Abstract: An electronic toll system for monitoring a plurality of lanes including a plurality of lane monitoring devices operative to monitor passage of vehicles through the corresponding plurality of lanes, and a lane monitoring device coordinating system for coordinating operation of the lane monitoring devices such that not all of the lane monitoring devices operate simultaneously.

Abstract: A composite working fluid for a Rankine cycle power plant operating between a boiler temperature and a condenser temperature comprises a mixture of immiscible fluids selected such that the saturated vapor line of the composite fluid in the vicinity of the boiler temperature is generally along a line of substantially constant entropy. As a result, the vapor of the composite working fluid expands from boiler to condenser temperature generally along the saturated vapor line of the composite working fluid. One of the immiscible fluids of the composite working fluid is a "wet" fluid, and one of the immiscible fluids is a "dry" fluid. The "wet" fluid is a polar compound with a molecular weight smaller than the molecular weight of the "dry" fluid, which is a non-polar compound. Preferably, the "wet" fluid is water, and the "dry" fluid is selected from a class comprising hydrocarbons and their halogenated derivatives.

Abstract: A Rankine cycle power plant utilizes as a working fluid and compounds selected from the group consisting of bicyclic hydrocarbons, substituted bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, substituted heterocyclic bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, bicyclic compounds where one ring is aromatic and the other condensed ring is non-aromatic, and their mixtures.

Abstract: A gel is formed by copolymerizing an acrylic monofunctional monomer and an acrylic bifunctional monomer in an aqueous solution exposed to an oxygen containing atmosphere. Spontaneous polymerization takes place in an atmosphere containing oxygen after the solution is placed in sunlight, or in the dark if the solution also contains a dissolved inorganic salt. The gel so formed is transparent to solar radiation, and is stable in the presence of such radiation and of temperatures in the vicinity of the boiling point of water. As a consequence, the gel is suitable for covering a heat storage liquid and thermally insulates the liquid against significant conductive heat loss to an ambient medium above the gel. By providing a myriad of small bubbles trapped in the gel, the insulating efficiency of the gel is increased without significantly interferring with the transmission of solar radiation to the heat storage layer below the gel.