Abstract: Methods for reducing potential pollutants in carbonaceous materials such as coal, lignites and the like prior to utilization such as by combustion, the invention in preferred embodiments processes such materials by resonance disintegration including inter alia subjection to rapid pressure increases and decreases to reduce the materials to particle sizes of a preferable mean value of approximately fifty microns or less. Pollutants such as sulfur, mercury and other heavy metals bound in a mineral fraction and micronized by such processing can then removed by classification techniques based on physical differences between a micronized carbonaceous fraction and the mineral fraction. Combustion of the micronized carbonaceous fraction substantially free of the mineral fraction results in emissions having reduced levels of sulfur, mercury and other toxic substances.

Abstract: Methods for reducing potential pollutants in carbonaceous materials such as coal, lignites and the like prior to utilization such as by combustion, the invention in preferred embodiments processes such materials by resonance disintegration including inter alia subjection to rapid pressure increases and decreases to reduce the materials to particle sizes of a preferable mean value of approximately fifty microns or less. Pollutants such as sulfur, mercury and other heavy metals bound in a mineral fraction and micronized by such processing can then removed by classification techniques based on physical differences between a micronized carbonaceous fraction and the mineral fraction. Combustion of the micronized carbonaceous fraction substantially free of the mineral fraction results in emissions having reduced levels of sulfur, mercury and other toxic substances.

Abstract: To measure relatively long time intervals with very high resolution, apparatus and method operate to receive a first pulse and a clock signal that has a known period, synchronize the first pulse with the clock signal, stretch the first synchronized pulse in accordance with a first stretch ratio, produce a first compared output pulse corresponding to the first stretched signal, synchronize the first compared output pulse with the clock signal, generate a first pulse sequence from the first synchronized pulse and the first synchronized compared output pulse, convert times of occurrences of the edges of the first pulse sequence to respective time values, receive a second pulse and generate a second pulse sequence in a manner similar to that of the first pulse sequence, convert times of occurrences of the edges of the second pulse sequence to respective time values, count the elapsed number of clock periods between the first and second synchronized pulses, derive the time interval between the received pulses from

Abstract: A Vernier delay line interpolator provides a precision level smaller than a clock period by delaying a periodic pulse signal in a delay line which has equally time-spaced taps and a total delay that is a harmonic H greater than 1 of the pulse period. The taps of the delay line are latched and decoded to derive the fraction of the pulse period that has passed. When the interpolator is combined with a coarse counter, misalignment between their outputs is prevented by having the coarse counter count both edges of the periodic pulse signal so as to provide redundant bits between the counter and the interpolator. If the redundant bits are not equal, the counter output is corrected before it is combined with the output of the interpolator.

Abstract: A Vernier delay line interpolator provides a precision level smaller than a clock period by delaying a periodic pulse signal in a delay line which has equally time-spaced taps and a total delay that is a harmonic H greater than 1 of the pulse period. The taps of the delay line are latched and decoded to derive the fraction of the pulse period that has passed. When the interpolator is combined with a coarse counter, misalignment between their outputs is prevented by having the coarse counter count both edges of the periodic pulse signal so as to provide redundant bits between the counter and the interpolator. If the redundant bits are not equal, the counter output is corrected before it is combined with the output of the interpolator.