Abstract: Methods are disclosed for generating electrical power from a compound comprising carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Water is combined with the compound to produce a wet form of the compound. The wet form of the compound is transferred into a reaction processing chamber. The wet form of the compound is heated within the reaction chamber such that elements of the compound dissociate and react, with one reaction product comprising hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas is processed to generate electrical power.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a process for manufacturing a solar cell by selectively freeing an epitaxial layer from a single crystal substrate upon which it was grown. In some embodiments the process includes, among other things, providing a first substrate; depositing a separation layer on said first substrate; depositing on said separation layer a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell; mounting and bonding a flexible support on top of the sequence of layers; etching said separation layer while applying an agitating action to the etchant solution so as to remove said flexible support with said epitaxial layer from said first substrate.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for harvesting energy from motion of one or more joints. Energy harvesters comprise: an energy converter for converting mechanical energy into corresponding electrical energy; one or more sensors for sensing one or more corresponding characteristics associated with motion of the one or more joints; and a controller connected to receive the one or more sensed characteristics and configured to assess, based at least in part on the one or more sensed characteristics, whether motion of the one or more joints is associated with mutualistic conditions or non-mutualistic conditions. If conditions are determined to be mutualistic, energy harvesting is engaged. If conditions are determined to be non-mutualistic, energy harvesting is disengaged.

Abstract: Numerous arrangements for permanent magnets are disclosed that can focus the flux produced by the magnets. Depending on the particular application in which the disclosed designs and techniques are used, efficiency and reliability may be increased by minimizing flux leakage, increasing peak flux density, and shaping the flux fields to improve the effective coercivity of the flux focusing permanent magnet arrangement when loaded, and to achieve customized voltage and current waveforms. The disclosed magnet assemblies may be incorporated into a machine, such as a motor/generator, having windings and may be disposed for movement relative to the windings. The magnet assembly may be mounted on a support formed of one or more ferromagnetic materials, such as a back iron The disclosed flux focusing magnet assemblies may be formed using a variety of manufacturing methods.

Abstract: Numerous arrangements for permanent magnets are disclosed that can focus the flux produced by the magnets. Depending on the particular application in which the disclosed designs and techniques are used, efficiency and reliability may be increased by minimizing flux leakage, increasing peak flux density, and shaping the flux fields to improve the effective coercivity of the flux focusing permanent magnet arrangement when loaded, and to achieve customized voltage and current waveforms. The disclosed magnet assemblies may be incorporated into a machine, such as a motor/generator, having windings and may be disposed for movement relative to the windings. The magnet assembly may be mounted on a support formed of one or more ferromagnetic materials, such as a back iron The disclosed flux focusing magnet assemblies may be formed using a variety of manufacturing methods.

Abstract: In a two-cycle, opposed-piston internal combustion engine, opposed pistons disposed in a cylinder are coupled to a pair of side-mounted crankshafts by connecting rods that are subject to substantially tensile forces acting between the pistons and the crankshafts. This geometry reduces or eliminates side forces between the pistons and the bore of the cylinder. The cylinder and the pistons are independently cooled to reduce cylindrical deformation caused by thermal expansion during engine operation.

Abstract: Disclosed is a cell voltage monitoring apparatus for monitoring output voltages of a plurality of unit cells in a cell having the unit cells. The cell voltage monitoring apparatus includes: a reference voltage generator for generating a predetermined reference voltage from the unit cell generation voltage; a voltage comparator for comparing a generation voltage of a monitor unit cell and the reference voltage; a signal separator for outputting a signal that is electrically separated from an output signal of the voltage comparator; and an operation processor for determining normality of the cell voltage from a signal output by the signal separator.

Abstract: A current interrupting switch for power distribution systems comprising an outer case and a plurality of vacuum interrupter bottle switches positioned in the case.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine including a cylinder with bore and a piston disposed to reciprocate in the bore is operated by moving the piston in the bore between top and bottom dead center positions and applying lubricant to a portion of the piston that protrudes from the bore. Lubricant is wiped from the piston as the piston travels into the bore toward its top dead center position.

Abstract: A system for the generation of electrical power from sunlight includes a solar cell assembly with at least two sets of solar cells, each of these sets being adapted to a set-specific light frequency spectrum so as to convert light having said set-specific frequency spectrum into electrical energy with an optimized energy conversion efficiency. The system is arranged to respond to changes in the frequency spectrum of the sunlight, for example, in accordance with the time of the day, by causing the sunlight to selectively impinge on one or another of the different sets of solar cells. Thus, an enhanced energy conversion efficiency of the system is obtained.

Abstract: An opposed piston engine includes at least one cylinder with inlet and exhaust ports and opposed pistons disposed in the cylinder for reciprocating opposed motion toward and away from each other. An auxiliary system pumps liquid coolant separately to the cylinder and pistons. Another auxiliary system controls the flow of intake and exhaust gas in the engine.

Abstract: A dual fuel connector separately supplies two different fuels to fluidly isolated fuel passages within a fuel injection valve of an internal combustion engine. The dual fuel connector comprises a body with separate fluid connections to the first fuel inlet, the second fuel inlet, a first fuel rail and a second fuel rail. A first fuel passage within the body is in fluid communication with the first fuel rail and the first fuel inlet. A second fuel passage within the body is in fluid communication with the second fuel rail and the second fuel inlet, and wherein the first fuel passage is fluidly isolated from the second fuel passage. The dual fuel connector supplies two different fuels to a fuel injection valve, for engines that are not designed with a cylinder head that has internal bores that can serve as fuel rails.

Abstract: In one example, a specimen is immersed in an electrolyte, and a plurality of potentials of the specimen are experimentally related to a plurality of currents by applying the potentials to the specimen while measuring the currents, or, by drawing the currents through the specimen while measuring the potentials. The potentials are referenced to a hydrogen reference electrode. Hydrogen is supplied to the hydrogen reference electrode via an electrolysis cathode distinct from the hydrogen reference electrode. In another example, an electrochemical cell confines a head gas disposed over the electrolyte. A partial pressure of water vapor in the head gas is adjusted so that the concentration of water in the electrolyte, when equilibrated with the head gas, falls within a predetermined concentration range. The head gas and electrolyte are then equilibrated, thereby controlling the concentration of water in the electrolyte, and an electrochemical property of the specimen is measured.

Abstract: Inverted metamorphic multijunction solar cells having a heterojunction middle subcell and a graded interlayer, and methods of making same, are disclosed herein. The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a solar cell using an MOCVD process, wherein the graded interlayer is composed of (InxGa1-x)y Al1-yAs, and is formed in the MOCVD reactor so that it is compositionally graded to lattice match the middle second subcell on one side and the lower third subcell on the other side, with the values for x and y computed and the composition of the graded interlayer determined so that as the layer is grown in the MOCVD reactor, the band gap of the graded interlayer remains constant at 1.5 eV throughout the thickness of the graded interlayer.

Abstract: A quick-turn wrench includes a driving head with an axle hole. One side of the axle hole has a claw. A ratchet ring is accommodated in the axle hole. One end of the ratchet ring extends outside the axle hole and connects to a wrench handle. The ratchet ring is surrounded by a ratchet part that correspondingly engages the claw. A transmission rod is inserted into the ratchet ring, with one end having a transmission part. A bottom plate is disposed at the bottom of the axle hole. The end surface of the bottom plate facing the axle hole has a sliding groove. A pushing element is disposed in the sliding groove corresponding to the claw. The transmission part of the transmission rod connects to the pushing element. As the transmission rod rotates, the pushing element is driven to push the claw to release the fixing state between the claw and the ratchet ring.

Abstract: Apparatus and Method for Optimizing the Efficiency of a Bypass Diode in Solar Cells. In a preferred embodiment, a layer of TiAu is placed in an etch in a solar cell with a contact at a doped layer of GaAs. Electric current is conducted through a diode and away from the main cell by passing through the contact point at the GaAs and traversing a lateral conduction layer. These means of activating, or “turning on” the diode, and passing the current through the circuit results in greater efficiencies than in prior art devices. The diode is created during the manufacture of the other layers of the cell and does not require additional manufacturing.

Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed that relate to temperature distribution in a reaction chamber of a steam reformer. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a steam reformer, comprising a central chamber through which feed gas flows, a reaction chamber surrounding the central chamber and having an inner wall and an outer wall, and a recuperative heat exchanger disposed between the inner wall of the reaction chamber and the central chamber.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solar cell by providing a first substrate; depositing sequentially on the first substrate a plurality of semiconductor layers, the plurality of semiconductor layers comprising a first layer and a last layer in the direction of deposition; forming a backside contact layer on the last semiconductor layer; forming on the last semiconductor layer a back cathode contact isolated from at least a first portion of the backside contact layer, the first portion forming the anode contact; attaching a second substrate on the backside contact layer and removing the first substrate to expose the first semiconductor layer and to define a front surface and an opposite back surface of a solar cell; forming a front cathode contact on the front surface of the solar cell; etching a first trench through the plurality of semiconductor layers to define an active portion of the solar cell with a first mesa structure including the front cathode contact and the anode contact and being surrounded by the firs

Abstract: A method of forming a plurality of discrete, interconnected solar cells mounted on a carrier by providing a first semiconductor substrate; depositing on the first substrate a sequence of layers of semiconductor material forming a solar cell structure; forming a metal back contact layer over the solar cell structure; mounting a carrier on top of the metal back contact; removing the first substrate; and lithographically patterning and etching the solar cell structure to form a plurality of discrete solar cells mounted on the carrier.

Abstract: The embodiments of the invention generally relate to a novel magnet arrangement to further enhance the performance of the array. The new arrangement of magnets (for example, five configurations) can result in significantly much higher percentage gain in magnetic flux with respect to the largest magnetic flux of a component magnet, as compared to Halbach array configurations.