Abstract: Aqueous thiocarbonate solutions are stabilized by the addition of base, sulfide and/or polysulfide, and the stability and safety of the more concentrated solutions containing 1 weight percent or more equivalent CS.sub.2 as a thiocarbonate are achieved as reflected by significant reduction of CS.sub.2 partial pressure in such solutions.

Abstract: A method for forming a terraced structure in the upper surface of a particulate solid bed, typically oil shale, moving upward through an upflow retort and removing particulate solids from the upper surface, which includes rotating a scraping means comprising a shaft having a plurality of scrapers secured thereto arranged in a vertically spaced-apart relationship and in a radially outwardly-stepped relationship relative to a vertical axis of the shaft.

Abstract: A method for resisting corrosion while conducting a flow of hot corrosive geothermal fluid, particularly brine, comprises flowing the fluid through fluid flow conducting elements, such as production pipe and fittings formed from a metastable beta titanium-base alloy. Preferably the element is formed of a beta and alpha titanium-base alloy formed by heating a particular composition to form a metastable beta titanium matrix and then heat treating the matrix to increase the tensile strength of the matrix by at least about 10,000 psi with a total minimum ultimate tensile strength being about 170,000 psi. The particular composition is comprised essentially of between about 2 and about 10 weight percent of one or more beta eutectoid elements selected from the group consisting of iron, manganese, chromium and cobalt, with weight percentage limits in each such individual element being respectively about 5, about 5.5, about 9 and about 4.

Abstract: This invention provides a method for treating an aerosol comprising electrostatically charged particles, suspended in a gas, to separate said particles from said gas, which comprises mixing said aerosol, in the absence of electrostatically charged water particles, with another aerosol including particles having the opposite charge to provide flocculated particles having a substantially neutral charge, and separating said flocculated particles from said gas.The method of this invention is useful for treating an aerosol emission from a power plant or a smelter which emission generally comprises positively charged particles. The emission may be mixed with a negatively charged aerosol comprising particulate sulfur to neutralize said positively charged particles and thereby flocculate said particulate sulfur. The neutralized particles are passed into a liquid water phase to provide an aqueous solution and flocculated sulfur, which may be separated from said aqueous solution as an insoluble sulfur phase.