Abstract: A process for carbonizing and then activating carbonaceous materials in a continuous process as performed by an apparatus consisting of an elongated, slightly inclined rotary retort into the higher end of which the material is deposited and from the lower end of which the product is removed, the material moving therethrough in the form of a tumbling bed, a system for introducing air in independently regulatable amounts into each of a series of longitudinally spaced zones of the retort, except a final zone closest to its lower end, in such a manner that contact of the air with the material bed is delayed for a substantial time after the air enters the retort, and a system for introducing superheated steam into the final retort zone as an oxidizing agent in such a manner as to immediately engage and thoroughly intermix with the material bed. Provision is also made for introducing air, rather than steam, into the final retort zone, in the event carbonization, but not activation, may be desired.

Abstract: An apparatus for evaporating with heat regeneration has a plurality of evaporating stages, and an absorber which accommodates a multi-component mixture and is connected with the evaporating stages so that the vapor is admitted into the absorber and absorbed by the mixture with generation of heat which is further utilized for the evaporating process per se or another process.

Abstract: In the purification of a hydrogen stream contaminated with at least methane and ethane, e.g. a hydrogen cycle gas from a coal hydrogenation process, where the hydrogen stream is subjected to multistage partial condensation and separation of the respectively formed condensates, the improvement of subjecting the hydrogen stream under a pressure of above about 100 bar to the multistage partial condensation and separation of having in the final condensate 5-40 molar percent of ethane, thereby favorably altering the K-value of methane and its ease of removal from the hydrogen which is only altered in the manner desired when the process is conducted under pressures in excess of about 100 bar.

Abstract: A cooling device for coke dry cooling, has a housing composed of upper and lower parts connected with one another by a slide joint, and a ring-shaped insert located inside the upper part of the housing and constituted of a metallic heat-resistant material, coated by a wear-resistant and heat-resistant coating layer. The insert is conical and mounted by its upper end portion on the upper part of the housing.

Abstract: A method of purifying aqueous solutions of iso-.alpha.-acids by removing .beta.-acids therefrom comprises first bringing the solution to an iso-.alpha.-acid concentration of 0.5% to 10% .sup.w /w, particularly 0.5% to 5% .sup.w /w, then reducing the pH to a value in the range 7 to 10, preferably 8 to 9, so as to form an easily filtered precipitate of .beta.-acids. Preferably pH reduction is effected by bubbling carbon dioxide through the solution. The separated iso-.alpha.-acid solution may be concentrated to an extent that a phase separation takes place into two aqueous phases one of which has a higher iso-.alpha.-acid concentration than the other. The recovered iso-.alpha.-acid solution is suitable for direct addition to beer without haze formation.

Abstract: Direct flotation of pyrochlore from its ore can be carried out at acidic pH using 1-amidoethyl-2-substituted imidazolines of the formula ##STR1## wherein R and R' are independently alkyl or alkenyl of 8 to 22 carbons, or their salts. In the presence of large amounts of carbonate in the ore, the pulp is acidified with hydrofluoric acid, fluosilicic acid, or their acid reacting compounds. Using this process, pyrochlore concentrates can be obtained by direct flotation from ore containing 0.1% or more of sulphide compounds calculated as FeS.sub.2.

Abstract: A rotary vane type evaporator has a cylindrical vessel and a rotor rotatable therein. The rotor has vane supports fixed to a rotor shaft and vanes each pivotally mounted at the radially inner end to a vane support and having a radially outer end connected with a shoe extending in the circumferential direction of the vessel. Each vane is provided with a balance weight acting to keep constant, irrespective of the wear of the shoe, the pressing force which urges the shoe against the vessel inner peripheral surface. The rotor vanes are disposed in a plurality of stages arranged in axial direction of the rotor. The rotor is so constructed as to uniformalize the wear of the vane shoes over all the stages, whereby the frequency of the interruption of the evaporator operation for the renewal of vanes is lowered to improve the rate of the operation of the evaporator.

Abstract: Freeze concentrating an aqueous liquid mixture by feeding an aqueous liquid mixture to a freeze exchanger for indirect cooling by heat exchange to a cold fluid to form ice crystals in the liquid mixture; feeding the liquid mixture containing ice crystals from the freeze exchanger to the lower internal space of a vessel containing said aqueous liquid mixture whereby the ice floats to the top interior of the vessel; removing ice from the top interior of the vessel, washing the ice with water and heating the washed ice to produce potable water; removing aqueous liquid mixture from the vessel and recycling it to the freeze exchanger; and repeating the method in a continuous operation.

Abstract: In a car for receiving incandescent coke and transporting it from a coking chamber to a quenching site a wall structure (3) surrounded by a girder (8) at the lower end portion thereof and removably mounted on a bunker (6) which in turn is surrounded by a girder (12) at the upper portion thereof so that the girder (8) is unrestricted on the girder (12) for linear expansion under the action of heat from the incandescent coke. Examples of the girders (8) and (12) are furnished.

Abstract: A heat exchanger for recovering the heat energy content in furnace waste gases and for recovering much of the dust entrained therewith includes a hollow duct through which the waste gases pass, and which contains first and second tube bundles arranged one after the other and a dust collection surface therebetween. The heat content in the waste gases is transferred to water passing through the two tube bundles and dust is deposited on the dust collection surface.

Abstract: A process of and apparatus for liquefying a dry gas with low boiling point in a first circuit through heat exchange with a main refrigerating fluid in a second circuit itself pre-cooled to its at least partial liquefaction through heat exchange with an auxiliary refrigerating fluid in a third circuit, wherein, for a same amount of treated products, the required total compression input power for the refrigerating fluids is reduced by performing in said third circuit an intermediate condensation between the two last compression stages followed by a phase separation, the gaseous phase being compressed to a high pressure in the last compression stage whereas the liquid phase is compressed to a high pressure by a pump and recycled to a cryogenic heat exchanger for cooling the gas initially in the moist state thereby at least partially drying same.

Abstract: The apparatus for drying organic materials such as for example brown coal has a space (5) maintained under a pressure exceeding atmospheric pressure, the material to be dried being supplied to the upper end (12) of said space and the dried material being discharged from the lower end (20) of said space. Between the supply opening (12) and the discharge opening (20) there are provided obliquely arranged sieves (2, 6) and water-impermeable collecting spaces for the water separated on the sieves. The collecting spaces (3, 7) for the water separated on the sieves are connected with drain channels (9, 10), and several sieves (2, 6) are arranged one above the other in the manner of cascades, the lower edge of one sieve being located above an uppermost area of the following sieve (2, 6) as seen in flow direction (FIG. 1).

Abstract: A diamond-anvil, high-pressure cell having an apertured steel gasket interposed between the opposed diamonds is lowered into a liquified hydrogen bath at cryogenic temperatures. After the liquid hydrogen permeates the cell through the viewing apertures an initial sealing pressure is applied to the cell by a remotely operated threaded arrangement sufficient to prohibit escape of the liquified hydrogen from the aperture in the steel plate which is closed by the opposed diamonds. The cell is then typically removed from the liquified hydrogen bath and introduced into a lever type pressure applicator to further increase the pressure on the hydrogen at room temperature for the observation of its effects through suitable apertures in the cell and to convert the same to solid form.

Abstract: Continuous counter current multistage process for freeze concentration, iuding a step whereby the ice crystals in the first stage are separated from the mother liquor in a final separation step, the ice crystals being rejected and the mother liquor from the last stage recovered as a product, whereby in a stage of said process ice crystals are introduced, said ice crystals having a larger medium size than the crystals in said stage formed without said introduction of said ice crystals.

Abstract: An improvement in a wash system for gas separation wherein a wash liquid is contacted countercurrently with a feed gas mixture containing a high volatility component and a low volatility component in a plate and fin type exchanger where the heat of absorption is removed by a refrigerant passed in indirect heat exchange relationship with the countercurrently flowing feed gas mixture and wash liquid and then passing the resulting product stream to a wash column to further purify the product stream.

Abstract: Argon is recovered from a tail gas stream remaining after recovery of hydrogen values from ammonia synthesis purge gas. In a first step, tail gas is cooled, preferably in a first heat exchanger then a refluxing exchanger, to separate a condensate containing methane, argon and some nitrogen and uncondensed gas containing substantially all residual hydrogen and some nitrogen. The condensate, after expansion, is fed into a first distillation column where methane is condensed, the overhead nitrogen and argon product being fed to a second column where argon product is condensed. The cold requirements of the process and heat for reboil and cooling for reflux for the columns are provided by an open cycle supplied with gaseous nitrogen from the second column as heat transfer fluid. Cooling for the refluxing exchanger is provided by an evaporating coolant comprising transfer fluid combined with the uncondensed nitrogen-hydrogen gas after expansion thereof.

Abstract: In the fractionation of a gaseous mixture, e.g., air, by rectification, wherein liquid in the sump of a rectifying column is heated and thereby partially vaporized; and simultaneously sump liquid is withdrawn from a lower zone of the sump liquid bath, and is recycled into the bath above the point of withdrawal, the improvement, prior to the recycle step, of passing the withdrawn sump liquid from the lower zone into a heat exchanger disposed in the sump, said heat exchanger having a substantially sealed bottom end at a level below the liquid level of the sump, and an open top end at a level higher than the liquid level of the sump; said withdrawn sump liquid being passed into the bottom end of said heat exchanger and partially vaporized therein, and removing resultant liquid-vapor mixture from the heat exchanger at the top end above the level of the liquid bath.

Abstract: An on-site apparatus that produces cryogenic temperatures is used to remove, by condensation, all pollutants in the air so that an ultra clean air supply is obtained for human consumption in the interior of living enclosures, such as automobiles, homes, offices, hospitals etc. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, it can recycle the air in the enclosure, i.e. resupply the oxygen consumed by the human being and remove the carbon dioxide produced by respiration. The cryogenic temperatures are produced by a closed-cycle operated refrigeration system consisting of a compressor, a Joule-Thompson valve (JTV), multi-stage heat exchangers and expanders. Cold traps (filters) of different cryogenic temperatures are built into the system to condense pollutants of different condensation temperatures. The condensed pollutants can be disposed of by periodical defrost and purge of the system.

Abstract: Apparatus and process for an energy saving system for the fractionation of a C.sub.4 stream containing predominately n-butane and isobutane using an open heat pump cycle in which the n-butane bottoms from the fractionation are the compressing medium and isobutane overhead is used to vaporize the n-butane by indirect heat exchange. A problem which would be expected to prevent this system is the unusual characteristic of n-butane (also isobutane) that on compression a liquid-vapor phase results, which is damaging to the compressor. This is overcome by passing the vaporized n-butane prior to compression, through an apparatus that removes any entrained liquids and heats the vapors to a temperature sufficient to prevent the formation of the liquid phase under compression. It has been found that this process results in the use of only about 9% of the outside energy previously used in conventional operation for a specific unit.

Abstract: Process and apparatus for recovering clean water and solids from aqueous solids. Aqueous solids are mixed with a low viscosity, relatively volatile, water-immiscible light fluidizing oil to obtain a mixture which will remain fluid and pumpable after removal of essentially its entire water content. The mixture of solids, water and fluidizing oil is subjected to a dehydration step by heat evaporation whereby substantially all of the water and at least part of the light oil are evaporated and subsequently recovered. The light fluidizing oil is then largely separated from the solids. Those solids carrying residual light fluidizing oil are then brought into direct contact with steam, referred to herein as "blowing steam". The presence of the blowing steam reduces the boiling point of the water-immiscible light fluidizing oil to effect its more efficient removal from the solids. Effluent blowing steam and light oil vapor removed from the solids may be used to supply heat to the overall process.