Abstract: In order to chill foodstuffs and the like type of material a modular chilling unit is provided with a jacketed trough through which a chilled non-cryogenic coolant such as glycol is circulated, and wherein the material to be cooled is moved along the cooled trough using an auger. The chilling unit is arranged so that it can be mounted on another so that the material is transferred from one to another under the influence of gravity and so that the length of chilling path can be suitably elongated. The troughs are each rotatably supported by a structure which allows rotation to a near inverted position wherein jets of cleaning fluid can be ejected into the interior of the trough.

Abstract: To improve refrigerating efficiency by preventing working fluid flowing into a pulse tube from a high-temperature end side thereof from reaching a cooling part in a cryogenic refrigerator, a ball-shaped travel member which has almost the same cross-section as the cross section of the pulse tube is inserted into the pulse tube and moves together with the working fluid therein. In this arrangement, when the working fluid begins to flow into the pulse tube from a flow rate regulation part on the high-temperature end side of the pulse tube, the travel member located within the pulse tube moves toward a cooling part together with the working fluid flowing in the pulse tube. Since the travel member has almost the same cross-section as the cross-section of the pulse tube, there is no possibility that the working fluid flows through between the inner wall of the pulse tube and the travel member.

Abstract: An apparatus for ice seeding during cryopreservation of biological samples such as cells, harvested tissues, and cellular biological constructs such as culture tissue equivalents wherein ice seeding is performed by discharging a liquefied or chilled gas from a nozzle to the surface container containing said biological sample in cryopreservative. Inside a freezing chamber, containers are placed on racks that are located proximal to a sprayrail containing nozzles. Ice seeding is performed by discharge of liquefied or chilled gas from the nozzles to the container surface at the solid-liquid equilibrium temperature of the cryopreservative. Localized cooling of the container surface by the discharge results in ice seed formation within the container.

Abstract: To prevent refrigerant leakage when operating in a metering mode, a refrigerant expansion device, designed to selectively operate in either the meteting or bypass mode of operation, has a cylindrical ring installed to tightly hold the meteting piston in its metering position so as to prevent leakage ofrefrigerant therearound.

Abstract: A stream of precooled and purified air is introduced into a double rectification column comprising a higher pressure rectification column and a lower pressure rectification column and is separated therein into an oxygen-rich fraction and a nitrogen-rich fraction. A stream of argon-enriched oxygen vapor flows from an outlet of the lower pressure rectification column into a side column in which argon is separated therefrom. An oxygen-enriched liquid air stream is taken from an outlet at the bottom of the higher pressure rectification column. A vaporous oxygen-enriched air stream is introduced into the lower pressure rectification column through an inlet above the outlet. At least part of the oxygen-enriched liquid is separated in a further or intermediate pressure rectification column provided with a reboiler, thereby forming a vapor depleted of oxygen and a liquid air stream further enriched in oxygen.

Abstract: A method an apparatus for separating air in which an oxygen containing vapor stream is removed from a single column nitrogen generator and then divided into two subsidiary streams. The two subsidiary streams are condensed and then combined for stripping within a stripping column to produce ultra-high purity liquid oxygen as a column bottoms. One of the two subsidiary streams is condensed in a reboiler and a bottom region of the stripping column. The other of the two subsidiary streams is condensed within a head condenser used in connection with the nitrogen stripping column.

Abstract: A retro fitted unit to an existing simple refrigerated natural gas plant that substantially increases the amounts of propane, butanes and natural gasoline, or ethane, propane, butanes and natural gasoline recovered from the natural gas in the existing gas treatment plant, wherein in one embodiment the existing natural gas treatment plant includes a refrigerated feed cooler, a separator and a stabilizer and the retrofitted unit comprises an NGL absorber, a refrigerated lean solvent cooler and a lean solvent regenerator; and wherein in a second embodiment the existing simple refrigerated gas treatment plant additionally includes an NGL fractionation train that separates the recovered NGL into saleable fractions and wherein the NGL fractionation train includes a debutanizer that produces all or part of the lean solvent utilized in the retrofitted unit which comprises an NGL absorber and a refrigerated solvent cooler; and wherein the natural gas treatment process utilizes a solvent that is pre-saturated with ligh

Abstract: A miniature thermo-electric cooled cryogenic pump for removing residual water molecules from an inlet sample prior to sample analysis in a mass spectroscopy system, such as ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) mass spectroscopy. The cryogenic pump is a battery operated, low power (<1.6 watts) pump with a .DELTA.T=100.degree. C. characteristic. The pump operates under vacuum pressures of 5.times.10.sup.-4 Torr to ultra high vacuum (UHV) conditions in the range of 1.times.10.sup.-7 to 3.times.10.sup.-9 Torr and will typically remove partial pressure, 2.times.10.sup.-7 Torr, residual water vapor. The cryogenic pump basically consists of an inlet flange piece, a copper heat sink with a square internal bore, four two tier Peltier (TEC) chips, a copper low temperature square cross sectional tubulation, an electronic receptacle, and an exit flange piece, with the low temperature tubulation being retained in the heat sink at a bias angle of 5.degree.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for preparing a flow which is substantially purified with respect to at least one of the impurities O.sub.2 and CO, according to which:a) a flow to be purified, comprising at least 90 mol % of a compound chosen from nitrogen, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon or a mixture of these compounds and at least one of the impurities O.sub.2 and CO, is cooled to a temperature of less than -40.degree. C.;b) the cooled flow is passed through an adsorbent for the adsorption of at least one of the impurities O.sub.2 and CO, the adsorbent comprising at least one porous metal oxide;c) a flow which is substantially purified with respect to at least one of the impurities O.sub.2 and CO is recovered.

Abstract: Increased recovery of propane, butane and other heavier components found in a natural gas stream is achieved by installing an absorber upstream from an expander and a separator. The separator is downstream from the expander and returns the liquid stream generated by the separator back to the absorber. Additionally, the recovery of propane, butane and other heavier components is enhanced by combining the upper gas stream from a distillation column with the upper gas stream from the absorber prior to injecting this combination into the separator. The upper gas stream removed from the separator is then subsequently processed for the recovery of a predominately methane and ethane gas stream while the bottom liquid stream from the absorber is subsequently distilled for the generation of a stream consisting predominately of propane, butane and other heavy hydrocarbon components. Alternate embodiments include an additional reflux separator in the system, or substitution of an additional absorber for the separator.

Abstract: In a process for the production of gas under pressure by cryogenic distillation, the gas is produced by vaporizing (or pseudo-vaporizing) a liquid drawn off from a distillation column. In order to supply additional gas under pressure, a flow of a gas coming from an external source is at least partially liquefied, and the liquid thus formed is added to the liquid drawn off from the column before or after an optional pressurization step.

Abstract: A cryogenic process for producing impure oxygen and/or substantially pure nitrogen utilizes a classic double column arrangement and an additional third column operating at a medium pressure, i.e. between the pressure of the higher pressure stage and the lower pressure stage of the double column system. A portion of the feed air is separated in the stages of the double column system, and another portion of the feed air is distilled in the medium pressure stage. Crude liquid oxygen from the higher pressure stage and/or the medium pressure stage is reduced in pressure and boiled in a reboiler/condenser at the top of the medium pressure column. The vaporized crude liquid oxygen from the top reboiler/condenser of the medium pressure column is subsequently introduced as a vapor feed to the lower pressure stage, which reduces irreversibilities of separation in the lower pressure stage.

Abstract: Ultra-high purity nitrogen is generated by removing, from feed air, carbon dioxide, moisture and catalyst poisons of an oxidation catalyst contained therein by a decarbonating drier (4). The feed air is then introduced into a low-pressure rectification column (6), where it is roughly rectified to further remove the carbon dioxide, moisture and catalyst poison. Then raw nitrogen gas obtained in the low-pressure rectification column (6) is introduced into an oxidation column (8) so that carbon monoxide in the raw nitrogen gas is converted to carbon dioxide and hydrogen also contained therein to water. Thereafter the raw nitrogen gas is introduced into an adsorption column (10) so that carbon dioxide and water are removed by adsorption to provide feed raw nitrogen gas, which is fed into an intermediate-pressure rectification column (11), where it is rectified.

Abstract: Nitrogen fruit freezing apparatus includes a conveyor on which fruit passes beneath a spray of liquid nitrogen, and the liquid nitrogen falls downwardly, gasifies, and flows to a chiller unit where the gas is used to cool water. The water cooled by the nitrogen gas is sprayed onto the fruit before the fruit is conveyed to the liquid nitrogen freezing area and is sprayed onto the fruit to glaze the fruit after the fruit is frozen. The cooled water may also be used for cooling a room or a building, etc. The nitrogen gas is exhausted to the atmosphere from the water chiller unit.

Abstract: A cryogenic rectification system wherein additional stripping vapor for the lower pressure column of a double column is produced from higher pressure column bottoms and feed for the argon column is taken from the upper portion of the lower pressure column and first processed through a stripping column. Lower purity oxygen is recovered either directly from the lower pressure column or after first being processed in an auxiliary column which additionally produces higher purity oxygen.

Abstract: Variations in the air outlet temperature of a vortex cooler which varies with the inlet temperature and pressure are maintained within precise limits by a thermocouple electrically connected to a feedback loop which controls the vortex inlet air pressure in response to the signal from the thermocouple. A pneumatic inlet air control valve, along with a microprocessor based transmitter/controller and an I/P Converter pneumatically connected to the vortex inlet air control valve comprise the feedback loop. This maintains the cold air outlet temperature of the cooler within one degree of the desired temperature, despite fluctuations in the inlet air pressure and temperature.

Abstract: A cryogenic rectification system having high recovery of both higher purity and lower purity oxygen which employs a side column having a bottom reboiler wherein feed air is partially condensed and the feed air vapor remaining after the partial condensation is turboexpanded prior to rectification.

Abstract: A portable self-contained delivery station for liquid natural gas (LNG) is provided on a movable skid frame and equipped with an instant -on delivery system which may initiate LNG delivery immediately to a use vehicle. The skid is equipped with a spill containment feature such that the LNG may be contained in the event of spillage. A variable speed pump both controls LNG dispensing and saturation levels of the stored LNG. The pump is submerged in a sump tank which is separate from the bulk storage tank. The sump tank is flooded with an amount of LNG such that the pump is submerged. Delivery of LNG may thus occur instantly, without pre-cooling of the pump or associated meter.

Abstract: A method for producing ultra high purity liquid oxygen from standard grade liquid oxygen which integrates the oxygen purification process with a nitrogen purification process by utilizing the condensing duty of liquid nitrogen, thereby causing the nitrogen to vaporize which is desirable prior to delivery to a nitrogen purification unit. The method of the present invention includes pressurizing a source of liquid nitrogen and vaporizing at least a portion of the pressurized liquid nitrogen. The resulting high pressure gaseous nitrogen stream is introduced to at least one bottom reboiler/condenser of a high purity liquid oxygen unit, which also purifies standard grade liquid oxygen into ultra high purity liquid oxygen. The gaseous nitrogen provides the needed heat to the distillation columns of the high purity liquid oxygen unit.

Abstract: A two-phase nozzle having a converging diverging configurations is equipped with a flow divider at its inlet. The flow divider is arranged to act upon an incoming flow of two-phase liquid to break the liquid phase into finely divided droplets which are directed into the nozzle entrance region so that minimum contact is made with the inside wall of the nozzle. The finely divided droplets are thus thoroughly dispersed in the gas phase of the mixture producing maximum acceleration of the fluid through the nozzle.