Abstract: A method for the removal of ammonia and its salts from fluid compositions. The method comprises contacting the fluid compositions with a scavenger on a solid support.

Abstract: A method for determining the TAN value of a hydrocarbon-containing composition, in which the sample is cleared of free water, heated to an elevated temperature in an oxygen free environment, conditioned at the elevated temperature for an extended period of time, cooled down to a temperature near to room temperature, and titrated against alcoholic potassium hydroxide, whereby the TAN value may be calculated.

Abstract: A method for the quantitation of the naphthenic acid content of molecular weight less than 600 Daltons in a hydrocarbon composition, in which naphthenic acids are separated from the hydrocarbon composition and applied to a macroreticular ion-exchange resin. The resin is washed and the naphthenic acid-metal ion complexes are eluted from the resin. The number of naphthenic acid-metal ion complexes present in the eluate from the resin are then quantitated.

Abstract: An agitation element adapted for use with other agitation elements on the rollers of a roller screen, having a substantially planar and triangular body with a central opening therethrough for mounting the agitation element onto the roller, the opening being adapted such that the body of the agitation element lies generally perpendicularly with respect to the axis of rotation of the roller when the agitation element is mounted on the roller for operation. Another agitation element has an edge defining a closed perimeter with substantially linear sides, each side being angled with respect to each adjacent side by less than ninety degrees. In particular embodiments, the angle can be as low as approximately sixty degrees. Still another agitation element incorporates a body having an edge defining a closed polygon with adjacent sides that intersect each other at a peak and wherein a maximum distance, measured from the geometric center of the polygon to at least one of the peaks is approximately 1.5-2.

Abstract: The apparatus and method herein provide a means for actively monitoring a communications node for datapath disruptions caused within the node. It was developed to address linecard failures that were detected in the field and for which traditional error detection mechanisms such as CRC and OAM CC checks are not feasible. According to one implementation, statistics are collected over a preset time interval. If any egress cell counts are zero over a full interval, then the ingress interface for that datapath is determined, e.g. using the node's cross-datapath information, and the corresponding linecard of that ingress interface is contacted to determine the ingress cell count. If the ingress cell count is non-zero then the datapath is alarmed since the complete lack of cells transmitted at the egress indicates a datapath disruption.