Abstract: The invention relates to a heat flux comparator comprising two substantially planar and mutually parallel input faces, capable of receiving each a heat flux, and comprising a thermoelectric circuit including at least a strip of a first metallic material partly covered on one of its surfaces with first separate metal pads of a second metallic material. The heat flux comparator also comprises layers of an insulating material arranged on either side of the thermoelectric circuit, second and third pads arranged on respective faces of the two layers of insulating material which are directed away from the thermoelectric circuit. The second and third pads are made of a same material and have substantially a same thickness, and the layers of insulating material have a same thickness too.

Abstract: The invention relates to a heat flux comparator comprising two substantially planar and mutually parallel input faces, capable of receiving each a heat flux, and comprising a thermoelectric circuit including at least a strip of a first metallic material partly covered on one of its surfaces with first separate metal pads of a second metallic material. The heat flux comparator also comprises layers of an insulating material arranged on either side of the thermoelectric circuit, second and third pads arranged on respective faces of the two layers of insulating material which are directed away from the thermoelectric circuit. The second and third pads are made of a same material and have substantially a same thickness, and the layers of insulating material have a same thickness too.

Abstract: A device for detecting thermal radiation having a detector and a reflector type concentrator. The detector is arranged to have one or more portions exposed to thermal radiation and one or more portions protected from thermal radiation, wherein the detector delivers detection signals on the basis of a temperature difference between the exposed portions and the protected portions. The detector supports pairs of planar thermocouple elements having a cold junction in contact with the protected portion of the detector and a hot junction in thermal contact with the exposed portion of the detector. The reflector type concentrator concentrates thermal radiation coming from a three-dimensional zone. The detector and the reflector type concentrator are combined to define a zone under surveillance and detect any change in the state of thermal unbalance in the zone under surveillance.

Abstract: A hydrocarbon extractor, intended to be disposed above a tank (10) containing a mixture of a liquid and a liquid hydrocarbon, comprises a belt (16) made of an oleophilic material which is adapted to be immersed in the mixture and two oleophilic rollers (26, 28), disposed one on each side of the belt, for recovering the liquid hydrocarbon from the belt. The rollers are rotated in an opposite direction to that of the movement of the belt and at a higher speed than the belt to enhance the recovery process.

Abstract: A device is provided for measuring the intensity of a radiative flux and optionally also a convective flux, including a thin support made from an insulating material; a thin continuous strip of meandering shape made from a first conducting material; a series of discontinuous deposits made from a second conducting material having a thermoelectric power different from that of the first material and a high electric conductivity, the whole of the deposits and of the associated underlying strip portion forming an elementary thermocouple and having, in the transverse direction with respect to the direction of extension of the strip, a width which varies between its two ends, the variation in width being in the same direction for the successive deposits along the strip; and a coating with high emissivity intimately covering at least the successive deposits. The device may also include a heat conducting layer.

Abstract: Thermal fluxmeter with a plurality of thermocouples comprising a continuous thin layer of a first conductor or semiconductor material such as constantan, covered on at least one of its faces by a succession of areas comprised of very thin deposits of a second conductor or semiconductor material such as copper, having a thermoelectric power different from that of the first material; the characteristic of the invention is that at least one channel traverses from side to side through each deposit area and through the underlying thin layer, said channels being offset in the same direction with respect to the center of the traversed area; said channels may be provided with an inner coating of a deposit of the second material; appropriately, the thin layer is deposited on a substrate of insulating material.

Abstract: A device for loading data in and reading data out of latch strings located in field replaceable units containing the circuitry of a data processing system realized in accordance with the Level-Scan Sensitive Design (LSSD) technique. Each field replaceable unit includes an addressing circuit. The addressing circuits are interconnected by a monitoring loop over which a configuration of address bits is serially transmitted by a control circuit. The data to be loaded and read out propagate in a data loop and are entered in a latch string under control of the addressing circuit.

Abstract: Apparatus for use in the treatment and recovery of viscous petroleum emulsions comprises a leaktight chamber in which a reduced pressure is established, the chamber having an inlet connected to a feedpipe for sucking up emulsion. A mixer is connected on the feedpipe and a demulsifier is supplied to the mixer simultaneously with the emulsion so that the emulsion mixed with demulsifier is fed to the chamber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device sensitive to a temperature gradient or to a heat flow comprising at least one elementary cell formed by a thin layer made from a first electric conductor or semiconductor, such as constantan, coated with a very thin electrolytic layer of a second electric conductor or semiconductor, such as copper.It has been discovered that induced electric currents flow through the surface separating the conductors, the electric voltages observed in each of the conducting or semiconducting layers being proportional to the instantaneous spatial mean of the surface thermal gradient.The invention also relates to the application of such cells for measuring temperature gradients and heat flows and for converting heat energy into electric energy.