Abstract: A linear drive system for an elevator installation having an elevator car includes a stationary part for alignment with a hoistway wall of the elevator installation and a movable part that moves along the stationary part. The movable part is connected to the elevator car or to a counterweight, wherein the stationary part is shaped so as to substantially envelope the movable part.

Abstract: A process and a plant produce hollow microspheres made of glass. According to the process an aqueous suspension is prepared from starting materials containing glass powder and water glass, feedstock particles having a diameter between 5 ?m and 300 ?m, in particular between 5 ?m and 100 ?m, being produced from the suspension. The feedstock particles are mixed with a pulverulent release agent made of aluminum hydroxide in an intensive mixer. The mixture of feedstock particles and release agent is subsequently introduced into a firing chamber of a furnace. The feedstock particles expand in the firing chamber, at a firing temperature which exceeds the softening temperature of the glass powder, to form the hollow microspheres.

Abstract: A method for refinishing a surface structure of shaft material of an elevator, which extends along a shaft, enables the use of image data to determine an absolute position and/or speed of an elevator car. The elevator includes the elevator car, which is movable in the shaft, a camera, which is arranged at the elevator car and generates the image data from the surface structure, and an evaluating unit, which determines the absolute position and/or the speed of the elevator car from the image data. The surface structure is refinished at least locally in order to increase a distinctiveness of the surface structure in the image data. The shaft material can be, for example, a guide rail, a fastening element of the guide rail, or a shaft wall.

Abstract: A linear drive system for an elevator installation having an elevator car includes a stationary part for alignment with a hoistway wall of the elevator installation and a movable part that moves along the stationary part. The movable part is connected to the elevator car or to a counterweight, wherein the stationary part is shaped so as to substantially envelope the movable part.

Abstract: In a method for producing an expanded-glass granular material, starting materials containing glass powder, water glass, at least one blowing agent, and metakaolin, are mixed in order to form a homogeneous slurry. The slurry is granulated to form raw granular-material particles, which are foamed at a baking temperature between 780° C. and 950° C. in order to form expanded-glass granular-material particles. The expanded-glass granular material has a long-term water absorption of less than 25 volume percent when the expanded-glass granular material is exposed to water for a time period of 21 days.

Abstract: A process and a plant produce hollow microspheres made of glass. According to the process an aqueous suspension is prepared from starting materials containing glass powder and water glass, feedstock particles having a diameter between 5 ?m and 300 ?m, in particular between 5 ?m and 100 ?m, being produced from the suspension. The feedstock particles are mixed with a pulverulent release agent made of aluminum hydroxide in an intensive mixer. The mixture of feedstock particles and release agent is subsequently introduced into a firing chamber of a furnace. The feedstock particles expand in the firing chamber, at a firing temperature which exceeds the softening temperature of the glass powder, to form the hollow microspheres.

Abstract: A pelletized expanded glass material is provided, which is particularly suitable as a growth support for microorganisms, especially for use in a biogas plant or an anaerobic sewage treatment plant. The production process of the invention for the pelletized expanded glass material contains the steps of: mixing a ground glass, an expanding agent and a binder to give a starting mixture. The starting mixture is pelletized to give ground glass pellet green bodies. The ground glass pellet green bodies are foamed to give expanded glass pellet particles at temperatures of 600 to 950° C. Accordingly, especially in the production of the starting mixture, minerals and or trace elements are added, which serve especially for the nutrient supply of microorganisms used in the biogas plant or the anaerobic sewage treatment plant.

Abstract: A process and an associated facility for treating ammonium-containing wastewater are specified. Ammonium present in the wastewater is first oxidized to nitrite by use of aerobically oxidizing bacteria in an activation unit. Then ammonium and nitrite are reduced to elemental nitrogen anaerobically by use of ANAMMOX bacteria. Excess sludge arising in this operation is removed from the activation unit. ANAMMOX bacteria removed with the excess sludge are separated and returned to the activation unit. To facilitate the returning of the ANAMMOX bacteria, magnetic or magnetizable expanded glass particles are added, as colonization bodies for the ANAMMOX bacteria, to the wastewater in the activation unit. Expanded glass particles removed from the activation unit with the excess sludge are separated from the excess sludge magnetically and returned to the activation unit.

Abstract: A method for refinishing a surface structure of shaft material of an elevator, which extends along a shaft, enables the use of image data to determine an absolute position and/or speed of an elevator car. The elevator includes the elevator car, which is movable in the shaft, a camera, which is arranged at the elevator car and generates the image data from the surface structure, and an evaluating unit, which determines the absolute position and/or the speed of the elevator car from the image data. The surface structure is refinished at least locally in order to increase a distinctiveness of the surface structure in the image data. The shaft material can be, for example, a guide rail, a fastening element of the guide rail, or a shaft wall.

Abstract: In a method for producing an expanded-glass granular material, starting materials containing glass powder, water glass, at least one blowing agent, and metakaolin, are mixed in order to form a homogeneous slurry. The slurry is granulated to form raw granular-material particles, which are foamed at a baking temperature between 780° C. and 950° C. in order to form expanded-glass granular-material particles. The expanded-glass granular material has a long-term water absorption of less than 25 volume percent when the expanded-glass granular material is exposed to water for a time period of 21 days.

Abstract: A passenger transport system includes a three-phase drive motor, a control device and an inverter module having power semiconductor switches. The gate electrodes of the power semiconductor switches are driven directly by the control device. The inverter module is connected on the input side to a DC source and on the output side to the three-phase drive motor. Between the DC source and the inverter module there is a DC circuit, wherein drive signals that can be modulated on the DC circuit can be generated by the control device, and the inverter module has a demodulator, by which demodulator the drive signals can be converted into control voltages assigned to the individual gate electrodes of the power semiconductor switches.

Abstract: A process and an associated facility for treating ammonium-containing wastewater are specified. Ammonium present in the wastewater is first oxidized to nitrite by use of aerobically oxidizing bacteria in an activation unit. Then ammonium and nitrite are reduced to elemental nitrogen anaerobically by use of ANAMMOX bacteria. Excess sludge arising in this operation is removed from the activation unit. ANAMMOX bacteria removed with the excess sludge are separated and returned to the activation unit. To facilitate the returning of the ANAMMOX bacteria, magnetic or magnetizable expanded glass particles are added, as colonization bodies for the ANAMMOX bacteria, to the wastewater in the activation unit. Expanded glass particles removed from the activation unit with the excess sludge are separated from the excess sludge magnetically and returned to the activation unit.

Abstract: A device can actuate and reset a safety gear in an elevator system. The device contains a pressure accumulator, possibly a compression spring, which, in case of need, can move at least two engagement elements of the safety gear essentially synchronously into an engaged position, and a remotely actuatable resetting device, which can retension the pressure accumulator into a ready position.

Abstract: An elevator system can be operated while recording the energy consumption of at least one energy consumer of the elevator system and at least one traffic situation of the elevator system. At least one energy consumption value is determined for the recorded energy consumption and the recorded traffic situation, and the calculated energy consumption value is output to at least one output means.

Abstract: An elevator installation includes a cage, a counterweight which balances the cage and a supporting and/or drive structure at which the cage and the counterweight are suspended. The elevator installation has a sound pick-up designed for detecting solid-borne sound generated at the counterweight.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a car or platform to transport passengers and/or goods as well as a counterweight, which are arranged as traversable or movable along a travel path, and which are coupled and/or with a drive by a suspension element interrelating their motion. The suspension element is guided and/or driven by a traction sheave and/or a drive shaft and/or a deflecting pulley. The suspension element is a sheathed and/or belt-type, with a first layer made of a first plasticizable and/or elastomeric material and a second layer with a connection plane formed between the first and second layers. At least one tension member—rope-type, tissue-type, or comprising a multitude of partial elements—is embedded in an area of the connection plane, a majority of a surface of said at least one tension member directly contacting said first layer. A manufacturing procedure for one of the suspension elements is provided.

Abstract: An elevator has a car movable within a hoistway, a rack extending along the hoistway, the rack having a toothed profile with wave troughs and wave crests and a drive mounted in proximity to the rack so that the drive interacts with the rack to move the car. The drive includes a roller pinion unit fixedly mounted on a shaft and having a predetermined number of roller pinions arranged in a circle around the shaft and extending parallel to the shaft. The roller pinion unit interacts with the toothed profile of the rack. The drive also includes a motor unit configured to rotate the shaft. Optionally, the drive includes a brake unit configured to act on the shaft.

Abstract: A method for treating an organic and/or inorganic substrate utilizing a granular material made of a solid foam as support for an active component, for example a biocatalyst such as a microorganism or an enzyme. The solid foam has a continuous phase in which magnetizable particles are embedded, such that the support with the biologically active component immobilized thereon can be separated from a mixture with a magnetic separation device.

Abstract: A device can actuate and reset a safety gear in an elevator system. The device contains a pressure accumulator, possibly a compression spring, which, in case of need, can move at least two engagement elements of the safety gear essentially synchronously into an engaged position, and a remotely actuatable resetting device, which can retension the pressure accumulator into a ready position.

Abstract: An elevator installation includes a cage, a counterweight which balances the cage and a supporting and/or drive means at which the cage and the counterweight are suspended. The elevator installation has a sound pick-up designed for detecting solid-borne sound generated at the counterweight.