Abstract: Various embodiments are provided herein for a system and method for air compression. In at least some embodiments provided herein, there is provided a compressor device having an annular chamber, at least one inlet port, at least one blade, at least one dynamic partition wall and at least one outlet, wherein when the at least one partition wall is in a closed position, the at least one blade approaching the at least one partition wall causes the air to compress and wherein when the at least one partition wall is in the open position, at least one blade moves from a first side to a second side of the at least one partition wall. The compressor device may contain a gearbox train configured to move the at least one partition wall from the closed position to the open position when the at least one blade is within a predetermined distance.

Abstract: Cooperative stochastic positioning in a mobile environment is provided. Position announcements transmitted wirelessly from objects in the immediate area are received at an object of interest or primary object. The position announcements provide the current position data of the respective object in relation to a common coordinate system. The received position announcements are discretizing to obtain a plurality of data groupings based upon a clustering criteria applied to the received position data. Clustering of the data groupings is performed to determine which clusters dataset from the data groupings provide sufficient and consistent position accuracy to determine a relative position of the primary object. A stochastic automata model is then applied to selected cluster dataset to evaluate relative cluster weights in order to determine the relative position of the object of interest. The accuracy of a current position of the object of interest can then be updated based upon determined relative position.

Abstract: A method for recovery of impurities and/or degradation products and/or heat-stable salts from amine-based solvents used for capture of CO2 from gas streams. The method comprises recovering CO2 from a CO2-enriched amine-based solvent thereby producing a lean amine-based solvent, contacting and mixing together the lean amine-based solvent with a reaction composition comprising a phase-change catalyst and a diluent, thereby producing a first organic phase comprising the impurities and/or degradation products and/or heat-stable salts and a first aqueous phase comprising the lean amine-based solvent, separating the first organic phase and the first aqueous phase; and separately recovering the first organic phase and the first aqueous phase. The organic phase can be regenerated by intermixing with a NaOH solution to form an organic phase comprising therein the reaction composition and and an aqueous phase comprising the NaOH solution with the impurities and/or degradation products and/or heat-stable salts.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed at an adaptable vehicle that includes a pair of primary rollers for rolling along a surface on which the vehicle is travelling. At least one of the rollers is rotatably powered. The adaptable vehicle also includes two sets of linking arms, one of which is coupled to one of the rollers and the other of which is coupled to the other of the rollers such that moving the sets of linking arms can shift the axes of rotation of the rollers without impeding rotation of the rollers. The sets of linking arms are connected to and rotatable about an actuatable hub. Actuation of the hub causes at least one set of the linking arms to rotate about the hub and shifts the axis of rotation of at least one of the rollers to allow the vehicle to adapt to its surroundings.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for recovering a gaseous component from an incoming gas stream is described. The incoming gas stream is contacted with a lean aqueous absorbing medium to absorb at least a portion of the gaseous component from the incoming gas stream to form a lean treated gas stream and a rich aqueous absorbing medium. At least a portion of the gaseous component is desorbed from the rich aqueous absorbing medium at a temperature to form an overhead gas stream and a regenerated aqueous absorbing medium. At least a portion of the overhead gas stream is treated to recover a condensate stream. At least a portion of the condensate stream is used to form a heated stream. At least a portion of the heated stream is recycled back to the desorbing step. Novel absorbing medium compositions to recover carbon dioxide and/or hydrogen sulfide are also described.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and systems for controllably mobilizing, flowing and maneuvering the flow of hydrocarbon-containing materials within and about a subterranean reservoir. The system comprises selectively positioning at a ground surface level above a subterranean reservoir containing hydrocarbon-containing materials, at least three seismic apparatus spaced apart in a triangulated configuration. The system is provided with an electronic seismic control device configured to controllably communicate with and cooperate with each of the seismic apparatus to concurrently modulate the amplitudes and frequencies of the vibrational energies produced therefrom. The system is provided with a sensing apparatus configured to detect and monitor changes in the fluidity and movement of the hydrocarbon-containing materials about the subterranean reservoir.

Abstract: A series of ternary oxide and quaternary oxide catalysts were prepared and evaluated for various reforming processes. Representative examples of these catalysts were found to be active and stable for all the processes tested verifying the “feedstock and process flexible” nature of these catalysts. Thus, feedstock- and process-flexible reforming catalysts for hydrogen and/or syngas production have been developed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for recovering a gaseous component from an incoming gas stream is described. The incoming gas stream is contacted with a lean aqueous absorbing medium to absorb at least a portion of the gaseous component from the incoming gas stream to form a lean treated gas stream and a rich aqueous absorbing medium. At least a portion of the gaseous component is desorbed from the rich aqueous absorbing medium at a temperature to form an overhead gas stream and a regenerated aqueous absorbing medium. At least a portion of the overhead gas stream is treated to recover a condensate stream. At least a portion of the condensate stream is used to form a heated stream. At least a portion of the heated stream is recycled back to the desorbing step. Novel absorbing medium compositions to recover carbon dioxide and/or hydrogen sulfide are also described.

Abstract: A method for providing a three-dimensional model of a reservoir includes: dividing the reservoir into grid elements, each of the grid elements being delimited by boundary surfaces, storing reservoir properties associated with each of the grid elements in a computer memory, dividing boundary surfaces of each of the grid elements into sub-surfaces, calculating fluxes across each of the sub-surfaces of each of the grid elements, the fluxes being calculated based on a reservoir type and applying the fluxes to each of the grid elements to provide pressure and production status throughout the reservoir.

Abstract: The present application includes a method for inhibiting amine degradation during CO2 capture from flue gas streams. Particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method of inhibiting O2- and/or SO2-induced degradation of amines using sodium sulfite (Na2SO3), potassium sodium tartrate tetrahydrate (KNaC4H4O6.4H2O), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or hydroxylamine (NH2OH), or analogs or mixtures thereof during CO2 capture by amines.

Abstract: Corrosion inhibitors and processes, uses, methods, compositions, devices, and apparatus involving corrosion inhibitors are disclosed. In certain embodiments the use of specific corrosion inhibitors, specific concentrations of inhibitors, blends of inhibitors, processes utilizing such inhibitors, and compositions comprising such inhibitors, for example in acid gas separation systems such as aqueous amine- or ammonia-based CO2 separation systems (e.g., the post combustion capture of CO2 from flue gases using amines). According to some embodiments, corrosion inhibitors are used in a process for separating at least a portion of an acid gas from a gaseous mixture wherein the inhibitor is at least one selected from dodecylamine, sodium molybdate, morpholine, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from a gas stream. Particularly, the present invention relates to a method for removing CO2 from a gas stream by a liquid absorbent having an amino alcohol derived from 4-amino-2-butanol. In comparison to conventional amines, the amino alcohols of the present invention have been found to provide a higher CO2 absorption capacity and a higher cyclic capacity for CO2 removal.

Abstract: Apparatus comprising an absorber device provided with a plurality of sequentially adjacent sections for flowing a gas stream therethrough. A solvent reactable with components of the gas stream is ingressed into and egressed from each section of the absorber device by a conduit infrastructure. The conduit infrastructure has a plurality of heat exchange and cooling equipment, and communicates with solvent recovery and regeneration equipment. A process wherein a liquid solvent selected for reacting with gaseous components, is counter-flowed against the gas stream. The liquid solvent temperature is controllably manipulated between each section of the absorber device to provide: (a) thermodynamic-driven mass transfer at the front end of the absorber device, and (b) kinetic-driven mass transfer at the back end of the absorber device. Heat generated during recovery of gaseous components from the liquid solvent is recovered for use in regenerating the solvent system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to catalysts for the production of hydrogen using the water gas shift reaction and the carbon dioxide reforming of hydrocarbon-containing fuels. The catalysts nickel and/or copper on a ceria/zirconia support, where the support is prepared using a surfactant templating method. The invention also includes processes for producing hydrogen, reactors and hydrogen production systems utilizing these catalysts.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for visually coding or sorting search results based on the similarity of the search results to one or more concepts. A search query containing search terms is used to conduct a web search and obtain search results comprising a number of document surrogates describing the located web pages. Concepts are obtained using the search terms and the similarities between the obtained concepts and the search results are evaluated. The search results are then displayed in a manner that indicates the relative similarity of search results to one or more of the determined concepts, such as by sorting the search results based on the level of similarity of the search results to one or more concepts or by providing an accordance indicator with each displayed search result, the accordance indicators indicating the similarity of the corresponding search result with one or more of the concepts.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is provided that conducts a web search or other computer readable document search and obtains search results comprising a number of meta-documents where each meta-document describes a web pages or other document located in the search. The meta-documents retrieved in the search results are then analyzed to determine the frequency of occurrence of terms used in these meta-documents and the most commonly occurring of these terms are then presented in a visual representation to the user to allow the user to see what are the most commonly occurring of these terms as well as the frequency with which these terms appear relative to other terms in the search results. Using the visual representations of these commonly occurring terms, a user can re-sort the search results by selected terms or alter the original search query by adding or removing terms from the search query.

Abstract: A data structure, apparatuses and methods for expanding a search query to be used by a web search engine is provided. The search query is expanded by accessing a concept knowledge base data structure having concept data objects and term data objects with each term data object defining a term and associated with at least one of the concept data objects. Search terms making up the search query are matched to term data objects and a concept set is generated containing concept data objects associated with the term data objects. A second set of term data objects are generated by using the concept data objects to locate term data objects associated with the concept data objects. A user can then select one of the term data objects in the second set to expand the user's search query.

Abstract: A method and system of visually coding search results is provided. Using a search query containing a plurality of search terms, a web search is conducted and a set of search results is obtained. Occurrence frequencies of the search terms in the returned document are tallied and used to formulate a number of occurrence indicators having color shades based on the occurrence frequencies of the search terms. The search results are then displayed in two levels of detail with a first portion of the search results displayed in a first format and a second portion displayed in a second format. The occurrence indicators for the search terms are displayed beside each returned document to indicate to a user the frequency of the search terms in the search results.

Abstract: Three methods for improving the blocking ability of gels by improving the performance of gels in fractured reservoirs are provided. First method utilizes overload of a crosslinker, the second method utilizes a combination of crosslinker overload and aged crosslinker, and the third method utilizes a step of crosslinker pre-flush. These methods may be combined to further improve the performance of gels in fractured reservoirs. All methods utilized Chromium (III) acetate as a crosslinker. These methods outperformed the base formula of Chromium/polymer typically used in the field.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from a gas stream. Particularly, the present invention relates to a method for removing CO2 from a gas stream by a liquid absorbent having an amino alcohol derived from 4-amino-2-butanol. In comparison to conventional amines, the amino alcohols of the present invention have been found to provide a higher CO2 absorption capacity and a higher cyclic capacity for CO2 removal.