Abstract: A water heater has one or more heating elements and an internal wall that causes an increased rate of heating within a sub-volume within the water heater tank. Water from the sub-volume is directed to the tank outlet.

Abstract: A water heater has one or more heating elements and an internal wall that causes an increased rate of heating within a sub-volume within the water heater tank. Water from the sub-volume is directed to the tank outlet.

Abstract: A mixed matrix membrane comprises a support structure. The support structure comprises a glassy polymer matrix, and nanodiamond particles dispersed within the glassy polymer matrix. A gas separation membrane apparatus, a gaseous fluid treatment system, and a method of forming a mixed matrix membrane are also described.

Abstract: A fuel additive composition has a base fuel; colloidal nanocarbon particles, and a dispersion stabilizer that aids in stably suspending the colloidal nanocarbon particles in the base fuel. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A water heater has a gas burner in a combustion chamber below a tank. The burner has a venturi tube oriented in a collection housing, which receives a mixture of air and fuel from a duct at least partially protruding from a periphery of an exterior wall of the water heater. In some embodiments, the duct abuts the venturi tube within a collection housing in the combustion chamber.

Abstract: A water heater has a gas burner in a combustion chamber below a tank. The burner has a venturi tube oriented in a collection housing, which receives a mixture of air and fuel from a duct at least partially protruding from a periphery of an exterior wall of the water heater. In some embodiments, the duct abuts the venturi tube within a collection housing in the combustion chamber.

Abstract: A water heater has one or more heating elements and an internal wall that causes an increased rate of heating within a sub-volume within the water heater tank. Water from the sub-volume is directed to the tank outlet.

Abstract: An integrated pressurized electronic power amplifier circuit including a plasma cathode structure and beam focusing approach leading to an electron beam, an interaction region; an input signal line for conducting an input signal into the interaction region; an output signal line for conducting an output signal from the interaction region; a collector for the electron beam; and an envelope for maintaining a pressurized ambient and a substrate for selected spatial alignment and thermal management; and wherein the plasma cathode structure generates a plasma as a source of electrons. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: An improved method of selecting and planning the performance of various maintenance activities on a facility such as a nuclear power plant includes determining the net present value of a number of future net savings that are expected to result from performance of the maintenance activity at a given time, and selecting and planning the maintenance activities in a fashion that maximizes net present value. The method includes, for each of a number of components and a number of time periods, determining a change in the probability that a component will fail within a time period, with the change resulting from an assumption that a maintenance activity is performed. The change in probability is multiplied with the losses associated with a failure in order to determine a gross savings from which costs are subtracted to determine net savings.

Abstract: Polymer nanocomposites with improved resistance to high energy ionizing radiation. Certain embodiments involve methods for providing a nanocomposite material with resistance to high energy ionizing radiation using nanodiamond, zinc oxide and mixtures of these nanoparticles with other nanoparticles dispersed within the matrix. Other embodiments relate to methods of delivering and dispersing the nanoparticles through the material or a surface layer. Other embodiments include methods of forming chemical bonds between the nanoparticles and the material. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A method of generating a glow discharge plasma involves providing a pair of electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap, and having a dielectric disposed in the electrode gap between the electrodes; placing the electrodes within an environment, wherein the electrode gap can be provided with a gas or gas mixture containing carbon at a specified pressure; and applying a rapid rise time voltage pulse across the electrodes to cause an extreme overvoltage condition, wherein the rapid rise time is less than a plasma generation time so that the extreme overvoltage condition occurs prior to current flow across the electrode gap. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A stable colloidal suspension of carbon-based nanomaterials in a solvent has a stable colloidal suspension of nanodiamond particles having at least one additional carbon-based electromagnetic radiation attenuating nanomaterial nanomaterials disbursed and agitated into the solvent to produce said suspension. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure consistent with certain implementations has a crystalline substrate oriented with a {111} plane surface that is within 10 degrees of surface normal. An epitaxially grown electrically insulating interlayer overlays the crystalline substrate and establishes a coincident lattice that mates with the surface symmetry of the {111} plane surface. An atomically stable two dimensional crystalline film resides on the epitaxial insulating layer with a coincident lattice match to the insulating interlayer. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A method of generating a glow discharge plasma involves providing a pair of electrodes spaced apart by an electrode gap, and having a dielectric disposed in the electrode gap between the electrodes; placing the electrodes within an environment, wherein the electrode gap can be provided with a gas or gas mixture containing carbon at a specified pressure; and applying a rapid rise time voltage pulse across the electrodes to cause an extreme overvoltage condition, wherein the rapid rise time is less than a plasma generation time so that the extreme overvoltage condition occurs prior to current flow across the electrode gap. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A stable colloidal suspension of carbon-based nanomaterials in a solvent has a stable colloidal suspension of nanodiamond particles having at least one additional carbon nanomaterials disbursed and agitated into the solvent to produce said suspension. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure consistent with certain implementations has a crystalline substrate oriented with a {111} plane surface that is within 10 degrees of surface normal. An epitaxially grown electrically insulating interlayer overlays the crystalline substrate and establishes a coincident lattice that mates with the surface symmetry of the {111} plane surface. An atomically stable two dimensional crystalline film resides on the epitaxial insulating layer with a coincident lattice match to the insulating interlayer. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure consistent with certain implementations has a crystalline substrate oriented with a {111} plane surface that is within 10 degrees of surface normal. An epitaxially grown electrically insulating interlayer overlays the crystalline substrate and establishes a coincident lattice that mates with the surface symmetry of the {111} plane surface. An atomically stable two dimensional crystalline film resides on the epitaxial insulating layer with a coincident lattice match to the insulating interlayer. Methods of fabrication are disclosed. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Abstract: A fuel-fired water heater is provided with a premixing type main burner and an associated pilot burner for igniting it. A specially designed protective system is operative to detect a flame flashback burning condition in the main burner and responsively shut down the water heater. In one embodiment thereof, the protective system uses main burner body heat to melt a portion of a fuel supply line connected to the pilot burner during a flame flashback condition in the main burner. Such melting responsively causes an associated fuel supply valve to close and terminate water heater operation. In a second protective system embodiment a normally closed pressure switch is opened, thereby shutting down the water heater, when the switch detects a pressure indicative of a flame flashback condition in the main burner.

Abstract: A fuel-fired water heater is provided with a premixing type main burner and an associated pilot burner for igniting it. A specially designed protective system is operative to detect a flame flashback burning condition in the main burner and responsively shut down the water heater. In one embodiment thereof, the protective system uses main burner body heat to melt a portion of a fuel supply line connected to the pilot burner during a flame flashback condition in the main burner. Such melting responsively causes an associated fuel supply valve to close and terminate water heater operation. In a second protective system embodiment a normally closed pressure switch is opened, thereby shutting down the water heater, when the switch detects a pressure indicative of a flame flashback condition in the main burner.

Abstract: A stable colloidal suspension of carbon-based nanomaterials in a solvent has a stable colloidal suspension of nanodiamond particles having at least one additional carbon nanomaterials disbursed and agitated into the solvent to produce said suspension. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.