Abstract: A method and a system for causing a neural circuit model to learn typical past control results of a process and using the neural circuit model for supporting an operation of the process. The neural circuit model is caused to learn by using, as input signals, a typical pattern of values of input variables at different points in time and, as a teacher signal, its corresponding values of the control variable. An unlearned pattern of input variables is inputted to the thus-learned neuron circuit model, whereby a corresponding value of the control variable is determined. Preferably, plural patterns at given time intervals can be simultaneously used as patterns to be learned.

Abstract: A method for causing a neural circuit model to learn typical past control results of a process and using the neural circuit model for supporting an operation of the process. The neural circuit model is caused to learn by using, as input signals, a typical pattern of values of input variables at different points in time and, as a teacher signal, its corresponding values of the control variable. An unlearned pattern of input variables is inputted to the thus-learned neuron circuit model, whereby a corresponding value of the control variable is determined. Preferably, plural patterns at given time intervals can be simultaneously used as patterns to be learned.

Abstract: A method and a system for causing a neural circuit model to learn typical past control results of a process and using the neural circuit model for supporting an operation of the process. The neural circuit model is caused to learn by using, as input signals, a typical pattern of values of input variables at different points in time and, as a teacher signal, its corresponding values of the control variable. An unlearned pattern of input variables is inputted to the thus-learned neuron circuit model, whereby a corresponding value of the control variable is determined. Preferably, plural patterns at given time intervals can be simultaneously used as patterns to be learned.

Abstract: A heat conducting member is placed in the space between a semiconductor chip which generates heat and a heat transfer block which is cooled by a coolant, and the heat conducting member conducts heat from the semiconductor chip to the heat transfer block. The heat conducting member has a slanted surface which is inclined with respect to a surface to be cooled of the corresponding semiconductor chip. Even when the semiconductor chip is displaced or inclined with respect to the heat transfer block, the whole of the cooling surface of the semiconductor chip can be kept in contact with the corresponding heat conducting member.

Abstract: Highly pure argon is obtained from an argon waste gas composition by adding a stoichiometrically excess amount of oxygen to the waste gas composition to combust hydrogen and the like impurities and to convert into water and carbon dioxide, adding a stoichiometrically excess amount of a hydrocarbon gas to the resulting gas composition to remove the residual oxygen by the reaction with the oxygen and the hydrocarbon gas so as to convert into water and carbon dioxide, and subjecting the resulting gas composition to a pressure swing adsorption-desorption treatment to remove the impurities.

Abstract: This invention relates to a gasification process for a coal gasification furnace in a coal gasification plant and to an apparatus therefor.

Abstract: An injection control system of a flocculating agent comprises: a flocculating pool into which the inflow liquid flocculating agent is injected and which forms flocs of suspended matters in the liquid; flocculating agent injecting means for injecting the flocculating agent into the flocculating pool; floc image pickup means for photographing a state of the flocs in the flocculating pool and for converting luminance data of the flocs into an electric signal; image recognizing means for recognizing the shape of floc by binarizing the image signal derived from the floc image pickup means on the basis of a luminance level of each pixel; flocculation state deciding means for calculating a characteristic amount of a diameter distribution of the flocs on the basis of the floc shapes recognized by the image recognizing means; and injection amount control means for controlling an amount of the flocculating agent which is injected from the flocculating agent injecting means on the basis of the characteristic amount.

Abstract: An entrained bed coal gasifier constructed so as to conduct two-stage reactions in a single gasification zone can be operated with high gasification efficiency by feeding coal and a gasifying agent through upper burners located at an upper portion from the half of the gasification section along the vertical direction and lower burners located at a lower portion from the half of the gasification section so as to make rotational flow respectively, the ratio of the amount of gasifying agent to the amount of coal at lower burners being larger than that of at the upper burners, the rotating circle diameter formed by the coal and gasifying agent injected from the upper burner being larger than that formed by the lower burner.

Abstract: Nitrogen having purity of 99.9999% or more can be produced continuously by contacting a starting gas mixture comprising 90% by volume or more of nitrogen and 10% by volume or less of oxygen with A-type zeolite package in an adsorption column at an adsorption temperature of -100.degree. to -196.degree. C. to remove oxygen from the starting gas mixture and regenerating A-type zeolite by heating it at a temperature higher than the adsorption temperature.

Abstract: The invention relates to separation of a gas mixture for recovering product gas from material gas by a pressure difference adsorption method in which pressurized adsorptive operation and depressurized desorptive operation are repeated in turn. To reduce the length of adsorption zone in adsorption towers (A1, A2, B1, B2, . . . ) and to restrain disturbance thereof, plural stages of pressure difference adsorption units (UA, UB, UC, . . . , UX) are employed so that refined gas or condensed refined gas from the previous pressure difference adsorption unit (UA, UB, UC, . . . ) is directly introduced (2A, 2B, . . . ) to the subsequent pressure difference adsorption unit (UB, UC, . . . , UX) for separation of the gas mixture. Exhaust gas released from the depressurized desorptive operation in the subsequent pressure difference adsorption unit (UB, UC, . . . , UX) is introduced (3B, 5A, 3C, 5B, . . . ) to the previous or still former pressure difference adsorption unit (UA, UB, UC, . . .

Abstract: The fluidizing speed of water inside a flocculation basin of a water treatment process plant is adjusted in accordance with the state of flocculation inside the flocculation basin. The state of flocculation is determined by taking a plurality of pictures within a predetermined period by an ITV disposed inside the basin, recognizing a sufficiently large number of flocs from the pictures thus taken, calculating the particle diameters of the flocs and determining the particle diameter distribution from the result of calculation. The judgement signal is used as a signal for adjusting the water fluidizing speed.

Abstract: A system for controlling a process utilizing filamentous microorganisms is disclosed. The amount of the microorganisms in a medium for growing the filamentous microorganisms is measured, and the control factors associated with the growth of the microorganisms in the medium are controlled on the basis of the measurement of the amount of microorganisms. In the process of measuring the amount of microorganisms, an optical image of a specimen of the medium is formed and scanned two-dimensionally to produce a series of brightness signals corresponding to the brightness distribution of the optical image. The level of the brightness signal is used to determine the amount of the microorganisms contained in the medium.

Abstract: A differential-pressure control device for fuel cell comprises three liquid tubs allowed to communicate with each other at their respective bottom portions through a sealing liquid having free surfaces, gas pipe means which connect the liquid tubs to gas outlets of the fuel cell respectively to introduce the gas flows from an anode, a cathode and a cell container of the fuel cell into the sealing liquid of the liquid tubs, each of the gas pipe means being formed with gas blow out section opened in the sealing liquid at the end portion thereof, the gas blow out sections having relative heights set at the value corresponding to predetermined differential pressure among the electrodes and the cell container, and gas conduit means for guiding the gas to the outside of the device from the gas chambers defined by the liquid tubs and the free surfaces of the sealing liquid respectively and located at the tops of the liquid tubs respectively.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of converting a low-rank coal to produce a high-rank coal which has reduced hygroscopicity as well as increased heating value and lowered moisture content during and after transport or storage. The invention comprises the steps of heat-treating coal for dehydrating the coal and distilling off tar therefrom, vaporizing the tar, and coating the heat-treated coal surface with the tar vapor, whereby the coal surface is coated uniformly.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of upgrading low-rank coal and comprises the steps of dehydrating crushed low-rank coal using a rotary drum in a drying section, dry distilling the low-rank coal dehydrated in the drying section in a rotary drum in a dry distillation section, and cooling subsequently the low-rank coal low temperature dry-distilled in the dry-distillation section in a cooling section and enabling the low-rank coal to adsorb tar that is produced from the low-rank coal in the dry-distillation section. The present invention makes it possible to upgrade continuously large quantities of the low-rank coal with a high moisture content, and hence a low calorific value, to an upgraded coal with an increased calorific value which is not prone to spontaneous generation.

Abstract: A coal is finely pulverized. The finely pulverized coal is subjected to dry distillation. A tar obtained by the dry distillation is added to an aqueous slurry together with the dry-distilled coal to effect the submerged granulation.

Abstract: It is necessary for maintaining a good assimilating characteristic of microorganisms upon organic matter in an aeration tank to control a gas flow rate and a return sludge flow rate to optimum values. To this effect, it is necessary to know a concentration of organic matter or a organic load. In the present invention, it is confirmed that carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) or nitrous oxide (N.sub.2 O) in an exhaust gas from the aeration tank has a correlation with it, and the aeration tank is controlled as N.sub.2 O or CO.sub.2 as an index. Furthermore, it is confirmed that CO.sub.2 formation rate has a good correlation with COD or BOD in the upstream half section of the aeration tank, whereas N.sub.2 O formation rate has a good correlation with COD or BOD in the latter half section thereof along sewage flow direction, and more improved control can be attained by a combination of both CO.sub.2 and N.sub.2 O indices.

Abstract: Sample water is introduced into a water bath in which aquatics live, and a gas sparingly soluble in water and giving no effect upon biological activities of aquatics is supplied to the water bath. The supplied gas and carbon dioxide gas generated by the biological activities of aquatics are collected, and a change in water quality of the sample water is detected from a concentration of carbon dioxide thus collected.Change in water quality of sample water can be rapidly detected thereby, which can be applied to detection of whether toxic materials are contained, for example, in river water flowing into a water purification plant, or not.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating non-magnetic materials of different densities, which apparatus includes a material separating portion, in which a magnetic fluid is retained in a magnetic field having a gradient in a vertical direction. In this apparatus, a single conveyor is jointly used for the supply, and charging of materials to be separated, into the material separating portion, and the transporting of floating materials of a low density through the magnetic fluid and their recovery outside.