Abstract: A flake ice-making apparatus includes a cylindrical refrigerant evaporator having a cylindrical evaporator chamber surrounding a cylindrical ice-forming bore surface. A water-flow distributor for introducing water to be frozen against the ice-forming bore surface is located at the top end of the cylindrical refrigerant evaporator so that the water flows downwardly in a thin sheet over the ice-forming bore surface and is frozen on the ice-forming bore surface. An elongated ice-scraping blade is located at the ice-forming bore surface. An ice-scraping blade moving device moves the ice-scraping blade in a rotary motion over the ice-forming bore surface to remove the ice from the ice-forming bore surface and to form ice flakes.

Abstract: An increased efficiency boiler is provided, which, instead of trying to eliminate steaming in the economizer, designs the economizer to permit steaming, and a control is provided for the boiler which takes into account the heat input to the boiler as well as the water level in the steam drum and the reliability of the economizer.

Abstract: A vertical tube heat exchanger having a shell enclosing a bottom tubesheet, a top tubesheet in parallel, spaced-apart relationship to the bottom tubesheet, and a plurality of spaced-apart parallel flow tubes extending between the top tubesheet and bottom tubesheet includes liquid distributor devices inserted into the open top end of the flow tubes. The distributors are fabricated of an elastic material of sufficient resilience to sustain deformation circumferentially of the distributor device to accomodate irregularities in the tube wall at the top end creating a continuous uninterrupted peripheral seal at the interface of the distributor and tube wall at the open top end when inserted in the tube open top end, and to recover the original peripheral size and form of the distributor when the distributor is removed from the tube open top end.

Abstract: A quarter-turn plug valve has an inverted and tapered frustoconical body cavity and plug. The valve body has a through-flow passage with ports opening into said body cavity. The tapered plug has a valve stem and a throughflow passage. The valve seats surround the ports and extend from the walls of the tapered valve cavity toward the plug. The plug, when seated in closed position, is in physical contact only with the annular tapered faces of the valve seats. The valve stem contains acme or square threads near the bottom to engage with a bonnet threaded at its lower end. The bonnet extends axially along the valve stem and has a projecting flange near its midpoint, which seats on a gasket placed between it and the valve body flange. When the plug is properly oriented in closed position, the adjustable bonnet is turned on the threads of the valve stem with the stem fixed until it seats on the valve body with the desired downward thrust.

Abstract: A raised hardface overlay valve seat, fused around the periphery of the port of a valve, having an inverted frustoconical body cavity and an inverted frustoconical plug inserted into said cavity in sealing engagement therewith. A major advantage of the raised hardface overlay seat is that it has a taper conforming to the taper of the plug and as a consequence, reduces the area in contact with the plug and effectively intensifies the sealing stress that can be generated between the plug and the seats by a downward force. The plug may be used with lapping compound to lap the seats, both prior to service and in the field. Sufficient space is allowed in the cavity for a substantial relap life.