Abstract: Carbonaceous materials are thermally upgraded in a pressurized steam environment to remove moisture and other byproducts. A variety of water/solid separation devices may be employed in a process vessel to maximize moisture removal from the upgraded charge. Heating media inlet nozzles and process chamber vents are strategically positioned at the process vessel wall to minimize short circuiting of heating media to vessel outlet vents and to continuously separate hot water removed from the charge and condensed steam, such that the upgraded material removed from the process vessel is not discharged with accompanying free moisture. After upgrading, the charge may be rehydrated to improve its stability during shipping and storage.

Abstract: Carbonaceous materials are thermally upgraded in a pressurized steam environment to remove moisture and other byproducts. A variety of water/solid separation devices may be employed in a process vessel to maximize moisture removal from the upgraded charge. Heating media inlet nozzles and process chamber vents are strategically positioned at the process vessel wall to minimize short circuiting of heating media to vessel outlet vents and to continuously separate hot water removed from the charge and condensed steam, such that the upgraded material removed from the process vessel is not discharged with accompanying free moisture. After upgrading, the charge may be rehydrated to improve its stability during shipping and storage.

Abstract: The invention is a system and methods whereby biomass is gasified in a reactor vessel producing carbon char for the purpose of sequestering that char in soil, thereby reducing the carbon in the atmosphere. The invention relies on a renewable source for the biomass and a dedicated land area for sequestering the carbon char. The process in the reactor vessel is monitored and controlled to produce char with characteristics beneficial to the soil in which it is sequestered and to the plants growing in that soil. The net affect is “Carbon Negative.” The process returns only part of the carbon in the process feedstock to the atmosphere, thereby reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide in proportion to the amount of carbon char sequestered in the soil. The process produces a gas by product that may be burned for heat or used as a feedstock for other processes.

Abstract: Carbonaceous materials are thermally upgraded in a pressurized steam environment to remove moisture and other byproducts. A variety of water/solid separation devices may be employed in a process vessel to maximize moisture removal from the upgraded charge. Heating media inlet nozzles and process chamber vents are strategically positioned at the process vessel wall to minimize short circuiting of heating media to vessel outlet vents and to continuously separate hot water removed from the charge and condensed steam, such that the upgraded material removed from the process vessel is not discharged with accompanying free moisture. After upgrading, the charge may be rehydrated to improve its stability during shipping and storage.

Abstract: A system that is responsive to the touch of an animal, and is activated by a combination of the inherent body capacity of the animal and the application of a skin resistance to a detector means. A digital oscillator provides two pulse outputs that are compared in a pulse processing means. One of the pulse outputs is fed to a touch responsive area, that in turn is connected to the pulse processing means, a buffer amplifier and a load. The touch responsive area activates the pulse processing means whenever the touch responsive area is bridged by a resistance and at the same time a body capacitance exists to ground.