Abstract: A burner is provided with a burner block having a recess formed in the back thereof for receiving a fuel atomiser and a plurality of oxygen inlets for creating a converging cone of oxygen for intersection with any fuel issuing from the atomiser. Such an arrangement also provides a protective wall for protecting the atomiser from the harsh environment to which the burner is exposed and simplifies the oxygen supply arrangements.

Abstract: Air is separated in an arrangement of rectification columns comprising a double rectification column having a higher pressure column and a lower pressure rectification column, an intermediate pressure rectification column, and a side rectification column communicating with the lower pressure column. The side rectification column is provided with a condenser and the intermediate pressure rectification column with a reboiler and a further condenser. A stream of oxygen-enriched liquid is withdrawn from the bottom of the higher pressure column through an outlet and is separated in the intermediate pressure rectification column. The reboiler is heated by a stream typically withdrawn from the side rectification column through an outlet thereof. The condensers of the side rectification column and the intermediate column are cooled by streams having different oxygen mole fractions.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating a gas-liquid mixture into component parts having a coalescing filter mounted on a rotatable shaft. The gas-liquid mixture is directed to the coalescing filter in a generally radial inward direction relative to the shaft and the retained liquid is spun in a generally radial outward direction from the filter by centrifugal force associated with the rotation of the shaft and thereby the coalescing filter.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating air in which a compressed and purified air stream is cooled in a main heat exchanger. Thereafter, the compressed and purified air is separated in a distillation column system to produce product streams. The product streams warm within the main heat exchanger by indirectly exchanging heat with the compressed and purified air stream. One or more of the product streams is distributed to a plurality of vortex tubes at successively warmer temperatures so that warm and cold streams produced thereby become successively warmer and one or more of the warm streams has a temperature warmer than that of said compressed and purified air stream upon its introduction into said main heat exchanger. All but the warm stream(s) having the warmer temperature are recycled back to said main heat exchanger to participate in the indirect heat exchange and heat is rejected by discharging said warm stream(s) so that heat is rejected at the warmer temperature and refrigeration is produced.

Abstract: A rod-fed electron beam evaporation system having a rod-fed electron beam evaporation source for evaporating an ingot. The ingot is of rod-like configuration and has a peg-like element to self-engage a socket of a replacement ingot so that both ingot and replacement ingot are brought into alignment.

Abstract: Air is separated in an arrangement of rectification columns comprising a double rectification column (which has a higher pressure column and a lower pressure column), an intermediate pressure rectification column and a side rectification column communicating with the lower pressure column. The side rectification column is provided with a condenser and the intermediate pressure rectification column with a reboiler and a condenser. A stream of oxygen-enriched liquid and a stream of liquid air are withdrawn from the higher pressure column through outlets and are separated in the intermediate pressure rectification column. The reboiler is heated by a stream typically withdrawn from the side rectification column through an outlet. A stream of liquid is withdrawn through an outlet at the bottom of the intermediate pressure rectification column is used to cool the condenser and is separated in the lower pressure rectification column.

Abstract: A vacuum pump of the regenerative type comprising a rotor and a stator body in which the rotor is adapted for rotation. The rotor has a series of blades positioned in an annular array on a side of the rotor. The stator has an annular channel within which the blades can rotate having a cross-sectional area greater than that of the individual blades except for a small part of the channel which has a reduced cross-section providing a close clearance for the blades. Further, the rotor has at least two series of blades positioned in concentric annular arrays on a side of the rotor and the stator has a corresponding number of channels within which the blades of the arrays can rotate. The channels are linked to form a continuous passageway through which gas being evacuated by the pump can pass.

Abstract: A mechanical vacuum pump having mounted in each of at least three pumping chambers a pair of intermeshing rotors. A first rotor of each pair being mounted for rotation on a first shaft passing through the chambers and a second rotor of each pair being mounted for rotation on a second shaft passing through the chambers. The first and second shafts are driven in contra-rotating directions to effect a sequential pumping action by the pairs of rotors in each chamber in respect of gas being pumped between a pump inlet and a pump outlet. The pump possesses at least one chamber with claw-type profile rotors and one ore more chambers with roots-type profile rotors. The chamber nearest the pump outlet has a rotor with a roots-type profile.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for purifying boron trichloride by removal of phosgene. In accordance with the invention, phosgene is photolytically decomposed into carbon monoxide and chlorine and liquid vapor phase in equilibrium with one another and in solution with the boron trichloride. This equilibrium is disturbed preferably by sparging a vapor stream that rises through the boron trichloride and is composed of the substance, such as nitrogen, to disturb the equilibrium and thereby cause the carbon monoxide and chlorine to be carried out of solution and collect in the overhead space. The decomposition product of chlorine and carbon monoxide can then be removed from the vapor space so that the carbon monoxide and chlorine does not recombine and contaminate the boron trichloride with phosgene.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for leak testing an article in which an evacuable test chamber and a mass spectrometer leak detector are provided. The conduit links the test chamber and the mass spectrometer. A first valve is provided nearer the test chamber and a second valve is provided nearer the leak detector for controlling the flow through the conduit and for defining between the valves the trapped volume that is associated with the conduit. The trapped volume is evacuated with the first valve closed and the second valve opened. The pressure differential between the first point situated intermediate the first valve and the test chamber is measured and a second point situated intermediate the second valve and the leak detector is measured. The pressure differential between the first and second points is measured and a pressure differential reference point is determined. The second valve is closed to form the trapped volume and the first valve is opened to communicate the trapped volume and the evacuation chamber.

Abstract: Air is separated in an arrangement of rectification columns comprising a double rectification column (which has a higher pressure column and a lower pressure column), an intermediate pressure rectification column, and a side rectification column communicating with the lower pressure column. The side rectification column is provided with a condenser, and the intermediate pressure rectification column with a reboiler and a further condenser. A stream of oxygen-enriched liquid is withdrawn from the bottom of the higher pressure column through an outlet and is separated in the intermediate pressure rectification column. The reboiler is heated by a stream typically withdrawn from the side rectification column through an outlet. A stream of liquid is withdrawn from the bottom of the intermediate pressure rectification column, is employed to cool the further condenser of the intermediate pressure rectification column, and is partially vaporised therein.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for spraying a cryogen in which a heat load is sprayed with a cryogen from one or more spray nozzles within a spray zone. A heat conductive element is positioned below the article and is provided with a surface sized to catch the liquid content of the cryogen that has been oversprayed, thereby to vaporize the overspray through direct heat transfer with the conductive element. In another aspect the present invention provides an apparatus and method in which a flow network a flow of a liquid cryogen is divided into first and second subsidiary streams. The second subsidiary stream is vaporized within a branch of the network and then mixed back into the first subsidiary stream to produce a two phase flow of the cryogen. The cryogen is then sprayed as the two phase flow. The flow rate of the second subsidiary stream can be controlled with a proportional valve to adjust the quality of the cryogen being sprayed so that pooling of overspray on said heat conductive element is inhibited.

Abstract: A fractionation column has a first vapor inlet to a bottom mass exchange region of the column communicating with a source of vapor mixture to be separated and a second vapor inlet to an intermediate mass exchange region of the column. A valve means is operable to place the second inlet selectively in communication with the source of vapor mixture to be separated. The fractionation column may form part of an air separation apparatus.

Abstract: An air separation method and apparatus in which a flow of air is subjected to a first rectification so as to separate therefrom an oxygen fraction and a nitrogen fraction. An argon-containing stream comprising argon, oxygen, and, as an impurity, nitrogen is withdrawn from the first rectification and is subjected to a second rectification so as to separate an impure argon fraction containing nitrogen. Nitrogen impurity is stripped from a stream of the argon fraction in a stripping column. A stream of sub-cooled liquid cools a condenser associated with an upper region of the stripping column by indirect heat exchange with condensing argon-nitrogen vapor mixture, and passes out of said indirect heat exchange still in sub-cooled state.

Abstract: A display having first and second substrates positioned in a juxtaposed relationship to one another. The first and second substrates have a spherical configuration including conforming inner concave and convex surfaces of the first and second substrates, respectfully, and an outer concave surface of the second substrates. Electrically activated display elements are formed on the conforming inner concave and convex surfaces of the first and second substrates so that images produced by the display elements can be viewed from the concave surface of the second substrate. The first and second substrates are connected to one another with a peripheral vacuum seal sealing the display elements between the first and second substrates. The concave viewing surface eliminates the effects of glare.

Abstract: Air is compressed in an arrangement of compressors. A first flow of the thus compressed air flows through a main heat exchanger from its warm end to its cold end and is liquefied by passage through a valve. Two second stream of compressed air are taken. One is expanded in one expansion turbine and the other in another expansion turbine. The streams leaving the valve and the one expansion turbine are separated in a double rectification column. Liquid oxygen product is extracted from outlet thereof. Part is taken as liquid product and the rest is vaporized by passage through the heat exchanger from its cold end to its warm end and taken as gaseous oxygen product. The ratio of liquid oxygen product to total oxygen product is capable of being varied. Accordingly a chosen but variable proportion of the two second air streams flows to the double rectification column and a chosen but variable proportion of the two second air streams is returned to the arrangement of compressors to an intermediate compressor.

Abstract: An apparatus and method involving the use of a multi-column system in which higher and lower pressure columns are operatively associated with one another by a condenser-reboiler. A pump is provided for pumping a stream of sump liquid of the lower pressure column to produce a pressurized product. The condenser-reboiler is a falling film type of heat exchanger in which liquid is vaporized to produce boilup in the lower pressure column against vaporizing tower overhead in the higher pressure column to reflux both of the columns. Liquid is recirculated back to the condenser-reboiler by an ejector that uses part of a pumped stream as the motive fluid to draw liquid for recirculation. In such manner, less energy is consumed in the recirculation than had all of the recirculated liquid been pumped. Furthermore, an ejector, unlike a second pump used for recirculation purposes, is a solid state device with no moving parts.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for recovering one or more components from the vapor feed in which the component is recovered from the vapor feed at a lower pressure within a lower pressure cold trap. Thereafter, a higher pressure cold trap is connected to the lower pressure cold trap and the component revaporizes in the lower pressure cold trap and resolidifies in the higher pressure cold trap. The higher pressure cold trap is then isolated and the component is allowed to thaw to build up a vapor pressure such that the component can be delivered for recovery at a high pressure. Two or more components having higher and lower boiling points can be recovered by low pressure cold traps set in series. Low pressure cold traps can be provided to operate in an out of phase relationship so that components are frozen on one set of lower pressure cold traps while being vaporized from the other set of cold traps.

Abstract: A furnace, for instance a reflow soldering oven, in which oxygen concentration is either directly or inferentially sensed within central processing and either one or both of the inlet and outlet sections of the furnace. Signals generated by these sensors are processed in a PID controller to generate a control signal to control the flow rate of inerting gas into the central processing section, thereby to at least inhibit ingress of air into the central processing section. The PID controller is programmed such that its integral error term is set equal to a time average of the oxygen concentrations of the central processing section less an oxygen concentration set point desired for the central processing section. The proportional and differential error terms are set equal to a time average of the concentrations of the central processing section and one or both of the inlet and outlet sections of the furnace less the oxygen concentration set point.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making gaseous oxygen at a delivery pressure in a single column oxygen generator. In accordance with the method and apparatus, a column bottoms stream composed of the product is pumped to the delivery pressure and then vaporized. A liquid coolant stream used in condensing reflux is recompressed by a recycle compressor and then recycled back into the bottom of the column. Such recycled stream has a higher nitrogen content than the column bottoms. Part of the nitrogen tower overhead, not used in forming the reflux, is turbo-expanded by a turbo-expander coupled to the recycle compressor.