Abstract: A polymer activation apparatus for activating and diluting a liquid polymer with water includes, a vessel defining a cylindrical chamber divided into first and second processing zones, the polymer and water being supplied to the first processing zone, an impeller located in the first processing zone subjecting the polymer to a high shear rate for a short contact time to initiate dissolution and activation of the polymer, and the polymer being moved to the second processing zone under the force of the water supplied to the first processing zone, a second impeller in the second processing zone subjecting the polymer to a lower shear rate for a longer period to continue the polymer dissolution and activation process.

Abstract: An apparatus for economically recovering char, oil and fuel gas from vehicle tires is disclosed, for either whole tires or physically fragmented tires. The tires may be washed to remove dirt and road film. The tires are dried and preheated with super-heat steam. The hot tires are pyrolyzed to partially devolatize a major portion of the hydrocarbons and produce a char that can be separated from the steel and fiber glass. The char may be subsequently pyrolyzed with microwaves that elevate the tire temperature and devolatize the remaining hydrocarbons from the char as gas. The hot gases are cooled and partially condensed. The uncondensed gas is used as fuel. The condensed oil is sent to storage. The solid residue from the tire pyrolysis is substantially char, fiberglass and steel. The char is mechanically separated from the glass and steel. Alternately, the char and the glass and steel are separated by dumping the hot mixture into a water quench tank. The mixture is cooled.

Abstract: A process for producing a glass article protected from coloring by electron rays comprises preparing a soda-lime-silica glass, contacting the glass with a molten salt containing potassium ions so that sodium ions in a surface layer thereof are exchanged by potassium ions, and subjecting the glass to heat treatment so that the surface layer thereof in a depth to which the irradiated electron rays penetrate when electron rays are irradiated has a composition defined by a molar ratio of 0.4 to 0.65 for Na.sub.2 O/(Na.sub.2 O+K.sub.2 O). The soda-lime-silica glass is composed of 50-75% by weight of SiO.sub.2, 0.5-2.5% by weight of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, 0-0.1% by weight of Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, 5.0-14.0% by weight of CaO, 0-4.5% by weight of MgO, 5.0-16.0% by weight of Na.sub.2 O, 0-2.0% by weight of K.sub.2 O, 0-0.5% by weight of TiO.sub.2, and 0-0.5% by weight of SO.sub.3. The content of alkali metal oxides in the glass is 5% and above, and ratio of Na.sub.2 O in the alkali metal oxides is 65% and above.

Abstract: A method and system for retreading tire carcasses (10) with precured treads utilizing time and temperature in conjunction with an envelope pressure system. A precured rubber tread (12), is applied to tire carcass (10) having a cushion gum (16) disposed therebetween. An envelope system is placed over the tread/carcass and this assembly is placed within a pressure chamber. Heat and fluid pressure are then supplied to the chamber. Fluid pressure is then supplied to the chamber after both a predetermined length of time and after a predetermined temperature of the chamber has been reached.

Abstract: An automatic analyzing system has a sample table for supporting a plurality of sample vessels and a reagent table for supporting a plurality of reagent vessels. The sample table and the reagent table are fixed to a common drive shaft. The system further has a rotatable reaction table for supporting a plurality of reaction vessels. The reaction table is arranged in a side-by-side relation to the sample table and the reagent table. The system further has a single pipetting device disposed between the reaction table and the stack of the sample table and the reagent table for a swinging motion therebetween so as to suck samples and reagents from the sample vessels and the reagent vessels and to deliver the same to the reaction vessels. The pipetting device is operated in such a manner as to transfer all the samples to the reaction vessels followed by the supply of the reagents to these reaction vessels.

Abstract: The raw gas produced by gasification is cooled to temperatures from 150.degree. to 400.degree. C. and has an NH.sub.3 content of at least 0.1% by volume as it is fed to a spray drying zone. Recycle water is fed to and is entirely evaporated in the spray drying zone. The raw gas from the spray drying zone contains water vapor and is passed through a filter, in which part of the solids and of the halogen compounds are collected in a dry state. The raw gas is subsequently passed through a saturation zone, in which the raw gas is directly contacted with sprayed water and is saturated with water vapor and cooled to temperatures of 50.degree. to 90.degree. C. Water which contains salt and solids and has a pH value of 7.5 to 9.5 is withdrawn from the saturation zone and is at least partly fed as recycle water to the spray drying zone. The raw gas from the saturation zone is aftertreated for a removal of liquid droplets which contains dust and salt.

Abstract: A food heating and serving package for elongated food products such as french fries and fish sticks is described which includes partitions formed from microwave energy absorbing material positioned in parallel relationship to define a honeycomb-like array of cells, each adapted to receive one of the food sticks and to crisp, toast or brown the surface of the food sticks. The partitions preferably enclose and heat the food sticks on at least three sides. A pair of opposed retaining tabs lock the susceptor in place within the package with a wedging action. The package includes a removable upper portion connected to a bottom portion with a severable panel. When the bottom portion is removed the food sticks slide out of the cells within which they are held in place within the top portion of the package. The back panel of the package has an upwardly extending portion which serves as a carrying handle to facilitate safe removal from the oven after heating.

Abstract: A coking installation has a longitudinal succession of coking chambers having respective coke sides opening transversely above a bench level above ground level and an outer rail extending longitudinally along and adjacent the coke sides of the chambers. A quenching-car track extends longitudinally adjacent the coke sides between the outer rail and the chambers and a main gangway runs longitudinally at the bench level along the coke sides of the chambers between same and the quenching-car track. An inner rail extends longitudinally between the car track and the gangway and a portal support rides on and moves along the inner and outer tracks. This support carries door-removing equipment, door-cleaning equipement, doorframe-cleaning equipment, and a coke guide. A drive on the portal support displaces the equipement and guide transversely thereon between an extended position extending across the main gangway and engaging one of the coking chambers and a retracted position substantially clear of the main gangway.

Abstract: A gasifier system for obtaining relatively clean combustible gaseous products from solid fuel materials, such as processed sewage sludge, comprises a gasifier reactor which communicates a raw, combustible gas to a cyclone separator, a gas scrubbing device and a gas cooling and drying device. Gas which exits the system is relatively clean and may be used in a prime mover for the production of energy.The gasifier reactor of the present invention is a down-draft fixed bed gasifier. The gasifier is constructed of several interconnected modular units. Moreover, the gasifier is constructed so as to efficiently gasify fuel materials while maintaining excellent horizontal temperature control.

Abstract: Low attenuation, low dispersion of optical waveguides are provided by a process initiating with axial deposition of a high velocity core soot stream impinging on a target at a high angle of incidence relative to the axis of rotation of the target. A core cylinder is built up axially by relative movement between the soot stream and target during deposition, the movement being non-constant in order to maintain a substantially constant diameter with a constant deposition rate. A cladding layer is then built up by deposition of soot radially on the core. Subsequent drying and sintering provides a vitreous preform which may be drawn directly into optical waveguides. Alternatively, the sintered product may be drawn down to smaller rods, which then are covered with further deposited soot cladding to a desired final thickness, and after further drying and sintering may be drawn to optical waveguides.

Abstract: A method and system for removing hydrogen sulfide from a hot gas. In a moving bed absorber, sulfur compounds in the hot gas moving in a direction which is countercurrent to the direction of movement of the movable bed of metal oxide, react with metal oxide to form metal sulfide. The metal sulfide is regenerated to re-usable metal oxide in a moving bed regenerator. The regeneration is carried out with an oxygen-containing gas in which regenerator off-gas serves as a diluent to control oxygen concentration. In the regenerator, spent metal sulfide moves progressively through a single regeneration vessel having first, second and third regeneration stages. In the first and second regeneration stages, first and second oxygen and sulfur dioxide-containing gases move, respectively, in a direction which is cocurrent with the direction of movement of a movable bed of spent metal sulfide.

Abstract: A preform for preparation of optical fibers is prepared by inserting a rod of a higher index of refraction fluoride glass into the bore of a hollow cylinder of a lower index of refraction fluoride glass fiber. This preform precursor is processed to collapse the hollow cylinder inwardly to form a composite preform having a high-refractive index core and a low-refractive index casing. The preparing of the glasses and processing to a preform are accomplished in a reactive environment that reacts and removes oxygen and hydrogen containing species from the glass, the reactive environment being, for example, Cl.sub.2, CCl.sub.4, SF.sub.6, BF.sub.3, CF.sub.4, or the decomposition products of a liquefied solid fluorocarbon. The preform is then drawn to an optical fiber.

Abstract: In a preferred embodiment, an apparatus for forming carbon fibers in a continuous gas phase reaction is disclosed wherein a reactor defines a vertical reaction chamber with a close upper end and a lower outlet, with a vertical reactant feed tube which extends generally axially therewithin. Gaseous reactants are injected into the reactor through an opening of the feed tube. The feed tube and chamber are constructed and arranged to define a gas flow path which extends generally axially upward through the feed tube into the chamber and thereafter generally axially downward through the chamber. Preferably, the tube and reactor chamber are radially spaced and concentric. The feed tube may encompasss a capillary tube which supplies a vaporizable liquid reactant. The reactor and feed tube are each elongate and of a material which is relatively resistent to heat and corrosion and are preferably of a mullite material. The feed tube extends more than one-half of the axial length of the reactor.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for the preparation of carbon polymonofluoride.The reaction of fluorine diluted with at least one inert gas with carbon particles is performed in a reaction zone in which the particles travel as a thin layer. Diluted fluorine is introduced into the reaction zone in the form of a plurality of gaseous mixtures delivered at a plurality of points close to the layer of the particles and distributed in the reaction zone. The weight content of fluorine and the flow rate of each of the gaseous mixtures are controlled independently and such that the volume content of fluorine in the gaseous phase at the gaseous phase/particles interface in the vicinity of each of the points is lower than the minimum content causing the inflammation of the particles.For a space time output higher than 10 kg.multidot.h.sup.-1 m.sup.

Abstract: A reactor in which a furnace and a heat recovery area are provided. A bed of solid particulate material including fuel is supported in the furnace and air is introduced into the bed at a velocity sufficient to fluidize same and support the combustion or gasification of the fuel. The products of combustion (or flue gases) pass upwardly through the furnace and transfer heat energy to the walls thereof to produce steam. Flue gases leaving the upper region of the furnace section are transported to a heat recovery area, which functions to remove additional heat energy from the flue gases for producing the steam. A flue gas by-pass system is provided which transports relatively hot flue gases from a lower region of the furnace section to the heat recovery area for improving isothermal operating conditions and optimizing reactor performance. One or more conduits pass flue gases directly from selected extraction points within the lower region of the furnace to an upper portion of the heat recovery area.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for converting lignocellulosic materials contained in biomass and other feedstocks into a fuel gas. The method comprises maintaining, in a pressure vessel, at a temperature of 300.degree. C. to 450.degree. C. and a pressure of at least 100 atmospheres, lignocellulosic material and water, and amounts of alkali and reduced nickel catalysts sufficient to catalyze a reaction of the lignocellulosic material to produce a product gas composed primarily of methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide.

Abstract: A process for the partial combustion of finely divided coal at high temperature and pressures to make synthesis gas having entrained particles of fly ash which are separated from the gas at high pressure. The fly ash and a minor amount of entrained gas are handled in a batchwise manner to isolate a batch in a lock hopper, depressurize the batch, strip the synthesis gas from the fly ash and cool the fly ash prior to disposal. During the depressurizing steps, the kinetic energy represented by fluids flowing from the pressurized lock hopper is utilized to provide power to a pressure recovery means and do additional work. The additional work is used to aid in the pressurization of a second lock hopper. In an alternate embodiment the additional work may be used to aid in fluidizing the particulate coal flow to the burners of the gasifier.

Abstract: The present process is directed to the cooling and cleaning of hot crude synthesis gas leaving a gas generator (solid hydrocarbon gasification reactor) wherein the hot crude synthesis gas leaving the top of the gas generator in an upflow direction is quenched by injection of cold purified synthesis gas. The gas velocity is then reduced and the gas stream is reversed in a downflow direction whereupon the gas velocity is increased again. The gas stream is again reversed in an upflow direction and the gas velocity is decreased whereafter the gas is indirectly cooled and flyash being separated therefrom.

Abstract: The fluidizing grid of the invention is essentially constituted by pipes (18) forming the diverging walls of the openings (17) through which the fluidizing air is blown. These pipes have a cooling liquid (water) flowing therealong, which water then flows through the heat exchange tubes of the boiler.

Abstract: Outer and inner elastomeric envelopes are compression-molded to contiguously encase the interior and exterior surfaces of a tire to prevent any air or steam present during a retreading process from penetrating the cushion gum between the retread and tire casing. The outer envelope of outwardly opening U-shape radial cross-section covers the tire periphery and a portion of the outer walls. The inner envelope includes a member of inwardly opening U-shape radial cross-section which covers the inside wall of the casing; and a pair of flanges outwardly opening U-shape radial cross-section, secured to opposite sides of the member, which cover the tire beads and a portion of the outer walls of the tire and underlap the outer envelope.