Abstract: A lifting and movement system for lifting a complete run of shelving having a plurality of shelf units and for moving the shelving along a floor surface to a desired location. First and second frame structures are defined by interconnected modular frame assemblies so as to have sufficient length to extend along the entire length of a run of shelving. Wheels such as casters are mounted to the first frame to provide for movement of the lifting system and the run of shelving along the floor surface to a desired location. A second, movable frame is in vertically movable assembly with the first frame and has shelving engaging components for lifting engagement with the run of shelving. A plurality of lift elements are supported by the first frame and provide support for the second frame and the shelving engaged thereby.

Abstract: A load responsive hydrodynamic bearing is provided in the form of a thrust bearing or journal bearing for supporting, guiding and lubricating a relatively rotatable member to minimize wear thereof responsive to relative rotation under severe load. In the space between spaced relatively rotatable members and in the presence of a liquid or grease lubricant, one or more continuous ring shaped integral generally circular bearing bodies each define at least one dynamic surface and a plurality of support regions. Each of the support regions defines a static surface which is oriented in generally opposed relation with the dynamic surface for contact with one of the relatively rotatable members. A plurality of flexing regions are defined by the generally circular body of the bearing and are integral with and located between adjacent support regions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for deployment of mooring systems for buoyant marine structure such as mobile offshore drilling units (MODU's) and for connecting the same to the mooring lines thereof. An anchor handling vessel carries one or more anchors each having a deployment connection and a mooring connection and individually moves each anchor over its stern roller and deploys it to the sea bottom for installation. A handling line is disconnected by ROV from the deployment connection and is moved from the deployment connection to the mooring connection so as to become the main mooring line. Syntactic buoys are then mounted on the main mooring line for elevating it above the sea bottom for recovery. When MODU stationing is desired the anchor handling vessel then recovers the surface buoy and connects to the rig mooring line using a short section of mooring chain. A J-chaser stopper device is then installed in the mooring string and is connected to the mooring line of the MODU by a short section of chain.

Abstract: An arrangement for providing fluid communication between an offshore hydrocarbon production and/or storage facility and an offshore loading system such as a CALM buoy is disclosed. A pipeline from a FPSO or production platform runs to a submerged flowline termination buoy which is positioned beneath and separated a short distance from a CALM buoy. The flowline termination buoy is separately anchored to the sea bed from the CALM buoy, and is at a depth below the turbulent zone of the sea. The end of the pipeline is suspended from the flowline termination buoy, and a marine hose fluidly connects the end of the pipeline to a stationary part of a fluid swivel on the CALM buoy. The arrangement isolates the end of the pipeline from fatigue inducing motions of the CALM buoy.

Abstract: A method for processing of seismic data traces utilizes the fact that a series of linear operations applied to vectors can be approximated by application of the linear operations to a set of basis vectors which are then scaled and summed. The method is applied to seismic data traces with a reduction in processing time provided that computation time in creating the basis vectors is small relative to the total computation time in applying the method. Theoretically there is much to be gained in terms of processing speed by implementation of this method on a vector processor that is designed to do multiply and accumulate operations quickly.

Abstract: The strength and wear resistance of a steel component is improved by adhering to it a material of higher strength compatible metal alloy, such as Inconel (RTM) 725 or like precipitation or age hardenable alloy. The higher strength alloy may be adhered by welding, plasma spraying, dip coating or electroplating. The component may be subjected to post-deposition heat treatment which preferably simultaneously softens a heat affected zone in the component and hardens the higher strength material.

Abstract: A computer program and a method incorporated therein, called ContourFill, provides several features that enhance the display of contour maps. Even without using color, tick marks and gray-scale shading provide useful and cheaply reproducible representations of contoured surfaces. More dramatic effects are achieved when using color. Occasionally localized peculiarities are observed in the graphical outputs. These are usually traceable to data illegalities such as intersection of contour lines with other lines or penetration of contour lines into blanked areas. The localization of such effects is a tribute to the robustness of the computational algorithms.

Abstract: By accessing a hot button available from an internet site, a user can make a request for a switched broadband connection from a control system associated with a broadband network. The control system allocates resources for the broadband connection and coordinates a request with the web host. Accordingly, the web host is capable of providing bandwidth-differentiated services to users making such requests.

Abstract: A load limiting break away arrangement for a subsea umbilical includes telescoping inner and outer bodies. The inner body includes multiple cross-bored holes; the outer body has slotted openings on its top and bottom sides. A shearing blade is positioned at one end of a top slot of the outer body. Individual umbilical tubes pass through a bottom slot of the outer body, through individual holes in the inner body and out a top slot of the outer body for attachment to multiple quick connect couplers on an umbilical termination head of an Umbilical Termination Assembly (UTA) and of an Electro-Hydraulic Distribution Module (EHDM). Tension resistant actuation members run between the UTA and EHDM so that when a snag of an umbilical occurs, the inner and outer bodies are pulled apart and the tubes are severed one by one by the blade of the outer body.

Abstract: A non-flowing pilot valve is disclosed having a sense piston assembly (16) and a feedback sleeve (40) co-axially mounted within a valve body (12). A dome-line chamber (32) and an exhaust-line chamber (34) are isolated from each other by a feedback sleeve top shoulder (48) contacting a pop seal (52) on the valve body (12) below set pressure. At a few percentage points of inlet (19) pressure below set pressure, a reseat seal of a foot (20) portion of the sense piston (16) contacts the bottom shoulder (48) of the feedback sleeve (40) thereby closing off the dome-line chamber (32) from below and above and “locking in” dome line pressure. An increase in inlet (19) pressure above set pressure causes the sense piston (16) to move up simultaneously carrying feedback sleeve (40) with it thereby opening the dome-line chamber (32) to the exhaust-line chamber (34) below the open top shoulder (48).

Abstract: A hydrodynamically lubricating seal has a generally circular seal body defining a static sealing surface and having a dynamic sealing lip projecting from the seal body and defining a dynamic sealing surface, a non-hydrodynamic edge and a non-circular angulated flank having a flank angle. The flank angle and the dynamic sealing surface have theoretical intersection being positioned from the non-hydrodynamic edge by a variable distance having a minimum dimension being greater than {fraction (1/16)} inch and also having a maximum dimension. The circular seal body defines a theoretical center-line and, when viewed in a longitudinal cross-section taken along the theoretical center-line, a hydrodynamic inlet curve is shown that blends the theoretical intersection between the flank angle and the dynamic sealing surface. This hydrodynamic inlet curve is tangent to the dynamic sealing surface at a location of tangency and has a rate of curvature less than the rate of curvature of a ⅛ inch radius.

Abstract: A method for filling the space between two neighboring polyline ribs is disclosed. The method, called ladder triangulation, likens two ribs, which generally outline a complex structure, to the two rails of a ladder. The ladder triangulation is built by adding rungs, each rung connecting a node on one rib to a node on the other rib and thereby (after the first rung) creating one more triangle. In essence the first rung connects node 1 of polyline 1 to node 1 of polyline 2, and the second rung connects either node 1 polyline 1 to node 2 polyline 2 or else node 1 polyline 2 to node 2 polyline 1, whichever rung is shorter. There are (n1+n2)/2 such rungs where n1 and n2 are the respective node counts of the two polylines, and computation is linear with node count. Where there are multiple polylines, the same process is repeated between polylines 2 and 3, 3 and 4, etc. and may also be repeated between the last polyline and the first one (cyclic rib fill).

Abstract: A medical video-teleconferencing and treatment system, having a central video-conferencing station and one or more remote video-conferencing stations and a communications link establishing video-conferencing communication therebetween. A central video monitor and audio system is located at the central video-conferencing station, and a controller unit is coupled with the communications link. The remote video-conferencing stations each have a mobile emergency center cart including a remote video monitor and audio system and a video-conferencing camera controlled by the controller unit via the communications link and capable of responding to control signals of the controller unit for panning and zoom movement of said video-conferencing camera by a medical practitioner located at the central video-conferencing station.

Abstract: An uplift spring assembly to compensate for hull deflection at a main bearing of a mooring turret is disclosed. Elastomeric pads are used to react turret uplift because of their properties of large deflections and resistance to cold weather. Tie rods are provided to transmit the uplift loads into the elastomeric pads. The elastomeric pads react the uplift loads in compression. The assembly arrangement prevents the elastomeric pads from reacting tension loads.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for ensuring against explosion of the gaseous atmosphere of a closed chamber, such as the QDCD room of an internal turret of an offshore production and offloading buoy wherein the closed chamber has production risers and conduit connectors that represent a potential source of flammable gas. The method comprises mixing and diluting the oxidant content of the air by introducing within the closed chamber a sufficient quantity of inert gas to render the mixture of the air and any flammable gas non-combustible regardless of the flammable gas content of the mixture. The method includes removal of the non-combustible mixture of air and any flammable gas from the closed chamber by purging thereof to the natural atmosphere, while introducing inert gas, thereby leaving a substantially inert atmosphere within the closed chamber.

Abstract: A subsea system is provided for producing a number of subsea wells which may be arranged in groups. Each of the groups of subsea wellheads is connected to deliver production flow to a subsea manifold and each subsea manifold is connected to deliver production flow to a production riser. A plurality of production risers each being connected to receive production flow from one of said subsea manifolds extend from the subsea manifolds for groups of wells. A deep draft floating spar is located generally above the subsea wellheads with mooring lines and has a production platform located above the sea surface and has buoyancy and ballast chambers to control floatation. The spar structure defines a riser bore receiving the production risers extending from the subsea wellheads to the production platform. The spar is also capable of being shifted laterally by its mooring lines for positioning above a selected well to thus permit well intervention activities as needed.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for dissolving chemical tablets for creating a variable rate of chemical dissolution in a stream of constant flow rate of untreated liquid, especially water. The apparatus includes a housing in which a container is placed. The container includes a sieve plate or perforated grid which separates the container into an upper chamber in which chemical tablets are stored and a lower mixing chamber. A collection reservoir is defined in an annular outside the container wall and inside of the housing. Several arrangements are illustrated by which a vortex of liquid is generated of controllable variable intensity in the lower or mixing chamber thereby creating uneven liquid pressure beneath the perforated grid as a function of radial distance. As a result, fluid passes aggressively through outer radial perforations or holes in the grid and which impinge on the chemical tablets stacked on the grid.

Abstract: A hydrodynamically lubricated rotary seal or packing assembly which provides environmental exclusion, lubricant retention and hydrodynamic interfacial lubrication in applications where the environment pressure may be higher than the lubricant pressure. The invention is particularly suitable for oilfield drilling swivels and rotary mining equipment, and for applications such as artificial lift pump stuffing box assemblies and centrifugal pumps where a rotating shaft penetrates a pressurized reservoir which is filled with abrasive-laden liquids, mixtures or slurries. The invention provides a unique sealing mechanism which controls high pressure abrasive fluids, and which accomplishes hydrodynamic lubricant pumping activity to maintain efficient lubrication at the dynamic sealing interfaces thereof to thus significantly enhance service life.

Abstract: A novel hydrodynamically lubricated compression type rotary seal that is suitable for lubricant retention and environmental exclusion. Particularly, the seal geometry ensures constraint of a hydrodynamic seal in a manner preventing skew-induced wear and provides adequate room within the seal gland to accommodate thermal expansion. The seal accommodates large as-manufactured variations in the coefficient of thermal expansion of the sealing material, provides a relatively stiff integral spring effect to minimize pressure-induced shuttling of the seal within the gland, and also maintains interfacial contact pressure within the dynamic sealing interface in an optimum range for efficient hydrodynamic lubrication and environment exclusion. The seal geometry also provides for complete support about the circumference of the seal to receive environmental pressure, as compared the interrupted character of seal support set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos.