Abstract: Crystallization method and crystallization apparatus each use vertical plates for crystallization thereon. Both surfaces of the plate are used for different two liquids to flow down as films. Specifically, on one vertical surface, a feed liquid mixture containing crystallizable components therein flows down as a film, and on an opposite vertical surface, a cooling medium flows down as a film. Accordingly, the crystallizable component contained in the feed liquid mixture is cooled and crystallized to form crystal layers on the one vertical surface of the plate. The formed crystal layers are melted by a heating medium which flows down on the opposite vertical surface, and are collected as a melt. A pair of the plates may be used to form a unit to purify the liquid mixture on a large scale. A number of the units may be used to form a block which is suitable for a larger-scale crystallization processing.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel catalyst having a stable catalytic activity for catalyzing the reaction of an alcohol with carbon monoxide and oxygen to produce carbonic acid esters (i.e., carbonate), and also the present invention relates to a method of producing carbonic acid esters using this catalyst. The catalyst of the present invention comprises a copper halide and at least one hydroxide compound selected from a group consisting of alkali metal hydroxides and alkali earth metal hydroxides carried on a porous carrier, and also provide a process of regenerating a catalytic activity of the catalyst.

Abstract: In a non-agitated, countercurrent flow type liquid-liquid contacting tower, trays consisting of column plates and dams are installed horizontally inside the tower shell alternately in vertical direction with a suitable interval. The column plate share a part of the cross-section of the tower to provide a flow channel or channels for the liquids, and the dam extends from the end of the column plate vertically downward and has openings near the column plate. The liquid-liquid contactor has high contacting efficiency, and thus relatively small sized apparatus can have a large treatment capacity. Because the apparatus has no moving element, maintenance is easy.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved contamination inspecting device which can carry out continuous, automatic inspection of portable articles both large and small regardless of their shape. The device incorporates a conveying means for carrying the articles through the inspection position wherein the speed of the conveying means is varied based on the background radioactivity detected by the plane scintillator, a plane scintillator for detecting radiation from both the background environment and the articles to be inspected, a five-axes gate-type underriding mechanism which incorporates a robot arm so as to enable the plane scintillator to travel along the surfaces of each article, and control means for controlling the speed of the conveying means based on the background radioactivity detected by the plane scintillator and for controlling the five-axis robot based on the shape of the articles to be inspected.

Abstract: In a non-agitational, countercurrent flow type of liquid-liquid contacting tower, splitter plates with plural slits and/or holes through which light and heavy liquids flow, and baffles having the appropriate shapes and areas in order to cover the liquid flowing upward or downward, are alternately mounted horizontally inside the tower shell in vertical direction. The ratios of the opening area to the total cross-sectional area in the splitter plate are 10% to 40%, and the opening area of a baffles is larger than the aperture area of a splitter plate. The advantages of this invention are as follows: Because of the high contacting efficiency, a relatively smaller contactor has an equivalent performance with that of a larger contactor; there exists no risk of plugging due to scum accumulation, and maintenance is easy.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel catalyst having a stable catalytic activity for catalyzing the reaction of an alcohol with carbon monoxide and oxygen to produce carbonic acid esters (i.e., carbonate), and also the present invention relates to a method of producing carbonic acid esters using this catalyst. The catalyst of the present invention comprises a copper halide and at least one hydroxide compound selected from a group consisting of alkali metal hydroxides and alkali earth metal hydroxides carried on a porous carrier, and also provide a process of regenerating a catalytic activity of the catalyst.

Abstract: Carbonic acid esters are important compounds as a gasoline extender, an octane number improver, an organic solvent and a reacting agent in place of phosgene for production of isocyanates, polycarbonates and various intermediates of agricultural chemicals and pharmaceuticals.According to the present invention, carbonic acid esters can be prepared by reacting an alcohol with carbon monoxide and oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising a copper halide and a tertiary organophosphorus compound having phenyl group or alkyl group.

Abstract: The surface of an apparatus made of a Fe base alloy or Ni base alloy containing at least 35 wt. % of Cr is resistant to carbon deposition when the apparatus contacts carburizing/oxidizing atmospheres.

Abstract: Carbonic acid esters are important compounds as a gasoline extender, an octane number improver, an organic solvent and a reacting agent in place of phosgene for production of isocyanates, polycarbonates and various intermediates of agricultural chemicals and pharmaceuticals.According to the present invention, carbonic acid esters can be prepared by reacting an alcohol with carbon monoxide and oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising a copper halide and a tertiary organophosphorus compound having phenyl group or alkyl group.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of hydrogen sulfide by reacting sulfur and hydrogen which comprises two hydrogenation reactions. The first hydrogenation reaction of the present invention comprises the steps of supplying hydrogen gas in a reactor containing sulfur at least a part of which is in a liquid phase at a temperature of not lower than 250.degree. C., and reacting the liquid sulfur and the hydrogen gas to produce a crude hydrogen sulfide effluent gas in the reactor. The sulfur vapor contained in the effluent gas is further reacted with fleshly added hydrogen gas in the second hydrogenation reaction to further concentrate the resulting hydrogen sulfide.

Abstract: A carbon deposition preventive double-layered tube for handling carbon compounds at not less than 500.degree. C., the double-layered tube comprising:(a) the layer to be exposed to the carbon compounds, constructed from an alloy which is composed of Cr, Ni, and Fe in porportions shown within a triangular region I of an equilibrium diagram (FIG.

Abstract: A method for production of a ceramic sheet includes the following steps: First, a pair of green sheets are prepared from ceramic material by the doctor-blade method. Each of the green sheets has first and second surfaces. The prepared sheets are placed one on the other and adhered to each other in such a manner that the first surfaces of the green sheets oppose each other. Alternatively, the second surfaces of the sheets may oppose each other. As a result, a united green sheet is obtained. A separating sheet is disposed on a side of the united green sheet. The united green sheet is rolled, with the separating sheet, around a core. The united green sheet, with the separating sheet, is sintered in a rolled configuration thereby producing a rolled ceramic sheet.

Abstract: A shell-and-tube apparatus, more specifically, a shell-and-tube reactor, which includes a vessel, at least one intermediate tube plate sectioning the interior of the vessel into at least two compartments having different temperatures, a number of heat transferring tubes penetrating the intermediate tube plate or plates, and a fluid passing through the tubes which is heated or cooled by a heat transfer medium surrounding the tubes. At least one insulation plate or plates are provided on one or both sides of the intermediate tube plate so that the space between the intermediate tube plate or plates and, if two or more insulation plates are used, the space or spaces between the insulation plates may be utilized as a stagnation zone for the heat transfer medium, so as to make the temperature gradient through the intermediate tube plate or plates gentle and relax the thermal stress occurring in the body wall.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a vortex type furnace for burning powder. The furnace includes a first body, at least one air-supply pipe for generating a vortex, and at least one powder-supply pipe for feeding powder to be burned in said first body. The first body includes an elongated combustion chamber of a polygonal, elliptical, or circular cross section. The first body has an axis therealong, an ignition burner at an end thereof, and an exhaust port at another end thereof. The air-supply pipe generates a vortex around the center axis in the first body. The air-supply pipe, which opens at the internal peripheral surface of said furnace, is disposed quasi-tangentially or generally colinear with the internal peripheral surface of said first body. The powder-supply pipe, which opens at the internal surface of said first body, is disposed to be spaced apart from said air-supply pipe.

Abstract: The present invention relates to combustion devices such as incineration furnaces and the like, and in particular, relates to combustion devices which include a combustion gas cooling device by means of which slag, combustion by-products and the like are rapidly cooled and thereby converted to nonadhering fly ash. By converting slag to nonadhering fly ash, the accumulation of slag in downstream exhaust processing equipment is diminished, and hence, the necessity of halting the operation of the combustion apparatus in order to remove the accumulated slag is eliminated, thereby improving the efficiency of operations.

Abstract: A process for producing NH.sub.3 and SO.sub.2 from ammonium sulfate, which comprises(i) reacting ammonium sulfate with a metal oxide or hydroxide at a temperature of not more than 200.degree. C. to form NH.sub.3, water and a metal sulfate and recovering NH.sub.3,(ii) decomposing the metal sulfate in the presence of a reducing agent to form a metal oxide and SO.sub.2 and recovering SO.sub.2, and(iii) recycling the metal oxide to step (i) as such or after it is converted to a metal hydroxide.

Abstract: An apparatus for treating carbon containing compounds such as hydrocarbons or their derivatives, or carbon monoxide or the like at temperatures higher than 500.degree. C., wherein at least a member contacting with said carbon containing compounds at temperatures higher than 500.degree. C. is composed of any one of Fe base, Ni base and Co base alloys or their mixed Fe-Ni, Fe-Co, Ni-Co and Fe-Ni-Co alloys, each containing at least 28 wt.% of Cr, and this member can exhibit a superior resistance to carbon deposition.

Abstract: A drive apparatus uses a plurality of actuators such as multilayer type piezoelectric actuators and a displacement coupling means for coupling the displacements of the actuators at different angles and outputting the obtained displacement. The plurality of actuators are driven by alternating current signals that are in synchronism with each other so that a motion output end can move along a desired curve. When one or a plurality of such drive apparatuses are used and outputs of the respective drive apparatuses are transmitted to a moving part or the like through a non-contact power transmitting means using magnetic poles or the like, a high-reliability motor unit having a resolution on the order of submicrons is realized.

Abstract: Liquid hydrocarbons such as natural gas liquid generally contain elementary mercury, ionized mercury and ionizable mercury compounds. All of them are requested to be removed. Further, organic mercury compounds are contained in some natural gas liquid and other liquid hydrocarbons depending on their district of production, and its removal is also necessary.It has been found that an adsorbent composition comprising multi-component metal sulfides supported on a carrier wherein one of metal component is molybdenum of 3-15 weight-% calculated as molybdenum metal in final product and another metal component is selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel, the atomic ratio of these to molybdenum being in the range of 0.05-0.9 can adsorb more amount of elemental mercury from hydrocarbons than the conventional adsorbents.

Abstract: Phenols such as cresol, phenol and xylenol etc. are obtained by thermal decomposition of a lignin-containing material in a state of a mixture of the lignin-containing material and a double ring aromatic hydrocarbon solvent.Spent liquid of a solvolysis pulping process can be used as the lignin-containing raw material in the present invention for manufacturing phenols, and the phenols obtained can be utilized as the solvent in the solvolysis process resulting in cost reduction in the pulp production process by self-supplying the necessary solvent in the solvolysis process.