Abstract: A distal atherectomy catheter is disclosed for removing obstructions, plaque, stenosis, occlusions, or the like from an artery or coronary vessel. The catheter comprises a flexible, hollow catheter tube. A reciprocating, and rotating or oscillating cutting element is located within a cylindrical housing mounted at the distal end of the catheter tube. The cutting element is connected to a hollow, flexible drive shaft concentrically located within the catheter tube. The cutting element housing includes a side opening window or port providing access to the interior of the housing. An idler shaft journaled about the drive shaft provides a non-rotating surface adjacent the cutting element. An annular return passage is defined between the catheter tube and the flexible drive shaft providing a discharge passage communicating with external aspirating means for collection of cuttings removed by the cutting element from the artery or coronary vessel.

Abstract: An cover for protecting a trailer hitch ball or box beam comprises a resilient body having a wiring connector and wiring cable integrally formed therewith. Moisture, dirt and physical damage of the trailer hitch ball is minimized through use of the protective cover.

Abstract: For use in a personal computer provided with at least two independent applications made available to a user at a graphic user interface, a desktop located icon, one or more, is shown so that the user may easily implement the link into one or the other of the available applications. The icon is implemented by a click and drag manipulation. This provides a link to application independent material, e.g., audio or visual relational database material. The applications can be enhanced selectively by the user through the graphic user interface.

Abstract: A reverse circulation procedure is set forth in which selected shoes are attached to a reverse circulation tool. Debris, junk and other trash accumulating in a well borehole is captured and removed. The circulation delivers fluid flow in the annular space downwardly at the bottom of the tool of the present disclosure which is directed in the vicinity of a shoe affixed to the lower end. Trash or debris is captured by this process. In one instance, the trash is captured in an elongate container below the reverse circulation tool. In another instance, the trash is collected within the tool itself. The tool has a fluid flow path through an inner tube which is selectively perforated and which directs flow upwardly to one or more deflectors to assure that junk or trash does not flow through the tool.

Abstract: In a horizontal centrifuge, a bowl rotates in the same direction as a screw internally of the bowl. The bowl and screw connect to a three input gear box which rotates the bowl and screw at a small differential, or the scrolling rate. A separate motor running at a variable rate connects to the third gear box input and thereby reduces the scrolling rate. A feedback loop connects to the motor to vary the motor speed so that the scrolling rate is varied. A maindrive motor rotates the bowl which then couples through the gear box to rotate the screw and thereby furnish the power to rotate the bowl and screw.

Abstract: Improvements are set forth in the present disclosure for the sample taking system. It normally uses a valve which can be switched between two operative positions one delivering a sample. The valve lock mechanism is incorporated. Additional safety is provided by means of a blocking valve added to the circuit. These control the delivery of sample through a twin needle system which is inserted through the septum of a sample receiving container. That container is formed of a non-round shape supported in a mounting fixture which assures that it does not rotate to thereby avoid tearing the septum with the needles. In addition, a purge gas flow route is defined through the system and is discharged to atmosphere. This discharge is through a cartridge filter having duplicate ends. The ends are closed by membranes to permit inert gas to flow there through. The bottom membrane is pervious while the top membrane is impervious, but it is punctured by a needle to introduce the sample.

Abstract: A spark detection apparatus is set forth and incorporates a closed chamber for receiving a carrier gas flowing therethrough between inlets and outlets, and the carrier gas is exposed to a pair of electrodes forming a spark across the chamber and through the carrier gas. One component of the carrier gas is argon. The sample to be analyzed is injected into the carrier gas. One reaction involves the formation of metastable argon which upon decay serves as a source of ionizing radiation which reacts with sample compounds producing detectable events. These events are used to identify and quantify unknown compounds contained in the sample. The methods and apparatus are especially useful in measuring pollutant compounds in atmospheric samples since the ionizing radiation emitted from the decay of metastable argon is below the ionization potential of the major constituents of air. This greatly enhances the signal-to-noise ratio for detecting impurity compounds when the detection system is used to monitor air quality.

Abstract: A pulsed discharge helium photon ionization detector comprises an elongate cylindrical body having an axial flow path. A helium source is connected to deliver helium flowing along this path. In the helium flow path, transversely positioned, facing electrodes are located to form a spark discharged across the helium flow path wherein the spark interacts with the helium to cause photon ionization. Downstream within view of the spark, a counter flow dopant gas injection tube is positioned to deliver dopant at a reduced flow rate. The dopant is swept back along the helium flow path past a set of electrode rings spaced along the flow path. The interaction of the photon ionization with the dopant creates a base current which can be detected by an electrometer across the terminals. A sample injection tube adds an eluted GC column sample or peak which changes the base current so that eluted sample is measured.

Abstract: A dry ice pelletizer includes a ram structure that eliminates the need for piston rings to form the pellets thereby eliminating contamination of the pellets from piston ring wear products and piston/cylinder lubricants. The ram structure is pulled down into compression contact with dry ice snow formed in a snow chamber by a pair of hydraulic actuators coupled to a cross-head. The physical separation of the ram and the actuators further eliminates the source of contamination from hydraulic actuator fluid.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a peptide having active binding sites in a protein wherein the binding sites attract and hold antibodies for schistosomiasis in humans. A test reagent is set forth. Separate binding sites in the complex protein have been identified, and the binding sites in such reagent define the mechanism whereby the antibodies in the human serum provide a test reaction.

Abstract: The surgical instrument of the present invention includes a cannula shaft terminating in a cutting window at the distal end of the cannula shaft. The proximal end of the cannula shaft is supported by a handle having an axial bore extending therethrough. A flexible drive shaft, connected at one end to an external drive mechanism, extends through the handle and the cannula shaft. A cutting head is mounted to the distal end of the drive shaft and positioned for cooperative cutting action with the cutting window of the cannula shaft. A non-rotating idler shaft is journaled about the drive shaft. Severed tissue is removed or evacuated from the surgical site through an annular passage formed by the cannula and idler shafts.

Abstract: A system for controlling, separating, processing and exporting well fluids produced from subsea hydrocarbon formations is disclosed. The subsea well tender system includes a surface buoy supporting one or more decks above the water surface for accommodating equipment to process oil, gas and water recovered from the subsea hydrocarbon formation. The surface buoy includes a surface-piercing central flotation column connected to one or more external floatation tanks located below the water surface. The surface buoy is secured to the seabed by one or more tendons which are anchored to a foundation with piles imbedded in the seabed. The system accommodates multiple versions on the surface buoy configuration.

Abstract: A cutting element which has a metal carbide stud having a plurality of ridges formed in a reduced or full diameter hemispherical outer end portion of said metal carbide stud. The ridges extend outwardly beyond the outer end portion of the metal carbide stud. A layer of polycrystalline material, resistant to corrosive and abrasive materials, is disposed over the ridges and the outer end portion of the metal carbide stud to form a hemispherical cap.

Abstract: A down-hole pump provides positive displacement pump action within a production string of a producing well. The insert pump of the present invention fits within a crossover nipple that is adapted to fit on the end of a production string. The pump seals within an intermediate casing to direct high pressure drive fluid into the pump. The drive fluid directed into the pump passes through a nozzle segment of the pump to develop a high velocity annular flow region. Production fluid is drawn into the nozzle segment at the Vena Contracta of the nozzle to develop the maximum entrainment force by the drive fluid. The combined flow of the drive and production fluids is then directed into a Venturi segment that creates a vacuum condition to increase production flow from the producing structures.

Abstract: A rotary control valve with a variable area orifice (or orifices) which communicate with a bypass channel in order to provide infinite control of flow across the valve. The bypass channel may contain a silencing means. This arrangement allows for in-line maintenance of, or modification to, either the silencing means or the valve body itself through top entry of the valve. The cross-sectional void area of the bypass channel may be sized to be the same as the cross-sectional area of the upstream and downstream valve ports in order to provide silencing without throttling the flow through the valve.

Abstract: This disclosure sets out a catheter for bodily insertion. The catheter tip supports an elongate hollow housing with a window for occlusive material cutting, a cutter head on the interior rotates, driven by a drive wire in the hollow catheter tube. In addition, the cutter head reciprocates or oscillates to cut on its back edge, the edge trimming material entering through the window. The window and optional slots admit the unwanted material and enable trimming for a vacuum removal through the catheter tube. The window is urged into contact by a pair of flexed wires, the wires moving the housing into operative contact.

Abstract: A rod guide in the form of a substantially cylindrical body molded in intimate contact with a sucker rod includes at least three blades or fins projecting from the body to define a smoothly continuous concave surface of the body. The ends of the blades form knife blades to reduce resistance to fluid flow about and through the rod guide and to reduce turbulent flow behind each blade. The disclosed structure offers increased strength against bending moment subjected to the rod guide, thereby increasing resistance to bending fracture and tensile elongation. This structure also increases erodable volume of rod guide material while maintaining flow about and through the rod guide.

Abstract: This waste container consists of a carton. An internal wrapping is designed to contain the waste and its upper part is held in an opening provided in the one of the upper flaps which is folded down first. At least one of the upper flaps is fitted, at its ends, with a closing and supporting tab designed to operate together with the opposite side of the container. Once filled, internal wrapping is closed by a tie and all upper flaps are folded down. The upper flap which is folded down last is fitted with a tab able to be inserted between flaps already folded down and the opposite side of the carton. This tab is fitted with a slot able to accommodate a safety locking tab which is pulled out of the opposite side of the container.

Abstract: A method is set forth for the treatment of mixed oil and water flowing from a producing oil well. Certain salts may be formed by the mixture some of which will be soluble organic salts. The present process sets forth a method of treating the produced stream with low molecular weight amines and preferably amine quaternaries with strong acids so that the oil based salts are removed from the water phase and left with the oil for segregation, thereby permitting disposal of the produced water without creating a sheen on the produced water. Subsequent waste water treatment is avoided to remove traces of oil on the produced but separated water.