Abstract: Thermal protector for electric motors, includes: a body which supports all the components of the device, a switch having a fixed part and a mobile part, an element made of bimetallic material, inserted between the mobile part and heating elements designed to heat the bimetallic element, and control the movement of the mobile part away from fixed part, terminals which connect the device to the mains power supply, a terminal which connects the device to the motor power supply connector, wherein the elements include a spiral resistor wound about a straight axis, through which the current supplying the motor passes. The resistor is housed in a seating made in the body, such that its axis is aligned with contact zones of the switch; the seating being cradle-shaped, with a section having a semicircular contour for housing the heating elements, and two smooth side walls, which slant divergently upwards.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for enhancing the performance capability of an existing natural draft cooling tower(13). The cooling tower includes a structure (14) defining an open-topped internal passage (15) ofcircular cross section for the upward flow of air from one or more inlets (16) at the base of the structure. The method includes steps of providing within the passage (15), an impeller (27) adapted when mtated at a specified speed about an upright axis of rotation (28) centrally located in the passage to increase the overall flow rate of air in the passage beyond the overall flow rate obtainable in the same operatiny conditions by natural draft alone and provides support means for said impeller and drive means capable of rotating the impeller at the specified speed. The impeller (27) is supported by the supporn means above heat transfer means (19) (which may be a wetted packiny structure) of the cooling tower (13).

Abstract: Apparatus (1) is provided for passing a fluid through a solid material (5). Apparatus (1) has an enclosure (2) with an upper part (7) in which the solid material is received. The solid material flows downward through one or more passages (13) which extend between end walls (11 and 12). Opposing sides of the or each passage are formed by side plates (14, 15) of fluid inlet and outled ducts (9, 10). The side plates are perforated so that fluid can pass transversely through the solid material flowing through each passage. The inlet and outlet ducts (9 and 10) have inlet parts (16 and 17) respectively, outside the enclosure. Solid material arrives at a lower part (8) of the enclosure and then leaves the enclosure. The apparatus (1) can be made compactly for the degree of fluid/solid contact provided. It is applicable to many applications such as drying of solids, heat exchange between fluids and solids, dust removal from gases, chemical reactors and humidifying/dehumidifying of fluids.

Abstract: A process for producing C1-C4 alkyl esters of fatty acids comprising the steps of: (a) reacting glycerine with a glyceride mixture containing levels of free fatty acids which inhibit trans-esterification with alkaline catalysts until the level of free fatty acids is reduced sufficiently to enable the use of an alkaline trans-esterification catalyst; (b) reacting the mixture resulting from step (a) with one or more alkaline trans-esterification catalysts and one or more C1-C4 alcohols until a mixture of one or more C1-C4 alkyl esters of fatty acids and crude glycerine forms; (c) recovering the one or more C1-C4 alkyl esters of fatty acids; and (d) recovering the crude glycerine, wherein at least a portion of the crude glycerine recovered in step (d) is used in step (a) of a subsequent process.

Abstract: Apparatus (1) is provided for passing a fluid through a solid material (5). Apparatus (1) has an enclosure (2) with an upper part (7) in which the solid material is received. The solid material flows downward through one or more passages (13) which extend between end walls (11 and 12). Opposing sides of the or each passage are formed by side plates (14, 15) of fluid inlet and outled ducts (9, 10). The side plates are perforated so that fluid can pass transversely through the solid material flowing through each passage. The inlet and outlet ducts (9 and 10) have inlet parts (16 and 17) respectively, outside the enclosure. Solid material arrives at a lower part (8) of the enclosure and then leaves the enclosure. The apparatus (1) can be made compactly for the degree of fluid/solid contact provided. It is applicable to many applications such as drying of solids, heat exchange between fluids and solids, dust removal from gases, chemical reactors and humidifying/dehumidifying of fluids.

Abstract: An automatic apparatus to cook, season and serve helpings of ready-to-eat pasta such as for example helpings of spaghetti, ravioli and the like. The apparatus essentially includes a cooking vessel supplied with boiling water coming from a boiler movable between a higher and lower position respectively, a basket designed to contain one pasta helping to be cooked and disposed above the cooking vessel so that it can be introduced thereinto when the latter is at its higher position, a basket-charging device which takes up a pasta container, transports it and discharges the contents thereof inside basket, a conveyor designed to put a dish under the basket so that the basket may discharge the cooked pasta helping thereon, and a condiment-dispensing member which puts a predetermined condiment quantity on the cooked pasta helping laid down on the dish.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to an apparatus (1) for cooking food, particularly for cooking food by temporarily dipping it into a liquid at high temperature which allows to carry out a continuous replacement of the liquid present in the cooking vessel (2) so that the purity and clearness characteristics thereof are kept almost unchanged during the repeated dippings of food, while maintaining the temperature unchanged too.The apparatus (1) comprises the use of an additional receptacle (6) for the liquid, disposed close to the cooking vessel (2) and to the respective heating members (5) and inside which the liquid itself is brought to its optimal temperature and then sent to the cooking vessel (2). The latter is provided at the bottom with an opened discharge port (16) through which the cloudy liquid is evacuated and to which a trap (17) suitable to allow the liquid to maintain a predetermined level within the cooking vessel (2) is connected.