Abstract: A method and apparatus whereby flameless combustion may be precipitated and sustained within the essentially oval combustion chamber of an integrated heater/burner apparatus. The invention provides for an air inlet and fuel source in combination with recirculating flue gas within the apparatus combustion chamber to precipitate and maintain flameless combustion of the combined gases along, and within, a narrowly defined boundary. Air is introduced to the oval combustion chamber via an air inlet. Fuel gas is combined with recirculating flue gases with continued heating of the recirculating flue gas, introduced air or both flue gas and air, until the temperature at the boundary interface between the air and inerted fuel gas exceeds an auto ignition temperature of the boundary interface components.

Abstract: A belt damper for a gear train is provided. An endless belt is wrapped around pulleys mounted to an idler gear and an output gear. The pulleys are mounted to splined shafts which are axially aligned with and connected to splined gear shafts on which the idler and output gears are mounted. Pressurized lubricant is supplied to both splined connections. The combination of the lubricant in the spline connections and the damping effect of the belt provides for an effective damping system. A tension device may also be applied to vary tension imposed on the belt.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting automotive tires is provided having a hanger pin adapted to fit through the mount hole of a vehicle wheel. The apparatus is intended to be installed on an automotive hoist at a height approximately the same as that of a tire of a vehicle disposed on the hoist. A worker removing a wheel from the vehicle disposed on the hoist can thus hang the wheel on the apparatus without significantly bending at the waist.

Abstract: A system for automatically updating program modules on a plurality of computers coupled to a server computer in a large-scale distributed network is described. In a network comprising disparate types of server computers, target server computers are first divided into logical groups based on server functionality. File updates are made available on a master update server. The master update server advertises the availability to the target servers. The master update server creates an advertising message and transmits or otherwise makes available the advertising message to the target server computers. Each target server computer determines whether the update is to be performed. If an update is to be performed, the target server computer accesses the file location of the update file specified in the advertising message and downloads the update program. If an update is not be performed, a decline message is transmitted to the update server.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting automotive tires having a hanger pin adapted to fit through the mount hole of a vehicle wheel. The apparatus is intended to be installed on an automotive hoist at a height approximately the same as that of a tire of a vehicle disposed on the hoist. A worker removing a wheel from the vehicle disposed on the hoist can thus hang the wheel on the apparatus without significantly bending at the waist.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting automotive tires is provided having a hanger pin adapted to fit through the mount hole of a vehicle wheel. The apparatus is intended to be installed on an automotive hoist at a height approximately the same as that of a tire of a vehicle disposed on the hoist. A worker removing a wheel from the vehicle disposed on the hoist can thus hang the wheel on the apparatus without significantly bending at the waist.

Abstract: An arrangement is provided for ingress throttling via adaptive interrupt delay scheduling. When packets are received, a receive interrupt is issued with a delay determined based on the backlog information of an associated host, gathered from the number of packets returned from the host after the completion of processing previously delivered packets.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting automotive tires is provided having a hanger pin adapted to fit through the mount hole of a vehicle wheel. The apparatus is intended to be installed on an automotive hoist at a height approximately the same as that of a tire of a vehicle disposed on the hoist. A worker removing a wheel from the vehicle disposed on the hoist can thus hang the wheel on the apparatus without significantly bending at the waist.

Abstract: At least two torque paths between a driver and a camshaft distribute dynamic torque applied to the camshaft, allowing for cancellation of undesirable torque components. The second torque path has a greater number of gears than the first torque path, and acts as a constraint on the camshaft, ameliorating discontinuities in camshaft rotation due to sudden changes in load on the camshaft.

Abstract: At least two torque paths between a driver and a camshaft distribute dynamic torque applied to the camshaft, allowing for cancellation of undesirable torque components. The second torque path has a greater number of gears than the first torque path, and acts as a constraint on the camshaft, ameliorating discontinuities in camshaft rotation due to sudden changes in load on the camshaft.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting automotive tires is provided having a hanger pin adapted to fit through the mount hole of a vehicle wheel. The apparatus is intended to be installed on an automotive hoist at a height approximately the same as that of a tire of a vehicle disposed on the hoist. A worker removing a wheel from the vehicle disposed on the hoist can thus hang the wheel on the apparatus without significantly bending at the waist.

Abstract: A system and method to improve the efficiency of delayed coker charge heating by effecting and controlling the temperature of a coker process fluid, prior to its introduction to a coker charge heater. In its preferred embodiment, the instant invention strategically positions and controls a pre-heater to automatically stabilize and minimize delayed coker charge heater firing rates. Said pre-heater's set point is derived by a feed forward control system that allows for the detection of process fluid temperature within a combination tower bottom, and communicates that temperature value to a pre-heater. Based upon the temperature value communicated to the pre-heater, the pre-heater intensifies, maintains, or decreases its firing to effect an operationally consistent combination tower bottoms temperature. By maintaining nearly constant combination tower bottoms temperature, a delayed coker charge heater derives enhanced operational efficiency and increases its life expectancy.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting automotive tires is provided having a hanger pin adapted to fit through the mount hole of a vehicle wheel. The apparatus is intended to be installed on an automotive hoist at a height approximately the same as that of a tire of a vehicle disposed on the hoist. A worker removing a wheel from the vehicle disposed on the hoist can thus hang the wheel on the apparatus without significantly bending at the waist.

Abstract: A probe for determining the heat flux in a direct-fired heater. The direct-fired heater is under a vacuum pressure. This vacuum pressure induces a small quantity of ambient air through a ceramic insulating tube and eventually into the heater. The induced air cools an absorber head and receptacle, causing heat to flow from a target to a base. The target is an outer surface of the absorber head exposed to radiant heat inside the direct-fired heater. The base is that portion of the absorber head and receptacle which has a surface exposed to cooling air within the ceramic tube. The vacuum pressure inside the heater causes ambient air to be induced into a second end of the ceramic tube. Air passages at a first end of the ceramic tube cause the induced air to flow past the base and into the heater. A thermocouple is fitted into a cylindrical slot inside the receptacle.

Abstract: In a delayed coking process, furnace tube fouling is minimized by including a measured amount of full boiling range heavy gas oil as an additive in the furnace feed, preferably by forced recycle from a heavy gas oil stream. An additive is preferably supplied directly to individual furnace tubes by multiple circumferential injection upstream of each tube receiving the additive.