Abstract: Process and apparatus for the rapid efficient melting of solid ferrous metal scrap without direct exposure to water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases, using natural gas and/or other caloric gaseous fuels. The apparatus includes a furnace having a refractory base, means for introducing ferrous metal such as solid steel scrap to the well area, means for providing a slag layer over the solid steel scrap, and gas burner means for emitting one or more forced gas flames for superheating the slag layer to a liquid which covers the scrap and for agitating and circulating the molten slag to form a highly-efficient heat-transfer medium for melting and refining the steel scrap while it is insulated against contact with gases, particularly water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases. The process may operate continuously and can recover heat for scrap preheating, turbine power and other efficient uses.

Abstract: Process and furnace for producing clinkered cement pellets from pellets of cement-forming batch materials without melting, fusion and agglomeration of said pellets. The furnace comprises an elongate vertical suspension shaft having top, intermediate and bottom portions. Pellets are fed at the top and heated to calcining temperatures before exiting the shaft into a pre-clinkering zone beyond the bottom. The pellets are heated to pre-clinkering temperatures and deposited on a porous pellet bed through which cooling air is forced to control the exothermic clinkering reaction and to regulate the speed at which the pellets migrate through the shaft.

Abstract: Process and apparatus for the rapid efficient melting of solid ferrous metal scrap without direct exposure to water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases, using natural gas and/or other caloric gaseous fuels. The apparatus includes a furnace having a refractory base, means for introducing ferrous metal such as solid steel scrap to the wall area, means for providing a slag layer over the solid steel scrap, and gas burner means for emitting one or more forced gas flames for superheating the slag layer to a liquid which covers the scrap and for agitating and circulating the molten slag to form a highly-efficient heat-transfer medium for melting and refining the steel scrap while it is insulated against contact with gases, particularly water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases. The process may operate continuously and can recover heat for scrap preheating, turbine power and other efficient uses.

Abstract: Process and furnace for producing clinkered cement pellets from pellets of cement-forming batch materials without melting, fusion and agglomeration of said pellets. The furnace comprises an elongate vertical suspension shaft having top, intermediate and bottom portions. Pellets are fed at the top and heated to calcining temperatures before exiting the shaft into a pre-clinkering zone beyond the bottom. The pellets are heated to pre-clinkering temperatures and deposited on a porous pellet bed through which cooling air is forced to control the exothermic clinkering reaction and to regulate the speed at which the pellets migrate through the shaft.

Abstract: A method of combustion of a sulfur-containing fuel which substantially reduces the amount of gaseous sulfur compounds which would otherwise be emitted. A sorbent is injected into products of combustion in the temperature range of about 1600-2400 K. and above resulting from the combustion, gasification or the like, of a sulfur-containing fuel and controlling gas-sorbent particle mixing, gas diffusion, forward and reverse reaction kinetics, particle size, particle temperature, and sorbent particle residence time in the products of combustion to effect substantially maximum capture of sulfur by the sorbent particles and thereafter removal of the sorbent particles before any substantial amount of sulfur captured by the sorbent is lost back to the products of combustion from which it was removed.

Abstract: A method of removing material of poor thermal conductivity such as paint, grease, ceramics, and the like from a substrate by ablation without damage to the substrate by delivering to the material to be removed pulses or their equivalent of a laser beam having a wavelength at which the material to be removed is opaque and a fluence sufficient to ablate or decompose the material without damaging or adversely affecting the substrate or its surface.

Abstract: A method of an apparatus for heat processing of glass and/or glass forming material wherein cullet and/or the raw materials needed to form glass are heated while suspended in a high temperature gas stream which may comprise products of combustion. The particles heated both in and downstream of a burner, for example, together with products of combustion are accelerated out of the burner, preferably downwardly, through a nozzle and against a closely spaced impact surface in a separation chamber. Upon impact, the particles and/or molten droplets are separated from the products of combustion by adhering to the impact surface and form a continuous flowing layer which flows from the impact surface, over a flow surface and as a molten layer into a pool of molten glass product at the bottom of the separation chamber.

Abstract: A flow channel for a dye laser having means for reducing thermal and pressure variations in the flowing laser medium particularly in the vicinity of active lasing in order to permit high power and high pulse rate lasing with a high quality, low divergence output beam. Pressure disturbances and turbulence are minimized with a number of flow design techniques including a configured input conduit for even pressure drop, a set of turbulence reducing screens, as well as a hydraulic pressure damping capacitor on both input and output ends of the flow channel, either side of the excitation window. A porous wall is used to exhaust the medium and isolate the lasing region from downstream effects. In addition, cooling of the conduit just upstream of the region of active lasing reduces temperature disturbances resulting from applied excitation to further minimize its disturbing effect on laser beam quality and lasing efficiency.

Abstract: A flow channel for a fluid laser medium which promotes high pulse rate high power lasing of the medium. The flow channel operates to permit this high efficiency operation by preparing the flowing laser material to stream past a set of windows for the application of transverse pumping radiation with a very smooth laminar flow having thin laminar boundary layers. This flow characteristic is provided by a carefully configured input channel. In addition, high quality flow characteristics are further insured by an exhaust channel which triggers a turbulent flow directly downstream of the windows and provides a controlled expansion without separation of the flowing laser material into an outlet conduit.

Abstract: A system for isotope separation or enrichment wherein molecules of a selected isotope type in a flow of molecules of plural isotope types are vibrationally excited and collided with a background gas to provide enhanced diffusivity for the molecules of the selected isotope type permitting their separate collection. The system typically is for the enrichment of uranium using a uranium hexafluoride gas in combination with a noble gas such as argon. The uranium hexafluoride molecules having a specific isotope of uranium are vibrationally excited by laser radiation. The vibrational energy is converted to a translation energy upon collision with a particle of the background gas and the added translation energy enhances the diffusivity of the selected hexafluoride molecules facilitating its condensation on collection surfaces provided for that purpose. This process is periodically interrupted and the cryogenic flow halted to permit evaporation of the collected molecules to provide a distinct, enriched flow.

Abstract: A method of removing material of poor thermal conductivity such as paint, grease, ceramics, and the like from a substrate by ablation without damage to the substrate by delivering to the material to be removed pulses or their equivalent of a laser beam having a wavelength at which the material to be removed is opaque and a fluence sufficient to ablate or decompose the material without damaging or adversely affecting the substrate or its surface.