Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from a heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from a heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from a heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from a heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from a heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from the heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from a heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from a heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from the heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides, the top of each being hexagonal in shape, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the hexagonal shaped tops to assist in uneven heat transfer from the heating source to the fluid retained in the article of manufacture.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from the heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides, the top of each being hexagonal in shape, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the hexagonal shaped tops to assist in uneven heat transfer from the heating source to the fluid retained in the article of manufacture.

Abstract: An article of manufacture includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface, a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface, at least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion forming a vessel to retain fluid therein, at least part of the base portion configured to receive heat, and a plurality of shaped portions with at least three sides extending above, each shaped portion of the base inner surface including at least three sides and polygonal shaped tops, each of the plurality of shaped portions capable of supplying heat from the sides to fluid adjacent to the sides, the plurality of shaped portions including the polygonal shaped tops to induce creation of a plurality of hexagonal convection cells in contact with a surface of the fluid which increases heat transfer from the heating source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture that includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface. The article of manufacture also includes a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface. At least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion form a vessel to retain a fluid therein. The article of manufacture also has a shaped portion of the base inner surface and/or a shaped portion of the wall inner surface. A first section of the shaped portion may have a first surface area in thermal contact with the fluid. A second section of the shaped portion may have a second surface area in thermal contact with the fluid. The first and second surface areas may be different thereby inducing convection within the fluid that increases heat transfer from the heat source to the fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture including a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface. The article of manufacture also includes a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface. At least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion form a vessel to retain a fluid therein. At least one of a shaped portion of the base outer surface is shaped to have substantially more surface area in thermal contact with a heating source than a flat base outer surface so as to allow the retained fluid to receive additional heat from the heating source, or, a shaped portion of the base inner surface is shaped to have substantially more surface area in thermal contact with the substance than a flat base inner surface so as to transfer additional heat from the heat source to the retained fluid.

Abstract: An article of manufacture that includes a wall portion having a wall inner surface and a wall outer surface. The article of manufacture also includes a base portion having a base inner surface and a base outer surface. At least a portion of the wall portion and the base portion form a vessel to retain a fluid therein. The article of manufacture also has a shaped portion of the base inner surface and/or a shaped portion of the wall inner surface. A first section of the shaped portion may have a first surface area in thermal contact with the fluid. A second section of the shaped portion may have a second surface area in thermal contact with the fluid. The first and second surface areas may be different thereby inducing convection within the fluid that increases heat transfer from the heat source to the fluid.

Abstract: Adsorbers used to dry air frequently contain 4A or 13X molecular sieve zeolites, which are intermittently reactivated by thermal regeneration. When the air pressure in a thermally regenerated adsorber is increased, such as during start-up, after adsorbent reloading, after apparatus repair, maintenance or inspection, or after repressurization following thermal regeneration, nitrogen adsorbs preferentially relative to oxygen in activated 4A and 13X molecular sieve zeolites. This produces an oxygen-enriched, high pressure gas within the adsorber vessel which emerges immediately after the adsorber is brought on line. The oxygen-enriched, high pressure gas can cause fires, explosions, and other deleterious effects in and downstream of such adsorber vessels. This invention provides thermally regenerated air driers and air drying processes using adsorbent compositions that do not adsorb nitrogen preferentially to oxygen.

Abstract: Adsorbers used to dry air frequently contain 4A or 13X molecular sieve zeolites, which are intermittently reactivated by thermal regeneration, When a thermally regenerated adsorber is repressurized, nitrogen adsorbs preferentially relative to oxygen in activated 4A and 13X molecular sieve zeolites. This produces an oxygen-enriched, high pressure gas within the adsorber vessel which emerges immediately after the absorber is brought on line. The oxygen-enriched, high pressure gas can cause fires, explosions, and other deleterious effects in and downstream of such adsorber vessels. This invention provides thermally regenerated air driers, adsorbent chambers and air drying processes using adsorbent compositions that do not adsorb nitrogen preferantially to oxygen. Thermally regenerated air driers, adsorbers and drying processes using such adsorbent compositions prevent the problems associated with transient oxygen enrichment.

Abstract: A spacer bar for use in double glazed windows is disclosed. The spacer bar is an elongated tube or conduit having a generally rectangular cross section. The spacer bar has two pairs of opposing planar faces. Each planar surface of one pair lies against the interior surface of one of the glass panes of the double glazed window and one planar surface of the other pair faces the space between the panes and the other planar surface of said other pair faces the atmosphere. A small diameter tube passes through the surface facing the atmosphere. The portions of the small diameter tube lying on either side of the conduit surface are bent downwardly. The portion of the small diameter tube which lies inside the conduit is bent downwardly and extends to a point at least 5 inches below its entry point and the other portion of the small diameter tube which lies outside the conduit is also bent downwardly so that it lies adjacent to and generally parallel to the outer face of the conduit.

Abstract: An improvement in the Claus Process for producing sulfur by reaction of hydrogen sulfide with sulfur dioxide at elevated temperature in the presence of a porous catalyst is described. The improvement lies in employing a porous catalyst, preferably alumina, having a large surface area at least 40% of which is provided by pores having diameters over the range 40 A.degree. to 150 A.degree. or having at least 20% of its surface area provided by pores having diameters over the range 80 A.degree. to 150 A.degree..