Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling gas lift in at least one production well, which determine a quadratic function that relates flow rate or value of oil produced from a production well to gas flow rate for gas injected into the production well based on flow rate measurements for gas injected into the production well and corresponding flow rate measurements of oil produced from the production well. The quadratic function is used to determine an optimal flow rate for gas injected into the production well. The optimal flow rate for gas injected into the production well is used to control the flow rate of gas injected into the production well, and an oil flow rate produced from the production well is measured at the optimal gas flow rate for iterative processing to refine the quadratic function and determination of optimal gas flow rate if need be.

Abstract: Described is a metering pump that may be used to meter volumes of sample in a chromatography system. The metering pump has a modular configuration that allows for separation of a head pod from a drive assembly for easy serviceability. The head pod includes a pump head, cartridge housing, seal wash housing and plunger. The drive assembly can be implemented in an inline drive configuration. Alternatively, the drive assembly can be implemented in an offset drive configuration in which a stepper motor is displaced laterally from other drive assembly components but is coupled through a belt and pulley system.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of testing an inhaler based on performing an optical analysis of a dry powder medicament plume discharged from the inhaler upon actuation. More particularly, embodiments of the invention comprise illuminating the dry powder plume with a source of electromagnetic radiation and capturing one or more images of a pattern of radiation reflected or diffracted by the illuminated plume. The images are subsequently processed to determine and/or analyse one or more geometric and/or dynamic characteristics of the plume.

Abstract: The disclosure provides a measurement set-up for a return cement suspension, a construction site arrangement with a measurement set-up, and a method which can be carried out inexpensively, reliably, and easily.

Abstract: The present invention relates to method and an apparatus for quantitatively analyzing a gaseous process stream, in particular a stream from a process for producing ethylene carbonate and/or ethylene glycol, in particular where such stream comprises gaseous organic iodides.

Abstract: An ultrasonic flowmeter includes flow path that has a rectangular cross section and through which a fluid to be measured flows, and partition plate that divides flow path into measurement flow path and non-measurement flow paths. In addition, the ultrasonic flowmeter includes a pair of ultrasonic sensors that are arranged upstream and downstream of a surface forming flow path and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals, and a flow rate calculator that detects a flow rate of the fluid to be measured based on a propagation time. The ultrasonic flowmeter includes openings that connect measurement flow path, non-measurement flow paths, and a space where the ultrasonic sensors is located, and the ultrasonic sensors mainly propagate ultrasonic waves only to measurement flow path through openings.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method enables vehicle tire wear prediction based on minimal input data points. Information is aggregated in a hierarchical data structure regarding historical tread values for multiple tires, and respective values associated with the historical tread values for each of multiple parameters that are hierarchically defined from highest to lowest levels. A current tire tread value is provided from a sensor associated with a first tire, and respective values associated with the current tire tread value are provided for each of the multiple hierarchically defined parameters. The current tire tread value is matched with information from the hierarchical data structure corresponding to matching values for one or more of the hierarchically defined parameters having at least a predetermined threshold number of available tread values, and a tire wear rate is predicted for the first tire based at least in part on the matched information from the hierarchical data structure.

Abstract: Microscale and/or mesoscale condenser arrays that can facilitate microfluidic separation and/or purification of mesoscale and/or nanoscale particles and methods of operation are described herein. An apparatus comprises a condenser array comprising pillars arranged in a plurality of columns, wherein a pillar gap greater than or equal to about 0.5 micrometers is located between a first pillar of the pillars in a first column of the columns and a second pillar of the plurality of pillars in the first column, and wherein the first pillar is adjacent to the second pillar. The first ratio can be characterized by Dx/Dy is less than or equal to a first defined value, wherein Dx represents a first distance across the lattice in a first direction, wherein Dy represents a second distance across the lattice in a second direction, and wherein the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction.

Abstract: A method and a system for analyzing a physical characteristic of a film sample are described herein. The system includes a material holder system configured to hold the film sample; and a tear analysis device configured to tear the film sample and measure a characteristic of the tear. The movable system is configured to move the film sample in the material holder system to the tear analysis device.

Abstract: A flow sensor sub-assembly for sensing flow of a fluidic medicament including a flow tube assembly through which said medicament flows, the flow tube assembly having: a flow tube having a lumen; an inlet fitting; and an outlet fitting; a first transducer arranged at the inlet fitting; and a second transducer arranged at the outlet fitting, wherein a transducer adhesive bonds said first transducer to the inlet fitting and said second transducer to the outlet fitting, and wherein the transducer adhesive dampens at least one of out of phase vibrations and rogue vibrations induced in the inlet and outlet fittings by transmission of sound energy between the first and second transducers and the inlet and outlet fittings.

Abstract: A magnetically inductive flow meter having a measuring tube with a wall, which includes an electrically insulating surface of a first material, and an electrode having an electrode axis, wherein the electrode has at least one electrode end surface for tapping off a measuring signal, in particular a measuring voltage, in a measuring medium, and has an electrode shank extending through the measuring tube wall, wherein the electrode has a stop projecting from the electrode shank with a stop surface to limit the displaceability of the electrode relative to the wall along the electrode axis, wherein the electrode has an electrically insulating coating in a region of the electrode shank and in a region of the stop surface, wherein the material of the electrically insulating coating has a Shore hardness which is equal to or lower than that of the first material.

Abstract: Methods for operating a flowmeter diagnostic tool are provided that comprise interfacing the diagnostic tool with a flowmeter (5) sensor assembly (10). A base prover volume (BPV), a desired number of passes per run, and/or a maximum number of allowed runs may be input into the diagnostic tool. Flowmeter data is received. An estimated total prove time (TPT) necessary to pass a predetermined repeatability requirement, an estimated minimum number of runs needed to achieve the calculated TPT, and/or an estimated minimum BPV may be calculated. A standard deviation of the flowmeter sensor assembly flow rate (?) is calculated, and the number of samples used to calculate a is determined. A meter-specific factor (MSF) is calculated.

Abstract: A detection system for extracting information from a sensor module in a rolling wheel comprises: a sensor module which comprises a sensor adapted for sensing a physical property of the tire when mounted in a tire of the wheel or on an inner surface of a tire of the wheel; an acquisition module adapted for sampling a signal from the sensor module, thus obtaining a sequence of data samples; a correlation module adapted for cross-correlating a signed reference sequence with the sequence of data samples thus obtaining a correlation sequence; an extraction module adapted for identifying at least one perturbation in the correlation sequence, wherein the perturbation is induced when a part of the tire where the sensor is mounted hits the ground thereby forming the tire patch.

Abstract: A self-disengaging pitot tube cover which is a longitudinally segmented substantially cylindrical structure constituted by at least two separable segments where separation of at least two segments is controlled by temperature sensing and effected by a fusible link holding two adjacent segments together; so that the separated segments lose hold on the pitot tube, when a particular temperature of the pitot tube is reached.

Abstract: A sensor retaining system for a vehicle tire is provided. The tire includes a pair of sidewalls extending from a respective bead area to a tread, which is formed with a plurality of tread elements. A sensor unit is mounted to the tire and includes a pair of electrical contacts. A tread wear sensor extends into one of the tread elements and includes a wire. The wire includes proximal ends, each one of which contacts a sensor unit electrical contact to create an electrical circuit. A flexible container is mounted to an innerliner of the tire. A cup includes a base and a sidewall that cooperate to form a cavity, and a bottom of the tread wear sensor and the sensor unit are received in the cavity. The cup maintains a connection between the electrical contacts and the wire proximal ends, and is disposed in the flexible container.

Abstract: A piezoelectric cell support for an ultrasonic transducer, the support including a front face having formed thereon: a first shoulder that defines a bearing surface and a bottom of a central cavity surrounded by the bearing surface, the bearing surface being suitable for having a piezoelectric cell placed thereon; retention device(s) for holding the piezoelectric cell on the bearing surface and for positioning it angularly; and a rear face having a sloping surface that gives a top portion of the support a first thickness that is less than a second thickness of a bottom portion of the support.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses are provided for detecting conditions associated with a fluid conduit. An apparatus includes an insert having an internal conduit to connect with the fluid conduit and a plenum volume, and a detection device including a housing connected to the insert within the plenum volume, an acoustic sensor to receive acoustic signals, an acoustic exciter to apply acoustic signals to the housing, and a controller. The controller is electrically connected to the acoustic sensor and the acoustic exciter. The controller is configured to cause the acoustic exciter to apply an input acoustic signal to the housing, receive the acoustic signals from the housing using the acoustic sensor, analyze the received acoustic signals to determine a pipe condition of a pipe defining the fluid conduit or fluidically connected to the fluid conduit, and cause data representative of the pipe condition to be transmitted to an external device.

Abstract: A measuring device is adapted for measuring a change of linear dimension of a shaft body of a bearing device along an axis due to thermal expansion. The measuring device includes a stationary seat and a strain unit. The strain unit includes an actuator and a strain member. The actuator is adapted to be mounted to the shaft body, and is movable relative to the stationary seat along the axis as a result of the change of linear dimension of the shaft body. The strain member is deformable, is secured to the stationary seat and is connected to the actuator such that movement of the actuator along the axis results in a force applied to the strain member which deforms the strain member.

Abstract: A system for measuring a rising velocity and a deformation of a bubble in a viscous fluid includes a sample cell configured to hold a viscous fluid, a variable-diameter syringe provided at a bottom of the sample cell and configured to generate a bubble in the viscous fluid, two ultrasonic transmitting and receiving transducers arranged at different heights of the sample cell and configured to transmit first ultrasonic signals to the viscous fluid and receive second ultrasonic signals reflected by the bubble, and a host computer configured to analyze time-domain information of the second ultrasonic signals received by the two ultrasonic transmitting and receiving transducers, calculate the rising velocity of the bubble, build a mathematical model about a bubble size and a reflected sound pressure, analyze frequency-domain information of the second ultrasonic signals received by the two ultrasonic transmitting and receiving transducers, and calculate the deformation of the bubble.

Abstract: There is disclosed a self-powered apparatus for measuring precipitation, comprising: a housing; a display unit including one or more display lights capable of displaying an amount of precipitation, wherein the display lights are formed on at least one of outer surfaces of the housing; a water collecting vessel, having a funnel-shaped space to which the precipitation is introduced and gathered at a vertex part of the funnel-shaped space; a cup module, having an accommodating space for accommodating the precipitation dropped from the vertex part of the funnel-shaped space of the water collecting vessel; an electric signaling unit; a guiding module; a self-powered generator; and a final drainage opening, formed at a lower part of the housing.