Abstract: A layer of hydrogenous material, such as ice which may accumulate on an outer airplane surface, is monitored according to neutron moderation by the layer.A source of fast neutrons and a detector of slow neutrons are mounted on one side of a mounting plate which may be the skin of an airplane. As a layer of ice or other hydrogenous material accumulates on the outer surface of the mounting plate, some of the fast neutrons collide with hydrogen nuclei therein to lose energy and be scattered into the slow neutron detector where each detected slow neutron generates an electrical pulse. The electrical pulses are transformed into a signal which corresponds to the amount of hydrogenous material per unit area.

Abstract: In a facsimile publishing system, a plurality of editorial entities prepare page information for transformation to page signals which are transmitted to a communications satellite for broadcast. The broadcast page signals are received by a plurality of publishing facilities to print custom publications according to individual subscriber interest for daily delivery. The page signals comprise a facsimile signal portion which represents graphic and synchronizing information to control a facsimile printer and an identifying code portion which represents identifying attributes of page content to control selection of pages. The page signal is received by a publishing facility, the facsimile signal portion is stored at an assigned address in a primary memory, and the identifying code portion is stored in association with the assigned address in a page memory. Pages selected by subscribers are stored in a subscriber file as title and editorial entity portions of the identifying code.

Abstract: In an orifice band ink jet printer, an endless band having orifices therethrough moves in a separation between an air bearing and a source of liquid ink under high pressure which flows through the orifices to form jets. The ink also leaks from a gap between the orifice band and the source of ink with undesirable effects.The invention confines the ink by a counterpressure of air at substantially the same pressure as the ink. In one embodiment, two adjacent air channels surround the gap. A first air channel adjacent to the gap contains air at a slightly lower pressure than the ink to preclude entry of air into the ink, but some ink may lead from the gap. A second air channel adjacent to the first contains air at a slightly higher pressure than the ink to confine the ink which may have leaked from the gap.

Abstract: In an orifice band ink jet printer, smooth motion of an orifice band and its isolation from solid structures is desirable for uniform ink drop formation. But prior means for smoothly driving isolated movable members do not provide the precise synchronism of speed and phase in an aligned path which is needed for good image synthesis. Such precise and smooth motion is attained according to the invention by a servo system which includes a forced flow of liquid ink along the orifice band to provide a principal driving force and a rapidly responsing auxiliary drive to provide a supplemental force to maintain synchronous speed and phase of the orifice band.

Abstract: A pressure cooker regulates pressure over its range of cooking temperatures by regulating condensation and vaporization of contained water. Liquid water which has condensed upon a cooled surface collects in a thermally insulated condensate vessel and is vaporized therefrom by a heated surface to control the partial pressure of water vapor. The pressure cooker may also contain air at a predetermined pressure so that temperature can be controlled over a wide range of hot and cold temperatures as water vapor pressure is regulated to enable an increased range of food processing environments.In a preferred embodiment, the pressure cooker is part of a system of domestic appliances wherein a fluid circuit containing a liquid phase thermal exchange fluid includes thermal reservoirs to provide thermal inputs for the appliances.

Abstract: An assembly of nested thermal reservoirs has an inner reservoir at an extreme temperature surrounded by one or more reservoirs at moderate temperatures. Over time, heat flow would equilibrate reservoir temperatures thereby loosing available thermal energy. At least a portion of the heat lost by the inner to an outer reservoir is restored by a heat pump operating therebetween.

Abstract: In an electrolysis cell, molten alkali hydroxide is decomposed into products which include alkali metal and water. The water dissolves in the electrolyte where it is decomposed by electrolysis or by reaction with alkali metal thereby reducing efficiency of the cell and yield of the alkali metal.According to the process of the invention, the electrolyte with water dissolved therein is drawn through openings in an anode, is depleted of the dissolved water by a dehydrating means which is separate from the cell, and the dehydrated electrolyte is returned to an anolyte portion of the operating electrolysis cell for further decomposition.According to the apparatus of the invention, the anode comprises a plurality of parallel elongated electrodes which alternate with parallel channels. The electrolyte flows from a return channel, over an electrode, and through a withdrawal channel for the depletion of water and return to operating portions of the electrolysis cell through the return channels.

Abstract: Reactants having negligible activation energy react spontaneously and instantly upon contact to release heat. Such reactants are injected as colliding jets into a working fluid compressed in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. The released heat causes the working fluid to expand against a movable member of the engine whereby mechanical energy is developed.Preferred reactants having negligible activation energy are an alkali metal with water and a preferred working fluid is air. The combustion chamber reaction occurs in two distinct steps: In the first step, the alkali metal and water react with negligible activation energy to evolve hydrogen. In the second step, the evolved hydrogen and working fluid oxygen react with substantial activation energy. Undesirable effects of the activation energy are reduced by the substantial portion of heat release occurring in the first step and by improved ignition of the hydrogen as it evolves.

Abstract: Conventional reactants, such as hydrocarbons or hydrogen with air, which are used by most internal combustion engines have substantial activation energies which limit conditions under which the engines will start and operate. In a typical starting process, a separate starter motor turns the engine through several full cycles so that a compressed mixture of the reactants will ignite.The invention includes reactants which have negligible activation energy, such as an alkali metal with water, and thus react upon contact to evolve a hot gas. An internal combustion engine is stopped in an expansion phase where it may remain for a time which is sufficient to approach equilibrium at ambient temperature and pressure in a combustion chamber. Starting comprises injecting the reactants in a contacting relationship into the combustion chamber which is stopped in an expansion phase whereby ignition must occur to rapidly evolve the hot gas and force the engine to advance.

Abstract: A working fluid condensate cools hot containers within a pressure vessel in a process which includes condensing vapors of the working fluid on a cool surface within the pressure vessel and transporting the condensate onto the hot containers for vaporization therefrom to continue the process cyclically. In one embodiment, the condensate is transported by capillary flow through a wick which covers a portion of the container. In alternative embodiments, the condensate is transported from the cool surface to the hot containers by flow induced by gravity, pumps, or centrifugal force.The invention is applied to food processing in a pressure environment. For cleaning convenience, the food is confined to containers, yet short processing times are provided by condensation and vaporization of water as a working fluid which effectively exchanges heat between the containers and heat exchange surfaces within the pressure vessel.

Abstract: In a system and process which forms reaction products particulates in an exhaust gas, a substantial portion of the reaction products are separated in a concentrated form by a first stage for delivery to a collector and reaction products remaining in the exhaust gas are separated by a final stage which incorporates the reaction products in one reactant. The reactant incorporating the reaction products subsequently reacts and repeatedly passes through the stages of separation thereby collecting substantially all of the reaction products in concentrated form by the first stage and providing a clean exhaust gas after the final stage without adding substantially to system weight or complexity.

Abstract: Heating of intermittent users, such as domestic appliances, may require a rapid transfer of heat during an operating period. But hot reservoirs based on transitions between liquid and crystalline phases are least effective during rapid discharge since the crystalline latent heat storing material forming on encapsulating heat transfer surfaces increases thermal impedence. Various means for shortening thermal paths through the crystalline material, such as penetrating conductors, undesirably decrease thermal energy density.In order to provide both rapid heat transfer capability and a large thermal energy density, the invention uses prolonged idle periods between the operating periods for passive recharging within a hot reservoir of a first latent heat storing material by a second latent heat storing material which has a higher melting point so that the first latent heat storing material melts while the second crystallizes as the hot reservoir approaches a uniform equilibrium temperature.

Abstract: An electrolyzable impurity, having a lower decomposition voltage than the electrolyte in which it is formed and dissolved, is depleted by operating an electrolysis cell between the decomposition voltages of the impurity and electrolyte. Such electrolytic decomposition of the impurity at a lower voltage does not decompose the electrolyte and enables a high degree of depletion with efficient use of electrical energy. In a preferred system, the impurity is depleted in an electrolysis cell separate from the apparatus in which it is formed and decomposition products of the impurity are recombined in a fuel cell for energy recovery.This process of depleting an impurity is applied to production of sodium metal by electrolysis of molten sodium hydroxide wherein water forms as a decomposition product to function as an impurity which diminishes sodium yield in a secondary reaction.

Abstract: In an intermittent process, hot reaction by-products are collected and stored in a thermal reservoir to provide heat when the process is not operating. In the preferred embodiment of a vehicle having a heat engine which derives power from a reaction of an alkali metal with water, molten alkali hydroxides are separated from a gaseous exhaust and stored in a thermal reservoir. In frigid weather prior to starting, a thermal exchange fluid transfers heat from the thermal reservoir to melt sufficient alkali metal and water to assure an engine start.

Abstract: A Castner type electrolysis cell, operating to produce alkali metal from molten alkali hydroxide, forms water at its anode which dissolves in surrounding anolyte. Normally, the water is itself electrolyzed and consumes as much electrical current at the Castner cell operating voltage as does production of the alkali metal. Since water has substantially lower decompositon voltage than alkali metal, electrolysis of water in the Castner cell represents unrecoverable energy loss.This invention improves energy efficiency of alkali hydroxide electrolysis by electrolyzing the formed water at a lower voltage to produce hydrogen and oxygen and by reacting the hydrogen and oxygen electrochemically to recover a portion of the electrical energy used for the electrolysis of water. An anolyte electrolytic dehydrator, which is a cell designed for electrolysis of water in molten alkali hydroxide, receives anolyte from the Castner cell and dehydrates the anolyte by electrolysis for return to the Castner cell.

Abstract: Only a limited number of organic or silicone liquid phase thermal exchange fluid types are suitable for operation over a wide range of hot and cold temperatures and these have an undesirable property of degrading at high temperatures. It is accordingly desirable to subject the thermal exchange fluid to high temperature only to the extent and times required by users. The present invention includes intermittent users which occasionally are required to attain maximum working temperatures at which thermal degradation of thermal exchange fluid occurs at a significant rate and a hot reservoir at the minimum working temperature. A stable heat transfer fluid transfers heat from the hot reservoir to the degradable thermal exchange fluid through a common intermediate heat exchanger. The degradable thermal exchange fluid is heated to a temperature just sufficient to satisfy the maximum current setpoint temperature of the intermittent users by controlling circulation of the stable heat transfer fluid.

Abstract: A domestic pressure cooking appliance includes a heat exchanger connected to means for regulating flow of a liquid phase thermal exchange fluid which is heated and cooled by thermal sources separate from the pressure cooker. For cleaning and handling convenience, food is first placed in a removable food container. In order to enhance exchange of heat with the food or its container, one embodiment of the pressure cooker uses forced air convection and another embodiment uses latent heat of water vaporization from a wick covering the food container.The pressure cooking appliances in their several embodiments are part of a system of domestic appliances wherein a plurality of various appliances connect to mains containing the thermal exchange fluid which is forced to circulate under control of selector and regulator valves between the appliances and thermal reservoirs at hot, cold, and moderate temperatures.

Abstract: Facsimile systems, having a plurality of uniformly spaced scanning and printing elements in a linear array along their direction of advance, are coupled by time division multiplexed signals comprising a first component representing a sequence of light levels along an image line which are sampled cyclically, a second component representing completion of one sampling cycle and beginning of another as the scanning elements advance, and a third component representing a fixed reference position which each of the scanning elements pass.Apparatus for generating the signal includes a cyclical circuit which is illustrated by a rotary switch operated by a stepping motor having one contact for each photodetector to generate the first component and one contact to generate the second component which may also be used for the third component. The three signal components are distinguished by pulse width which is determined by dwell time on the contacts.

Abstract: In a vehicle having an engine which derives power from a reaction of NaK and water in the presence of air, NaK hydroxide is a reaction product in the form of particulates suspended in an exhaust gas consisting principally of nitrogen with some water vapor. In order to release the exhaust as a harmless gas to the atmosphere and to retain the NaK hydroxide in the vehicle for removal during a fuel stop and subsequent reduction back to NaK metal, several stages of separation of the particulates from the gas are provided. A first stage, preferably based upon impingement of the NaK hydroxide particulates on a molten NaK hydroxide surface, separates a substantial portion of the particulates. A final stage of separation comprises filtration wherein two filters are used alternately, one filter separating the water soluble NaK hydroxide particulates from the exhaust gas while the other filter is being flushed with water as a solvent to dissolve accumulated NaK hydroxide thereby regenerating the filter.

Abstract: A food storage compartment of a freezer accumulates frost. At selected times, a heat source of large thermal capacity transforms a retained body of water or ice to steam. The steam condenses upon and melts the frost. A portion of the melt is retained to provide a source of steam in a subsequent defrosting period. The heat source operates at a temperature substantially above the boiling temperature of water and is permanently attached to a concavity or other reservoir which retains the water substance.In a preferred embodiment, the freezer is part of a system of domestic appliances using a liquid phase thermal exchange fluid to transfer heat between a plurality of appliances and thermal reservoirs maintained at hot and cold temperatures. The retained water substance is ice in a concavity at the bottom of the freezer. During a defrosting period, valves are positioned to allow flow of hot thermal exchange fluid as a heat source adjacent to the concavity.