Abstract: An animal water tank that is heated to prevent freezing. The tank has a bottom with at least one upwardly extending sidewall to define sides of the tank. A tunnel defining a watertight channel extends across the tank. The tunnel has a top, sides, and a bottom. Ends of the tunnel terminate at openings in sides of the tank. A burner assembly in the tunnel produces heat from a combustible fuel to heat the tunnel. Openings in sides of the tank are covered by fin plates having fins obliquely angled downward to form louvered openings. Access panels cover the fin plates and extend vertically up the sidewalls of the tank to form chimneys that allow combustion gasses from the burner to draft upwardly out of the tank. Insulation may be added to sides of the tank to retain heat in the water.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a device comprising an evaporator; and a heat exchanger; the heat exchanger being in fluid communication with evaporator; evaporator comprising an outer casing; and an inner casing that is disposed within the outer casing; the inner casing contacting a plate; wherein the inner casing encloses a first conduit that is operative to introduce a carrier fluid into evaporator; and a second conduit that is operative to remove carrier fluid entrained with a precursor; wherein the outer casing is detachably attached to the plate; the plate contacting a first precursor conduit that is operative to introduce the precursor into evaporator from the heat exchanger; where the heat exchanger is disposed proximate to evaporator at a distance effective to maintain the precursor in evaporator at a substantially constant temperature when the ambient temperature around the heat exchanger and evaporator fluctuates by an amount of up to about ±35° C.

Abstract: An improved boiler that allows distillation of ethanol from a continuous flow of a hydrous feedstock compound, which may be beer or other semi-solid substance. The internal compartment of the boiler is separated into different zones by a plurality of primary baffle plates and secondary baffle plates. The hydrous feedstock compound is heated as it passes from one zone to another zone and ethanol inside the hydrous feedstock compound vaporizes. The ethanol rich vapor is channeled through a collector column and then collected for further processing. The temperature of the hydrous feedstock compound is slightly different from one zone to another zone because of ethanol concentration changes as the hydrous feedstock compound moves from one zone to another. At the last zone, where most of ethanol is removed, the remaining hydrous feedstock compound is removed from the boiler.

Abstract: A heating system for heating liquids, stored in a tank at low ambient temperature, has a heating chamber with an inlet and an outlet for convectively flowing liquid past a flameless heater. Cold liquid is drawn through an inlet line, from the tank near its base and into a heating chamber, absorbs radiant energy from the heater as it travels therethrough. Heated liquid is circulated into the tank through an upper outlet from the heating chamber and back into the tank. Preferably, the heated liquid reenters the tank through a floating discharge flexibly connected to the upper outlet so as to remain dynamically in contact with the liquid at all times, thus avoiding airlocks which would interrupt the convective flow of liquid through the heating system.

Abstract: A vaporiser generating feed gas for the arc chamber of an ion source has a crucible which is heated to a temperature at which material in the crucible sublimes to produce a vapor for use as the feed gas. In addition to the heating element for heating the crucible, there is a cooling element in the form of a cooling duct extending along the length of the crucible for receiving the cooling fluid. Forced cooling of the crucible when the heating element is switched off enables the crucible to be cooled more quickly so that the supply of a feed gas can be terminated sooner. This is important if an ion source is being switched from one feed gas to another. Also, the crucible may be forced cooled simultaneously while energising the heating element to enable the crucible to be accurately controlled at a lower operating temperature if desired.

Abstract: In an injector for supplying gas into a fluidized bed, a distributor having a plurality of spaced elements located within a particulate material forming a fluidized bed to extend generally transversely therein.