Abstract: A mechanical press has a self-adjusting device for automatically setting the position of the mould in the correct position with respect to the stroke of the pressram. The device is located between a fixed platen and a mould carrier and comprises a cylinder having at one end a stiffly resilient plug which normally covers a valve port in the cylinder; a volume of liquid is located between a piston in the cylinder and the plug. If the mould is incorrectly set for the ram stroke, the pressure generated in the liquid so compresses the plug to expose the port for release of sufficient liquid to reposition the mould.

Abstract: 3-Prenyl-substituted menaquinones are made by reacting a 3-metallo-2-alkyl-1,4-di(alkoxy or aralkoxy) naphthalene with a prenyl halide, and then oxidizing the resulting 3-prenyl-2-alkyl-1,4-di(alkoxy or aralkoxy) naphthalene to prepare the corresponding 3-prenyl-substituted menaquinone. The metallo substituent at the 3-position may be Li, Li/Cu, Cu or MgBr. The oxidation is advantageously conducted by the use of argentic oxide.

Abstract: A device for feeding an ink ribbon for use in a printing machine in which the ink ribbon is reciprocally run by rotating reels on which the ink ribbon is wound. The device has a main drive member, two driven members, a driving force transmission member, a follower members, a spring and a movement control member and thereby providing a useful and effective device without a nonsensitive zone upon changeover of the running direction of the ink ribbon.

Abstract: A process is described for the preparation of urethane prepolymers from hydroxy-terminated diene polymers and normally liquid, relatively non-volatile, aromatic polyisocyanates. The prepolymers are made at a temperature above about 150.degree. C. to provide urethane prepolymer products that resist the tendency to form multiple phases or layers upon storage at room temperature.

Abstract: Aqueous phosphoric acid, e.g., a slurry of the acid produced by the "wet" process, is contacted with steam under organic volatile-removing conditions to remove volatile organic material. A "wet process" aspect of the process involves contacting crude phosphoric acid produced by the wet process at a temperature, preferably not greater than 100.degree. C., while binding bindable solid impurities present and controlling the density of the acid to avoid deleterously affecting the processing character of the acid. In a first facet of this aspect, humic-extracting extractants are employed to remove humics, and in a second facet, heavy metal-extracting extractants are employed to recover heavy metals, from the acid.

Abstract: Apparatus for the production and catalytic oxidation of gaseous hydrocarbon/air mixtures to form dicarboxylic acid anhydride. Hydrocarbon/air mixtures are formed in an evaporator and introduced into a shell-and-tube catalytic reactor fitted with a concave reactor hood to more effectively and safely distribute the gaseous mixture to and through the catalyst-filled tubes of the reactor.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for reforming hydrocarbons utilizing a fluidized bed furnace through which pass reformer tubes, the pressure in the fluidized bed and in the tubes being substantially the same and in excess of 50 atmospheres absolute. For hydrocarbons which have been steam reformed, the reformed high pressure product can be converted to synthesis gas for use in the high pressure catalytic synthesis of ammonia.

Abstract: A mechanism that is suitable for incorporation in an apparatus for handling articles in a closely-spaced array to remove malformed pieces from those properly formed. The invention is especially useful in systems for treating dough pieces, particularly those used in preparing fried chip foods, to remove malformed pieces such as masa lumps. The mechanism can include a rotatable wheel having a plurality of radial blades extending from a central axis for selectively ejecting the malformed articles from a surface on which both the malformed and normally-shaped articles are interpositioned in the array and are conveyed past and below the outermost extremity of the blades. The ejected articles can be collected for recycling or disposal while the remaining acceptably-formed articles are retained for other treatment or use.

Abstract: A quartz oscillation circuit used for a time standard of an electronic timepiece, which includes an inverter operating as an amplifier, an input capacitor and an output capacitor, the capacitors having the opposite temperature characteristics to compensate changes in oscillation frequency with the variation of temperature without any increase of the power consumption.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for effecting liquid-liquid contact. An aqueous medium and an organic hydrophobic liquid medium are fed to a mixing chamber in which a "primary" dispersion, capable of disengaging sustantially completely into two separate layers on standing under gravity, is formed by suitable mixing means. Dispersion is allowed to flow upwardly and downwardly from the mixing chamber into upper and lower baffled zones positioned immediately above and below the mixing chamber respectively. Disengaged lighter medium is allowed to collect in an upper chamber above and communicating with the upper baffled zone, while disengaged heavier medium is allowed to collect in a lower chamber below and communicating with the lower baffled zone. Heavier medium is allowed to return to the mixing chamber from the upper baffled zone and lighter medium from the lower baffled zone.

Abstract: Phase separation in a solvent (liquid-liquid) extraction process is effected in a settling tank by passage through one or more coalescer units. The mixed liquid phases to be separated are introduced at a main supply position from which flow is radially outwardly into the settling tank. A polygonal settling tank is described having removable segments arranged around a mixer tank.

Abstract: Sodium sulfate is purged from a sulfur dioxide removal system involving contact of a sulfur dioxide-containing gas with a solution containing sodium sulfite to absorb sulfur dioxide from the gas. The spent absorbing solution is regenerated by desorbing sulfur dioxide and recycled for further use. To avoid an unduly large build-up of sulfate in the system, at least a portion of the absorbing-desorbing medium, e.g. spent absorbing solution, containing sodium sulfate and a relatively large amount of sodium bisulfite is treated to reduce the amount of water in the medium so that there is precipitated therefrom up to about 10 weight percent undissolved solids containing sodium sulfate in greater concentration than would otherwise be obtained in the absorption-desorption cycle. The insolubles containing sodium sulfate are removed from the liquid, and the liquid can be returned to the sulfur dioxide removal system.

Abstract: An acidic cleaning composition which is especially useful in cleaning glass-ceramic range surfaces comprises an acid-stable, hydrocarbon-in-water emulsion. The composition contains liquid hydrocarbon, solid, porous absorbent, and a minor amount of an acid to provide an acidic emulsion. The composition may also contain a soap or detergent, a minor amount of polysilicone or a thickening agent.

Abstract: A crop harvesting apparatus having a plurality of rotatable crop-severing rods of generally circular cross section extending from a support for insertion into crop-bearing foliage with the crop-severing rod longitudinal axes substantially parallel to the direction of thrust. In one embodiment of the present invention, the rods are formed of a rigid, flexible material and are rotated at speeds sufficient to cause the rods to flex to rotate orbitally about the stationary positions of their longitudinal axes. In a second embodiment, the crop-severing rods have frictional surfaces on at least the longitudinally outer portions thereof. These crop-severing portions of the rods have no significant abrupt enlargement of diameter, and so no bulges exist which might contact and sever immature fruit or foliage from a crop-bearing plant. The rods are rotated and are thrust into a crop-bearing plant, and the frictional surfaces contact the crops to remove the mature crops from the plant.

Abstract: A process and apparatus are disclosed for purification of petroleum coke to produce an economical low sulfur product suitable for electrode production. Finely ground green coke is treated on an enclosed circular grate apparatus and subjected to sequential treatments in which hot gases are passed through a deep permeable bed of coke on the grate in a series of separate treating zones including a preheat zone, a heating and calcining zone, a desulfurizing zone in which hydrogen rich gas is passed through the heated bed, a reduction gas generation zone in which hydrocarbon and steam pass through hot coke to form hydrogen, and a cooling zone.Adequate temperatures for calcination and desulfurization are achieved and the proper heating rate is obtained without overheating the metal parts of the hearth by use of radiant and hot gas heating means in the calcining zone and in the desulfurizing zone and by introducing the air and/or fuel gas near the bottom of the coke bed.

Abstract: Sodium sulfate is purged from a sulfur dioxide removal system involving contact of a sulfur dioxide-containing gas with a solution containing sodium sulfite to absorb sulfur dioxide from the gas. The spent absorbing solution is regenerated by desorbing sulfur dioxide, and recycled for further use. To avoid an unduly large build-up of sulfate in the system, a portion of the absorbing-desorbing medium, e.g., spent absorbing solution, containing sodium sulfate, a relatively large amount of sodium bisulfite, and generally a minor amount of sodium sulfite, is treated to precipitate solids containing sodium sulfate in a concentration which is greater on a dry basis than would otherwise be obtained in the absorption-desorption cycle. The concentration of sodium sulfate in the precipitated solids is increased by providing a portion of the precipitated sodium sulfate-containing solids, e.g. about 25 to 75 weight percent, in solution in the absorbing-desorbing medium treated for sulfate removal.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for obtaining purer sodium sulfate from a mixture of solids containing sodium sulfate and sodium sulfite. The process involves contacting an aqueous slurry of the sulfate-sulfite mixture with a sulfur dioxide-containing gas under conditions which solubilize a significant amount of the sulfite as sodium bisulfite dissolved in the liquid aqueous phase. The remaining solid phase contains sodium sulfate of greater purity than in the mixture treated with sulfur dioxide. The mixture of sodium sulfate and sodium sulfite which is purified by the process may be obtained advantageously as a purge material from a process for removing sulfur dioxide from a gas stream.

Abstract: There are disclosed aqueous colloidal dispersions of tertiary amine salts of urea-urethane polymers of triamine-containing polyamines and isocyanate-terminated, urethane prepolymers having carboxylic groups. The urea-urethanes have sufficient tertiary amine neutralized, carboxylic groups to provide stable, aqueous dispersions having infinite dilutability with water, and the solids of the amine-neutralized dispersions are essentially of colloidal size. Carboxylic groups are supplied by polyol reactants employed in making the prepolymers. The colloidal, urea-urethane polymers may be stably dispersed in the aqueous medium, even in the absence of substantial amounts of cosolvents, and are useful in, for instance, coating compositions to provide water-resistant coatings.

Abstract: An automatically-ejecting shell reloading device is provided for handling spent firearm cartridge shells. The apparatus may include a die assembly mounted to receive an upwardly thrust shell. A cylindrical ram element having an upper C-shaped retainer is adapted to receive and hold a vertically-aligned shell, and the device has means for moving the ram element into an upper position, an intermediate shell-receiving position, and a lower shell-ejecting position. An ejection spring is deflected outwardly by the ram element in the intermediate position and is urged against the shell in the lower position to eject the shell laterally from the ram element. In a preferred embodiment, ejection is achieved after resizing by a leaf ejection spring mounted for lateral deflecting movement by the ram element. The device is useful for handling cartridge cases during swaging, depriming, and priming operations.

Abstract: Sodium sulfate is purged from a sulfur dioxide removal system involving contact of a sulfur dioxide-containing gas with a solution containing sodium sulfite to absorb sulfur dioxide from the gas. The spent absorbing solution is regenerated by desorbing sulfur dioxide and recycled for further use. To avoid an unduly large build-up of sulfate in the system, at least a portion of the absorbing-desorbing medium containing sodium sulfate and a relatively large amount of sodium bisulfite, e.g. spent absorbing solution, is contacted with a treating gas containing at least a small amount of sulfur dioxide while reducing the amount of water in the medium so that a slurry is obtained having up to about 10, or even up to about 20, weight percent precipitated solids containing sodium sulfate in greater concentration than would otherwise be obtained in the absorption-desorption cycle. Preferably, the sulfur dioxide-containing treating gas is unsaturated with respect to water.