Abstract: An optical switch (14) is disposed with in a measuring section (3) and connected to a base portion of an optical fiber (2). The optical switch (14) includes a pair of adjusting optical fibers (15, 16) having lengths different from each other by a half of a distance resolution, and the optical switch (14) is driven by a pulse driving circuit (4) in synchronism with a semiconductor laser (5) which emits a light pulse. When the optical switch (14) is driven, either one of the adjusting optical fibers (15, 16) is selectively connected to the optical fiber (2) so that two detection routes having different lengths are formed. The temperature distribution measurement values respectively for the two detection routes and having a phase displaced from each other corresponding to the half of the distance resolution are calculated in a high speed averaging processing unit (11), and then a temperature distribution value along the optical fiber (2) is calculated in a data processing unit (12).

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for continuous copper smelting. At first, a smelting furnace, a separating furnace, a converting furnace, melt launders for connecting the smelting furnace, the separating furnace and the converting furnace in series, a plurality of anode furnaces and blister copper launders for connecting the converting furnace and the anode furnaces are provided. Then, copper concentrate is introduced in the smelting furnace, and melted and oxidized into a mixture of matte and slag. The mixture is received in the separating furnace and the matte is separated from the slag. Subsequently, the matte separated from the slag is oxidized to produce blister copper. Subsequently, the blister copper is caused to flow through the blister copper launders into one of the anode furnaces, and refined into copper of higher quality in the anode furnace. In the refining operation at the anode furnace, the receiving step and the oxidizing step are carried out at least partly in an overlapping fashion.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for smelting copper which includes a smelting furnace, a separating furnace, a converting furnace, and launders connecting these furnaces in series. In the smelting furnace, copper concentrate is melted and oxidized to produce matte and slag. In the separating furnace, the matte is separated from the slag. In the converting furnace, the matte separated from the slag is oxidized to produce blister copper. A plurality of anode furnaces are provided for refining the blister copper produced in the converting furnace into copper of higher quality. A blister copper launder assembly, which has a main launder and a plurality of branch launders branched off from the main launder, is provided to connect the converting furnace and the anode furnaces together. A selecting device may be attached to the launder assembly for selectively bringing the main launder into fluid communication with one of the branch launders.

Abstract: An automatic cassette changer capable of selectively loading any of cassettes of various sizes upon a recording and/or playback unit, comprises cassette-housing racks capable of selectively storing any of large cassettes and small cassettes, and having first guides for the large cassette and second guides for the small cassette so as to put the respective cassettes in their proper positions; and a cassette transfer having third guides for the large cassette and fourth guides for the small cassette so as to have both sides of the respective cassettes guided, and capable of selectively moving any of the large cassette and the small cassette from the cassette-housing racks to the recording and/or playback unit, and vice versa.

Abstract: A diffusion transfer photographic film, in which a film of a polyethylene terephthalate copolymer is a part of the constituents thereof, the polyethylene terephthalate containing about 3 to about 20% by weight of a polyalkylene glycol, as a glycol component comonomer, based on the weight of the polyethylene terephthalate copolymer.