Abstract: A combustion system for extracting thermal energy from biomass or other formable fuels that does not require densification or other processing of the biomass prior to combustion. This system continuously feeds the biomass fuel from an auger or other conveyance system while simultaneously causing the biomass fuel to be formed with a hollow core. The biomass fuel is ignited from within the hollow core and burns primarily radially outward due to negative pressure surrounding combustion chamber thus facilitating and containing the combustion process. This system also utilizes pre-heating the fuel, primary and secondary air pre-heating, insulated combustion chambers, and carefully control combustion air to ensure substantial combustion is achieved even with fuels having high moisture content. In the preferred embodiment, a heat exchanger is utilized to capture thermal energy of combustion products for use as an energy source for additional processes.

Abstract: A device measures pressures in animals and humans and includes a pressure transmission catheter (PTC) filled with a pressure transmitting medium and implantable in an area in having a physiological pressure. A transducer communicates with the pressure transmitting medium to provide a pressure signal representing variations in the physiologic pressure on electrical wires. A connecting catheter carries the electrical wires to signal processing and telemetry circuitry, which transmits a telemetry signal representing the pressure signal to a receiver external to the animal or human. A housing holds the signal processing and telemetry circuitry, but the transducer is remote from the housing. The device is particularly useful in measuring venous pressure, pulmonary pressure, bladder pressure, or intracranial pressure without significant head pressure artifact and with a sufficient dynamic response. One embodiment of the PTC includes a multi-durometer stem.