Abstract: Distillation apparatus in which a group of heat-transfer tubes are each driven to wobble about a vertical axis which passes through a wobbling center. A stream of fluid is directed to flow down inside each tube. The fluid stream tends to cling to the inner surface of the tube away from the wobbling center while it revolves with respect to the tube in response to the wobbling motion. The revolving flow stream wipes the inside surface of the tube to form a thin film which offers low heat resistance to facilitate the evaporation, carries away the residue by its lateral motion and carries the reflux downward with little restriction.

Abstract: A method for liquefying natural gas comprises heat exchanging a pressurized natural gas with two independent coolant circuits. The first coolant circuit pre-cools the compressed natural gas. After the natural gas is pre-cooled in the first circuit, a major portion is liquefied in heat exchange with the coolant in the second circuit while the remaining minor portion is liquefied in heat exchange with the flash gas formed when the so liquefied natural gas is expanded. Subsequent to the flash gas being heat exchanged with the divided minor fraction of natural gas, it is compressed and then at least partly liquefied in heat exchange with the coolants in the first and second circuits and subsequently expanded in the separator containing said flash gas.

Abstract: Atomic hydrogen, for use as a fuel or as an explosive, is stored in the presence of a strong magnetic field in exfoliated layered compounds such as molybdenum disulfide or an elemental layer material such as graphite. The compound is maintained at liquid helium temperatures and the atomic hydrogen is collected on the surfaces of the layered compound which are exposed during delamination (exfoliation). The strong magnetic field and the low temperature combine to prevent the atoms of hydrogen from recombining to form molecules.

Abstract: An aqueous dispersion of polyvinylchloride or vinylchloride copolymerizate is spray dried in a flow of drying air in a drying tower which contains at least one two-fluid nozzle for atomizing the aqueous dispersion and an injection member for pressurized air for providing the atomized particles with a rotary motion, about the longitudinal axis of the drying tower. A controlled rotary motion is imparted to the mixture of sprayed particles and the drying air. The heat economy and product quality are improved since it is possible to use a high drying air inlet temperature and to obtain an easily grindable powder suitable for producing stable, low viscosity plastisols.

Abstract: A device for separating, collecting and returning particulate matter and/or mist entrained in gases is mounted across the vent opening. The mid-section of the device is made to communicate with the vent opening and is partially recessed therein resulting in minimum velocity of the gases escaping through either side of the device and reducing particulate build-up between working parts of the device and the vent opening.

Abstract: Spray drying apparatus is disclosed wherein circumferentially spaced apart exhaust pipes of three L-shaped pulse jet engines extend upwardly into the floor of a cylindrical drying chamber. The engines extend radially outward beneath the floor of the drying chamber, with the engine inlet openings being supported in spaced apart juxtaposition with air augmentation ducts which extend upwardly and tangentially into the drying chamber at equally spaced apart positions near the drying chamber floor. Moisture laden material, such as a slurry tht contains the material to be dried is introduced into the upwardly directed exhaust stream of each engine by means of feedpipes which pass coaxially along the interior of each engine exhaust pipe and an injection nozzle that is affixed to the terminus of each feedpipe at a predetermined distance below the engine exhaust opening.

Abstract: A material injection nozzle for a spray drying system of the type wherein the material to be dried is introduced into the exhaust pipe of one or more pulse jet engines and borne upwardly through openings in the floor of a vertical drying chamber is disclosed. The nozzle includes a substantially cylindrical member that is coaxially mounted within the pulse jet engine exhaust pipe to extend from the exit opening thereof to a point below the termination of a material feedpipe that passes coaxially upward through the lower portion of the pulse jet engine exhaust pipe. In all cases, the nozzle is dimensioned and arranged to interact with the high temperature gaseous flow and acoustic field within the exhaust pipe to eliminate or greatly reduce adherence of material passing through the exhaust pipe which would otherwise accumulate as a burned, hardened substance and cause the pulse jet engines to malfunction and cease operating.

Abstract: A high speed centrifugal concentrator includes a vacuum chamber within which a centrifuge rotor is rotatably mounted for spinning a plurality of vials containing biological solutions or the like at high speed while subjecting the solution to a vacuum condition for concentrating and evaporating the latter. The vacuum chamber has a hinged cover and is completely enclosed to maintain the vacuum condition therein and the centrifuge rotor is driven by an electric motor located outside of said closed vacuum chamber and remote therefrom. The electrical circuit for driving the motor includes dynamic braking means for braking the motor in response to manual operation of a selector switch, or to the raising of the vacuum chamber cover from closed position.

Abstract: In a system for liquefying natural gas containing more than about 1.5 percent nitrogen in which the natural gas is cooled by refrigeration and heat exchange with initial flashing of liquid at a pressure to remove substantialy all of the container nitrogen and with additional stages of flashing of liquid with low pressure flash liquid being passed to liquid natural gas storage and flashed vapors used for heat exchange, recompressed, and combined with the incoming feed the energy requirements of the system are improved by stabilizing the amount of nitrogen recycle in the system by stripping nitrogen from the initial vapor flash with overhead from the stripping heat exchanged within the system to recover its refrigeration and then yielded from the system and with the liquid from the stripping, recycled to the liquid from the initial flashing.

Abstract: Ethylene glycol is recovered from spent glycol containing impurities, such as dimethyl terephthalate, by subjecting the spent glycol to a sequential flash evaporation-distillation or distillation-flash evaporation-distillation procedure. Dimethyl terephthalate impurities are rendered non-volatile by the addition of a small amount of alkali metal hydroxide prior to flash evaporation. Dewatering of spent glycol and separation of ethylene glycol from impurities rendered non-volatile by alkali metal hydroxide is also performed in one or two distillation steps. Sufficient ethylene glycol is recovered to make use of flash evaporation an optional step.

Abstract: Low-purity oxygen is produced by fractional distillation of liquefied air. A gas turbine, powered in part by waste nitrogen from the distillation, supplies energy to compress the feed air. Compressing the waste nitrogen prior to turbine expansion provides an increase in energy efficiency.

Abstract: A process for producing nitrogen which comprises removing all or substantially all carbon dioxide and water vapor from air, introducing said air at between 85 and 125 psia and below -260.degree. F.

Abstract: An electron beam evaporation device for vacuum evaporators, comprises, a supporting bar and a retainer for the material to be evaporated, an electron beam source and a deflecting magnet for directing the electron beam onto the material to be evaporated or mounted on said supporting bar. At least two of the elements are mounted on the bar so as to be displaceable thereon. Preferably, the retainer for the material to be evaporated is provided on one end of the bar and the electron beam source and the deflecting magnet are displaceable along the bar.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for cooling liquids containing solids by expansion comprising of cyclone which consists of an inlet chamber and a separating part, the cross-section of the inlet chamber being 5 to 30 times greater than that of the product delivery pipe which opens into the inlet chamber, and said inlet chamber before opening into the ring chamber becoming continuously reduced in width and continuously increased in height, and the separating part, to which the inlet chamber is tangentially attached, consisting of a ring chamber below which there is a separating cylinder of smaller diameter, these two parts being connected by a sloping surface.

Abstract: The distillative freezing process disclosed is useful in separating a mixture containing at least two volatile components, denoted respectively as A-component and B-component, by simultaneously vaporizing the two components from the mixture under a sufficiently reduced pressure to simultaneously crystallize B-component. The vapor mixture obtained is brought to a condensed state either by a simple condensation operation or a condensation-desublimation operation without being substantially pressurized. The process may be conducted to completely eliminate the liquid phase and bring the mixture into the two phase solid-vapor region. Then, the solid phase in no longer contaminated by the adhering liquid phase and gives a high purity B-component on melting. The process is particularly useful in separating mixtures containing close boiling components, such as styrene-ethyl benzene mixtures, p-xylene-m-xylene mixtures and ethylene-ethane mixtures.

Abstract: In a low temperature rectification process for the separation of ethylene from a mixture of ethylene and ethane comprising separating the ethylene-containing mixture into a liquid reboiler fraction enriched in ethane and a gaseous head fraction enriched in ethylene; heating and compressing the head fraction; partially liquefying resultant compressed gaseous head fraction in indirect heat exchange with the reboiler fraction; expanding and recycling resultant condensed head fraction in part as reflux to the rectification; and withdrawing in part resultant condensed fraction as product ethylene, the improvement which comprises heating the liquid reboiler fraction, in part, in indirect heat exchange with a closed refrigerantion cycle, e.g., an ethylene cycle.

Abstract: A cryogenic separation of a feed gas mixture comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and methane by partial condensation, in which the feed gas is partially cooled and condensed, then separated to form first gas and liquid fractions, the latter is separated into carbon monoxide product gas and methane product gas, and the first gas fraction is further cooled for additional partial condensation and separated into a hydrogen enriched gas fraction and a second carbon monoxide rich liquid.

Abstract: An improved distillation method is provided for obtaining motor fuel grade anhydrous ethanol from fermentation or synthetic feedstocks. A three tower system is used comprising a stripper-rectifier tower in which the dilute feedstock is converted to a concentrated ethanol stream, a dehydrating tower in which water is removed from the concentrated ethanol stream by azeotropic distillation, and a stripper tower for recovering the azeotropic agent. The invention effects substantial energy savings by utilizing the heat content of the overhead vapors from the stripper-rectifier tower to supply the heat required for the dehydrating and stripper towers and by preheating the feedstock in stages utilizing the heat content of the overhead vapors from the dehydrating and stripper towers, the heat content of the overhead vapors from the stripper-rectifier tower and the heat content of the bottoms from the stripper-rectifier tower.

Abstract: A dry cleaning process in which contaminating solvent vapor is removed from a gas stream discharged from a dry cleaning machine and the stream then recycled. As a preliminary to the removal of the solvent vapor the gas is bubbled through an aqueous liquid. In some gas (for example when the solvent is perchloroethylene) the liquid is water and the gas stream is then returned to the machine where it passes over cooling coils so that the solvent vapor condenses and is collected. In other gas (when the solvent is trichloroethane or trichloroethylene) the aqueous liquid is a solution of a catalyst or emulsifying agent, the solvent being recovered by conventional chemical processes. Removal of the solvent is carried out in a recovery tank having inlet means for the gas extending into the bottom of the tank and including a foraminous screen through which gas is bubbled into the liquid in the tank.

Abstract: This invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus attached to an air cleaner such as of an internal combustion engine as in connection with a farm tractor wherein the contaminants drawn into the air cleaner are evacuated to the atmosphere therefrom by said apparatus wherein the improvement consists in having the apparatus continuously operative, providing a positive evacuation of contaminants and comprising a relatively small sized motor driving an impeller which receives contaminants from the air cleaner and evacuates or expells the same and embodies the use of a plurality of vanes whereby the engine associated with the air cleaner is prevented from drawing a reverse flow of air through the exhaust passage of the apparatus and the vanes serve as closure means whereby there is no open passage through the apparatus to the cleaner and thus only a low powered impeller is required to expel the contaminants received.