Abstract: An apparatus for recovering VOC contaminants from a surface or subsurface release. In one embodiment, the invention includes at least one vertical extraction piling having an interior void space and at least one perforated surface on the exterior of the piling. The upper end of the vertical piling is attached to a vacuum pump by means of conventional piping. The surface area over the piling is sealed to minimize infiltration of surface air or water. A suitable vacuum is applied and the VOC contaminates migrate through a perforated exterior section of the piling then into the interior void space. The contaminates are then transported by a conventional piping system to the vacuum source. Finally the contaminates are adsorbed, condensed, oxidized, or directly discharged into the air.

Abstract: A thin-film superconductor device is disclosed which includes a superconductor film having one or more channels or regions of reduced width. The channel areas define predetermined volumes of superconductive material which is switched from its superconducting state to its normal state by impinging low energy particles. Return to the superconducting state is automatic after a fixed interval depending upon the volume of superconductive material in each channel region. The switching or state changing of the semiconductive region is independent of the energy of the triggering particles and results in output pulses of fixed height and width for a given channel volume. Applications of the disclosed superconductor device in digital memories and particle counting apparatuses are described.