Abstract: Methods and apparatus for the recovery of petroleum origin hydrocarbons from ground water tables at sites of refineries, oil and gasoline storage and distributing facilities, and the like. Pursuant to the invention, separate liquid handling devices, each in the nature of a vessel or canister and having liquid trapping and ejecting facilities, are employed in a well or wells at the site for separately raising the ground water and liquid hydrocarbons that accumulate on the ground water table, respectively, through which the well or wells extend, under the static pressure of compressed air and free of mechanical pumping action on the liquids.

Abstract: An ice making machine selectively produces both white and clear ice. Water is frozen in a tube 14 which has disposed thereabout in heat exchange relation a refrigerant evaporator tube 92. During a freezing cycle a reversing valve 84 directs cold refrigerant through the evaporator tube 92 in a first direction FC. During a harvest cycle the reversing valve 84 directs hot refrigerant through the evaporator in a reverse direction HC. After thawing ice is discharged from the tube 14 by pressurized gas.

Abstract: An elongated cylinder is placed towards the front end of a vehicle such as an automobile at a lower level than the air conditioning unit evaporator drain and connected to the evaporator drain by a hose. This cylinder forms a reservoir, spray units are located at the ends or top of the reservoir and, condensate from the air conditioning unit in the reservoir is forced out of the reservoir into the spray units by internally applied air pressure. Outside air created by the vehicle forward movement is captured by one or more flanged pipes and provides the source for the internally applied air pressure. Condensate spray from the cylinder directed by the vehicle radiator fan flows onto the vehicle condenser core so as to assist in removing heat from the circulating freon sending a much cooler freon back into the vehicle.

Abstract: A pump for pumping liquids which may contain solid debris, comprising a conduit having an orifice at its lowest region for the ingress of liquid when the lowest region is submerged in the liquid, one end of the conduit being connected to a sources of pulses of propellant fluid (e.g. air) and the other end being adapted to deliver slugs of liquid to a receiving vessel. The conduit may be U-shaped with the orifice at the bottom, or it may comprise one conduit portion within and open to another conduit portion having the orifice at the bottom thereof.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for making and dispensing carbonated water; the method has the steps of using carbon dioxide propellant gas at a predetermined propellant pressure for propelling flat water through cooling coils and into a carbonator, pressurizing the carbonator at a predetermined storage pressure which is less than the propellant pressure, exhausting used propellant gas into cooled propellant water, commonly admitting water and exhausted gas into the carbonator while restricting and backing up the flowing propelled water and gas and mixing them together under a pressure above the storage pressure, and storing and dispensing under the storage pressure; flat water may also be selectively diverted and dispensed after cooling and before contact with exhausted propellant gas, and the propellant pressure may be boosted with municipal water pressure; the apparatus has a pneumatically powerable water pump, a carbonator, a propelled water conduit connecting a pump outlet to a carbonator inlet, a fill valve i

Abstract: Method and apparatus for flowing fluid from a plurality of interconnected wells wherein a pressurized lift gas is injected into a well thereby actuating a pumping unit located in the well. Upon actuation, at least a portion of the partially expended lift gas is injected into an adjacent well whereby this adjacent well is pre-pressurized prior to it being fully pressurized by lift gas for actuation. This pre-pressurizing decreases the fully pressurized gas needed to actuate the second well.

Abstract: A water pressurizing system for use where water pressure from the main is too low. A tank has an inlet for water with a check valve and a discharge outlet for consumption. A gas supply is provided for pressurizing the tank. In the gas supply line there is a U-shaped duct with a float valve in the duct for cutting off the gas supply when the tank is full.

Abstract: A heating system for heating a building or the like wherein a working fluid is heated by heat sources such as fireplace heat collectors or solar heat collectors is vaporized, and then circulated in a closed loop to a lower level of the building where the heat is extracted by condensing the vapor back to a liquid. The extracted heat is stored at the lower level of the building in a storage tank and can then be easily distributed throughout the building as required for heating the building. A closed circulating loop for the working fluid keeps the heated vaporized working fluid circulating from the heat collectors down to the heat storage tank for condensation and the condensed liquid working fluid circulating from the storage tank up to the heat collectors for reheating. The circulating loop utilizes gravity and the pressure generated by vaporizing the working fluid to move the working fluid through the system without external pumps or controls and with no additional energy input.

Abstract: A pair of inverted, concentrically mounted cups are lowered into a pool of liquid at the bottom of a well. The outer cup is a housing connected to atmospheric pressure via a capillary tube extending upwardly to the top of the well. The inner cup is a closed dome. Liquid passes through a check valve in the bottom of the housing and rises in the outer cup, since the capillary tube is open to the atmosphere and bleeds off the air inside the outer cup. Since the inner cup is closed, air is entrapped therein to limit the rise of liquid in it. When the capillary tube and, therefore, the two cups are pressurized, the check valve closes to prevent escape of liquid from the housing. The liquid rises in the dome to compress the air entrapped therein. When the capillary tube is suddenly opened again to atmospheric pressure, the compressed air entrapped in the closed dome of the inner cup drives the liquid violently up the capillary tube.

Abstract: A tank for oil or other hydraulic fluid is kept under a few pounds of air pressure during operation to keep air from being drawn into the fluid and to aid its flow to the pump. The pressure is provided dependably and quickly by a small air pump driven whenever the hydraulic pump is driven. A bleed-off discharge causes prompt dissipation of the pressure on shutdown so as not to cause oil leakage while the associated hydraulic pump is idle. The hydraulic level is below the pump shaft level so there will be no leakage by gravity.

Abstract: The present invention is a secondary recovery system normally used for retrieving oil from the producing zone after the bottom hole pressure has decreased so that artificial lift is required for production. An accumulator is positioned in the lower portion of the casing where oil will accumulate from the producing zone. A standing valve is located in the bottom of the accumulator to prevent oil collected therein from leaving the accumulator. Above the accumulator is located a free floating piston having passageways therethrough. By proper control of the pressure line from the surface, oil is gradually moved through the free floating piston into a production tubing thereabove. Next, again in response to surface control, the free floating piston and oil collected thereabove is moved to the surface of the well by a rapid pressurization of the accumulator. Thereafter, pressure is exhausted from the accumulator allowing the piston to drop back to its lowermost position immediately above the accumulator.

Abstract: A simple dewatering system comprises hollow expandable bore-plugging body which can be set in place and locked there in the borehole, at any desired level, by simply pumping compressed air into it. An orifice of calculated size in the bottom of the body allows compressed air to escape and build up pressure below to raise the water in the lower part of the hole to the ground surface through a conduit which extends from the borehole bottom to a level above the ground. The orifice, which may be adjustable, maintains a predetermined minimum pressure differential inside the body which pressure is enough higher than the water-expelling pressure below to keep the body tightly inflated so it cannot slide upwardly. Compressed air escapes continuously through the orifice so that outflow of water from the borehole bottom is continuous until the water level reaches the bottom of the outflow conduit, when the conduit is blown clear, preventing run-back of the water in the conduit.

Abstract: Liquid is pumped from a relatively small submerged tank in pumping cycles by discharging a gas at relatively high pressure from a relatively large tank into the submerged tank. When the submerged tank is emptied of liquid, the high pressure gas which fills it is reclaimed by exhausting the same into a second relatively large tank maintained at low pressure. Gas is reclaimed into the second large tank after the next and each subsequent pumping cycle until the resulting pressure differential impedes further transfer. Tanks filled with reclaimed gas are connected to the inlet of the air compressor to reduce the pressure thereacross and lessen the power required to compress the gas required for the pumping.

Abstract: A de facto wall-less heat exchanger system wherein a non-volatile heated liquid from a nuclear, geothermal or other source of heat is introduced into a chamber containing a highly volatile fluid which is chemically non-reactive with the non-volatile liquid. The volatile fluid is converted to a pressurized vapor which may be used to drive a turbine for the production of useful energy, to pump the non-volatile liquid or to pump a different fluid.