Abstract: A method for producing microcomposite powders for use in superconducting and non-superconducting applications.

Abstract: A rock breaker uses shotgun cartridges or other firearm ammunition as the explosive charge at the bottom of a drilled borehole. The breaker includes a heavy steel rod or bar, a gun with a firing chamber for the ammunition which screws onto the rod, a long firing pin running through a central passage in the rod, and a firing trigger mechanism at the external end of the bar which strikes the firing pin to fire the cartridge within the borehole. A tubular sleeve surround the main body of the rod and includes slits the end to allow it to expand. The rod has a conical taper at the internal end against which the end of the sleeve expands when the sleeve is forced along the rod toward the taper by a nut threaded onto the external end of the rod. As the sleeve end expands, it pushes against the borehole and holds the explosive gasses within, and also prevents the breaker from flying out of the borehole.

Abstract: The seal is a lightweight, inflatable, bag which may be inflated by a portable air generator and is used to seal a burning mine passage. A collapsible tube-like aperture extends through the seal and allows passage of high expansion foam through the seal in a feed tube. The foam fills the passageway and extinguishes the fire. In other embodiments, the feed tubes incorporate means to prevent collapse of the aperture. In these embodiments a shroud connects the feed tube to a foam generator. This seal allows creation of a high expansion foam fire fighting barrier even in upward sloping passages.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for the separation of components of a slurry by froth flotation are provided. The apparatus includes a flotation column having a slurry feed for introducing slurry into the flotation column, a bubble generator for generating bubbles of gas at the bottom of the flotation column and a froth overflow at the top of the flotation column for collecting and discharging a froth fraction of the slurry. The central portion of the flotation column includes a plurality of vertically-spaced tail ports disposed alternately on opposite sides of the flotation column for discharging a non-float fraction of the slurry. In addition, a single, fluid-impermeable baffle having at least two edges is associated with each tail port. The baffles are of sufficient size to block the vertical flow in at least 50% of the horizontal cross-sectional area of the flotation column to thereby create a quiescent flow zone in the area of each tail port, wherefrom the non-flotable fraction of the slurry is removed.

Abstract: A capacitor discharge process for welding a braided cable formed from a plurality of individual cable strands to a solid metallic electrically conductive member comprises the steps of: (a) preparing the electrically conductive member for welding by bevelling one of its end portions while leaving an ignition projection extending outwardly from the apex of the bevel; (b) clamping the electrically conductive member in a cathode fixture; (c) connecting the electrically conductive member clamped in the cathode fixture to a capacitor bank capable of being charged to a preselected voltage value; (d) preparing the braided cable for welding by wrapping one of its end portions with a metallic sheet to form a retaining ring operable to maintain the individual strands of the braided cable in fixed position within the retaining ring; (e) clamping the braided cable and the retaining ring as a unit in an anode fixture so that the wrapped end portion of the braided cable faces the ignition projection of the electrically cond

Abstract: A process for recovering metals from an aqueous metal-ion bearing solution includes the steps of:(a) forming an affinity chromatography matrix by providing a metal bearing protein bound to an insoluble support material to form an immobilized metalloprotein material;(b) introducing into the affinity chromatography matrix a quantity of aqueous metal-containing solution having a pH, redox potential or other property properly adjusted to cause ions of a selected metal entrained within the solution to bind to the immobilized metalloprotein material;(c) washing the matrix with a first buffer which does not elute the metal ions of interest but does remove other species of metal entrained in the solution; and(d) applying a second buffer or solution of appropriate pH, redox potential or other property to the affinity chromatography matrix to elute the metal ions of interest from the immobilized metalloprotein material.

Abstract: A process for treating an AB.sub.5 Ni--MH battery to recover purified positive and negative electrode components of the battery is disclosed. An AB.sub.5 Ni--MH battery is placed in a mineral acid leach solution to cause the positive and negative electrode components of the battery to separate. The positive and negative electrode components are maintained in the leach solution until the negative electrode component breaks down into its dissolved rare earth metal constituents and metallic solids. The metallic solids remaining from the negative electrode component and the positive electrode components are separated from the mineral acid leach solution and subjected to an elutriation process and thereafter to ball milling to obtain Ni rich powder and Fe. The mineral acid leach solution containing the completely dissolved rare earth metals is subjected to a phosphate precipitation process to recover La and Ce in precipitate, and then subjected to a second precipitation process to recover Ni, Co, Mn and Al.

Abstract: The invention relates to a water spray ventilator system mounted on a continuous mining machine to streamline airflow and provide effective face ventilation of both respirable dust and methane in underground coal mines. This system has two side spray nozzles mounted one on each side of the mining machine and six spray nozzles disposed on a manifold mounted to the underside of the machine boom. The six spray nozzles are angularly and laterally oriented on the manifold so as to provide non-overlapping spray patterns along the length of the cutter drum.

Abstract: An indicator device indicates that the temperature in a location in which the device is placed has exceeded a predetermined maximum temperature value. The he device includes a liquid receptacle comprising frangible bulb portion and an integral capillary portion and an absorbent card to which said receptacle is secured. The bulb portion contains a first liquid and the capillary portion contains a second liquid which is insoluble in said first liquid. The second liquid has a freezing point higher then that of the first liquid and close to but greater than the predetermined temperature value so that when the device is placed in a location which has temperature lower than the predetermined value and in which the predetermined value is to be maintained, the second liquid freezes in the capillary tube and prevents the first liquid from expanding.

Abstract: A borehole probe containing one or more inflatable packers, usually, although not necessarily, in connection with geophysical sensors, is hung from a geophysical logging cable. The packers are inflated or deflated with liquid at ambient borehole pressure, advantageously, the liquid resident in the borehole, using a submersible, reversible electric pump which is part of the borehole packer assembly. The electric pump is powered and controlled from the surface through the interconnecting logging cable. A differential pressure actuated valve located between the pump and packer controls the flow of pumped fluid into and out of the packers. The packers may be used to control the movement of borehole fluid at any desired depth within a borehole, constrained only by the length of the interconnecting logging cable.

Abstract: A device and method for removing, concentrating and analyzing airborne organic compounds. The device includes a nonporous membrane which contains a collection media. The liquid collection media typically includes a component which has a molecular weight that is too large to pass through transport corridors in the nonporous membrane and a component which has a molecular weight which is sufficiently small enough to pass through the transport corridors in the nonporous membrane and thereby forming a thin film on the exterior surface of the device. The collection media can consist of only components too large to pass through the membrane transport corridors. Organic contaminants are trapped in the thin film on the exterior surface of the device or the membrane and transported by concentration gradient diffusion forces into the bulk of the collection media within the nonporous membrane.

Abstract: A process for removing copper in a recoverable form from a copper/solid ferrous scrap metal mix is disclosed. The process begins by placing a copper/solid ferrous scrap metal mix into a reactor vessel. The atmosphere within the reactor vessel is purged with an inert gas or oxidizing while the reactor vessel is heated in the area of the copper/solid ferrous scrap metal mix to raise the temperature within the reactor vessel to a selected elevated temperature. Air is introduced into the reactor vessel and thereafter hydrogen chloride is introduced into the reactor vessel to obtain a desired air-hydrogen chloride mix. The air-hydrogen chloride mix is operable to form an oxidizing and chloridizing atmosphere which provides a protective oxide coating on the surface of the solid ferrous scrap metal in the mix and simultaneously oxidizes/chloridizes the copper in the mix to convert the copper to a copper monochloride gas for transport away from the solid ferrous scrap metal.

Abstract: A method for directional hydraulic fracturing using borehole seals to confine pressurized fluid in planar permeable regions, comprising: placing a sealant in the hole of a structure selected from geologic or cemented formations to fill the space between a permeable planar component and the geologic or cemented formation in the vicinity of the permeable planar component; making a hydraulic connection between the permeable planar component and a pump; permitting the sealant to cure and thereby provide both mechanical and hydraulic confinement to the permeable planar component; and pumping a fluid from the pump into the permeable planar component to internally pressurize the permeable planar component to initiate a fracture in the formation, the fracture being disposed in the same orientation as the permeable planar component.

Abstract: A cryogenic slurry comprising a mixture of solid carbon dioxide particles suspended in liquid nitrogen is provided which is useful in extinguishing underground fires.

Abstract: An improved emulsion explosive composition including hollow microspheres/bulking agents having high density and high strength. The hollow microspheres/bulking agents have true particle densities of about 0.2 grams per cubic centimeter or greater and include glass, siliceous, ceramic and synthetic resin microspheres, expanded minerals, and mixtures thereof. The preferred weight percentage of hollow microspheres/bulking agents in the composition ranges from 3.0 to 10.0 A chlorinated paraffin oil, also present in the improved emulsion explosive composition, imparts a higher film strength to the oil phase in the emulsion. The emulsion is rendered nonincendive by the production of sodium chloride in situ via the decomposition of sodium nitrate, a chlorinated paraffin oil, and sodium perchlorate. The air-gap sensitivity is improved by the in situ formation of monomethylamine perchlorate from dissolved monomethylamine nitrate and sodium perchlorate.

Abstract: A corrosion resistant electrically conductive coating on steel anode studs used in the production of aluminum by electrolysis.

Abstract: A double acting bit holder that permits bits held in it to be resharpened during cutting action to increase energy efficiency by reducing the amount of small chips produced.

Abstract: A chemical process for selectively removing organometallic compounds from water supplies. The process utilizes a combination of a transition metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper, iron and zinc, and an electropositive metal selected from the group consisting of magnesium and aluminum to effectively remove organometallic compounds from water whether present in ionic or non-ionic form.

Abstract: A method for removing uranium from uranium contaminated water involves adding uranium reducing microorganisms and an electron donor to uranium contaminated water to reduce U(VI) in the uranium contaminated water to U(IV) which in turn forms a UO.sub.2 precipitate The UO.sub.2 precipitate is then separated from the contaminated water.

Abstract: A method of producing lithium of high purity from lithium aluminum alloys using an engineered scavenger compound, comprising:I) preparing an engineered scavenger compound by: a) mixing and heating compounds of TiO2 and Li2CO3 at a temperature sufficient to dry the compounds and convert Li.sub.2 CO.sub.3 to Li.sub.2 O; and b) mixing and heating the compounds at a temperature sufficient to produce a scavenger Li.sub.2 O.3TiO.sub.