Abstract: A power supply for a gaseous discharge lamp in which power adjustments are made automatically to insure that rated lamp power is delivered regardless of changes in lamp impedance or line voltage which may occur. A high D.C. voltage is delivered to a step down low hysteresis transformer and electronic switching is provided to obtain a high frequency pulsed flow to the primary of the transformer. Sawtooth waves are generated and peak current is utilized to regulate closely power input to the transformer. A feature is the use of a programming resistor to select the desired power level for the particular gas discharge lamp.

Abstract: A variable terrain dolly especially useful for carrying loads over sandy and rocky beach surfaces and adjustable for use in other environments. The dolly has a chassis consisting of an elongated tubular member with a load suporting member at the bottom and a slidable, transversely extending back at the other end with a swiveled handle. A foldable shelf is also provided and a pair of wheels pivoted from a point on the chassis between the shelf and the load supporting members. The wheels are over sized, have wide treads, and are adjustable over a range of positions.

Abstract: A liquid fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine in which the fuel, gaseous under ambient conditions, is injected in liquid form under compression into the intake manifold of the engine. Fuel is controlled largely by intake manifold pressure together with the RPM of the engine. Some fuel bypasses the injector, is vaporized and fed into the intake manifold through a sleeve in sufficient amounts to maintain the engine at idle and low load conditions and prevent the injector from freezing.

Abstract: A control system for an automatic damper in a heat generation system. The damper is provided with a spring biasing arrangement to open the damper when the plant is generating heat to permit unobstructed discharge of the products of heat generation. A motor maintains the damper closed when no heat is being generated. Provision is made for disabling the control system permitting the damper to be opened by the spring and the heat generator to function normally when a malfunction occurs in a switch which normally performs in a safety capacity. Included in this arrangement is a fuse in a circuit which opens the circuit when the switch fails as the result of a short circuit or welding of the contacts. The circuit includes means for preventing short circuiting during normal operation.

Abstract: A propane supply unit for use with gasoline powered automotive internal combustion engines to replace the liquid fuel. The unit consists of a plurality of circular or otherwise formed tubular elements supplied with gas from a common manifold located within the air cleaner housing. The tubular elements are spaced so as to divide up the air flow. Openings in the elements are located as to face the spaces between the elements and discharge the gaseous fuel into the separate streams of air. The unit does not alter the normal air flow conditions so that no modification of the existing engine control system is required when the supply unit is used.

Abstract: A suntan lotion applicator device consisting of an extensible handle, an applicator holder adjustably mounted on one end of the handle, and a cover for the applicator. The holder is pivotally mounted between two segments of the holder and is provided with recesses for engagement with a device on the handle to engage one of the recesses to maintain a selected annular position of the applicator holder.

Abstract: A photo display apparatus utilizing an assembly of slats having dados for permitting them to be meshed together in two or three dimensional configurations and provided with grooves in the sides for supporting the photographs.

Abstract: Mobile apparatus and a method for reprocessing waste crank case oil product and mixing this product with fuel oil in preselected proportions to render said product useful as a fuel. The apparatus is designed to be mounted on a vehicle so that processing is done in situ with the waste oil product being withdrawn, reprocessed, mixed, and discharged into the fuel oil tank taking place at the same time.

Abstract: In a plasma containment device of a type having superconducting field coils for magnetically shaping the plasma into approximately the form of a torus, an improved divertor target for removing impurities from a "scrape off" region of the plasma comprises an array of water cooled swirl tubes onto which the scrape off flux is impinged. Impurities reflected from the divertor target are removed from the target region by a conventional vacuum getter system. The swirl tubes are oriented and spaced apart within the divertor region relative to the incident angle of the scrape off flux to cause only one side of each tube to be exposed to the flux to increase the burnout rating of the target. The divertor target plane is oriented relative to the plane of the path of the scrape off flux such that the maximum heat flux onto a swirl tube is less than the tube design flux. The containment device is used to contain the plasma of a tokamak fusion reactor and is applicable to other long pulse plasma containment systems.

Abstract: A process for forming a precursor powder which, when suitably pressed and sintered forms highly pure, densified .beta.- or .beta."-alumina, comprising the steps of:(1) forming a suspension (or slurry) of Bayer-derived Al(OH).sub.3 in a water-miscible solvent;(2) adding an aqueous solution of a Mg compound, a Li compound, a Na compound or mixtures thereof to the Bayer-derived Al(OH).sub.3 suspension while agitating the mixture formed thereby, to produce a gel;(3) drying the gel at a temperature above the normal boiling point of water to produce a powder material;(4) lightly ball milling and sieving said powder material; and(5) heating the ball-milled and sieved powder material at a temperature of between 350.degree. to 900.degree. C. to form the .beta.- or .beta."-alumina precursor powder. The precursor powder, thus formed, may be subsequently isopressed at a high pressure and sintered at an elevated temperature to produce .beta.- or .beta."-alumina.

Abstract: A superconducting wire comprising a superconducting filament and a beryllium strengthened bronze matrix in which the addition of beryllium to the matrix permits a low volume matrix to exhibit reduced elastic deformation after heat treating which increases the compression of the superconducting filament on cooling and thereby improve the strain characteristics of the wire.

Abstract: A gas seal is formed by a compact layer of an insoluble powder and liquid filling the fine interstices of that layer. The smaller the particle size of the selected powder, such as sand or talc, the finer will be the interstices or capillary spaces in the layer and the greater will be the resulting sealing capacity, i.e., the gas pressure differential which the wet powder layer can withstand. Such wet powder seal is useful in constructing underground gas reservoirs or storage cavities for nuclear wastes as well as stopping leaks in gas mains buried under ground or situated under water. The sealing capacity of the wet powder seal can be augmented by the hydrostatic head of a liquid body established over the seal.

Abstract: A device for producing fissile material inside of fabricated nuclear elements so that they can be used to produce power in nuclear power reactors. Fuel elements, for example, of a LWR are placed in pressure tubes in a vessel surrounding a liquid lead-bismuth flowing columnar target. A linear-accelerator proton beam enters the side of the vessel and impinges on the dispersed liquid lead-bismuth columns and produces neutrons which radiate through the surrounding pressure tube assembly or blanket containing the nuclear fuel elements. These neutrons are absorbed by the natural fertile uranium-238 elements and are transformed to fissile plutonium-239. The fertile fuel is thus enriched in fissile material to a concentration whereby they can be used in power reactors. After use in the power reactors, dispensed depleted fuel elements can be reinserted into the pressure tubes surrounding the target and the nuclear fuel regenerated for further burning in the power reactor.

Abstract: An ion gauge having a reduced "x-ray limit" and means for measuring that limit. The gauge comprises an ion gauge of the Bayard-Alpert type having a short collector and having means for varying the grid-collector voltage.The "x-ray limit" (i.e. the collector current resulting from x-rays striking the collector) may then be determined by the formula: ##EQU1## where: I.sub.x ="x-ray limit",I.sub.l and I.sub.h =the collector current at the lower and higher grid voltage respectively; and,.alpha.=the ratio of the collector current due to positive ions at the higher voltage to that at the lower voltage.

Abstract: There is provided a class of mechanically pre-stressed structures, suitably bi-layer strips comprising a layer of group 5 transition metals in intimate contact with a layer of an intermetallic compound of said transition metals with certain group 3A, 4A or 5A metals or metalloids suitably gallium, indium, silicon, germanium, tin, arsenic or antimony. The changes of Young's modulus of these bi-layered combinations at temperatures in the region of but somewhat above absolute zero provides a useful means of sensing temperature changes. Such bi-metallic strips may be used as control strips in thermostats, in direct dial reading instruments, or the like.

Abstract: The optical path lengths of a plurality of comparison laser beams directed to impinge upon a common target from different directions are compared to that of a master laser beam by using an optical heterodyne interferometric detection technique. The technique consists of frequency shifting the master laser beam and combining the master beam with a first one of the comparison laser beams to produce a time-varying heterodyne interference pattern which is detected by a photo-detector to produce an AC electrical signal indicative of the difference in the optical path lengths of the two beams which were combined. The optical path length of this first comparison laser beam is adjusted to compensate for the detected difference in the optical path lengths of the two beams. The optical path lengths of all of the comparison laser beams are made equal to the optical path length of the master laser beam by repeating the optical path length adjustment process for each of the comparison laser beams.

Abstract: A method for storing radioactive spent fuel in repositories containing sulfur as the storage medium is disclosed. Sulfur is non-corrosive and not subject to radiation damage. Thus, storage periods of up to 100 years are possible.

Abstract: Toroidal field coils are interlaced with other toroidal structures and are operated under supercooled conditions. To facilitate demounting the toroidal field coils, which are supercooled, they are made in the form of connected segments constituting coils of polygonal form. The segments may be rectilinear in form, but some may also be U-shaped or L-shaped. The segments are detachable from one another and are supported in load relieving manner. Power devices are used to displace the segments to facilitate removal of the coils from the aforesaid toroidal structures and to provide for the accommodation of dimensional changes and stresses due to thermal and magnetic conditions. The segments are formed of spaced parallel conductive slabs with the slabs of one segment being interdigitated with the slabs of the adjacent segment. The interdigitated slabs may be soldered together or slidingly engaged. The slabs are shaped to accommodate superconductors and to provide passages for a cooling medium.

Abstract: An ionization chamber has separate drift and detection regions electrically isolated from each other by a fine wire grid. A relatively weak electric field can be maintained in the drift region when the grid and another electrode in the chamber are connected to a high voltage source. A much stronger electric field can be provided in the detection region by connecting wire electrodes therein to another high voltage source. The detection region can thus be operated in a proportional mode when a suitable gas is contained in the chamber. High resolution output pulse waveforms are provided across a resistor connected to the detection region anode, after ionizing radiation enters the drift region and ionize the gas.

Abstract: A plug for a blasting cap is made of an elastomer in which is dissolved a perfluorocarbon. The perfluorocarbon is released as a vapor into the ambient over a long period of time to serve as a detectable taggant.