Abstract: A dry mix for use in preparing a stable viscous emulsion with increased preparation tolerance comprising an encapsulated gum, the encapsulant being effective to retard hydration of the gum when manually mixed with an aqueous solution and then an oil, the rate of hydration of the gum and the amount of gum being effective to provide a stable viscous emulsion for at least 24 hours after mixing. The dry mix also comprising an amount of solids effective to obtain a desired viscosity.

Abstract: A washing device for a centrifugal analyzer testing disk having a multiplicity of test cells each of which has a specimen and a reactant receiving hole communicating with the cell. The washing device has a washer body member with a multiplicity of fingers each receivable within the speciman receiving hole of each cell. Each finger has a bore communicating with a plenum within the body member. The body member communicates with tubing to a low pressure source such as a T-connector which can be connected to a faucet at one end to create a suction within the body member and draw cleaning solution through the reactant receiving hole of the test cell and out the specimen receiving hole when the disk is immersed in a cleaning solution.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for freeing solids, in particular pharmaceutical active ingredients, from germs by sterile filtration using supercritical gases.

Abstract: A drum-type rotary scraper, for use in a corner, scraping a surface by the snapping reformation of elastically restrained portions of flexible fingers deformed from their normal circular path by the constraint of the planes forming the corner.By way of an example, a cylindrical bird-cage broom whose tips rotate bluntly and ineffectively against a first plane surface while the drum surface of the fingers immediately adjacent the tip ends, in deforming and scraping on the second and snapping onto the third of surfaces defined by the intersection of three planes at right angles, removes paint from two of these relatively inaccessible surfaces.

Abstract: A device for preventing backfire of inflammable gases comprising a cylinder, a balance spring, and a repelling magnet case. The cylinder holds both a valve casing whose rear edge shuts a gas induction passage when the casing is pushed backward by high pressure, and a check valve which contains a repelling magnet and which shuts and opens a gas supplying passage and a flow-way formed in the valve casing. The repelling magnet case, which is pushed backward by the balance spring, contains a repelling magnet aligned face-to-face with a magnet that is contained in the check valve.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for slicing raw, whole potatoes into sticks or strips; sorting the sticks with photoelectric scanners, separating out sticks having black or discolored spots thereon, snipping the ends of the separated sticks and sorting the separated sticks after snipping.

Abstract: An ash containing heavy bitumen recovered from the deashing step of a coal liquefaction process is subjected to vacuum flashing to provide a residual product having a softening point of no less than 350.degree. F. and no greater than 550.degree. F. Subsequently, the flashed product is solidified and pulverized so that 100 percent passes through a 100 mesh screen. The pulverized fraction, without prior coking thereof, is entrained in a gas stream and then subjected to gasification.

Abstract: A cauliflower coring apparatus and method in which cauliflower heads are fed one-by-one into a housing by a conveyor having bowls for receiving the heads, each bowl having a number of spikes on which the heads are impaled. A shiftable beam in the housing carries a first rotary cutter and a vertically adjustable hold-down ring for engaging a head to keep it from moving out of its bowl as the first cutter rotates and removes the culls from the head by a coring effect. After its culls have been removed, the head is engaged and cut by a second rotary cutter which disintegrates the head and separates it into curds. The culls and curds drop into respective first and second chutes and onto first and second conveyors for movement away from the housing.

Abstract: Vehicle washing apparatus includes a turntable for reception of a vehicle on it at an entrance point. Two arm and brush assemblies are provided at opposite sides of the path of the vehicle onto the turntable to scrub upstanding exterior body surfaces of the vehicle. The turntable is rotated with the vehicle on it, as the brushes are moved by the vehicle body surfaces and scrub the entire perimeter of the vehicle at least once with both brushes, using a 360 degree rotation of the turntable. Articulated brushes, in one embodiment, are employed with brush reversal for additional brushing of the rear end as the vehicle is moved off the turntable. Oscillating friction strips are provided at the entrance for cleaning top surfaces of the vehicle, and a dryer unit is provided at the exit point for drying the vehicle. Conveyors are employed at the entrance and exit points as well as on the turntable itself, for conveyor movement of the vehicle, if desired.

Abstract: Gasification by reaction of carbon (e.g., in coal) with sulfur in the presence of steam, at 500.degree.-1500.degree. K., and controlled to favor production of carbon monoxide/-dioxide and hydrogen sulfide (further reactable to hydrogen and sulfur, which can be recycled). Heat generated by combustion of reaction products and/or through possible exothermic portions of the process can be utilized in the process for preheating reagents or reducing energy requirements of the main reaction.

Abstract: A cookie machine comprises a cookie shaping device for forming dough into cookies. A transfer conveyor has a transfer surface extending between a first location where the formed dough is received on the transfer surface to a second location where the formed dough is removed from the transfer surface. An oven conveyor is adjacent to and partially disposed above the transfer conveyor for receiving the formed dough from the transfer conveyor whereby the formed dough substantially remains at the height of the second location as the formed dough is received on the oven conveyor.

Abstract: Apparatus for using focused solar radiation to gasify coal and other carbonaceous materials. Incident solar radiation is focused from an array of heliostats onto a tower-mounted secondary mirror which redirects the focused solar radiation down through a window onto the surface of a vertically-moving bed of coal, or a fluidized bed of coal, contained within a gasification reactor. The reactor is designed to minimize contact between the window and solids in the reactor. Steam introduced into the gasification reactor reacts with the heated coal to produce gas consisting mainly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, commonly called "synthesis gas", which can be converted to methane, methanol, gasoline, and other useful products. One of the novel features of the invention is the generation of process steam at the rear surface of the secondary mirror.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to apparatus for and a novel method of washing trays and/or buggies, and includes a housing having means therein for conveying buggies from an entrance opening to an exit opening through respective washing and rinse zones beneath which are respective wash water and rinse water collecting reservoirs, a plurality of nozzles in the washing zone disposed in an inverted generally U-shaped configuration for directing high pressure streams of wash water downwardly and across the washing zone, a plurality of nozzles disposed at an upper area of the rinse zone for directing rinse water generally downwardly through the rinse zone, and means responsive to detecting means for detecting the level of collected wash water and rinse water in the respective washing and rinse reservoirs for adding make-up water to the washing and rinse nozzles.

Abstract: A process for the discoloration of animal blood in which whole blood or red blood corpuscles separated from whole blood by centrifugal action is carried in a fat milieu to which milk or vegetable protein is added and mixed. The mixture is then subjected to a considerable drop in pressure resulting in a reaction in which the red blood corpuscles are covered by a protein/fat film and thereby discolored. The drop in pressure is preferably in the order of 200-300 atmospheres and may take place in a homogenizer. The mixture of blood, fat, water and protein is preferably heated to a temperature in the range of 30.degree.-70.degree. before being fed to the homogenizer.

Abstract: In electrographic apparatus having a cleaning station with a rotating cleaning brush which removes residual toner from a reusable imaging surface, a rotating comb has bristles in engagement with the brush. The bristles of the comb are arranged in two opposed helical segments for removing toner particles from the brush and for transporting such toner particles along a path to a collecting region to facilitate their effective removal by a vacuum system. Residual toner is removed by rotating the comb at an angular velocity 25 to 50 percent greater than the angular velocity of the cleaning brush.