Abstract: A shifter assembly for a manual transmission includes a shifter housing, a shift lever and a gear blockout. The shift lever includes a shift plane select member configured to move to a first and second gear shift plane and a gear engagement member configured to move along the first and second gear shift plane to a first gear position. The shift plane select member and the gear engagement member are each operatively coupled to the transmission. The gear blockout is positioned within the shifter housing and configured to be selectively actuated to (i) block movement of the shift plane select member to the shift plane position thereby preventing the manual transmission from being shifted into first and second gears, and (ii) block movement of the gear engagement member to the first gear position thereby preventing the manual transmission from being shifted into first gear.

Abstract: A system for lash reduction of a shifter for a manual transmission includes a shifter assembly having a housing, a shift lever and a shift lever guide device positioned in the housing. The guide device includes a plurality of shift channels connected by a select channel and defines a shift pattern for the shift lever. The transmission gate guide includes a corresponding plurality of shift finger slots connected by a select slot and defines a pattern for a shift finger of the transmission. Movement of the shift lever into one of the channels operatively moves the shift finger into a corresponding one of the slots. Each of the channels includes a channel width complimentary to a width of the shift lever so as to substantially reduce lateral free play of the shift lever when received in the channels while allowing longitudinal motion of the shift lever in the channels.

Abstract: An apparatus and corresponding method of use extracts, cools, and transports effluents from subterranean, sub-sea oil formations to distant shore based processing facilities. The effluents, mostly crude oil, are conveyed rapidly to a cold flow generator near the oil wellhead on the sea bottom using the cold seawater to chill the effluents to a dispersed mixture including generated solids. The mixture is transported close to sea bottom temperatures, slowly, with small pressure drops, in low-cost submerged bare pipes over long distances to on or near shore processing facilities that can produce useful hydrocarbon products more cost effectively than at sea processing facilities. The apparatus eliminates or minimizes the need for heated or insulated pipe, the need for large floating processing structures, the need for sub-sea processing equipment, and/or the need for chemical additions to production flow.

Abstract: A floating at sea or beached structure having hydraulic power cells capable of capturing, dissipating and distributing wave action energy comprising flexible mats with energy capture cells all preferably constructed of elastic structural and, where necessary, flotation materials with distributed energy being in the form of a pressurized hydraulic stream.

Abstract: An apparatus and corresponding method of use extracts, cools, and transports effluents from subterranean, sub-sea oil formations to distant shore based processing facilities. The effluents, mostly crude oil, are conveyed rapidly to a cold flow generator near the oil wellhead on the sea bottom using the cold seawater to chill the effluents to a dispersed mixture including generated solids. The mixture is transported close to sea bottom temperatures, slowly, with small pressure drops, in low-cost submerged bare pipes over long distances to on or near shore processing facilities that can produce useful hydrocarbon products more cost effectively than at sea processing facilities. The apparatus eliminates or minimizes the need for heated or insulated pipe, the need for large floating processing structures, the need for sub-sea processing equipment, and/or the need for chemical additions to production flow.

Abstract: An apparatus and corresponding method of use extracts, cools, and transports effluents from subterranean, sub-sea oil formations to distant shore based processing facilities. The effluents, mostly crude oil, are conveyed rapidly to a cold flow generator near the oil wellhead on the sea bottom using the cold seawater to chill the effluents to a dispersed mixture including generated solids. The mixture is transported close to sea bottom temperatures, slowly, with small pressure drops, in low-cost submerged bare pipes over long distances to on or near shore processing facilities that can produce useful hydrocarbon products more cost effectively than at sea processing facilities. The apparatus eliminates or minimizes the need for heated or insulated pipe, the need for large floating processing structures, the need for sub-sea processing equipment, and/or the need for chemical additions to production flow.

Abstract: A shuttle exchanger 22 exchanges a shuttle 19 circulating in a reentrant lumen 13 by actuating a channel selector 27 to alter the path of the shuttle to be exchanged. Following the altered path the to-be-exchanged shuttle impinges on a shuttle 42 stored in a storage channel 25 and drives it into the reentrant loop while the to-be-exchanged shuttle is retained in the storage channel. The enclosing wall 23 of the shuttle exchanger defines part of the reentrant lumen and includes therein the channel selector 27, the shuttle storage channel 25, a bypass channel 26, and a collector section 29.

Abstract: A source fluid from which solid material forms when it is cooled is passed through apparatus which defines a continuous reentrant lumen. The lumen has a thermally conductive processing wall from which heat is extracted from the outside as the source fluid flows through the lumen, resulting in formation of solid material on the inner surface of the lumen wall. A runner circulates around the lumen and dislodges material deposited on the inner surface of the lumen wall. This material is then carried as solids of a slurry out of the apparatus with the fluid stream.

Abstract: Materials including suspended particles are brought together and then separated into two streams one of which only contains the particles, the output streams having different composition from inlet streams. Separation is effected in filtration modules which include a moving runner with wall conditioning elements which dislodge accumulated particles from porous walls of filters.

Abstract: The invention relates to an engine for an aircraft. The engine includes an engine housing having a drive shaft and a power output shaft. The power output shaft and the drive shaft are separately journalled within the engine housing. The power output shaft includes a propeller at a front end for providing propulsive thrust for the aircraft. The aft end of the power output shaft extends aft of the engine housing. The drive shaft is rotatably coupled to the aft end of the power output shaft by a gear train located outside and aft of the engine housing. The engine provides bearings which solidly support the power output shaft over a substantial portion of its length. This arrangement significantly reduces the loads which would be applied to the drive shaft and other engine components, and therefore, increases the service life of these components.

Abstract: A processing wall is made part of a boundary of a continuous re-entrant lumen, another part of which is a return section. A free, wall conditioning shuttle circulates around this lumen, clearing accumulated material from the processing wall and returning through the return section to circulate again. While the shuttle is in the return section it blocks flow through the return section and while the shuttle is circulating through the processing wall a blocking structure blocks flow through the return section.

Abstract: A filter medium is provide in a tubular structure configured in the form of a closed loop. Filter maintenance structures mounted on a continuous string lying within the lumen of the tubular structure are continually driven over the surface of a filter medium to maintain an optimum condition of the filter surface. This string with attached filter maintenance structures is driven around the loop of the tubular structure by hydraulic forces generated by the fluid introduced into the apparatus for filtering.

Abstract: A processing wall is made part of a boundary of a continuous reentrant lumen, and wall conditioning runners circulate around this lumen to dislodge accumulated material from the processing wall and thereby continually restore the wall to the condition required for efficient operation.

Abstract: A flexible rod-and sleeve assembly with rod and surrounding sleeve affixed to each other at their bottom ends is maintained by a spring to put the sleeve in tension. The assembly is inserted into a cavity such as a monitoring well so as to extend below the lowest level which the water table may assume. The sleeve is made of a material which is attacked by petroleum products but not by water, and when a layer of petroleum liquid such as gasoline collects on the surface of the water in contact with some region of the sleeve, the sleeve material loses its strength and ruptures. This results in an upward movement of the sleeve, which is used to actuate alarm and signaling mechanisms.

Abstract: Filter apparatus for continuously separating filterable mixtures, such as fluid-solid or fluid-fluid mixtures, includes a closed loop tubular enclosure having an inlet, at least one filter section spaced downstream from the inlet, and a plurality of longitudinally spaced driving disks within the enclosure mounted for movement downstream therearound, the driving disks preferably being driven downstream through the enclosure by fluid flow from the inlet to the filter section for discharging at least a portion of the fluid. A backflow preventing portion of reduced inner cross section area may be provided upstream from the inlet and a residual material outlet may also be provided.

Abstract: Apparatus for separating immiscible liquid mixtures, such as oil-water mixtures, includes a closed loop tubular enclosure having a liquid mixture inlet and independent liquid outlets spaced from each other and from the inlet. The inner cross section area of the enclosure has a first reduced portion adjacent the first outlet and a second further reduced portion adjacent the second outlet. Selectively absorbent elements are driven around within the enclosure, preferably by the pressurized liquid mixture, for selectively absorbing the liquid mixture and selectively discharging one of the liquids through the first outlet upon mild compression by the first reduced portion and the other of the liquids through the second outlet upon higher compression by the second further reduced portion. A third outlet with a still further reduced portion may be provided for discharging the remaining portion of the other liquid.