Abstract: A process is provided for removing contaminants from waste lubricating oil. The previously untreated waste oil is contacted with decolorizing clay and the mixture is heated to and retained for a period of time at a temperature in the range of about 650.degree.-725.degree. F., to render the mixture filterable. The product clay-oil mixture is cooled and filtered to produce an oil filtrate reduced in contaminants. The clay contacting step may optionally be performed in a hydrogen atmosphere. The oil product can be used for non-critical uses or further upgraded by conventional methods.

Abstract: A process is provided for the preparation of trans-3-formylbut-2-enenitrile (V), a key intermediate in the synthetic pathway leading to trans-zeatin (I) and dihydrozeatin (II), both of which are naturally occurring cytokinins. The process involves a base catalyzed condensation of a dialkyl or cyclic acetal of pyruvaldehyde (III) with acetonitrile to yield the corresponding dialkyl or cyclic acetal of 3-formylbut-2-enenitrile (IV). The reaction proceeds regioselectively to form the favored trans-isomer in good yield. The .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated nitrile thus formed is hydrolyzed under acidic conditions to yield trans-3-formylbut-2-enenitrile (V), which can be easily distilled without contamination of the cis-isomer. The trans-3-formylbut-2-enenitrile can be selectively or exhaustively reduced to form either trans-3-hydroxymethylbut-2-enylamine (VI) or 3-hydroxymethylbutylamine (VII), which compounds can be condensed with 6-chloropurine (IX) by known methods to form trans-zeatin or dihydrozeatin respectively.

Abstract: The drive assembly is used in connection with a well assembly. The well assembly comprises a tubing string having a rod string positioned therein. In accordance with the invention, a box frame is connected to the upper end of the tubing. A rotatable spindle or rotor is mounted on the frame above the upper end of the tubing. The rotor defines an axial bore. The polish rod of the rod string extends through the rotor bore. A polish rod clamp seats in a key seat in the rotor and grips the polish rod. The clamp functions to drivably interconnect the rotor and rod string and to suspend the rod string from the rotor and thus the wellhead. Means are provided to rotate the rotor. A stuffing box is mounted on the tubing end within the confines of the frame, to provide a seal around the rod string.

Abstract: O-acetylated glycals react with ceric ammonium nitrate in the presence of sodium azide to provide, in good yield, O-acetylated 2-azido-2-deoxy glycosyl nitrates. These nitrates can be used to prepare 2-amino-2-deoxy sugars, such as D-galactosamine and lactosamine. The O-acetylated 2-azido-2-deoxy glycosyl nitrates can alternately be converted to O-acetylated 2-azido-2-deoxy glycosyl halides which are useful in the preparation of O-acetylated 2-azido-2-deoxy glycosides, which in turn can be reduced to 2-amino-2-deoxy glycosides. Of particular interest are the syntheses of 2-amino-2-deoxy glycosides which correspond to the terminal units of the antigenic determinant for the human A blood group. Attachment of these glycosides to a solid support provides immunoabsorbents which efficiently and preferentially absorb anti-A antibodies from blood plasma.

Abstract: A process is provided for the preparation of trans-3-formylbut-2-enenitrile (V), a key intermediate in the synthetic pathway leading to trans-zeatin (I) and dihydrozeatin (II), both of which are naturally occurring cytokinins. The process involves a base catalyzed condensation of a dialkyl or cyclic acetal of pyruvaldehyde (III) with acetonitrile to yield the corresponding dialkyl or cyclic acetal of 3-formylbut-2-enenitrile (IV). The reaction proceeds regioselectively to form the favored trans-isomer in good yield. The .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated nitrile thus formed is hydrolyzed under acidic conditions to yield trans-3-formylbut-2-enenitrile (V), which can be easily distilled without contamination of the cis-isomer. The trans-3-formylbut-2-enenitrile can be selectively or exhaustively reduced to form either trans-3-hydroxymethylbut-2-enylamine (VI) or 3-hydroxymethylbutylamine (VII), which compounds can be condensed with 6-chloropurine (IX) by known methods to form trans-zeatin or dihydrozeatin respectively.

Abstract: An apparatus and process are described for homogenizing and subsampling process streams such as those present in the hot water extraction process for recovery of bitumen from tar sand. Such streams contain widely variable proportions of heavy oil, water, and solids. To obtain a representative analysis-size subsample from such a stream, a bulk sample is taken into a cylindrical open-topped vessel containing a coaxial cylindrical draft tube spaced from the internal wall of the vessel. A head element closes and seals the top of the vessel. An impellor extending into the draft tube through the head element is actuated to circulate the bulk sample along an elliptical flow path within the vessel. The vessel contents are maintained in a pressurized condition by the introduction of inert gas.

Abstract: In the apparatus, concentric, radially spaced tubes are secured to each other and rotated about a common horizontal long axis. Selectively placed and configured lift elements repeatedly lift and drop feed material in the two tubes. Advance elements cause the feed material introduced into the feed end of the structure to advance through the inner tube where it is progressively heated, dehydrated and its hydrocarbon content is largely vaporized. The hydrocarbon vapors are removed from the opposite product end of the structure. The remaining solid material falls from the end of the inner tube into a combustion zone in the outer tube. Oxygen supplying means are provided for causing the carbon coatings on the particles in the combustion zone to burn to produce heat employed in the processing of the feed material. The solid particles in the outer tube are moved back toward the feed end by advancing elements.

Abstract: An apparatus and process are described for homogenizing and subsampling process streams such as those present in the hot water extraction process for recovery of bitumen from tar sand. Such streams contain widely variable proportions of heavy oil, water, and solids. To obtain a representative analysis-size subsample from such a stream, a bulk sample is taken into a cylindrical open-topped vessel containing a coaxial cylindrical draft tube spaced from the internal wall of the vessel. A head element closes and seals the top of the vessel. An impellor extending into the draft tube through the head element is actuated to circulate the bulk sample along an elliptical flow path within the vessel. The vessel contents are maintained in a pressurized condition by the introduction of intert gas.

Abstract: A suspension assembly is provided for suspending gypsum board panels from a horizontal support member. The plate portion of the suspension assembly has panel piercing tangs of a novel twisted conformation projecting rearwardly to affix the plate to the panel. A narrow neck portion of the plate forms channel means to receive the upper portion of a separate suspension clip. The lower portion of the clip is inclined outwardly to engage the horizontal support member. A plurality of transverse lines of weakness comprising slots and notch means extending substantially across the width of the neck portion of the plate are designed such that when the gypsum board panel is suspended from the support member, the load applied between the clip and the plate causes the neck portion of the plate to bend outwardly from the panel along said lines of weakness, while the upper and lower plate portions remain affixed to the panel.

Abstract: Peat moss is used in a thermal energy storage composition to provide a network in which to trap an incongruently melting salt hydrate capable of storing thermal energy as latent heat of phase change. The peat moss network is effective in preventing the segregation of a dehydrated form of the salt between heating and cooling cycles. In a preferred embodiment that salt hydrate is the decahydrate of sodium sulphate. A nucleating agent such as sodium tetraborate decahydrate is included to prevent supercooling in the composition, and promote crystallization of the decahydrate of sodium sulphate.

Abstract: A process is provided for recovery of oil from an oil and water bearing formation wherein spaced injection and production wells penetrate the formation and a drive fluid is injected through the injection well into the formation. A unidirectional electrical potential gradient is maintained between anode means in the production well and cathode means in the injection well adjacent the formation. In this manner, water flow toward the production well is retarded to enhance recovery efficiency. The process is particularly applicable in heavy-oil-bearing formations. In this case the formation is first preheated and heated drive fluids injected to improve the oil mobility within the formation.

Abstract: The titanium and zirconium-based minerals, present in the first stage centrifuge tailings from the hot water process for extraction of bitumen from bituminous sands, may be concentrated by a dry screening process. The tailings are burned off to provide a dry, essentially carbon-free, mineral mixture. By screening the mixture into three streams of different particle size range, silica and clays may be rejected as coarse and fine materials respectively, while titanium and zirconium minerals may be concentrated in the intermediate stream. The titanium and zirconium concentrate stream may be advanced to high tension and magnetic separation steps known in conventional processing of heavy minerals, for further beneficiation.

Abstract: A process is provided for removing metal contaminants from used lubricating oil. The used oil is contacted with an aqueous solution of aluminum sulphate and ammonium sulphate at elevated temperature to form compounds of the metal contaminants in an aqueous phase which is phase separable from the oil. An oil product reduced in metal contaminants is thereby produced which is suitable as a cheap fuel or lubricant.

Abstract: To optimize recovery by the hot water process of hydrocarbons from bituminous sands, an alkaline process aid (e.g. NaOH) is commonly added to the conditioning step. In accordance with this invention, the quantity of process aid added is varied in response to the fines content of the incoming bituminous sands feed.

Abstract: An aqueous solution suspension or emulsion containing a water-soluble or oil-soluble non-ionic emulsifying agent is useful, when spread over the load-bearing surface of a conveyor carrying bituminous sands, to act as a release agent to promote the clean separation of the tacky sands from the belt when the latter rounds the end roller of the conveyor system and unloads the sands.

Abstract: O-acetylated glycals react with ceric ammonium nitrate in the presence of sodium azide to provide, in good yield, O-acetylated 2-azido-2-deoxy glycosyl nitrates. These nitrates can be used to prepare 2-amino-2-deoxy sugars, such as D-galactosamine and lactosamine. The O-acetylated 2-azido-2-deoxy glycosyl nitrates can alternately be converted to O-acetylated 2-azido-2-deoxy glycosyl halides which are useful in the preparation of O-acetylated 2-azido-2-deoxy glycosides, which in turn can be reduced to 2-amino-2-deoxy glycosides. Of particular interest are the syntheses of 2-amino-2-deoxy glycosides which correspond to the terminal units of the antigenic determinant for the human A blood group. Attachment of these glycosides to a solid support provides immunoabsorbents which efficiently and preferentially absorb anti-A antibodies from blood plasma.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus comprising rotating inner and outer concentric tubes. The inner tube provides a vapor zone and the annular space between the tubes provides a combustion zone. Hot particulate solids, such as sand, are advanced along an endless path through the vapor zone, back through the combustion zone and back into the vapor zone. In the vapor zone, oil is sprayed on the hot solids. The mixture is mixed and cascaded to obtain heat transfer from the solids to the oil, thereby generating hydrocarbon vapors and coke deposition on the solids. The vapors are removed by suction from the vapor zone. The coked solids are transferred into the combustion zone and cascaded and lifted and dropped therein to mix with added oxygen. Coke is burned to heat the solids which are then returned to the vapor zone. The vapors generated in the combustion zone are removed by suction.

Abstract: A spreader application monitoring device to determine and display the volume of liquid or granular material applied per unit area of ground by mobile application equipment is described. The device includes a first measuring means which generates an area electrical pulse signal having a frequency proportional to the rate at which the application equipment covers i.e., traverses a unit of area, and a second measuring means which generates a volume electrical pulse signal having a frequency proportional to the rate of application of the material. A frequency multiplying means operates on the electrical pulses of the second measuring means, a pulse counting means being connected to the output of the frequency multiplying means and the first measuring means for accumulating the electrical pulses from the frequency multiplying means for a period of time determined by the first measuring means and corresponding to the time required by said application equipment to cover a unit of area.

Abstract: An application monitoring device to determine and display the volume of liquid or granular material applied per unit area of ground by mobile application equipment is described. The device includes a first measuring means which generates an area electrical pulse signal having a frequency proportional to the rate at which the application equipment covers or traverses a unit of area, and a second measuring means which generates a volume electrical pulse signal having a frequency proportional to the rate of application of the material. A frequency multiplying means operates on the electrical a pulse signal of the first measuring means, and a pulse counting device connected to the output of the frequency multiplying means and the second measuring means accumulates the electrical pulses from the second measuring means for a period of time determined by the frequency multiplying means and corresponding to the time required by said application equipment to cover a unit of area.

Abstract: A hunting blind which resembles a stook of straw bales, houses and camouflages a hunter. The pyramid-like structure is built of box-like elements which are disengagably connected to form three tiers. Some of the walls of the box-like elements have been partially or totally cut away to form sufficient space within the structure for the hunter. The tiers are hingably connected to each other such that the box-like elements can be swung outwardly to allow the hunter an unobstructed hunting position. Storage and transportation is simplified by forming box-like elements of such dimensions that they may be nested to form a single, compact unit.