Abstract: A container includes a receptacle, a lid, and a lid lock. The lid is arranged to move between an opened position uncovering an opening formed in the receptacle and a closed position covering the opening. The lid lock is used to lock the lid in the closed position.

Abstract: A ballast receptacle is provided to increase the load on the rear wheels of a vehicle such as a pick-up truck. The receptacle includes a container formed from a plastic material such as vinyl and can be filled with water to increase the vehicle's traction on slick surfaces such as ice or mud covered roads. The ballast receptacle is positioned laterally at the rear of the vehicle bed and is releasably anchored by flexible straps to each side of the vehicle.

Abstract: A rapid coupling for a supported, driven shaft is disclosed. The coupling includes a coupling sleeve which is axially slidable over a drive shaft but keyed to the drive shaft to ensure that the coupling sleeve rotates with the shaft. The coupling sleeve has a driven end which includes slots for engaging driven pins affixed to a driven shaft. The coupling sleeve slides over and supports the driven shaft in a coupled position. The coupling sleeve is held in the coupled position by a quick release pin received in a bore through the drive shaft. The advantage is a simple coupling that is easily manufactured, the coupling being serviceable in a very restricted space where the driven shaft must be uncoupled without axial movement of either shaft.

Abstract: A laboratory instrument provides a small model reactor which better simulates a back mixed reactor containing a catalyst. The reactor is especially valuable for simulating commercial scale hydrotreating of petroleum resid, coal, and other non-distillable hydrocarbons to obtain some distillable products. An important feature is a magnetically driven pump completely enclosed within the reactor shell of the simulator. All embodiments provide a high temperature and pressure, low liquid to catalyst volume, model reactor where an entire process is carried out within the simulator shell under substantially the conditions prevailing in the full scale reactor.

Abstract: A pulse marine radar system having a threshold generator providing a range dependent threshold waveform which is a function of sea conditions, rain conditions, and radar parameters. Based on the radar settings and inputs from the operator regarding the sea and rain conditions, a processor uses a mathematical model to compute the mean of sea clutter, rain clutter, and receiver noise for each of a plurality of successive range intervals. In response to the mean values, a generator generates a range dependent piecewise linear analog waveform which is subtracted in range sychronism from the receiver video. Next, the video is filtered. For each range interval, the processor also calculates a threshold based on the probability of sea clutter, rain clutter, and receiver noise exceeding the threshold after subtracting the mean. In response to the threshold values, a generator generates a piecewise analog signal which is compared with the output of the filter to digitize the radar video.

Abstract: A method of estimating and controlling the concentration of alumina in the bath of a Hall cell. The method includes the use of an estimator that employs two sets of equations, namely, a time update algorithm that contains a dynamic model of the alumina mass balance of the cell and provides estimates of alumina concentration, and a measurement algorithm that uses a process feedback variable from the cell to modify the alumina estimate. In addition, the method includes the use of one or more tuning parameters, such as state noise variance and measurement noise variance. The measurement noise variance is modified by the process noise variance in a manner that increases measurement noise variance for high values of process noise and decreases measurement noise variance for low values of process noise. In addition, one or more of the parameters of the model are modified by the feed history of the cell.

Abstract: A projection screen is formed as at least one reflective holograms each of which, when referenced with a projector, reconstructs a defined observation pupil.