Abstract: The invention involves visbreaking heavy oil under mild conditions in a vertical vessel containing a vertical elongate ring spaced inwardly from the vessel wall to form an outer open-ended annular chamber and an inner open-ended soak chamber. Heavy oil at 220.degree.-600.degree. F. is fed to top of annular chamber. A mixture of visbroken residuum and heavy oil at 730.degree.-800.degree. F. is fed to top of soak chamber. There is heat transfer through the ring from the soak liquid to the annulus liquid to assist in maintaining mild temperature in the soak chamber. The two streams mix in the base of the vessel whereby the visbreaking reaction is quenched. Part of the product is recycled and heated to provide the feed to the soak chamber.

Abstract: A foam is provided for use in a subterranean oil-bearing formation for reducing and controlling the mobility of a gaseous drive fluid. The foam is generated using an inert gas and a fluorocarbon surfactant solution in admixture with an amphoteric or anionic hydrocarbon surfactant solution. A relatively small amount of the fluorocarbon surfactant is operative, when mixed with the hydrocarbon surfactant and foamed, to generate a foam that has better stability when in contact with oil than a foam made with hydrocarbon surfactant alone.

Abstract: The device includes a flat rigid rectangular frame forming a pair of opposed parallel sleeves. Four traction elements, each having shank and U-shaped hook portions, are provided for telescoping movement of the shanks within the sleeves, to thereby position the hooks transversely across the tread of the tire. A cable and traveling block/threaded shaft arrangement is provided to simultaneously contract all four traction elements at substantially the same rate into gripping engagement with the tire treads. Crossbars, extending chordally on the inboard side of the tire connect the inner ends of the hooks and secure the device onto the tire. The shanks can rotate within the sleeves so that rotation of the tire can twist the hooks into a slanted condition whereby they more tightly grip the tire.

Abstract: A gravity closed swing check valve is provided in which the downstream surface of the solid clapper is semi-spherical and convex. The body of the valve forms a concave semi-spherical cavity. The radii of the clapper and cavity surfaces is the same. The clapper is positioned so that its downstream surface bears evenly across the surface of the body cavity, when the clapper is in the fully open position. Thus the cavity surface of the body acts as a stop for the clapper and the area of stop surface is relatively large. Impact damage is reduced as a result.

Abstract: A flame arrester for a pipe line is provided comprising a detonation attenuator mounted within the arrester chamber between the quenching element and the backflash flame inlet. The attenuator is generally cup-shaped, aligned with the inlet, of greater diameter than the inlet but of lesser diameter than the arrester chamber, and is positioned close to the inlet so as to circumscribe it. The major portion of the high pressure central portion of a detonation wave generated by a backflash is received by the cup and reflected back into the pipe. Some of the detonation wave passes around the cup and impinges on the arrester element--however it has been delayed sufficiently to ensure complete quenching of the flame front in the element.

Abstract: A transient flow capillary viscometer is provided for establishing a measure of the viscosity of a highly viscous test fluid. More particularly, a capillary tube filled with the test fluid is provided. The viscometer relies upon inducing a step change in the differential pressure across the ends of the capillary tube, which causes the fluid to flow therein. The resultant decrease in pressure drop as a function of time, i.e. the half-life of pressure decay, is monitored and provides an approximate measure indicative of the viscosity of the fluid.

Abstract: A process is provided for heat treating an annular martensitic heat-affected zone. The heat-affected zone is commonly created in the outer segment of a pipeline wall as a result of applying a circumferential fillet weld to the pipe. The embrittled zone creates a weakness in the pipe wall and it is therefore desirable to heat treat it. The heat-treating process is carried out in connection with a situation where the pipeline has an open end located close to the weld and a plug has been inserted in the bore of the line to isolate the main part of the line from the pipe end having the weld. An expandable and contractable insulating ring is inserted into the pipe bore. The ring is associated with a closure member which blanks and seals the open end of the pipe. The isolating plug is removed and the ring is positioned beneath the weld and expanded to abut the pipe wall. A final circumferential weld or bead is then applied to the existing weld, which causes heating of the martensitic zone.

Abstract: A method is provided for directly measuring the contact pressure on the mating interfaces of two solids undergoing compression where the interfacial region contains an entrapped film of liquid. An acoustic pulse is directed at either interface. A reference amplitude of the acoustic pulse reflected from the interface is measured as it bears initial contact pressure. A second "loaded" amplitude of the acoustic pulse reflected from the interface is measured when the interface is bearing a different contact pressure. A measure indicative of the change in contact pressure is computed from the ratio of the reference and loaded amplitude measurements by correlation with a calibration curve.

Abstract: A system is provided for controlling the feed rate of material being loaded onto a conveyor train of variable configuration to prevent overloading. The system involves monitoring the power drawn by the various drive motors of the train to establish which is the limiting conveyor under prevailing operating conditions. The instantaneous weight of feed material loaded onto the conveyor train, at its input end, is continuously measured and the current average feed rate is computed from the instantaneous weights measured over a pre-set time interval. A rolling average of the total load to be carried by the limiting conveyor downstream is computed from the average feed rate, taking into account the length of the limiting conveyor. The feed rate is then adjusted in response to the computed rolling average to thereby avoid overloading the limiting conveyor and optimize loading of the conveyor train.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for hardening the interior surface of a long, thin-walled, small inside diameter, tubular member, such as a tube which would be used to form a downhole pump barrel. More particularly, it relates to a process involving progressive heating with an internally positioned, electro-magnetic induction coil, followed by immediate quenching with a quench ring assembly, to develop a martensitic case on the inner surface of the tube. The invention further extends to the apparatus utilized in conducting the process, and to the product tube itself.

Abstract: As a preliminary step, the dirty filter is dried to remove substantially all moisture from the dust on the filter. The filter is then spun in a closed cabinet. Simultaneously, a jet of pressurized air is reciprocated in close proximity along the inner surface of the filter. Also at the same time, suction is maintained on the cabinet, to remove dust-laden air and assist in the dislodging of the dust from the filter paper. By the combined actions of spinning, close-coupled reverse air jetting, and suction, the dust can substantially all be removed from the dirty filter.

Abstract: The device is operative to discharge the triangular ridge of grain, which remains in the bottom of a cylindrical storage bin after the bulk of the bin contents has been discharged by gravity through a central outlet in the bin floor. The device comprises a vertical, rotatable, driven shaft mounted to extend upwardly from the outlet. A free-floating sweep arm is pivotally attached at its inner end to the base of the shaft, so that said arm can rise or fall in a vertical plane. The sweep arm extends outwardly to the wall of the bin. A plurality of parallel, spaced apart, sationary fins protrude downwardly from the undersurface of the sweep arm. The fins are arranged at a trailing angle of about 45.degree., relative to the longitudinal axis of the sweep arm. The forward end of each fin is located on a radius which is equal to or larger than the radius on which the rear end of the next outer fin is located. Thus grain moved inwardly by the outer fin is contacted by the inner fin.

Abstract: A process is provided for separating ammonia from an ammonia synthesis purge gas stream containing ammonia, hydrogen, and contaminant gases. The process involves introducing the gas stream into a permeator equipped with a polysulphone amide gas separation membrane, to selectively permeate ammonia therethrough. The gas stream is at a temperature less than about 0.degree. C. upon introduction to the permeation step. The polysulphone amide membrane surprisingly exhibits high permeability to ammonia permeation (relative to hydrogen) at low temperature. The ammonia is thus first separated by low temperature permeation and the hydrogen may then be recovered from the residue gas using a conventional membrane that exhibits high permeability to hydrogen. The two-step permeation process recovers ammonia and hydrogen in two separate streams and permits the use of a second stage membrane that would be deleteriously affected by ammonia in the hydrogen recovery step.

Abstract: An improvement is provided to the known hot water process for extracting bitumen from mined oil sand. More particularly, a methodology is provided for the production of microbubbles of air, and it has been found that the so-produced microbubbles can be used in the primary flotation/settling step of the hot water process to yield increased bitumen recovery. More particularly, a steam stream and an air stream in admixture are injected via a submerged nozzle into a flowing aqueous stream. A plurality of finely dispersed microbubbles are formed. These microbubbles have a diameter less than about 100 microns. The stream of microbubbles is injected into the diluted aqueous tar sand slurry formed in the hot water process. The injection is practiced following the conditioning step and prior to the introduction of the slurry into the flotation/settling step.

Abstract: A longitudinally split cylindrical sleeve, consisting of two half shells, is applied to an internally pressurized pipe, to reinforce a section of the pipe wall weakened by an internal or external defect. One pair of adjacent shell ends are first welded together along their length with the shells in place on the pipe in a relaxed condition. The other pair of adjacent shell ends are equipped with longitudinally extending, outwardly projecting, attached shoulder lugs. A clamp assembly is applied to the shoulder lugs to draw them together and tension the sleeve about the pipe. The clamping force applied to the shoulder lugs is monitored and terminated when the applied stress in the sleeve is approximately equal to the stress exerted on the pipe wall by the internal fluid pressure. The free ends of the shells are then welded together longitudinally while in the tensioned condition. The sleeve/pipe combination forms, in effect, a thick-walled cylinder.

Abstract: A device is provided for forming a plastic weld, to repair a crack in a plastic article or join two plastic parts. The device comprises a barrel having an internal chamber. A nozzle is part of the barrel and forms a restrictive orifice outlet. Plastic filler rod can be forced by drive rolls into the chamber through an inlet. A heater coil is provided to heat the barrel. In use, the drive rolls are actuated to fill the chamber with filler plastic and generate a high pressure (e.g. 2500 psi). Concurrently, the heater coil heats the plastic in the chamber to a molten state. The molten plastic is forcefully ejected through the orifice outlet. To effect the weld, the hot tip of the nozzle is buried in the workpiece and drawn along the crack; it plasticizes the weld area plastic as it moves along. At the same time, the molten filler plastic is jetted into the molten weld area plastic and forcefully intermixed therewith to generate a competent bead.

Abstract: A double-acting hydraulic cylinder is pivotally mounted between the head and tail assemblies of a wind turbine, to act as a damper. The cylinder is connected with a hydraulic fluid reservoir container. Means, such as restrictive orifices, are provided to control the rates of flow in the fluid lines between the cylinder and the reservoir, so that the rate of pivoting of the head assembly when furling is relatively fast and relatively slow when unfurling.

Abstract: A platen assembly is provided having a working surface which can be mechanically converted between planar and corrugated configurations. A mat of wood wafers coated with thermosetting resin binder is deposited between upper and lower, spaced apart platen assemblies of this type. The platen assemblies, in the planar configuration, are then pressed together to a limited extent to pre-compress the mat to fix the wafers. Horizontal force is then applied to the platen assemblies to convert them to the corrugated configuration, with the pre-compressed mat retained therebetween. The mat is therefore forced to adopt a corrugated form. The platen assemblies are then further pressed together and heated, to cure the resin and produce a corrugated wafer board panel.

Abstract: A basket is removably inserted in the upper end of each drain tube in those interbed assemblies of a catalytic tower whose catalyst beds are to be removed upwardly by vacuuming. The basket has a grid for a bottom wall, so that catalyst particles thereabove are retained but fluid being treated in the tower can easily pass therethrough. The provision of the baskets makes it possible to downwardly drain spent catalyst from the lower bed sections while simultaneously vacuuming it upwardly from the upper bed sections.

Abstract: An improvement is provided in a known process for welding liquid-filled aligned end sections of pipe. The known process involves positioning a sleeve over the junction between the pipe ends and fillet welding the two ends of the sleeve to the pipe ends. The improvement comprises providing an insulative ring within each pipe end directly beneath the line along which the sleeve's fillet weld is to be applied. The ring is composite in nature, being formed of a heat-insulating liquid-disintegratable material coated with a second material which is liquid-impermeable but slowly dissolvable in the pipe line liquid contents. The ring is operative to reduce the rate of heat transfer, from the weld area to the pipe line liquid, during welding. With a ring in place in each pipe end section, the engirdling sleeve is fillet welded to the pipe ends. Subsequently, the rings are disintegrated over time by the liquid.