Abstract: This invention relates to fuel nozzles of the type that employ an entrainment fuel nozzle for initial, partial premixing of gaseous fuel and air. Such structures of this type, generally, use the gas jet to entrain surrounding air so that the fuel is somewhat diluted prior to injection into the combustor.

Abstract: A superconductive magnet with magnetic shielding has an annularly-cylindrical-shaped housing whose first end wall and outer cylindrical wall are magnetizable (e.g., iron) walls and whose inner cylindrical wall is a non-magnetizable wall. At least one main superconductive coil is positioned within the housing and carries an electric current in a first (e.g., clockwise) direction. An annular first permanent magnet is positioned outside the housing longitudinally proximate the first end wall. The first permanent magnet has a number of equivalent ampere turns and has a magnetic field direction oriented parallel to the axis pointing towards the second end wall so that its magnetic field longitudinally pulls the stray magnetic field of the superconductive coil(s), which leaves the magnet's bore, inward to be captured by the iron first end wall.

Abstract: A superconductive magnet with magnetic shielding has an annularly-cylindrical-shaped housing whose first end wall and outer cylindrical wall are magnetizable (e.g., iron) walls and whose inner cylindrical wall is a non-magnetizable wall. At least one main superconductive coil is positioned within the housing and carries an electric current in a first (e.g., clockwise) direction. A first resistive (e.g., copper) deflection coil is positioned outside the housing radially proximate the outer cylindrical wall and longitudinally closer to the first end wall than to a midpoint located between the two end walls. The first deflection coil carries an electric current in an opposite direction to the first direction so that its magnetic field longitudinally pushes the stray magnetic field of the superconductive coil(s), which leaves the magnet's bore, inward to be captured by the iron first end wall.

Abstract: Contaminated material is decontaminated using a process in which fractions of the contaminated material are sequentially exposed to a polymeric sorbent to enhance removal of contaminants. The contaminated material is first converted into a slurry which may be divided into a sand slurry and a slimes slurry. A quantity of large polymeric sorbent particles are first contacted with the slimes slurry and then separated and contacted with the sand slurry. The sorbent particles are then separated from the sand slurry which is exposed to the action of a flotation cell. The concentrate removed from the flotation cell is then exposed to the polymeric sorbent particles. At least a portion of the sorbent particles are then thermally regenerated and recycled. One preferred material for the polymeric sorbent is nitrile-butadiene rubber.

Abstract: A cryogenic cooling system includes a cryocooler coldhead having a cold stage. A gas circulator has a low pressure input orifice and a high pressure output orifice, and a valve has a primary port and a secondary port. The valve makes and switches fluid connections between the valve's primary and secondary ports and the gas circulator's input and output orifices. A heat exchanger has a primary portion and a secondary portion each in thermal contact with the cold stage. The primary (secondary) regenerator is positioned between the primary (secondary) port of the valve and the primary (secondary) portion of the heat exchanger. A coolant flow path has a first end in fluid communication with the heat exchanger's primary portion and a second end in fluid communication with the heat exchanger's secondary portion. The coolant flow path may be placed in thermal contact with a superconductive device.

Abstract: A rotatable subassembly for a horizontal axis clothes washing machine, such subassembly having a rotatable clothes basket and a pair of balance rings. The clothes basket has a generally longitudinally extending and generally horizontally oriented axis of rotation and has two longitudinally spaced-apart ends. Each balance ring has a circumferential interior cavity, is attached to the clothes basket near a corresponding one of the ends of the clothes basket, and has a generally longitudinally extending axis generally coaxially aligned with the axis of rotation. The cavities of the balance rings are in fluid communication with the clothes basket.

Abstract: A superconductive switch has a first layer of a superconductive coil wire wound around a shaft clockwise from the first end to the middle and counterclockwise from the middle to the second end. A second layer of the wire is wound around the first layer in identical fashion. A third layer of the wire is wound around the second layer counterclockwise from the first end to the middle and clockwise from the middle to the second end. An electrical heater is located between the first and second layers, and a stratum of electrical insulation, discrete from that of the coil wire, is located between the second and third layers.

Abstract: A gas-path leakage seal for generally sealing a gas-path leakage-gap between spaced-apart first and second members of a gas turbine (such as combustor casing segments). The seal includes a generally imperforate foil-layer assemblage which is generally impervious to gas and is located in the leakage-gap. The seal also includes a cloth-layer assemblage generally enclosingly contacting the foil-layer assemblage. In one seal, the first edge of the foil-layer assemblage is left exposed, and the foil-layer assemblage resiliently contacts the first member near the first edge to reduce leakage in the "plane" of the cloth-layer assemblage under conditions which include differential thermal growth of the two members. In another seal, such leakage is reduced by having a first weld-bead which permeates the cloth-layer assemblage, is attached to the metal-foil-layer assemblage near the first edge, and unattachedly contacts the first member.

Abstract: An eddy current surface inspection array probe and method for detecting cracks and flaws in aircraft skin metal immediately surrounding rivets, without requiring rivet removal or manual scanning. The array probe includes a circular array of small sense coils positioned beneath a much larger drive coil encased in ferrite. The sense coils are differentially connected in pairs such that the signals from two sense coils located on opposite sides of the rivet (180.degree. apart) subtract to produce a resultant output signal. During operation, the probe is positioned concentrically over the rivet and data acquired from all sense coil pairs. If no cracks or other defects are present, all sense coil pairs produce a null (zero) signal. If a crack exists, some sense coil pairs (the exact number depending on the crack length, number of sense coils, and sense coil spacing) produce a non-zero signal.

Abstract: A novel apparatus capable of measuring distribution of a shot stream is disclosed. More particularly, the apparatus comprises an elongated measurement window positioned within a partition plate. Said elongated measurement window being partitioned into smaller sub-windows, each of which is capable of collecting shot from an area of a shot stream to be measured. This measurement may then be used to determine the peening time needed to fully cover each element of a part's surface with impact dents during a shot peening operation.

Abstract: A dishwasher machine tub for containing water sprayed therein during operation of a dishwasher. The tub includes a wall, a door, and a first wall plate. The wall defines a dishwashing chamber having an opening. The door is connected to the wall and may be positioned to cover and uncover the opening. The first wall plate is spaced apart from the wall, resiliently connected to the wall, and positioned within the chamber. Preferably, the first wall plate is positioned so as to be directly impinged by some of the sprayed water during operation of the dishwasher. The air gap and the resilient connection between the first wall plate and the wall provide localized attenuation of the noise from the drumming impact of the sprayed wash water.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and system for performing three-dimensional computerized tomography imaging of a region of interest of an object. In the present invention, a scanning trajectory is provided about the object. The scanning trajectory includes a first scanning circle, a second scanning circle, and a helical scanning path connecting the first scanning circle and the second scanning circle. The scanning trajectory is then sampled with a plurality of cone beam source positions. Cone beam energy is emitted along the scanning trajectory from each of the plurality of cone beam source positions towards a portion of the object. Cone beam energy passing through the object is acquired on a detector as cone beam projection data. The cone beam projection data is then masked with a plurality of masks. Each of the masks remove cone beam projection data that is outside the region of interest of the object and retain cone beam projection data that is within the region of interest of the object.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and system for generating Radon derivative data in a cone beam computerized tomography implementation. Radon derivative data is computed by using a plurality of processors that partition the Radon space among the processors in a manner wherein the totality of the support of the Radon space handled by each processor is approximately equal. More specifically, each processor handles a number of vertical planes in the Radon space which are equally spaced within 180.degree. in the .phi..sub.k orientation. This procedure enables the plurality of processor to equalize the workload in computing the Radon derivative data and to perform the computations in a timely and efficient manner.

Abstract: A method for extracting open-issue data from a textual specification using a computer is disclosed. The method includes searching for predetermined trigger token morphemes in an enhanced text corpus based upon the textual specification and constituted of respective enhanced sentences so as to electronically mark respective ones of the enhanced sentences based upon the presence of predetermined trigger token morphemes. Linguistic analysis can then be executed upon each remaining unmarked sentences to detect an interrogatory construct in respective ones of the remaining sentences. Sentences marked based either upon the presence of the trigger token morpheme or upon the presence of the interrogatory construct constitute the open-issue data extracted from the textual specification undergoing analysis.

Abstract: A method for cutting epoxy/carbon fiber composites of carbon fibers in epoxy resin uses a diffraction-limited neodymium (Nd) yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser operated in a high peak power Q-switch mode at high pulse rates. The fiber composite is cut with minimal heat affected zone. Selective and multiple wavelength processing are applied for increased coupling efficiency with the epoxy and carbon material components of the composite.

Abstract: Simmer performance in gas ranges is improved by providing a burner grate with a flame impingement ring centered over the gas burner. The burner grate includes a base and a plurality of fingers attached to the base. The flame impingement ring is attached to all or some of the fingers. The flame impingement ring is sized so that simmer flames from the gas burner will impinge thereon. Thus, the flames are directed away from direct impingement on the cooking utensil, and some heat from the flames is absorbed by the grate. The flame impingement ring can have many cross-sectional configurations including curved, circular, oval or straight.

Abstract: An atmospheric gas burner produces improved turndown by separating a small number of the burner ports for simmer service. The burner has an internal baffle which includes a cup section having four outwardly-extending channels. Each one of the channels aligns with a separate one of the ports. The burner also includes a first fuel nozzle arranged to provide fuel to all of the ports in conventional fashion and a second fuel nozzle which provides fuel to the four simmer ports only. The second fuel nozzle has an injection orifice with a smaller cross-sectional area than the injection orifice of the first fuel nozzle. Preferably, the second orifice is sized to provide the same input rate at a maximum pressure that the first orifice does at a minimum pressure. By using a small number of ports for simmer service, the gas velocity through these ports is increased and improved turndown is achieved. In another embodiment, the baffle divides each port into upper lower sections, instead of separating some of the ports.

Abstract: A ventilated tray for holding adsorbent material during microwave desorption of the material. The tray facilitates the flow of desorption gases through a bed of adsorbent without agitation of the adsorbent. The ventilated tray includes a housing having four walls and a bottom piece and a gas-permeable adsorbent support structure disposed in the housing. The adsorbent support structure is positioned above the bottom piece so that the adsorbent support structure, the bottom piece and the four walls define a plenum. A gas passage aperture is located in one of the housing walls to providing fluid communication between the plenum and the exterior of the housing. The adsorbent support structure is a porous plate having pores which are smaller than the grain size of the adsorbent material. Alternatively, the adsorbent support structure can be a two-tiered structure which relies on the adsorbent's angle of repose to support the adsorbent.

Abstract: A dual modality gas ionization detector for differentiating neutron attenuating material from high x-ray attenuating material in an object. The dual modality gas ionization detector uses .sup.3 He and Xe gases pressurized in an ionization chamber to detect neutrons x-rays or gamma rays. The dual modality gas ionization detector is used in an inspection system for detecting, characterizing, or differentiating small amounts of neutron attenuating materials in objects composed primarily of materials of large attenuating x-ray material.

Abstract: Energy efficient independent temperature control is achieved in refrigerators by minimizing system run time. A freezer thermostat activates the refrigeration system when the freezer compartment requires cooling and a fresh food thermostat which controls a damper between the two compartments. The two thermostats are operatively connected so that the freezer thermostat is prevented from switching off whenever the fresh food thermostat calls for cooling in the fresh food compartment. Thus, only the freezer thermostat is able to activate the refrigeration system, while either of the thermostats can inactivate the system.