Abstract: A process for the treatment of natural gas that contains an odorant at a storage site is described, with this process including a storage phase and a draw-down phase which involve at least two adsorbers A and B and in which, during the storage phase, the odorant is extracted from the gas and, during the draw-down phase; the water and H.sub.2 S that are contained in the gas are extracted.

Abstract: A device for studying the behavior of a multiphase effluent in circulation includes a test pipe having two ends containing the effluent and a unit for delivering a working fluid alternately into each end of the pipe to effect movement of the effluent. The effluent to be studied which has been placed in the test pipe, is displaced according to an alternating circulation generated by injection of a working fluid into each of the ends of the pipe. A process for studying the behavior of the multiphase fluid in circulation involves placing the effluent in a test pipe, displacing the effluent in the test pipe in an alternating motion by delivering a working fluid alternately into each end of the pipe and measuring behavior of the effluent during the alternating displacement of the effluent.

Abstract: A description is given of a process for reducing the agglomeration tendency of hydrates within a fluid incorporating at least water and hydrocarbons, liable to form hydrates, under conditions where said hydrates may form, characterized in that into said fluid is incorporated an alkylene oxide-based hydrosoluble polymer or copolymer containing at least one --(OR)--.sub.n sequence, in which R represents a hydrocarbon group having 2 or 3 carbon atoms and n represents the average degree of polymerization of said sequence, at least one of the --(OR)--.sub.n sequences being an ethylene polyoxide sequence, associated with a thermodynamic inhibitor of the formation of hydrates, e.g. an alcohol or a glycol. This process is particularly appropriate for the case where the fluid to be treated contains a high proportion of water, e.g. more than 30% by weight. The presence of salts in the water can at least partly dispense with the addition of alcohols or glycols.

Abstract: An acidic aqueous cleaner, preferably in emulsion or microemulsion form, which is of a pH in the range of one to four and is useful for cleaning hard surfaced items, such as bathtubs, sinks, tiles and porcelains and even some such items which are not acid resistant, such as those of a European enamel known as zirconium white enamel, comprises synthetic organic detergent, such as a mixture of anionic and nonionic detergents, e.g., sodium paraffin sulfonate, higher fatty alcohol ethoxylate sulfate and higher fatty alcohol or phenol ethoxylate, organic acids, e.g., mixture of succinic, glutaric and adipic acids, phosphonic acid, e.g., aminotris-(methylenephosphonic acid) and phosphoric acid in an aqueous medium.

Abstract: An acidic aqueous cleaner, preferably in emulsion or microemulsion form, which is of a pH in the range of one to four and is useful for cleaning hard surfaced items, such as bathtubs, sinks, tiles and porcelains, and even some such items which are not acid resistant, such as those of a European enamel known as zirconium white enamel, comprises synthetic organic detergent, such as a mixture of anionic and nonionic detergents, e.g., sodium paraffin sulfonate, higher fatty alcohol ethoxylate sulfate and higher fatty alcohol or phenol ethoxylate, organic acid, e.g., mixture of succinic, glutaric and adipic acids, phosphonic acid, e.g., aminotris-(methylenephosphonic acid) and phosphoric acid in an aqueous medium.The acidic cleaner is useful to remove soap scum, lime scale and grease from surfaces of the mentioned items without adversely affecting such surfaces, and removals of the scum, scale and grease are easy, being effected by applying the microemulsion to the surface to be cleaned, followed by wiping it off.

Abstract: An acidic aqueous cleaner, preferably in microemulsion form, which is of a pH in the range of one to four and is useful for cleaning hard surfaced items, such as bathtubs, sinks, tiles and porcelains, and even some such items which are not acid resistant, such as those of a European enamel known as zirconium white enamel, comprises synthetic organic detergent, such as a mixture of anionic and nonionic detergents, e.g., sodium paraffin sulfonate, higher fatty alcohol ethoxylate sulfate and higher fatty alcohol or phenol ethoxylate, carboxylic acid, e.g., mixture of succinic, glutaric and adipic acids, and phosphonic acid, e.g., aminotris(methylenephosphonic acid)in an aqueous medium. Preferably a phophoric acid is present to further improve protection of such European enamel surfaces.

Abstract: A process for the thermal conversion of various fossil organic materials such as heavy crude oils, heavy petroleum fractions or refining residues, is described. According to the invention, the charge is subjected to thermal processing in the presence of a minor proportion of at least one radical-generating monooxygenated compound, containing at least one heteroelement selected from sulfur, and nitrogen and in which the oxygen is borne by said heteroelement. The conversion is improved with a composition comprising a hydrogen donor diluent and this monooxygenated compound in a weight ratio of 0.2:1 to 400:1. The invention is useful in the petroleum industry and the coal industry and particularly in the process of hydrovisbreaking.

Abstract: The invention concerns the reading by optical means of data recorded along a track on a disc; an address code, which increases one unit at each step, is recorded on the disc at the same time as the data. The optical reader contains a device for the fast movement of the reading head in a direction radial to the disc, a device for counting the number of track grooves thus crossed, a device for automatic access to some given data which contains a device for detecting addresses recorded and a programmed control circuit which triggers fast movement or a step by step movement of the reading head depending on whether the reading head is far from the track groove whose address has been recorded or is near to this track groove.

Abstract: Mechanical components such as dies and crucibles, which come in contact with a silicon melt during the formation of single crystalline shaped silicon particles, e.g. thin sheets or ribbons, are coated with silicon oxynitride deposited by chemical vapor deposition techniques.