Abstract: Closed-loop refrigeration cycles for liquid oxygen densification are disclosed. The disclosed refrigeration cycles may be turbine-based refrigeration cycles or a Joule-Thompson (JT) expansion valve based refrigeration cycles and include a refrigerant or working fluid comprising a mixture of neon or helium together with nitrogen and/or oxygen.

Abstract: A system and method for flexible production of argon from a cryogenic air separation unit is provided. The cryogenic air separation unit is capable of operating in a ‘no-argon’ or ‘low-argon’ mode when argon demand is low or non-existent and then switching to operating in a ‘high-argon’ mode when argon is needed. The recovery of the argon products from the air separation unit is adjusted by varying the percentages of dirty shelf nitrogen and clean shelf nitrogen in the reflux stream directed to the lower pressure column. The cryogenic air separation unit and associated method also provides an efficient argon production/rejection process that minimizes the power consumption when the cryogenic air separation unit is operating in a ‘no-argon’ or ‘low-argon’ mode yet maintains the capability to produce higher volumes of argon products at full design capacity to meet argon product demands.

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel kit, transportable apparatus and method for generating in-situ CO2 snow block within the apparatus. An item such as a biological sample can be stored and transported within the same apparatus that is employed for creating the CO2 snow block. The apparatus is capable of preserving the sample during transport. The invention also includes a specially designed CO2 snow charger system including a charger and meshed conduit. The charger system is operated in accordance with the methods of the present invention to create the in-situ CO2 snow block within a container that can be also used for transport.

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel method and system for dispensing CO2 vapor without over pressurization from a system having multiple containers. The system includes one or more liquid containers and one or more vapor containers. The system is designed to operate in a specific manner whereby a restricted amount of CO2 liquid is permitted into the vapor container through a restrictive pathway that is created and maintained by a shuttle valve during the filling operation so that equalization of container pressures is achieved, thereby allowing shuttle valve to reseat when filling has stopped. During use, a pressure differential device is designed to specifically isolate the vapor container from the liquid container so as to preferentially deplete liquid CO2 from the vapor container and avoid over pressurization of the system until the vapor container becomes liquid dry. The system can be operated so that at least 50% of the CO2 vapor product is dispensed from the vapor container.

Abstract: Particulate material is cooled by passing into the material a coolant stream of liquid nitrogen having a gaseous product around at least a portion of the liquid nitrogen, wherein the coolant stream is formed outside the particulate material in a nozzle body from which the coolant stream is passed into the particulate material.

Abstract: Manual and automated methods of pre-charging an empty or partially empty insulated container with CO2 snow are provided. A first location such as a charging location charges CO2 liquid into a container to create a pre-charged container with CO2 snow. The charging location prepares the pre-charged container for delivery to a second location, either by itself, or through a third party. The second location may be a clinical site, which upon receipt of the pre-charged container, loads a perishable item such as a biological sample into the pre-charged container. A user receives the pre-charged container with perishable item and removes the perishable item from the pre-charger container for testing (e.g., biological testing). Depending on the level of depletion of the CO2 snow in the pre-charged container, the user returns the depleted container to the first location or the intermediate location.

Abstract: When a food processing vessel under vacuum is repressurized, the tendency of product in the vessel to be forced into feed lines is relieved or overcome by establishing an effectively high pressure in the feed lines.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cold box cycle which allows for independent control of the heat supplied for reboilers associated with the separation columns. More specifically, the invention relates to the tight control of the hydrogen removal separation, thus avoiding the possibility of excess reboiling in this separation. Optimal reboiling also results in a lower temperature of the hydrogen depleted liquid from this separation. As this stream is used to provide a portion of the cooling at the cold end of the primary heat exchanger, lower temperatures facilitate cooling of the incoming syngas feed, reducing carbon monoxide (CO) losses into the crude hydrogen stream from the high pressure separator. Lower CO in the crude hydrogen allows for smaller hydrogen purification equipment.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to an oxygen transport membrane syngas panel whereby the reformer layer of the panel is eliminated, and the primary reforming function is integrated into the manifold as a gas heated reformer with product syngas as the source of heat.

Abstract: The present invention relates to reactor tubes packed with a catalyst system employed to deliberately bias process gas flow toward the hot tube segment and away from the cold segment in order to reduce the circumferential tube temperature variation.

Abstract: An adjustable device for mounting an angular position sensor such as an encoder to a large diameter rotating shaft such as a motor shaft is provided. The adjustable device includes a specially configured alignment plate, a coupling shaft, a spherical joint, and a plurality of fixing bolts and adjustment screws that are disposed symmetrically on the adjustment plate and radially offset from the shaft rotation axis. The fixing bolts and adjustment screws are generally disposed the same radial distance from the central rotation axis.

Abstract: A top-fired reformer box is provided. The top-fired reformer box includes a burner row, a tube row, a reformer tunnel including a closed end, an open end, and a plurality of tunnel ports formed along a side wall of the reformer tunnel, the plurality of tunnel ports including a one or more tunnel port located along the side of the tunnel, and a flow resistor positioned at least one tunnel port applying a flow resistance for flue gas entering the reformer tunnel via the at least one tunnel port such that uniform flow is achieved within the reformer tunnel.

Abstract: A burner that is useful for providing a melting flame whose axis can be altered during operation, and for providing a supersonic jet of oxidant that can penetrate through the surface of the molten material, has a unique combination of features including a specially contoured flame collar at its open discharge end.

Abstract: A novel method, composition and storage and delivery container for using antimony-containing dopant materials are provided. The composition is selected with sufficient vapor pressure to flow at a steady, sufficient and sustained flow rate into an arc chamber as part of an ion implant process. The antimony-containing material is represented by a non-carbon containing chemical formula, thereby reducing or eliminating the introduction of carbon-based deposits into the ion chamber. The composition is stored in a storage and delivery vessel under stable conditions, which includes a moisture-free environment that does not contain trace amounts of moisture. The storage and delivery container is specifically designed to allow delivery of high purity, vapor phase antimony-containing dopant material at a steady, sufficient and sustained flow rate.

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel two-stage dry ice system for preserving perishable items during transport and methods thereof. The improved two-stage dry ice system includes dry ice and a phase change material specifically configured within a single and continuous holding volume with perishable items. Preservation of the perishable items for extended durations in comparison to other refrigeration techniques can be achieved as a result of the two-stage dry system having the ability to re-orient itself during transport.

Abstract: A method for measuring furnace temperatures. The method includes obtaining radiance measurements from a plurality of regions of interest (ROIs) using a plurality of thermal imaging cameras, and measuring a surface temperature using a radiance measurement obtained from an ROI selected from the plurality of ROIs. Measuring the surface temperature includes determining an effective background radiance affecting the selected ROI using radiance measurements obtained from ROIs different from the selected ROI, obtaining a compensated radiance by removing the effective background radiance from the radiance measurement obtained from the selected ROI, and converting the compensated radiance to the measured surface temperature.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for forming frozen food products, especially frozen foamed food products wherein the products contain bubbles having a reduced average size preferably in a narrow size range or contain ice crystals having reduced size.

Abstract: A method is described of producing a catalyst-containing composite oxygen ion membrane and a catalyst-containing composite oxygen ion membrane in which a porous fuel oxidation layer and a dense separation layer and optionally, a porous surface exchange layer are formed on a porous support from mixtures of (Ln1?xAx)wCr1?yByO3?? and a doped zirconia. Adding certain catalyst metals into the fuel oxidation layer not only enhances the initial oxygen flux, but also reduces the degradation rate of the oxygen flux over long-term operation. One of the possible reasons for the improved flux and stability is that the addition of the catalyst metal reduces the chemical reaction between the (Ln1?xAx)wCr1?yByO3?? and the zirconia phases during membrane fabrication and operation, as indicated by the X-ray diffraction results.

Abstract: A modular, aerogel-based vacuum insulated pipe section comprising an outer conduit; an inner conduit concentrically disposed within the outer conduit with aerogel insulation and a condensable gas being disposed in the insulation space between the concentric conduits. As a stand-alone pipe section, the insulation space is at a pressure within the range of from about 100 microns Hg to about 1000 microns Hg. However, in operation, when a cryogenic fluid is traversing the inner conduit, the condensable gas condenses and the pressure within the insulation space is further reduced to range of from about 1 microns Hg to about 5 microns Hg. The vacuum insulated pipe section further includes a coupling arrangement disposed on a first end of the inner conduit and a second end of the inner conduit, the coupling arrangement configured to engage or mate with a corresponding end of another modular vacuum insulated pipe section.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to welding gas compositions used as shielding gases in an electric arc welding process. More particularly, the invention is directed a shielding gas compositions used in gas metal or tungsten metal arc welding processes for welding aluminum or aluminum alloy containing work pieces. The compositions comprise from 200 to less than 400 ppm oxygen; from 200 to less than 400 ppm of a second gas selected from nitrous oxide, nitrogen, and combinations thereof; and the remainder being an inert gas preferably selected from argon, helium, and mixtures thereof.