Abstract: Improved techniques are provided for obtaining a desirable surface finish of two or more visually distinct selected colors. A mat is prepared by selectively weaving wire between fixed pins on a board. Once removed from the pins, the mat may be molded about the surface of an object painted a first selected color. A second color is then applied over the mat and the object, resulting in a desired dual-color finish after the mat is removed. The techniques of the present invention are particularly well suited for obtaining a high quality marble-like finish on objects of various sizes, shapes, and materials.

Abstract: A baking oven embodying the method of this invention comprises a plurality of vertically stacked, vertically spaced heated baking plates. Every other one of the baking plates is periodically shifted from a horizontal baking position to an inclined discharge position wherein the disc of dough slides off the respective baking plate and falls toward the next lower baking plate. During its fall, the dough disc is engaged by an inverting apparatus which deposits it on the next lower baking plate in inverted relationship, so that both sides of the dough disc are successively exposed to the heat of the baking plate as the disc traverses downwardly through the stack of plates.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for effecting the assembly and arming a multisection perforating gun for a subterranean well. Each of the gun sections has a plurality of vertically and angularly spaced shaped charge containers disposed with the primer ends located in concentric fashion about the vertical axis of the gun, thus defining an axial passage communicating with the bores of hollow nipples which respectively effect securement of one gun section to the next adjacent gun section. In one modification, a continuous primer cord is stored on a reel below the lowermost gun section and is then pulled successively upwardly through each of the additional gun sections as they are assembled. In another modification, each of the gun sections is provided with a length of fusible guide tubing interposed between the inner primer ends of all of such shaped charges and the continuous length of primer cord is fed downwardly through the axial passage defined by such guide tubing.

Abstract: A valve of the outside seal and yoke variety is provided, with a seal between a bonnet base and a valve body being axially spaced between a valve seating member and mating threads on the valve body and bonnet base. An end of at least one packing bolt is positioned within a cavity formed within the valve body, and prevents the bonnet base from unthreading from the valve body. A yoke threaded to the valve stem is rigidly secured to the bonnet base by a pair of yoke bolts and intermediate supports, and prevents inadvertent rotation of the packing bolts. The assembly technique of the present invention provides an inexpensive yet reliably OS&Y valve with all desired structural components being rigidly connected. The bonnet assembly of the present invention may be utilized with a conventional valve body and pocket design, thereby substantially increasing versatility and reducing manufacturing costs.

Abstract: A swimming pool alarm system is provided for actuating an alarm in response to the movement of a person in a swimming pool. The system includes a transmitter mounted below the surface of a swimming pool to continuously transmit ultrasonic sound waves through the body of water, and a similarly positioned receiver detects sound waves in the water and generates an electrical signal in response thereto. The electrical signal is continuously monitored, and the movement of a person in the pool alters the received ultrasonic sound waves and the corresponding electrical signal to produce an alarm signal for actuating an alarm indicator.

Abstract: A dynamic seal for effecting the sealing of a piston which is axially movable in a cylinder bore comprising a primary sealing element formed of a non-elastomeric sealing material having a hub portion secured to the piston element and an outwardly flaring skirt portion sealingly engagable with the cylinder bore. A secondary sealing element formed of a resilient metal has its central body portions secured to the piston element and defines a frustro-conical lip portion snugly engaging the exterior of the skirt portion of the primary seal element. Fluid pressure applied to the primary seal element causes it to expand the secondary seal element into a metal-to-metal sealing engagement with the bore of the cylinder.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for in situ drilling of a precise hole in an erected structural element and inserting in such hole in pressed-fit relationship a cylindrical strain gauge. A guide block is provided having a precision hole corresponding to the diameter of the hole desired in the structural element. The guide block has unthreaded bolt holes for attachment of the guide block to the structural element and guides a reamer to produce a precise hole in the structural element. The guide block also has threaded holes for advancing a push plate against a force-transmitting bushing which is insertable through the precision hole in the guide block into abutting relationship with an end face of a cylindrical strain gauge to force the gage into press-fit relationship with the precise hole in the erected structural element.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a filtration control additive for use in invert emulsion drilling fluids; the method of preparing such additives; the invert emulsion drilling fluid produced therefrom; and a method of drilling, completing, and working over a subterranean well, utilizing such drilling fluid containing the filtration control additive which is utilized in a water-in-oil, emulsion-type subterranean drilling fluid. The additive comprises the pyrolyzed product obtained by intermixing and heating a finely divided humic acid-containing material and a primary amine having an alkyl radical of 10 to 20 carbon atoms or a primary amine having one alkyl-substituted phenyl radical, the alkyl radical having 10 to 20 carbon atoms. The amine may also be a secondary amine having at least one alkyl radical of 8 to 20 carbon atoms.

Abstract: Improved techniques are provided for forming a very thin polycrystalline layer of a semiconductor material on a glass substrate. The film material may be formed from a slurry of a semiconductor powder and a liquid carrier, and the slurry economically applied at room temperature by spraying techniques. Once dried, the film is compressed by the application of a substantial mechanical force. The compressed film is regrown in a heated atmosphere, forming a polycrystalline film comprised of large mean diameter crystals, with many crystals having a mean diameter in excess of the film thickness. A high quality cadmium sulfide polycrystalline film suitable for forming a photovoltaic cells may be inexpensively manufactured according to these techniques.

Abstract: A plurality of packing elements are mounted in vertically spaced relationship on a tubing string with the spacing of the elements corresponding generally to the spacing of a plurality of sets of perforations in a well conduit. The lowermost packing unit is provided with radially expanding locking elements which engage a locking groove provided in the well conduit. All packing units incorporate expandable elastomeric sealing members and are set by the application of tension to the tubing string and are unset by the subsequent application of a higher degree of tension to the tubing string.

Abstract: A subsea test assembly securable in a subsea blowout preventer stack is used in methods for performing wellbore tests and for disconnecting a tubular string from a subsea wellhead. The test valve assembly includes an upper subassembly releasably latched to a lower subassembly. Dog members are latched and unlatched in a corkscrew manner requiring only a slight rotation, and are held in the locked position by an axially movable sleeve. Nominal rotation of the latch within the upper subassembly is required to latch and unlatch the dogs, and a relatively short stroke of the movable sleeve locks and unlocks the dog members. The latch may be hydraulically or mechanically deactivated. The valving of the test assembly preferably comprises a ball member having both a metallic and elastomeric seal for sealing the passageway through the assembly. The elastomeric seal is carried by the ball and engages a metallic sleeve axially movable below the ball for sealing engagement against the ball.

Abstract: Improved methods apparatus are provided for introducing and entraining air into a waste liquid, thereby increasing the quantity of dissolved oxygen in the liquid to enhance the aerobic treatment process. A power driven propeller is preferably positioned at the discharge end of conical-shaped transition housing, and draws in air while waste water is controllably introduced to the transition housing from below the surface of the water. The housing upstream from the propeller is primarily an air chamber with incoming streams of water, while the housing downstream from the propeller is filled with waste water having minute entrained air bubbles. The water and entrained air are thus discharged downwardly, and the axis of the equipment preferably inclined to increase circulation in the waste water pond or tank. The techniques of the present invention have relatively low power requirements while substantially increasing gas concentration in the liquid.

Abstract: Improved methods and apparatus suitable for use in mass spectrometry are provided for dissociating ions by achieving electronic excitation of the ions using electrons. In MS-MS applications, ion dissociation is induced by electron impact on an ion beam after the beam has exited a first mass analyzer, and before the beam enters a second analyzer. An efficient method for dissociating ions is achieved by providing a low velocity ion beam traveling substantially along the axis of an RF excited multipole field, and intersecting sheet electron beams traveling transverse to the axis of the field. When used in the analysis of high molecular weight, nonvolatile molecules, the teachings of the present invention yield the extensive and reproducible fragmentation characteristics generally associated with electron ionization of lower mass, volatile molecules.

Abstract: A sealing assembly for effecting the sealing of an annulus between two telescopically related tubular conduits, of the type employed in subterranean wells, is achieved by utilizing annular seal backup elements dieformed from a knitted wire mesh by two successive dieforming steps. In the first dieforming, the knitted mesh backup element is formed to an external diameter equal to or preferably exceeding the maximum diameter that will be required for the backup member to assume when expanded into engagement with the outer wall of the annulus to be sealed. The second dieforming operation reduces the external diameter of the annular knitted mesh seal backup element to a dimension less than the outer wall of the annulus to be sealed, thus permitting convenient assembly and run-in of the sealing assemblage. The two step dieforming operation significantly reduces the amount of axial compressive force required to expand the sealing elements and the seal backup members to their sealed position.

Abstract: A packer for effecting steam treatment of a production formation of a subterranean well comprises an insulated mandrel which is slidably inserted within the bore of an inner tubular body assembly. An outer operative tubular assembly surrounds the inner assembly and mounts a plurality of drag blocks, upper and lower cone elements, a plurality of radially displaceable slips cooperating with the upper and lower cone elements, and an outer packing element fabricated by an assemblage of high temperature resistant, non-resilient seal elements formed primarily of graphite. An inner packing element is provided in the inner tubular body assembly utilizing additional high temperature resistant, non-resilient seal elements formed primarily of graphite, which sealingly engages the insulated mandrel.

Abstract: A local data unit (10) provides sequenced acquisition and transmission of data signals received in different signal formats from local and remotely deployed sensors (24, 28). The network uses a microprocessor based stage (42) to sequentially control acquisition of the data signals via an analog multiplexer (16) and conversion of those data signals into a binary format via either a voltage-to-frequency converter (48) and frequency digitizer (58) or, after normalization, directly via the frequency digitizer (58). Data transmission in a normal mode is achieved by using the binary data signals to toggle input reference signals applied to multiplexer (16) between low and high potentials, and applying those potentials to voltage to frequency converter (48) while a data transmitter (52) is held in an enabled conditon.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a filtration control additive for use in invert emulsion drilling fluids; the method of preparing such additive; the invert emulsion drilling fluid produced therefrom; and a method of drilling, completing, and working over a subterranean well, utilizing such drilling fluid containing the filtration control additive which is utilized in a water-in-oil, emulsion-type subterranean drilling fluid. The additive comprises the pyrolyzed product obtained by intermixing and heating a finely divided humic acid-containing material and a primary amine having an alkyl radical of 10 to 20 carbon atoms or a primary amine having one alkyl-substituted phenyl radical, the alkyl radical having 10 to 20 carbon atoms. The amine may also be a secondary amine having at least one alkyl radical of 8 to 20 carbon atoms.

Abstract: An exciter and detector circuit (A1, A2) is inductively coupled (18, 20) with a current conductor (B). The current conductor extends to a remote location at which it is inductively coupled (26, 30) with a remote transducer and encoder circuit (C1, C2). The exciter and decoder circuit supplies a square wave signal of a fixed frequency and amplitude across a primary winding (18) of the inductive coupler. After each half cycle of the square wave as the magnetic field in the inductive coupler is collapsing, a flyback voltage peak is generated which varies with the load applied to the current conductor. At the remote location, a voltage to frequency converter (40) converts variations in the output of the transducer into corresponding variations in a frequency signal. A load modulator (42) is connected with the voltage to frequency converter to apply a load to the rectifier at the frequency of the voltage to frequency converter.

Abstract: A combination pressing and baking mechanism is provided for converting balls of dough into thin, flat discs, such as tortillas. The pressing unit comprises a pair of relatively pivotally movable heated pressing plates. The lowermost pressing plate is disposed at a substantial angle to the horizontal when it is in its remote position relative to the upper pressing plate. The angle of the lower pressing plate is selected to effect the gravitationally induced sliding of the pressed disc of dough off the lower pressing plate and onto a horizontally movable heating plate or disc of an oven. The horizontal velocity of the oven disc is maintained at a level equal to or greater than the horizontal component of velocity of the gravitationally discharged dough disc so as to facilitate removal of the dough disc from the lower pressing plate.