Abstract: A guide mat for a slant service or drill rig. The guide mat comprises rearward and forward portions and an open area in the rearward portion which is used to allow access to a wellhead. Adjustable pedestals are provided which move in orthogonal planes to the plane of the guide mat and thereby allow for convenient pinning of the mast of the rig to the mat such that the mast is maintained in its correct operating position while the drilling and/or service operations are underway.

Abstract: Improved apparatus is disclosed for supporting the cutting teeth on the periphery of a rotating cylindrical drum ice cutter affixed to a floating arctic structure. The cutting teeth are individually removably affixed to brackets which extend spirally (either continuously or in segments) around the drum periphery and are supported in spaced relationship radially outwardly therefrom by very sturdy struts. Several benefits are obtained with this configuration: (1) hydrodynamic drag is minimized; (2) the teeth-support structure can be made more rugged than individual ones for each tooth; (3) the teeth can be configured for a minimum of replaceable material at the cutting tips; (4) more free volume is available around the drum periphery for disposal flow of disaggregated material and (5) tooth spacing can be readily adjusted for optimum performance according to requirements.

Abstract: Removable bucket wheel teeth are provided with a rectangular-in-cross section shank portion and forwardly sloped shoulder areas for insertion into a complementarily-configured socket in a bucket lip. The resulting assembly is much more rigid and wears better than prior art tooth and lip configurations and tends to fracture preferentially when overstressed.

Abstract: A method for remote analysis of a mixture of materials where one of the components has thermal characteristics different from the other components. In a preferred embodiment, tar sands on a moving belt or dropping into a hopper are irradiated with infrared radiation and the radiant thermal flux of the heated tar sands is remotely detected and measured to determine bitumen content.

Abstract: Sand containing bitumen and like materials containing organic matter is analyzed quantitatively for its hydrocarbon content by use of a remote infrared sensor. In a preferred embodiment the bitumen is on a conveyor to further processing and if found unacceptable for processing by the method of the invention, the sand is automatically diverted. The invention also embodies the apparatus used for the analysis.

Abstract: Hydrolyzed wheat, corn, and potato starches are effective flocculants in destabilizing dilute as well as thick sludge suspensions. These starches are equal to, or better than, the synthetic polyacrylamide flocculants in destabilizing sludge suspensions, particularly when used in the treatment of bituminous tar sands tailings.The hydrolyzed wheat starch is especially effective when first contacted with metal salts such as salts containing calcium, aluminum and phosphate ions, and most particularly when first treated with a combination of such salt, formed in situ, and a lower aliphatic alcohol.Among the potato starch flocculants which were found to be generally better than the corn starch flocculants, those containing AlPO.sub.4 were the best. Potato starch flocculants are equally effective on oil-removed and no-oil-removed sludge suspensions.

Abstract: In order to improve the efficiency and reliability of the cutter units employed in large scale ice disaggregation systems, a cutter configuration is employed characterized by an outwardly extending arm which sweeps rearwardly from the direction of travel to provide clearance for ice chunks and then sharpwardly forwardly to terminate in an ice-engaging portion. The ice-engaging portion includes a relatively long and narrow central "pick" portion for breaking very cold ice, chisel-like cutting edges directed to each side of the base of the "pick" portion to fracture cold ice as well as warm ice, and an inverted skate portion which cleaves the ice and promotes passage of the ice chunks around the tooth structure to facilitate clearing.

Abstract: Hydrolyzed wheat, corn, and potato starches are effective flocculants in destabilizing dilute as well as thick sludge suspensions. These starches are equal to, or better than, the synthetic polyacrylamide flocculants in destabilizing sludge suspensions, particularly when used in the treatment of bituminous tar sands tailings.The hydrolyzed wheat starch is especially effective when first contacted with metal salts such as salts containing calcium, aluminum and phosphate ions and most particularly when first treated with a combination of such salts formed in situ, and a lower aliphatic alcohol.Among the potato starch flocculants which were found to be generally better than the corn starch flocculants, those containing AlPO.sub.4 were the best. Potato starch flocculants are equally effective on oil-removed and no-oil-removed sludge suspensions.