Abstract: Apparatus for initiating pyrolysis of a feedstock by establishing a continuous, standing shock wave. Several embodiments of a shock wave reactor (10, 100, 150) are disclosed; each is connected to receive an ethane feedstock and a carrier fluid comprising superheated steam. The feedstock and the carrier fluid are pressurized so that they expand into parallel supersonic streams that mix due to turbulence within a mixing section (36) of a longitudinally extending channel (12) of the shock wave reactor. The carrier fluid heats the ethane feedstock as it mixes with it, producing a mixture that flows at supersonic velocity longitudinally down the channel. A gate valve (44) disposed downstream of the channel provides a controlled back pressure that affects the position of the shock wave and the residence time for the reaction. The shock wave rapidly heats the mixture above a pyrolysis temperature, producing a desired product by cracking the feedstock.

Abstract: A starch based adhesive is made in an agitator tank which has a first rotatable propeller shaft with a plurality of propellers distributed along the length thereof. Each of at least some of the propellers is surrounded by an apertured shroud, which could be made of expanded metal or the like, for example. Above the propeller shaft is a second rotatable shaft having a plurality of high speed shearing blades affixed thereon. The two shafts are preferably driven by separate motors, the shearing blades being driven by a motor having approximately 4-5 times the power of the motor driving the propeller shaft in order to impart a comparably larger amount of energy to the slurry via the shearing blades as compared to the energy imparted by the propellers.

Abstract: A method or process for treating materials for making materials electrically conductive that are not naturally electrically conductive or for increasing and enhancing the electrical conductivity of materials that are naturally electrically conductive. The invention is carried out in processing apparatus or equipment. The apparatus includes a vessel containing a solution that is electrically conductive. The solution or bath contains salts including acid surfactant, acid and silver nitrate crystals. The apparatus includes electrical equipment which includes electrodes exposed to the solution in the vessel so that an alternating electrical current is caused to traverse the solution and the material being processed. Additionally, the apparatus includes an array of ultrasonic generators provided to cause ultrasonic sound vibrations to traverse through the solution and the material being processed simultaneously with the flow of current.

Abstract: An elastic bar member is coupled to an orbiting mass oscillator and the entire assembly is suspended from a cable or the like such that the bar member has freedom of lateral motion and is nakedly immersed in a slurry having particulate material contained therein such as a mineral ore reject from which metal has been extracted. The rotor of the orbiting mass oscillator is driven at a speed such as to generate cycloidal sonic energy in the bar preferably at a frequency such as to set up resonant standing wave vibration of the bar in a cycloidal quadrature pattern. The cycloidal vibrational energy tends to set the surrounding fluid material into a whirling rotation or rotary traveling wave which facilitates the agglomeration or coagulation of the particles in the material and enhances the settling operation to make for more complete separation of the particles from the liquid.

Abstract: An elastic bar member is clamped to an orbiting mass oscillator and the entire assembly is suspended from a cable or the like such that the bar member has freedom of lateral motion and is nakedly immersed in a leachant having a material contained therein such as a mineral ore from which metal is to be extracted. The rotor of the orbiting mass oscillator is driven at a speed such as to generate cycloidal sonic energy in the bar preferably at a frequency such as to set up resonant standing wave vibration of the bar in a cycloidal nutating pattern. The cycloidal vibrational energy tends to set the surrounding fluid material into a whirling rotation or rotary traveling wave which facilitates the mixing of the ore and leachant and enhances the leaching operation to make for more complete separation of the mineral from the ore.

Abstract: Improvements in determining and controlling a continuous hydrogenation process comprising the obtaining of viscosity operating curves and opacity operating curves for comparison to known hydrogen unsaturation curves and plasticity characteristics. With improved hydrogenation equipment for carrying out the continuous hydrogenation reaction in combination with deodorization and autooxidation prevention stations, the present invention provides an overall process and controls for precision hydrogenation of edible oils.

Abstract: A liquid carrier having mineral ore in the form of free particles or a salt dissolved therein is contained within a suitable container. A box member which has walls which are pervious to the liquid by virtue of apertures formed therein or the porous nature of such walls is filled with a collection material such as carbon which may be in the form of filaments or particles. This box member is suspended in the liquid carrier. An elastic member which may be a plate of steel has an orbitting mass oscillator attached to the top end thereof. This elastic member is suspended in the liquid in opposing relationship to the box member. The rotor of the oscillator is rotatably driven so as to generate sonic energy in the elastic member. The carbon particles provide an electrode of an electrolytic system such that the mineral in the carrier, e.g. gold migrates to the carbon particles and deposits thereon.

Abstract: An elastic bar member is clamped to an orbiting mass oscillator and the entire assembly is suspended from a cable or the like such that the bar member has freedom of lateral motion and is nakedly immersed in a leachant having a material contained therein such as a mineral ore from which metal is to be extracted. The rotor of the orbiting mass oscillator is driven at a speed such as to generate cycloidal sonic energy in the bar preferably at a frequency such as to set up resonant standing wave vibration of the bar in a cycloidal nutating pattern. The cycloidal vibrational energy tends to set the surrounding fluid material into a whirling rotation or rotary traveling wave which facilitates the mixing of the ore and leachant and enhances the leaching operation to make for more complete separation of the mineral from the ore.

Abstract: A polymerization process and reactor utilizes a high power shock producing device for introducing high energy pulses shock waves to a body of constituent monomer molecules for breaking and making bonds. The high energy pulsed shock waves are generated and introduced into a body of the constituent monomerics to break the molecular bonds and create new bonding by a hollow piezoelectric shock tube mounted in an autoclave. A stirrer is operated simultaneously to stir away the new bonding sites and make them available for linkage to another monomer contained in the reactor vessel.

Abstract: A liquid impervious covering such as a plastic membrane or a concrete flooring is installed over an extensive substantially level area of ground and mined metal ore heaped onto this covering to form a mound. A leachant liquid solution is poured onto the ore and permitted to thoroughly penetrate the ore material. This end result is achieved either by forming a crater on the top of the ore material which is filled with the leachant solution which is allowed to ooze through the ore material, or by feeding the solution from sprinklers located around the mound until the ore material is thoroughly wetted. When the ore material has been wetted with the leachant, sonic energy is applied to the ore material by means of a sonically excited elastic pipe or bar member which is lowered into the mound by means of a crane and sonically driven by means of an orbiting mass oscillator.

Abstract: An ultra-high power exploding wire system for enhancing a chemical and/or physical reaction including embodiments that are capable of multiple firing. An element containing a plurality of members constructed of explodible material, e.g. metal or semi-conductor material, is movably mounted in the housing of a chemical/physical reactor. A firing means is provided in the housing which will explode the members when the element is moved into contact therewith. A pulse power supply is electrically connected to the element and to the firing means to provide electrical power for exploding the members.

Abstract: A multi-firing exploding film system for enhancing a chemical and/or physical reaction which is capable of being fired several times without replacing the explodible element. The explodible element is formed of an explodible material, e.g. metal or semi-conductor material which is deposited as a film on the interior of a reactor. A pulse power supply is electrically connected to the film and is cyclically actuated to repeatably fire the explodible element upon demand. The present system basically functions as a continuous vaporization-deposition-revaporization process wherein at least a portion is vaporized upon each firing and is then recondensed onto the interior of the reactor before the next firing.