Abstract: An apparatus for use with a porous fluid discharge wall includes at least one vane member located proximate a discharge side of the wall to direct discharged fluid in a predetermined direction.

Abstract: A nozzle for delivering vaporized liquid material has a cylindrical housing with a central, cylindrical cavity having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The nozzle also has a plunger inserted into the fluid outlet of the housing so that the plunger and the housing form a fluid path. The plunger is moveable between a first position and a second position. A plunger stop is attached to the housing at the fluid inlet. A spring retainer is attached to the plunger. At least one spring is disposed between the housing and spring retainer to urge the plunger towards the first position. A method includes the steps of biasing a plunger moveable relative to a housing, with a fluid passage defined by the housing and the plunger, towards a first position; and providing fluid pressure to the fluid passage to urge the plunger away from the first position.

Abstract: An apparatus for recovering a desired fraction of a raw material bearing the desired fraction has a vessel or cell defining a treatment chamber therein, with an inlet into the chamber for introducing a slurry of raw material to be treated into the chamber. An attrition zone is defined in a portion of the chamber proximate the inlet in the flow path of material introduced into the chamber, the particles being caused to impact against each other in the attrition zone to cause attritioning thereof. A floatation zone is defined in a distal portion of the chamber, in flow communication with the attrition zone, in which attritioned particles from the attrition zone can be contacted with gas bubbles to form a froth phase separated from the slurry by a slurry-froth interface such that the desired fraction is either selectively taken up into the froth phase by the gas bubbles or selectively left behind in the slurry. An outlet from the chamber for the froth phase is present.

Abstract: A common aperture UHF/horizontally polarized low- and mid-band VHF antenna is disclosed that includes a coaxial antenna that has an inner conductor, an outer conductor, a batwing assembly mounted to the outer conductor of the coaxial antenna, and a feed line for feeding the batwing assembly separate from the coaxial antenna. The disclosed slotted coaxial antenna accomplishes simultaneous UHF and VHF broadcast.

Abstract: A signal multiplexer for N channel signals of different frequency bands that utilizes only N+1 hybrid couplers and presents a constant impedance to the transmitters that supply the N channel signals. The channel signals are coupled by separate ones of N of the N+1 hybrid couplers to N pairs of matched band pass filters. The outputs of the filters are combined in a signal combiner to form a pair of quadrature phase multiplexed channel signals that are converted to a single multiplexed output signal by the remaining hybrid coupler.

Abstract: A signal separator and bandpass filter that use plates with posts. The signal separator uses two bandpass filters to separate two signals of different carrier frequencies from one another. The bandpass filters each have a transmission line with the metallic plates disposed along its length. The number of plates and the distances between adjacent plates determine the bandwidth and the rejection capability of the filter.

Abstract: A nozzle for delivering vaporized liquid material has a cylindrical housing with a central, cylindrical cavity having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The nozzle also has a plunger inserted into the fluid outlet of the housing so that the plunger and the housing form a fluid path. The plunger is moveable between a first position and a second position. A plunger stop is attached to the housing at the fluid inlet. A spring retainer is attached to the plunger. At least one spring is disposed between the housing and spring retainer to urge the plunger towards the first position. A method includes the steps of biasing a plunger moveable relative to a housing, with a fluid passage defined by the housing and the plunger, towards a first position; and providing fluid pressure to the fluid passage to urge the plunger away from the first position.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is provided for connecting together sections of a coaxial radio frequency transmission line. The system includes a multiple finger contact radially deformable along its axial length that may be resiliently supported in the radial direction by multiple finger contact spring rings. A hood is provided to catch metallic particles given off by the frictional wear of the contact.

Abstract: A life safety system with a micro-controller that is programmed to operate both a visual signal and an audible signal. One feature of the system is that a user is permitted to enter a temporal signaling mode for not only the audible signal, but also the visual signal. The program includes an energy saving routine that operates the visual signal in the temporal mode with an energy consumption that is substantially smaller than required for operation in a continuous mode. The temporal pattern has four cycles with one flash pulse per cycle for the first three cycles and no flash pulse for the fourth cycle.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device and method for locking a knife gate valve in a position, such as an open and/or closed position. The locking device has a pair of first posts disposed substantially parallel to the shaft. A swivel lock member is mounted to rotate substantially about the axis of the shaft and to reciprocate together with the shaft and the knife. The swivel lock member is selectively rotatable between an unlocked position at which the swivel lock member does not engage the first engageable portions and a locked position at which the swivel lock member engages both of the first engageable portions to prevent the swivel lock member from movement in at least one of the back and forth directions along the axis of the shaft.

Abstract: A slotted coaxial antenna design that accomplishes simultaneous DTV and NTSC broadcast with minimal tower wind loading, is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the antenna design comprises a VHF slotted coaxial antenna that acts as a framework to house multiple UHF slotted coaxial antennas. The one or more UHF slotted coaxial antennas, which each acts as an UHF outer conductor, and one or more VHF couplers, that surrounds the VHF inner conductor, configures an arrangement such that the UHF antennas and VHF couplers share a common aperture; namely, the VHF antenna. This antenna design allows for high band VHF/UHF broadcast of DTV and NTSC signals while being easily adaptable to existing slotted coaxial antennas.

Abstract: A switchable directional coupler in which a three position switch partitions the coupler into three distinct coupling paths among its four ports according to the status of a pair of quadrature phase input signals of amplitudes A and B. In one position with both input signals being active, the output signal has an amplitude of A+B. In a second position with only the input signal of amplitude A being active, the output signal has an amplitude of A. In the third position with only the input signal of amplitude B being active, the output signal has an amplitude of B.

Abstract: A tower support structure for supporting communications equipment or other types of equipment above the ground is provided. The structure includes a foundation, a tower having a number of tower sections is supported by the foundation. The tower includes main bracing systems and sub-bracing systems extending between the tower columns. A cable support structure is anchored to the ground and is also connected to the tower.

Abstract: A bulk material feeder for improving material flow as the material makes the generally ninety degree (90°) transition from the downcomer to the generally horizontal conveyor. The downcomer presents an innermost divergent surface that extends upwardly from the discharge opening of the downcomer. The divergent surface may be defined by an inlet wall that is fit within the outer casing wall of the downcomer, or by the outer casing wall itself. The present invention also concerns the method of retrofitting an existing feeder with a divergent inlet.

Abstract: An axial flow mixer impeller which is high in efficiency in terms of flow is made more effective, when used in a sparging system for dispersion and for mass transfer of a liquid phase or a gaseous phase into a liquid which is being mixed or agitated, by forming a shear field which breaks the phase being dispersed into fine bubbles which are dispersed by the impeller. This is accomplished without a major effect on the high flow efficiency of the axial flow impeller. To this end a structure which forms a Venturi is located on the side or sides of the blade where the phase (bubbles of fluid of different density or viscosity which are to be mixed or dispersed by the impeller) occurs, in the high velocity region near the tip of the blade. This Venturi creates a high shear field which breaks up the bubbles and disperses them as fine bubbles as they leave the impeller. The structure may be provided by a pair of proplets in the vicinity of the tip end of the blade which form a wedge shaped flow path therebetween.

Abstract: A slotted coaxial antenna design that accomplishes four-way branch feeding without the use of feedlines, is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the antenna design is based on a number of layered coaxial feeds where each layer feeds the next outer layer. The internally branch fed slotted coaxial antenna design produces substantially no beam sway over at least four television channels, can accommodate pressurizing for increased power handling, and provides desirable antenna output response performance suitable for digital TV transmission and NTSC antenna systems.

Abstract: A multi-layered slotted antenna with reduced susceptance and increased conductance with a minimal effect on antenna radiation in the azimuth. Separate conductors are connected across the individual slots to reduce the slot susceptance with a minimal effect on slot radiation.

Abstract: A biochemical oxidation system and process is disclosed for the removal of insoluble sulfides from metal ores. A liquid mixture of an ore slurry and of a liquid biochemical oxidation medium is flowed through a plurality of covered overflow tanks connected in series. The liquid mixture is continuously aerated in an aeration chamber formed in the tanks with a mixture of a purified oxygen gas and a purified carbon dioxide gas as introduced into the aeration chamber. A substantially sulfide-free liquid mixture is discharged from a last tank into a clarifier in which at least a portion of the biochemical oxidation medium is separated from the liquid mixture for recirculation into the tanks.

Abstract: An axial flow mixing impeller system for efficient mass transfer by control of size of the bubbles of the fluid which is being dispersed, especially gases and liquids with viscosities greater than the liquid into which dispersion occurs, is obtained by creating passageways through the impeller blades for flow between the suction and pressure sides of the blades which disrupts the flow over the suction sides of the blades thereby reducing the tendency for bubbles to grow or coalesce into large bubbles which instead of being dispersed, rise to the surface without effective mass transfer to the liquid which is pumped by the impeller. The blades of the impeller may be slotted inwardly from the tips thereof to provide the passageways or may be formed from segments, gaps between which provide the flow passageways.

Abstract: A system controls the diameter of both a neck region and a full diameter region of a monocrystalline rod being pulled from molten material held in a crucible. The system uses a video camera viewing light reflected from a meniscus around the rod where the rod emerges from a melt surface of the molten material. The video camera has a zoom lens for enlarging an image of the meniscus during growth of the neck of the rod and for reducing an image of the meniscus during growth of a full diameter body of the rod. A computer controlling a pull rate for the neck growth of the rod is rapidly responsive to a count of total camera pixels illuminated by the image of the meniscus during neck growth.