces of which the CMP point is said given point, subjecting the traces of this gather to dynamic and/or static corrections, and characterized in that the gather associated with the given point (A) is built by recording four CMP sub-gathers associated with said given point along four angular directions (1 to 4) passing through said given point, and dynamic and/or static corrections are applied to each of the four CMP sub-gathers in order to determine, for each sub-gather, a value of the curvature and/or the velocity optimizing the energy of the trace stack of the corrected sub-gather concerned, the four values thus obtained representing the components of the stacking velocity field desired for each of the reflector elements corresponding to the given point, and characterized by a vertical propagation time t0 with reflection for zero offset.Application in particular to the exploration of a medium with a complex tectonics.

Abstract: A method is provided for preparing fully lattice-inserted titanium zeolites by post-synthesis processing of the synthetic zeolite optionally containing titanium with an inorganic acid, wherein the post-synthesis processing comprises processing the zeolite in the presence of at least one titanium source with a solution containing at least one oxidizing inorganic acid having a higher redox potential than an acidic tetravalent titanium solution. The invention is also directed to the use of the zeolites.

Abstract: The device for ionophoresis combines a donor electrode assembly, a counter electrode assembly and a generator of electricity. The donor assembly comprises a primary reservoir element containing the active principle and a secondary reservoir element containing a neutral electrolyte, these reservoir elements being separated by a semipermeable membrane in polymer material in contact with each of them, and an electrode in contact with the secondary reservoir element. The polymer material of the membrane consists at least in polyethyerblocamide with an Mn between 10000 and 300000 and containing by weight, 35% to 90% of polyamide sequences. The invention is applicable to the transcutaneous administration of active principles to a subject with improved efficiency.

Abstract: An active composite, consisting of a compressed support and of at least one agent that is active with respect to a gas, the compressed support comprising recompressed expanded graphite having a relative density of between 0.02 and 1.5, is formed from a series of sheets superposed on top of one another. According to the invention, the active agent is dispersed between the sheets in the form of granules.

Abstract: A process is provided for reducing the amount of hydrogen sulfide present in a tail gas from a sulfur recovery process. The hydrogen sulfide contaminated gas along with a gas containing free oxygen is passed through a series of hydrogen sulfide oxidation zones containing an oxidation catalyst, such as one or more oxides or salts of Ni, Co, Fe, Cu, Ag, Mn, Mo, Cr, W and V, deposited on a support, such as bauxite, activated alumina, titania and activated carbon. The initial and intermediate catalyst beds are operated adiabatically by injecting a substoichiometric amount of oxygen into the gas to be treated with respect to the amount of hydrogen sulfide present in the gas so that the temperature does not exceed 150.degree. C. The final catalyst bed is operated under conditions such that a superstoichiometric amount of oxygen is injected into the gas with respect to the hydrogen sulfide and cooling is provided so that the temperature does not exceed 150.degree. C.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a new cassette for the expression of an endothiapepsin precursor in Cryphonectria parasitica, to a strain of this species transformed with this cassette, to a process for preparing endothiapepsin using this strain and also to a process for preparing such a strain devoid of a dominant selection marker.

Abstract: An electric power generator driven by a fluid circulating under pressure in a pipe (9) includes an internal moving contact (1) placed inside a non-magnetic section (10) of the pipe (9), and a stator (4) placed around the pipe (9). The internal moving contact (1) includes permanent magnets (2), a rotational drive means (3), and means (7 and 8) of support. The electric power generator does not require any sealed joints for the passage of mechanical shafts or electric cables and is particularly adapted for the production of electricity from dangerous fluids which circulate in pipes under high pressure. The electric power generator has application in gas and liquid transport networks, particularly at isolated hydrocarbon production sites.

Abstract: A method for obtaining a representation of the textures of a geological structure, characterized in that images characteristic of the sedimentology of the environment are formed, parameters corresponding to the nature of the images are estimated at every point of each image and in a spatial domain around the point so as to determine a texture vector for each of the points and to obtain a set of texture vectors. The method also includes the steps of selecting texture vectors representative of the characteristic textures of the geological environment in the set of texture vectors; and using a neural network formed of cells distributed in two dimensions which contains as many cells as characteristic textures. The selected texture vectors are used to submit the neural network to a learning process so that a final topology map of the textures characteristic of the geological environment is obtained.

Abstract: Bitumen/polymer compositions having improved mechanical properties are produced by stirring together, at a temperature of 100-230.degree. C., a bitumen or bitumen mixture, a sulphur-curable elastomer and a polymeric additive consisting of at least one functionalized olefin copolymer and a sulphur-donating coupling agent. The bitumen/polymer compositions may be used directly or in dilute form to make bituminous binders for road surfaces, coated materials and sealing coatings.

Abstract: The process includes the reaction of a chloro-formamidinium chloride with a polystyrene-divinylbenzene resin functionalized with primary amine groups. The resins which can be obtained according to this process may in particular have a spacer arm of general formula (IV): ##STR1## with X representing oxygen or sulphur and m being equal to 1 or 2. This spacer arm bears at its end, on the right, a primary amine group or a guanidine group.

Abstract: The invention provides an activated silica enriched mazzite having a chemical formula in the anhydrous state, expressed in molar ratios of:a M.sub.2/n O; Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 ; b SiO.sub.2 ;with a variation from 0 to 0.5, M being an alkaline cation of valency n and b being greater than 7, and which has an acid strength corresponding to an amount of heat measured by ammonia absorption microcalorimetry, greater than 190 KJ/mol, and a pore volume, measured by cyclohexane adsorption, greater than 0.09 ml/g. The activated mazzites are useful in the conversion of hydrocarbons, in particular, the isomerization of C.sub.4 to C.sub.8 paraffin, and as molecular sieves in processes for the separation of hydrocarbons.

Abstract: Device for producing by chemical reaction cold and/or heat, comprising two reactors containing each an associated salt susceptible of reacting chemically with a gas and dispersed into a porous support, a housing intended to receive the gas from the reactors and a housing intended to deliver the gas to the reactors. Accordingly to the invention, the reactors are arranged in direct contact and in such a way that the heat transfer between each other takes place only by conduction. A process for implementing the chemical reactions between at least one salt and one gas within such a device to product cold and/or heat is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention proposes a method for automatic identification of the nature of a hydrocarbon production well, the nature of the associated reservoir and possible limits of this reservoir. It consists in processing the recordings of the value of the pressure at the well bottom, in particular by employing the second derivative of a function of the pressure with respect to a function of time, as well as particularly efficient means for smoothing and filtering the processed signals. The invention allows a large number of models to be taken into account and gives real solutions to the problems posed by the identification of hydrocarbon production wells. It constitutes an excellent tool for acquiring knowledge regarding hydrocarbon deposits which is necessary for exploiting them rationally.

Abstract: An automatic seismic pattern recognition method includes the steps of: determining a given number of seismic patterns to be recognized; providing a set of seismic trace portions for the region; defining a pattern recognition parameter common to all the trace portions, and determining the value of the parameters for each of the traces portions of the set. The method also includes the steps of: selecting trace portions of the set; selecting a one-dimensional neural network containing as many cells as there are patterns to be recognized where each cell is assigned a value of the recognition parameter; and submitting the neural network to a learning process with the selected trace portions so that at the end of the process each cell matches a pattern to be recognized and so that the patterns are progressively ordered.

Abstract: A device comprising a reversible negative electrode in contact with a reservoir element containing an electrolyte which contains an active principle such as an anionic oligosaccharide, particularly a pentasaccharide, in at least partially ionised form, a positive electrode alone or in combination with an electrolyte-containing receptacle, and an electrical signal generator connectable to both electrodes. The generator is arranged to apply electrical signals between the electrodes, which signals have an average voltage such that the average current density generated between the electrodes is 0.05-0.25 mA/cm.sup.2. The amount of active principle in the reservoir element combined with the negative electrode is 0.5-12 mg per cm.sup.2. The amount of active principle in the reservoir element combined with the negative electrode is 0.5-12 mg per cm.sup.2 and per mAh of current through 1 cm.sup.2 of the electrode.

Abstract: A method of processing reflection seismic traces based on a D(tau, x2) diagram showing horizontal events (WAH-WDH). For each value of tau the corresponding signal amplitude is analyzed for the various x2 in a time window of less than a predetermined width. The amplitudes are subjected to conventional linear regression minimizing the sum of absolute values of discrepancies from the straight line, or the sum of their squares. Each concentration zone is swept by a straight line pivoting successively about each point with a slope equal to the square of the offset.