Abstract: An apparatus and method for performing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on samples in metallic holders and vessels or in proximity to metallic objects is disclosed.

Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for extracting and upgrading heavy hydrocarbons from substrates such as oil sands, oil shales, and tar sands in a unitary operation. The substrate bearing the hydrocarbon is brought into contact with a supercritical or near-supercritical fluid, a source of hydrogen such as hydrogen gas, and a catalyst. The materials are mixed and heated under elevated pressure. As a consequence of the elevated temperature and pressure, upgraded hydrocarbon-containing material is provided in a single or unitary operation. In some embodiments, sonication can be used to improve the upgrading process. Fluids suitable for use in the process include carbon dioxide, hexane, and water. It has been observed that upgrading can occur within periods of time of a few hours.

Abstract: Systems and methods for extracting, handling and upgrading carbonaceous material. The systems and methods involve forming a reaction mixture of a carbonaceous material, a supercritical fluid, a catalyst and a source of hydrogen, and maintaining the reaction mixture at moderate temperatures for modest time periods. Exemplary reaction temperatures are those below 200° C. Exemplary reaction times range from 30 minutes to less than 24 hours.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for point matching comprising providing a pair of images captured, selecting first and second sets of interest points from the images; constructing a control network of super points for each set of interest points; assigning a position, with respect to the closest network control point of each control network, to other interest points on the images; locating conjugate points for each other interest point of each set based on its assigned position; and adding the conjugate points to the control network.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of adjusting original rational polynomial coefficients of an RPC model for an image acquired by an image sensor comprising providing rational polynomial coefficients associated with the image calculating a pseudo position and attitude angles for the sensor using the original coefficients providing at least one ground control point associated with the image adjusting the pseudo position and attitude angles using the at least one ground control point; and adjusting the original coefficients for the image using the adjusted pseudo position and attitude angles.

Abstract: A probe suitable for use in unilateral nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and adapted to be embedded in a sample to be analysed, the probe comprising; a static magnetic field generator; a radiofrequency magnetic field generator adjacent to the static magnetic field generator; a circuit controlling the frequency response of the radiofrequency magnetic field generator, adjacent to the static magnetic field generator; an input cable coupled to the frequency control circuit and the frequency control circuit coupled to the radiofrequency magnetic field generator.

Abstract: Hydrogen storage materials which are liquid metal alloys in their discharged state, thereby facilitating their recharging by reaction with hydrogen gas.

Abstract: A method for measuring a property of a fibre, such as flexibility, collapsibility and moment of inertia. A fibre is wetted and deformed in its wet state, and an optical section image of the deformed fibre is taken. A measurement is made on the image and the desired property is calculated using the measurement.

Abstract: A computer implemented method of conducting closed-loop control of a physical system comprising the steps of carrying out an initialization of the physical system to commencing closed-loop control, evaluating the optimal constrained control move using the system error and the initial normalized matrix using a control move solver; calculating a first control action by the sum of delta u(0) and the initial control action; and implementing the result to the physical system by converting the control action to an output control signal to effect a change in at least one operating variable.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device for removing particulate matter from an air stream, and more particularly the present invention relates to a rotary gas cyclone separator with a dual-ducted filtering vortex finder for separating fine particles as small as 1 ?m from an air stream.

Abstract: Single-shot methods suitable for determining capillary pressure and relative permeability curves in petroleum reservoir core plugs are proposed. Three classes of measurement are outlined. (i) Measurements undertaken with steady state gas flow and stationary water or oil phases in the rock. SPRITE (Single-Point Ramped Imaging with T1 Enhancement) MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) spin density images map spatially varying fluid content. (ii) Similar measurements are proposed with a stationary gas phase and flowing water or oil phases. (iii) Measurements are also possible with either water or oil as the stationary phase, with the other phase undergoing steady state flow. In all cases the outflow boundary condition is maintained, capillary pressure zero, by washing the outlet face of the sample with the stationary fluid phase.

Abstract: Recent work has shown that in nearly line-of-sight (LOS) Multiple-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) wireless communication systems, spacing antennas according to the symbol wavelength rather than the carrier wavelength improves multiuser performance. MIMO systems have a heavy reliance on a multipath rich environment, which may not always be present in close range ultra wideband conditions. By adding reflector elements to the antenna structure, this multipath rich environment can be induced. The performance of the users with respect to the arrangement of antennas and reflector elements is a non-linear function that a genetic algorithm (GA) seems applicable for exploiting both symbol-wavelength spacing and multipath inducing reflector elements. A GA optimization is used to determine the optimum characteristics for antennas and reflector elements. MIMO system models with four users, and three, four, and five antennas are considered using a two-dimensional LOS channel with additive white noise.

Abstract: A distributed fiber optic sensor simultaneously interrogates the sensing fiber with two counter propagating light beams. One beam is set to a constant frequency. The second beam is modified to contain a “comb” of frequencies, with each frequency component in the comb offset by a predetermined amount. Each of the frequency components in the comb, herein referred to as teeth, is able to interact with the counter-propagating beam through the Brillouin scattering process. With proper selection of the comb characteristics such as the number of teeth, the frequency spacing of teeth, the spectral width of teeth, and the relative amplitude of the teeth, a representation of the Brillouin spectrum at each point in the fiber can be obtained simultaneously with a single pass through the fiber.

Abstract: This invention provides a wind turbine-battery-dump load stand-alone renewable energy system and an optimal control of the same. The system may include both power conversion and control units. In one embodiment, the power conversion unit features a wind-turbine-driven three-phase induction generator, a diode rectifier, a battery charger, a boost dc/dc converter, a battery bank (48V), and a dc/ac inverter. A dump load is also used to dissipate excess power that is not required for either the battery charging or for the load. The integrated control unit may use the TMS320LF2407A DSP microcontroller from Texas Instruments, which allows operations of the wind power system and the battery storage system to be merged into a single package under a master controller. An embodiment of the control system features battery-charging control, battery voltage-boost control, dump load control, PWM inverter control, and system protection.

Abstract: The present invention provides electrically conductive paper composites prepared from cellulose fibers modified to bind a conducting polymer to a surface of the cellulose fibers and mixing these with unmodified cellulose fibers and forming paper products from the composite. Conducting paper composites so formed were investigated for their conductivity and strength properties as a function of monomer dosage or percentage of modified fibers in the mixture and for the composites it was found that less monomer (i.e. conductive polymer) was needed to achieve the same conductivity obtained from conducting paper made from only the modified cellulose. A higher tensile strength was obtained with the composite conducting paper than was attained with conducting paper made from only the modified cellulose. The electrically conductive paper composites may also be prepared from cellulose fibers mixed with particulate fillers modified to bind a conducting polymer to a surface of the particulate fillers.

Abstract: A simple and effective method is disclosed in the present invention to adjust the near natural colour of a satellite color composite to a visually more pleasing natural colour. This method includes two steps: (1) extracting vegetation “greenness” from available multispectral bands, and (2) adding (injecting) the “greenness” into the vegetation areas of the green band being displayed.

Abstract: An array of induction magnetometers for use in airborne transient electromagnetic (ATEM) geophysical exploration is disclosed, having similar weight and external dimensions of prior art induction magnetometers but with improved signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, higher frequency, self-resonance and bandwidth, and providing accurate and well monitored calibration.

Abstract: A method for calibrating the position and orientation of a 6-DOF sensor system mounted on a multi-segmented structure, such as the human body, is provided. The method includes a stage for mounting the sensors on the body, a stage for acquiring the 6-DOF kinematics from those sensors, a calibration stage whereby the prior stages are used to determining the sensor-to-segment transformations that are most physiologically optimal during relative skeletal motions, and a stage that to periodically monitor and correct for sensor slippage.

Abstract: A method of fusing a low resolution multispectral image with a high resolution panchromatic image comprising the step of generating a new synthetic pan image using multispectral bands from the multispectral image.

Abstract: An improved Single-Stage Buck-Boost inverter (S2B2 Inverter) is provided, using only three or four power semiconductor switches and two coupled inductors in a flyback arrangement. The inverter can handle a wide range of dc input voltages and produce a fixed ac output voltage. The inverter is well suited to distributed power generation systems such as photovoltaic and wind power and fuel cells, for standalone or grid connected applications. The inverter has a single charge loop, a positive discharge loop and a negative discharge loop.