Patents Assigned to L'Exploitation Des
  • Apparatus for providing a continuous stream of a cryogenic liquid and in particular liquid nitrogen
    Patent number: 4546609
    Abstract: In order to stop the continuous stream of liquid nitrogen supplied through the outlet conduit 4 of the device 2 for regulating the pressure, this conduit is provided with a stop electrovalve 5A combined with a degassing device 27 so that the flow of plain liquid in normal operation is not disturbed. Application to the pressurization of preserving boxes or cans by vaporization of liquid nitrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1984
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Alain Roullet, Andre Lermuzeaux
  • Method for freezing the neck of an inverted champagne bottle
    Patent number: 4541251
    Abstract: Bottles 1 are disposed in an inverted position in small groups on a tray which is placed in position on a lower frame 25 of a programmed raising and lowering portal 6. Upon each lowering of the portal, the necks of the bottles are dipped into a bath of liquid nitrogen which is maintained at a constant level. The dippings, for example three in number, are separated by stages in which the necks of the bottles are maintained out of the bath. The last dipping terminates when the necks are partly frozen, and the bottles are then conveyed to a disgorging station where the mass of ice formed is expelled so as to eliminate the sediment coming from the fermentation of the champagne.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1983
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Pierre Louradour, Alain Roullet
  • Reactor and apparatus for purifying by adsorption
    Patent number: 4541851
    Abstract: The case 2 of the container 1 having a vertical axis X-X contains two adsorbent beds 3,4 in the form of sleeves retained by three cylindrical grates 5, 6, 7. The intermediate grate 6 is axially rigid and radially flexible while the innermost and outermost grates 5,7 are axially flexible and radially rigid. This enables the container and the adsorbent beds to support without damage the successive heating and cooling stages in the course of the adsorbent regeneration stages. Application to the purification of large amounts of air intended to be distilled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Maurice Bosquain, Maurice Grenier, Leon Hay, Paul Lapeyre, Jean-Yves Lehman, Pierre Petit, Pierre Sauty
  • Cooling apparatus and cooling trap including such an apparatus
    Patent number: 4538423
    Abstract: The region 1 to be cooled contains the evaporator of a heat pipe 2 which contains a diphase fluid adapted to the desired temperature between about 0.degree. and -100.degree. C. The condenser 7 of the heat pipe is cooled to a set temperature by a copper ring 8 which is cooled by a regulated liquid nitrogen current. Applications in the freeze trapping of solvents contained in a gaseous current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Raymond Le Diouron
  • Process for effecting an accelerated neutralization of cellulose textile substrates impregnated with alkaline hydroxide
    Patent number: 4536907
    Abstract: There is effected an accelerated direct neutralization in-situ of the substrates which are impregnated with alkaline hydroxide which is free or fixed on the cellulose, by contact with a neutralizing fluid containing carbon dioxide in a gaseous, aqueous or combined phase, this fluid being introduced in accordance with requirements related to the quantity of alkali to be neutralized. The process may be used in the textile industry in continuous and discontinuous treatments and is adaptable to all types of textile machines employing an aqueous method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Jean-Pierre Zumbrunn, Jean Levielle, Andre Thomas, Francoise Grangette
  • Device for measuring the flow of a fluid
    Patent number: 4534227
    Abstract: The device measures the flow of a fluid and comprises a rotor 16 having vanes which is driven in rotation by a stream of fluid in a sealed housing 11 having a circular cross-section and provided with a supply nozzle and a discharge nozzle for the fluid which are in alignment and disposed tangentially to the rotor so that the fluid stream issuing from the supply nozzle encounters the vanes 1 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation 17 of the rotor. The rotor 16 has two lateral flanges 16a, the vanes, the flanges and the housing defining, apart from a clearance for permitting the rotation of the rotor, a series of compartments which communicate by way of that clearance with two lateral chambers 12a of the housing. The invention is in particular applicable to the measurement of small flows of gas under high pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Roland Petit
  • Process and device for the regeneration of a group of solid particles having a coating of a biological material
    Patent number: 4534864
    Abstract: The solid particles 33' coated with a biological material are developed at the upper end of a bed 32 which is fluidized by a supply of water 3. The particles 33' are removed at 12 and decanted at 11 and then introduced through a pipe 20 at the upper end 22 of an auxiliary anaerobic fermentation column which converts the biological coating into a gaseous mixture which escapes at 27. The regenerated particles are withdrawn at 28 and conveyed at 30 to the purifying bed. Application in the biological purification of waste waters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1984
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Alain Rigouard
  • Surface hardening process for metal parts
    Patent number: 4531984
    Abstract: In a surface hardening process for metal parts by nitriding or carbonitriding, the parts to be treated are placed in a furnace and maintained at a temperature of between 490.degree. C. and 750.degree. C., in a nitrogen bearing atmosphere, such atmosphere formed by introducing into the furnace a gaseous mixture comprising in particular ammonia and an oxidizing gas for accelerating the catalytic dissociation of ammonia in contact with said parts. The oxidizing gas is nitrous oxide and the gaseous mixture contains about 0.1% to 10% by volume of nitrous oxide. The invention is well suited for the surface hardening of steel parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Michel Madsac, Thierry Hiron
  • Glassmaking process and equipment
    Patent number: 4531960
    Abstract: According to the process, a mixture of powdered mineral substances is introduced at one end of a furnace and this mixture is heated, and the molten glass thus obtained is continuously discharged at the other end of the furnace. The mixture is heated by means of at least one air-fuel flame and at least one oxygen-fuel flame. A current of auxiliary gas which is concentric to and surrounds the oxygen-fuel flame is injected into the furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1984
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Marc Desprez
  • Welding torch with non-consumable electrode and double shielding gas flow and the relevant welding process
    Patent number: 4527038
    Abstract: In order to improve electric arc penetration of an arc welding torch, the angles of convergence .alpha. and .beta. of a sleeve and a nozzle of the torch are selected within an area which is inscribed in a quadrangular figure defined by the coordinates (.alpha., .beta.) with corners, or apices, at the four following points:______________________________________ .alpha. = 17.5 degrees S'.sub.1 : .beta. = 27.5 degrees .alpha. = 7.2 degrees S'.sub.2 : .beta. = 20 degrees .alpha. = 7.5 degrees S'.sub.3 : .beta. = 15 degrees .alpha. = 17.5 degrees S'.sub.4 : .beta. = 7.5 degrees ______________________________________The disclosed arc welding torch is favorably employed in an inert gas welding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Francis Cuny, Louis Auzary
  • Process of producing metal powders from a molten metal material
    Patent number: 4521244
    Abstract: A cryogenic fluid in the liquid phase is put in contact with a metal material maintained in a closed treating vessel, the cryogenic fluid which contains the solid particles formed is exhausted from the vessel, and the solid particles are separated from the cryogenic fluid and collected. The metal material is heated by induction heating with a high-frequency current and maintained in levitation in the cryogenic liquid. The process is applicable to the production of ultra-fine powders from metals which are only slightly volatile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Albert-Gilbert Goursat, Gilles Vernet, Jean-Francis Rimbert, Jean Foulard, Thierry Darle, Jean Bigot
  • Method of carburizing workpiece
    Patent number: 4519853
    Abstract: The method of carburizing steel workpieces comprises loading workpieces to be carburized in a furnace and maintaining them in a carbon enriching atmosphere comprising carbon monoxide, hydrogen and nitrogen. The treatment comprises a first phase carried out at a temperature from 850.degree. C. to 1050.degree. C. followed by a second phase carried out at a temperature from 700.degree. C. to 950.degree. C. During the first phase an atmosphere is used having a carbon potential from about 1.1% to about 1.6% by weight and during the second phase the amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere is increased from two to thirty times so that the carbon potential for the second phase is at least about 0.5% by weight less than the carbon potential for the first phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Michel Kostelitz, Philippe Queille
  • Apparatus for fractionating solid particles suspended in a liquid
    Patent number: 4518499
    Abstract: A process for fractionating a suspension of solid particles in a liquid, of he type wherein said suspension is made to pass through a filtering screen, characterized in that said suspension is directed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of an elastically deforming, flexible, perforated sleeve forming a filtering screen, and in that a sequence of high and low pressures is continuously created within this sleeve and travels at least predominantly opposite the direction of the suspension flow. The invention also applies to equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1985
    Assignee: Centre Technique de L'Industrie des Papiers, Cartons et Celluloses
    Inventors: Bernard Perrin, Bernard Bianchin, Georges Sauret
  • Process for producing solid metal particles from a bath of metal
    Patent number: 4518421
    Abstract: The process concerns a selective refining of molten metals or alloys contained in a closed treatment container in the form of a bath 10. A solid or liquid cryogenic body 13 is brought into contact with the surface of the bath of metal 10 so as to convert, by evaporation-condensation, the vapors (vz) of the impurity or impurities to be eliminated from the bath into solid particles (pz) entrained by the vapors (vf) of the cryogenic body, and the bath of metal 10 is simultaneously stirred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Jean Foulard, Jean F. Rimbert, Gilles Vernet, Albert-Gilbert Goursat
  • Adsorption processes
    Patent number: 4512778
    Abstract: The gas originating from the expansion during the stage (T.sub.6) is directed into a buffer tank and each adsorber has an operating cycle delayed by 1/nth of the cycle period (T) with respect to a preceding one, and each production stage has a duration of (x/n)T, "n" being greater than or equal to 6, and "x" greater than or equal to 2, and each expansion stage at an intermediate pressure has a shorter duration than each elution stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Guy Simonet, Leon Hay
  • Method and installation for separating a composite gas by adsorption
    Patent number: 4512779
    Abstract: In a method comprising an isobaric production phase, a co-current depressurization phase, optionally carried out in a plurality of stages, a counter-current elution phase and a counter-current repressurization phase, optionally carried out in a plurality of stages, the successive balancing phases between two adsorption columns 1, 2, 3, 4 are carried out by passage in an auxiliary column 46, 70 with flow in opposite directions of the gaseous currents corresponding to two successive balancings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Leon Hay
  • Cryogenic liquid distributing device
    Patent number: 4506512
    Abstract: The device comprises a reservoir having a double wall 4-5 with an inlet pipe 24 having a valve 31 whose movable valve member 30 is connected to a float 35 and a drawing-off pipe 41 having a valve 45 whose valve member 50 is connected to a control rod 52. The drawing-off valve 45 is placed in the thermal insulation space of the reservoir. Application in the distribution of low and usually intermittent flows of cryogenic liquids and in particular nitrogen or argon for rendering inert pouring jets employed in metallurgy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Pierre Delacour, Roger Prost
  • Process for producing a biochemical vaccine against Salmonella infection
    Patent number: 4503036
    Abstract: A bacterial vaccine against Salmonella fevers, typhoid and paratyphoid fevers is obtained by fermentation, extraction and purification, vaccinating membrane antigens being extracted by putting the bacterial residue, obtained by centrifuging, in contact with a solvent of the tris (hydroxyalkyl) aminoalkane class, with stirring, at lowered temperature, pH adjusted between 8.4 and 8.6 for a period of at least some 60 hours, then, separated by decanting, followed by purifying the antigens and fractionating by ultrafiltration, and then freeze-drying the vaccinating antigen fraction. Such vaccinating antigen fraction has a molecular weight greater than 50,000, preferably 300,000, and is used to vaccinate humans and animals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Philippe Girardon, Jean Amen
  • Method and apparatus for in-situ mining by leaching ores containing metal values
    Patent number: 4498705
    Abstract: An oxygenated lixiviant is transported down an injection pipe into the leach zone at the bottom of an injection pipe, the lixiviant leaches the ore and the pregnant lixiviant containing metal compounds is recovered through a recovery pipe. The metal compounds are separated from the lixiviant and the lixiviant is regenerated, reoxygenated and recycled. The pressure of the lixiviant at the downstream end of the injection pipe is substantially equal to the pressure of the lixiviant at the upstream end thereby permitting maximum oxygenation without any degassing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 12, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Jacques Roussel
  • Oxy-fuel burners
    Patent number: 4494923
    Abstract: The invention relates to the electric ignition of oxy-fuel burners, as well as to the detection of the flame of these burners.A spark is induced between an electrode and the body of the burner, the said electrode being situated in the area of the recirculation flows having a relative proportion of oxygen and fuel comprised between the lower and upper limits of flammability, close to the said upper limit.The invention is applicable to burners supplied with a gaseous fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1985
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude Et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventors: Paul Guillaume, Luc Vezin, Bernard Dubi