Abstract: A process for producing ammonium nitrate is disclosed, which process comprises exposing a gaseous oxidiser feed composed at least substantially of ammonia, steam and an oxidising gas to conditions whereby the ammonia is oxidised to produce a reaction mixture including nitrogen monoxide and water vapour. The reaction mixture is cooled in a heat exchanger whereby the nitrogen monoxide is oxidised, the water vapour is condensed and the products of the nitrogen monoxide oxidation react with and are absorbed by the condensed water to form a nitric acid stream, with substantially all of the nitrogen monoxide in the reaction mixture being converted to nitric acid. The nitric acid stream is reacted with a stream of ammonia to form the ammonium nitrate.

Abstract: A process for producing ammonium nitrate is disclosed and in which: a) a gaseous oxidiser feed composed at least substantially of ammonia, steam and an oxidising gas is exposed to conditions whereby the ammonia is oxidised to produce a reaction mixture including nitrogen monoxide and water vapour, b) the reaction mixture is cooled in a heat exchanger whereby the nitrogen monoxide is oxidised, the water vapour is condensed and the products of the nitrogen monoxide oxidation react with and are absorbed by the condensed water to form a nitric acid stream, with substantially all of the nitrogen monoxide in the reaction mixture being converted to nitric acid, and c) the nitric acid stream is reacted with a stream of ammonia in an ammonium nitrate producing stage to form the ammonium nitrate.

Abstract: The present invention is a multiple reaction set for the production of chemicals by equilibrium limited reactions utilizing plate-type or extended surface heat exchangers. The heat exchangers cool the reaction products to condense methanol within the reaction products for separation, and to warm incoming feed reactants prior to entrance of the reactants into a reactor utilized for methanol production. The various reactors, heat exchangers, and separators can be formed as separated zones within enclosed vessels, thereby eliminating the need for separately constructed reactors, heat exchangers, and separators. Multi-stream plate-type of extended surface heat exchangers can be utilized to allow efficient cooling and methanol separation.

Abstract: The present invention is a multiple reaction set for the production of chemicals by equilibrium limited reactions utilizing plate-type or extended surface heat exchangers. The heat exchangers cool the reaction products to condense methanol within the reaction products for separation, and to warm incoming feed reactants prior to entrance of the reactants into a reactor utilized for methanol production. The various reactors, heat exchangers, and separators can be formed as separated zones within enclosed vessels, thereby eliminating the need for separately constructed reactors, heat exchangers, and separators. Multi-stream plate-type of extended surface heat exchangers can be utilized to allow efficient cooling and methanol separation.

Abstract: A heat exchanger core incorporating diffusion bonded plates and heat exchangers incorporating such core are disclosed. The heat exchanger core comprises first and second groups of interleaved plates which are arranged respectively to carry first and second heat exchange fluids, and each of the plates in each group is formed in one of its faces with thirty or more platelets, each of which is composed of a group of parallel channels. Ports extend through the first and second groups of plates for conveying the first and second heat exchange fluids to and from the platelets, and distribution channels connect opposite ends of each platelet in each of the plates to associated ones of the ports.

Abstract: The present invention is a multiple reaction set for the production of chemicals by equilibrium limited reactions utilizing plate-type or extended surface heat exchangers. The heat exchangers effectively cool the reaction products in order to condense the methanol contained within the reaction products for separation, and also to warm incoming feed reactants prior to entrance of the reactants into a reactor utilized for the production of methanol. The various reactors, heat exchangers, and separators can be formed as separated zones within the enclosed vessels, thereby eliminating the need for separately constructed reactors, heat exchangers, and separators. Multi-stream plate-type of extended surface heat exchangers can be utilized to allow efficient cooling and methanol separation.

Abstract: A locator system for use in connection with at least one mobile person includes a mobile locator system adapted to be worn by the person, wherein the mobile locator system includes an inertial navigation system. The locator system further includes a reference locator system to provide information about a position of the mobile locator device relative to a coordinate system. In several embodiments, the reference locator system comprises an ultrasonic system. For example, the reference locator system can include at least one ultrasonic transmitter and at least one ultrasonic receiver. One of the at least one ultrasonic receiver and the at least one ultrasonic transmitter can be positioned at a known position on the coordinate system and the other of the at least one ultrasonic receiver and the at least one ultrasonic transmitter can be worn by the person. The reference locator system can also include a plurality of ultrasonic transmitters and a plurality of ultrasonic receivers.

Abstract: The present invention is a multiple reaction set for the production of chemicals by equilibrium limited reactions utilizing plate-type or extended surface heat exchangers. The heat exchangers effectively cool the reaction products in order to condense the methanol contained within the reaction products for separation, and also to warm incoming feed reactants prior to entrance of the reactants into a reactor utilized for the production of methanol. The various reactors, heat exchangers, and separators can be formed as separated zones within the enclosed vessels, thereby eliminating the need for separately constructed reactors, heat exchangers, and separators. Multi-stream plate-type of extended surface heat exchangers can be utilized to allow efficient cooling and methanol separation.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods to control the frequency of a plurality of gyroscopes are disclosed. The gyroscopes are configured such that each individual gyroscope operates independently of one another and at the same pre-determined frequency. To accomplish this, the natural frequency of each gyroscope is determined, and a reference signal is added to the output signal of its respective gyroscope such that the sum of the natural frequency and the reference signal frequency equals the pre-determined frequency. Thus, each individual gyroscope, though it may include its own individual natural frequency, operates autonomously at the pre-determined frequency.

Abstract: A chemical reactor is disclosed and which has a core composed of a stack of metal plates that are diffusion bonded in face-to-face relationship. A plurality of reaction zones are located within the core, as are a plurality of catalyst receiving zones, and both the reaction zones and the catalyst receiving zones are defined by respective aligned apertures in the plates. A first channel arrangement is provided in some of the plates for transporting a first reactant to and between the reaction zones, portions of the first channel arrangement that interconnect the reaction zones being formed over at least a portion of their length as heat exchange channels. A second channel arrangement is provided in others of the plates and is arranged to deliver a second reactant to each of the reaction zones.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods to control a plurality of gyroscopes utilizing intermediate frequencies are disclosed. The gyroscopes are configured to operate at the same pre-determined intermediate frequency. To accomplish this, the natural frequency of each gyroscope is determined, and a reference signal is added to the output signal of its respective gyroscope such that the sum of the natural frequency and the reference signal frequency equals the pre-determined intermediate frequency. The output signal from each gyroscope is transmitted to a common inertial data processor, and the inertial data processor outputs a directional signal. The directional signal includes a representation of angles from an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. Since each signal output by the gyroscopes has the same frequency, the loss of data is decreased and the accuracy of the data increased.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods to control a plurality of gyroscopes utilizing intermediate frequencies are disclosed. The gyroscopes are configured to operate at the same pre-determined intermediate frequency. To accomplish this, the natural frequency of each gyroscope is determined, and a reference signal is added to the output signal of its respective gyroscope such that the sum of the natural frequency and the reference signal frequency equals the pre-determined intermediate frequency. The output signal from each gyroscope is transmitted to a common inertial data processor, and the inertial data processor outputs a directional signal. The directional signal includes a representation of angles from an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. Since each signal output by the gyroscopes has the same frequency, the loss of data is decreased and the accuracy of the data increased.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems, and methods to control the frequency of a plurality of gyroscopes are disclosed. The gyroscopes are configured such that each individual gyroscope operates independently of one another and at the same pre-determined frequency. To accomplish this, the natural frequency of each gyroscope is determined, and a reference signal is added to the output signal of its respective gyroscope such that the sum of the natural frequency and the reference signal frequency equals the pre-determined frequency. Thus, each individual gyroscope, though it may include its own individual natural frequency, operates autonomously at the pre-determined frequency.

Abstract: An underwater detection system that uses two remote vessels in proximity to an object of interest in order to accurately obtain a 3D image of that object. One of the vessels is stationary and includes a first transceiver and a vertical receiving array. The second vessel moves over a predetermined path and uses a transmitter to simultaneously send signals to both the transceiver of the first vessel and the object of interest. The signals are bounced off of the object of interest to the vertical receiving array. Various signals are convoluted to produce an accurate three-dimensional array and thus a three-dimensional image of the object of interest.

Abstract: The invention is a vibratory rotation sensor comprising a housing, a resonator attached to the housing, first and second sets of electrodes, and a signal processor. One set of electrodes are attached to the housing and the other set of electrodes are attached to the resonator, the first set opposing the second set. Each set consists of one or more electrodes. The signal processor has one or more input ports capacitively connected to one or more of the first set of electrodes, the signal processor extracting from the signals appearing at the one or more input ports one or more double-frequency sinusoids having frequencies of twice the frequency of oscillation of the resonator.

Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for generating a plurality of driving signals for a vibratory rotation sensor, the plurality of driving signals resulting in a plurality of readout signals from the vibratory rotation sensor. The method comprises the steps of determining a 2.times. tracking angle rate, transforming the 2.times. tracking angle rate into a trig function rate, transforming the trig function rate into a second trig function, and generating the plurality of driving signals utilizing the second trig function. The 2.times. tracking angle rate, determined from the plurality of readout signals, is the time rate of change of twice the tracking angle, the tracking angle being an angle which tracks the orientation angle of the standing-wave pattern of the vibratory rotation sensor. The trig function rate is the time rate of change of a first trig function, the first trig function being an approximation to a mathematically-exact (M-E) trig function.

Abstract: The invention is an apparatus for sensing rotation comprising a housing, a resonator attached to the housing, a first set of electrodes consisting of one or more electrically-connected electrodes, and a second set of N electrodes. The resonator is a rotationally-symmetric, thin-walled object capable of vibrating in at least one of a plurality of standing-wave modes. The orientation of a standing wave with respect to a reference point on the resonator is specified by an orientation angle. The first set of electrodes are attached to either the resonator or the housing. The N electrodes of the second set are attached around the circumference of either (1) the housing if the first set of electrodes is attached to the resonator or (2) the resonator if the first set of electrodes is attached to the housing. The n'th electrode of the second set is attached at angular position .theta..sub.n with respect to the reference point on the resonator, opposing one or more of the second set of electrodes.

Abstract: In a vibrating rotation sensor of the hemispherical resonator gyro type (HRG), operating in the whole angle mode wherein the standing-wave components are measured to provide a measure of the pattern angle, the digital signal processor functions to control the digital to analog converter output signal in order to keep the highly amplified analog to digital input signal, the difference between the pattern angle and excitation angle, within the analog to digital converter window. The analog to digital converter window is set at n times the discrete level of the digital to analog converter. A digital feedback loop in the digital signal processor continually corrects the tracking angle to control the excitation voltage.

Abstract: The invention is a method for reading out a vibratory rotation sensor comprising the steps of (1) driving the vibratory rotation sensor with a plurality of driving signals and (2) obtaining one or more readout signals resulting from the interaction of the driving signals and the vibratory rotation sensor. The functional dependence of all tracking-angle-dependent driving signals is expressible for a specified range of tracking-angle values as a single specific function of the tracking angle. A tracking-angle-dependent driving signal is the sum of two or more component signals where only one of the component signals is dependent on tracking angle. The single specific function specified for any one of a plurality of tracking-angle range of values can be the same as or different than the single specific function specified for any other tracking-angle range of values.

Abstract: The invention is a method for obtaining linear measures of one or more parameters p.sub.m of a device having one or more input ports i and an output port where m takes on integer values from 1 to M, M being an integer equal to or greater than 1, and i takes on integer values from 1 to I, I being an integer equal to or greater than 1. The device causes one or more input signals G.sub.i (p.sub.m)E.sub.ei (t) fed into one or more input ports to be transformed into an output signal comprising a summation over i of G.sub.i (p.sub.m)H.sub.i (p.sub.m)E.sub.oi (t) at the output port. The function G.sub.i (p.sub.m) is a weighting function associated with the i'th input port, E.sub.ei (t) is an excitation signal associated with the i'th input port, and E.sub.oi (t) is the transformation of the excitation signal E.sub.ei (t) that results from E.sub.ei (t) traversing the path from the input port i to the output port. The signals E.sub.ei (t) and E.sub.oi (t) are both independent of the parameter p.sub.m.