Abstract: A combustion reactor which includes a reactor housing having an interior chamber, an inlet port at a top end of the housing and an outlet port at a bottom end thereof. The interior chamber has a circular cross-section, the diameter of which continuously increases from the inlet port to an intermediate level and then continuously decreases to the outlet port. A gas inlet conduit opens into the interior chamber adjacent to the inlet port at a location and in a direction tangent to a notional circle whose center lies on the axis of the interior chamber. By directing a high velocity flow of gas containing oxygen into the chamber tangent to the interior surface thereof and initially a combustible gas, upon ignition of the combustible gas and feeding into the inlet port combustible material, combustion of the fuel material takes place as the latter progresses from the inlet to the outlet.

Abstract: A hockey game for use with a ball or disk including a planar deck, a pair of perimeter side walls along respective opposed long side edges of the deck, and a pair of perimeter end walls along respective opposed short end edges of the deck. Each end wall has a goal opening therein extending down to the deck surface. A plurality of substantially parallel spaced apart blocking walls extend across the deck from one perimeter side wall to the other. Each blocking wall has openings therein extending down to the deck surface and being sufficiently high and wide to permit passage therethrough of the ball or disk. Selected openings are aligned along substantially parallel lines of sight from one perimeter end wall to the other with the width of the openings in the blocking walls gradually decreasing from the center of the deck towards either perimeter end wall.

Abstract: An improved marine drilling barge for use in ice-covered water is disclosed. The barge has, besides a conventional moon pool through which conventional marine drilling operations can proceed, a roughly circular polygonal hull plan, with an elevation of two truncated pyramid sections joined through their theoretical apices by a vertical walled matching polygonal section. The flat bottom of the hull, to or through which mooring lines are attached to anchor the barge, has an exterior guard member fastened thereto and surrounding the points at which the mooring lines attach or come closest to the hull. The barge is ballasted to achieve downward breaking action by the hull on the ice cover as the latter encroaches on the barge. The proportions of the hull combine with those of the guard member to ensure that the ice broken from the ice cover is deflected to avoid fouling the mooring lines while the maximum draft of the barge is no greater than 20 meters.

Abstract: Vanadium values are recovered from cokes and ashes derived from heavy oils by a novel process comprising heating in the presence of alkali metal sulphate, contacting the resulting solid residue with water and recovering the vanadium values dissolved therein.

Abstract: An electrode operating device for tapping an electric furnace provides remotely controllable motion of an electrode enabling the electrode to melt a fusible plug in the tap-hole of the furnace of an appropriate diameter to permit draining of material contained in the furnace.

Abstract: An integrated upgrading process is disclosed which can be used to lower the specific gravity, viscosity and boiling range of heavy, viscous hydrocarbonaceous oil by means of fractionally distilling the oil, treating its residuum with a hydrogen donor material under hydrocracking conditions, fractionally distilling the effluent from the hydrocracking zone and rehydrogenating that portion boiling from about 180.degree. C. to 350.degree. C. for recycling to the hydrocracking zone. The liquid portion of the oil not recycled can be recombined into a reconstituted crude suitable for transporting by normal crude pipelines.

Abstract: Deposit of solids on the walls of tubular continuous flow reactors is avoided by a process and apparatus in which an oscillating motion is superimposed on the linear flow of reactants in order to maintain turbulent flow throughout.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for removing and recovering from gas streams the sulfur values of dilute concentrations of sulfur vapor, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide which are not recoverable by previously known methods. The gas streams are scrubbed with aqueous suspensions of solid catalytic material which precludes formation of collodial sulfur in the aqueous suspension and collects the sulfur values as solid sulfur deposit, which is recovered during restoration of catalytic activity of the solid catalytic material.

Abstract: Mixed hydrocarbons of predominantly four carbon atoms each are subjected to etherification with methanol, to make ether from the tertiary olefin in the mixture; the unreacted hydrocarbons, after separation from the ether by distillation, are contaminated with methanol which is removed by absorption or extraction with a glycol before the hydrocarbons are subjected to further processing in which the methanol is detrimental.

Abstract: In the processing of olefinic hydrocarbon mixtures containing isobutylene and isoamylene which are etherified with methanol to obtain higher octane components, unreacted methanol is removed from the etherified mixture by contact with a separate liquid glycol phase before unreacted hydrocarbons, substantially free of methanol, are distilled from the etherified mixture for further catalytic processing in which methanol is deleterious to the catalyst.

Abstract: A process for preparing, from tertiary olefin containing hydrocarbon fractions, a hydrocarbon fraction containing tertiaryamyl methyl ether, the process achieving high conversion of 2-methyl butenes to the ether by etherification with methanol after adequate separation of the 2-methyl butenes from other tertiary olefins, the improved conversion being achieved by separating unreacted 2-methyl butenes from etherified material and recycling them for further reaction.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for continuous preparation of a blend of liquid sulfur in fluid asphalt in specified proportions to provide a dispersion of fine sulfur droplets in the asphalt, particularly suitable for coating onto aggregate to form "hot mix" for asphalt concrete of improved strength.

Abstract: The disclosure describes built-up roofing having improved resistance to spreading of fire, fabricated from two or more layers of felt impregnated with asphalt based saturant with asphalt based coating spread on top of each felt layer; the saturant asphalt or coating asphalt or both are blends of 90 - 45% asphalt with 10 - 55% sulfur. The roofing is built-up in the conventional manner by "mopping" fluid asphalt based coating onto felt layers impregnated with asphalt based impregnant. A protective layer of inert mineral aggregate (e.g. gravel) optionally covers the top coating.

Abstract: The disclosure describes asphalt saturated felt building materials, optionally having a mineral filled asphalt base coating thereon, in which the asphalt saturating the felt and/or the asphalt in any mineral filled coating is a blend of 10-55% sulfur dispersed in the asphalt. The materials are used in the conventional manner as roofing felt, roofing shingles, and in built-up roofing, to obtain improved fire resistance.

Abstract: Diisopropyl ether is prepared from isopropanol in liquid phase in contact with particular Montmorillonite clay catalysts, optionally in the presence of added propylene. The process is operated in a continuous manner by continuously feeding liquid isopropanol, optionally with added propylene, into a reaction space where the feed contacts the catalyst at 120.degree. to 250.degree. C for an average contact time of 1 to 120 minutes. Pressure is maintained in the reactor to keep a liquid phase in contact with the solid catalyst. Effluent withdrawn continuously from the reaction space at the feed rate is separated by fractionation to recover diisopropyl ether.

Abstract: A process having a particular sequence of steps, each under specified conditions, for preparing a petroleum pitch binder suitable for electrodes used in smelting aluminum is disclosed. In the essential steps of the invention a decant oil petroleum fraction is heat treated under pressure, the treated material is flashed to a lower pressure, and finally the material is oxy-activated under elevated temperature conditions to form a petroleum pitch having the desired properties.

Abstract: A process having a specified sequence of steps for preparing a petroleum pitch binder suitable for electrodes used in smelting aluminum is disclosed, in which a decant oil petroleum fraction is oxy-activated under specified conditions of temperature, pressure, and time, then heat treated under other specified conditions, and finally distilled under specified conditions to form a petroleum pitch having desired properties.