An aspect of the present invention is a method of processing a waste material that contains mercury or a mercury compound, and chlorine or a mercury chloride, the method including a step of adding a chlorine scavenger to the waste material, and stowing the waste material in a treatment vessel; and a step of subjecting the waste material to a blasting treatment by fitting an explosive to the treatment vessel and detonating the explosive inside a pressure-proof container.

A combustion process wherein a comburent, a fuel and the following components are fed: i) component B) sulphur or compounds containing sulphur in an amount to have a molar ration B1/C1≧0.5, wherein B1 is the sum by moles between the total amount of sulphur present in component B)+the total amount of sulphur (component B11)) contained in the fuel, C1 is the sum by moles between the total amount of alkaline and/or alkaline-earth metals contained in the fuel (component C11))+the amount (component C)) of alkaline and/or alkaline-earth metals in the form of salts and/or oxides contained in component B), ii) component A), comprising low-melting salts and/or oxides or their mixtures, having a melting temperature

A system and techniques for waste oil combustion are provided. The techniques include straining waste oil, separating contaminants from the strained waste oil to produce segregated layers of waste oil, selectively drawing a segregated layer of the waste oil, entraining the drawn waste oil to a burner for combustion, and regulating flow rate to produce a controllable amount of heat output. The system includes a container for straining waste oil, a storage drum for separating contaminants from the strained waste oil via gravity separation to produce segregated waste oil, an oil uptake channel for entraining the waste oil from the storage drum, a fuel regulator for controlling rate of flow of the waste oil from the storage drum to a burner head via the oil uptake channel, and a burner head control for repositioning a burner head under the input stream to produce a controllable amount of heat output.

A PV panel uses an array of small silicon sphere diodes (10-300 microns in diameter) connected in parallel. The spheres are embedded in an uncured aluminum-containing layer, and the aluminum-containing layer is heated to anneal the aluminum-containing layer as well as p-dope the bottom surface of the spheres. A phosphorus-containing layer is deposited over the spheres to dope the top surface n-type, forming a pn junction. The phosphorus layer is then removed. A conductor is deposited to contact the top surface. Alternatively, the spheres are deposited with a p-type core and an n-type outer shell. After deposition, the top surface is etched to expose the core. A first conductor layer contacts the bottom surface, and a second conductor layer contacts the exposed core. A liquid lens material is deposited over the rounded top surface of the spheres and cured to provide conformal lenses designed to increase the PV panel efficiency.

A printing material web processing machine, in particular a web-fed rotary offset press, has at least one press cylinder for printing the web, a dryer disposed downstream of the press cylinder, which guides the web along a path, and at least a first pull roll disposed downstream of the dryer to convey the web along the path with a given tensile stress. The web processing machine further has a first apparatus disposed downstream of the press cylinder and upstream of the dryer for separating the web from the press cylinder, and a second apparatus for driving the first pull roll, which drives the first pull roll at a rotational speed that is reduced as compared with the rotational speed of the press cylinder.

A conveyor system pre-inserts a portion of the web into a first belt before the portion is gripped between the first belt and a second belt. In one exemplary embodiment, a pair of lips of a web are inserted into a corresponding first pair of belts and then the pair of lips are secured in the first pair of belts by inserting a second pair of belts into the first pair of belts over the pair of lips.

A method for regulating a web tension in a processing machine for processing a product web, in particular a shaftless printing press, includes separating a first product-web section from a second product-web section by a delay section. The web tensions in the first and second product-web sections are influenced by first and second actuators, respectively. To regulate the web tension in the first product-web section, the method further includes defining a regulation output value from which an actuating command for the first actuator is derived. An actuating command for the second actuator is defined from the regulation output value and a delay element to decouple the web tension in the second product-web section from the regulation of the web tension in the first product-web section. The delay element delays the effect of the regulation output value on the actuating command for the second actuator by a delay time.

A wire-processing machine or apparatus includes a wire-feeding apparatus for guiding a wire, wherein the wire-processing machine or apparatus contains a wire drive for forward movement of the wire and a guide pipe with an entry opening and an exit opening. The wire-processing machine or apparatus contains a swivel unit with drive and a wire-gripping apparatus which is arranged on a swivel arm, wherein an exit side end of the guide pipe is fastened to the swivel arm. The wire drive and the guide pipe are arranged in such manner that the wire can be shot-in through the guide pipe. The wire-feed apparatus further contains a length-compensating unit which is arranged in the area of the guide pipe and which, in a first state, shortens an effective length of the guide pipe and, in a second state, lengthens the effective length of the guide pipe.

A flexible and continuous substrates-conveying sheet has a plurality of to be processed substrates disposed on or in it. A nondestructive transferring unit includes a plurality of first transferring rolls and a plurality of second transferring rolls. The first transferring rolls make contact with a first surface of the substrates-conveying sheet where that surface can have electrostatically-induced charge formed thereon. Each of the first transferring rolls includes a first central portion charged with a positive electric charge and a first outer portion surrounding the first central portion. The second transferring rolls make contact with the first surface of the substrates-conveying sheet. The second transferring rolls are disposed alternately with the first transferring rolls. Each of the second transferring rolls includes a second central portion charged with a negative electric charge and a second outer portion surrounding the second central portion.

The invention relates to a workholder (10) for holding a workpiece to be processed in a machine tool, which workholder (10) is in the form of a annular body (12) having a central through hole (14), said annular body (12) having at least one weakened area (18, 20; 34, 36, 38, 40; 50, 52, 54, 56) obtained by material removal, as well as at least one pressure chamber (22; 42, 44; 58, 60) assigned to said at least one weakened area (18, 20; 34, 36, 38, 40; 50, 52, 54, 56) that can be charged with a pressurized fluid. Said at least one weakened area (18, 20; 34, 36, 38, 40; 50, 52, 54, 56) is dimensioned and arranged so as to cause said annular body (12) to be elastically deformable in an axial and/or a radial direction (a, r). As a result, with pressure acting on said pressure chamber (22; 42, 44; 58, 60), said annular body (12) can then be deformed elastically in a well-defined manner in an axial and/or a radial direction (a, r).

An apparatus of semiconductor process including a chuck and a vacuum source is provided. The chuck has a plurality of holes for holding a semiconductor substrate, and the vacuum source is used for providing vacuum suction through the holes to make the semiconductor substrate be subjected to varied suction intensities according to a warpage level thereof.

A process for manufacturing surgical needles from solid, cylindrical needle blanks. A plurality of needle blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a flat carrier strip. The carrier strip then indexes each needle blank to a grinding station where an orbital grinding means grinds the distal end of each needle blank into a taper point while the needle blanks are held fixed in the carrier strip.

A process for progressively manufacturing cutting edge needles or wire members. Needle blanks or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of coining dies and at least one trimming die, wherein the first coining die is an open coining die and the one or more successive coining dies are closed coining dies. The needle blanks or wire members are optionally curved, heat treated and electrochemically treated resulting in cutting edge needles or wire members formed without a grinding step and without adversely affecting point ductility.

A continuous process for heat treating and cleaning and tempering martensitic stainless steel surgical needles is disclosed. The method comprises exposing the surgical needles to a partial vacuum at a temperature less than the heat treating temperature to remove volatile surface contaminant. Then the needles are heat treated in an argon gas environment at a pressure equal to or greater than 1.0 Torr. Next the temperature of the oven is lowered to temper the needles.

A process for the manufacture of suture needles and, more particularly, a process for enhancing the physical strength of the suture needles through an expedient cold-working or cold-forming procedure. Also disclosed is the provision of a novel and physically strengthened suture needle, particularly a surgical suture needle possessing a curvilinear configuration wherein the cross-sectional configuration of the needle is cold-formed into varying shapes in order to produce a needle having superior physical characteristics and strengths imparted thereto through the inventive process. The needles are essentially cold formed, and which process includes the aspect of imparting to straight metal rods which are preferably constituted from stainless steel, manufacturing steps which include sharpening one end of rod severed segments so as to form the needle tip, thereafter curving the needle with the metal still being in a relatively ductile state, and subjecting the needle to a cold forming process, such as through the intermediary of pressure die molds or stamping, to produce varying cross-sectional shapes along the length of the needle.

A method and an apparatus is disclosed for forming a one-piece introducer needle having a member portion and a needle portion by introducing a photoresist on a substrate. The temperature of the substrate is increased and then decreased. A photomask is deposited onto a substrate.

A process for manufacturing a surgical needle incorporates at least one pressing operation which, preferably, in conjunction with a trimming and/or etching process, ultimately forms the sharpened needle end. The grinding operation in the preferred process does not produce the primary sharpened edges of the needle, but, rather is incorporated, in one instance, to reduce excess needle material prior to the pressing operation. Consequently, the amount of flash material generated during pressing is substantially reduced. This feature desirably enhances the subsequent trimming and etching operations, and produces a needle which is extremely sharp, durable and exhibits an improved retention of sharpness over periods of prolonged use.

A process for manufacturing a surgical needle incorporates at least one pressing operation which, preferably, in conjunction with a trimming and/or etching process, ultimately forms the sharpened needle end. The grinding operation in the preferred process does not produce the primary sharpened edges of the needle, but, rather is incorporated, in one instance, to reduce excess needle material prior to the pressing operation. Consequently, the amount of flash material generated during pressing is substantially reduced. This feature desirably enhances the subsequent trimming and etching operations, and produces a needle which is extremely sharp, durable and exhibits an improved retention of sharpness over periods of prolonged use.

A method of mechanically treating alloy metal surgical needles to improve bending strength is disclosed. The needles are curved and reverse-curved in this method to improve bending strength.

The invention relates to a method for the impregnation of a product consisting of fibrous material and formed from a continuous web (22), the method comprising at least one first step of cutting out a specific zone (24) of the continuous web (22) and at least one second step of applying an impregnation product to the specific zone (24), the first and second steps being carried out simultaneously or virtually simultaneously.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for efficient endothermic processing of liquids and the precipitation of dissolved elements and chemical compounds. Improvements over prior systems include system layout, components and modes of operation of the system. Applications of the system include destruction of toxic wastes and sewage treatment, precipitation of chemical compounds and elements including metals from solution (brine, sea water, industrial waste), sterilization and water purification, catalytic formation of chemical compounds, and processing of hydrocarbons.

Graphite and/or carbon surfaces are coated with a titanium nitride coating by exposing the substrate to electric arc thermal spray process wherein titanium wire as the source of titanium and nitrogen is used as the propelling (atomizing) gas.

A ceremonial illuminary including a voltage supply mechanism, a switching mechanism that is electrically connected to the voltage supply mechanism, a first lamp electrically connected to the switching mechanism, a second lamp electrically connected to the switching mechanism wherein the switching mechanism provides voltage to the first lamp to illuminate the first lamp and then switches to provide voltage to the second lamp instead of the first lamp when the first lamp burns-out and no longer illuminates. The first lamp and the second lamp are secured with an enclosure.

Method and apparatus for tri-axially aligning, folding, trimming and edge stitching a cloth sheet particularly adapted for making pockets for garments.

A bumper (10) created using a resistive implant welding process. The bumper includes a mounting plate portion (12) and a composite bumper portion (14). The mounting plate portion (12) is connected to the composite bumper portion (14) using a resistive implant welding process. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a bumper for a vehicle having a mounting plate (12) and a bumper portion (14). The bumper portion (14) includes at least one flange (24) formed as part of the bumper portion (14), a first contact area (28) formed as part of the mounting plate (12), and a second contact area (30) formed as part of the flange (24). A connection point is used to bond the first contact area (28) and the second contact area (30) such that the mounting plate (12) is connected to the bumper portion (14).

A method for casting a thrower for a railcar coupler includes creating a mold box that is vertically parted in halves, each half defining a side of a thrower cavity and that includes at least a portion of a sprue at a location above the thrower cavity, the thrower cavity also being oriented vertically; pouring molten metal into the mold box through the sprue and into the thrower cavity while the mold is oriented vertically; and shaking out the mold box to release the thrower after the thrower has cooled. Creating the mold box may be executed through a cold shell process. The halves of the mold box may include reflective images of the sides of two thrower cavities and an ingate connected between the sprue and one of the two thrower cavities.

A railroad coupler assembly having at least a body and a knuckle both formed in a no-bake manufacturing process, the body and the knuckle having dimensional tolerances of distances between features that wear during operation that are about half those obtained from a body and a knuckle manufactured by a green sand process, resulting in increased fatigue life compared to the body and the knuckle manufactured by a green sand process. The body and the knuckle resulting from the no-bake manufacturing process have no observable laps, scabs, chaplets or welding in critical areas of the body and knuckle, which are reflected in surface conditions matching SCRATA (Steel Castings Research and Trade Association) values of: D1 (laps); E1 (scabs); F1 (chaplets); and J1 (welds).

A method of producing a semifinished confectionary product, such as chocolate or similar, using at least one centrifugal unit for simultaneously grinding and mixing at least some of the ingredients of the semifinished product, and which includes an elongated processing chamber with a substantially horizontal axis, at least one inlet for the ingredients to be processed and one outlet for the processed ingredients, and a powered shaft fitted inside the processing chamber, coaxially with the axis, and fitted with a succession of radial appendixes arranged between the inlet and the outlet; the method including the steps of loading at least a first ingredient of the semifinished product through the inlet; grinding the first ingredient inside the grinding and mixing unit by rotating the shaft at a first speed; loading at least a second ingredient through the inlet, after grinding; rotating the shaft at a second speed to grind and mix the ingredients to form a mixture of the same grain size as the semifinished product; loading at least a third ingredient through the inlet; mixing the third ingredient with the previously ground mixture to form a further mixture; bringing the further mixture to a given temperature to obtain the semifinished product; and transferring the semifinished product to a storage or packaging station.

A process of comminution of corn stover having a grain direction to produce a mixture of corn stover, by feeding the corn stover in a direction of travel substantially randomly to the grain direction one or more times through a counter rotating pair of intermeshing arrays of cutting discs (D) arrayed axially perpendicular to the direction of corn stover travel.

A method and system is used to process slag material to yield by-products including a finished iron rich product and a finished low iron fines product. The by-products may include a finished high iron product and a finished medium iron product. The method and system include size classifying the material into a plurality of sized groups prior to using magnetic separation to separate at least one of the sized groups into two portions having differing magnetic susceptibilities. The method and system may include more than one phase of size classifying the material into a plurality of sized groups and using magnetic separation to separate at least one of the sized groups into portions, where the average size of the material remaining after one phase is reduced prior to the subsequent phase.

The present invention provides a method of separating nickel bearing sulphides from mined ores or concentrates of mined ores that contain talc particles is disclosed. The method comprises adjusting the Eh of a slurry of mined ores or concentrates of mined ores and making particles of nickel bearing sulphides less hydrophobic than talc particles and floating the nickel bearing sulphide particles from the slurry.

A food processor of one design includes a housing including a motor and a coupling for rotating a food processing implement. The housing receives a feed chute assembly with a receiving chute for food to be processed. The feed chute assembly also includes an aligned discharge chute communicating with a processing implement, such that food is processed linearly from the receiving chute to the discharge chute. The housing has an open front for receiving containers for food processed by said food processor. This results in a smaller food processor which is capable of directly feeding processed food into a container separate from the food processor itself.

The invention relates to a process for the milling-drying of a raw mixture containing aluminum trihydroxide having an average particle size D50 in the range from 50 to 130 μm and a specific BET surface area in the range from 0.01 to 0.5 m2/g and containing from 0.1 to 20% by weight of water, based on the raw mixture, which including the steps i) introduction of the raw mixture into a milling-drying apparatus,ii) introduction of a hot air stream having a temperature in the range from 20 to 100° C. into the milling-drying apparatus so as to flow through the milling-drying apparatus andiii) comminution of the aluminum trihydroxide present in the raw mixture in the milling-drying apparatus.

Methods for preventing or reducing the formation of scale in a wet-process phosphoric acid production process by intermixing a water-soluble functional organic reagent with a phosphoric acid at one or more step of the phosphoric acid production process in an amount sufficient to prevent or reduce at least one species of scale are provided.

An apparatus to introduce a defined amount of a second powder into a process container in which a first powder or a powder mixture is present, includes a coupling flange having a cover flap located on the process container. The second powder is introduced into a tubular cartridge mounted displaceably in a transport unit, the latter including a joining flange having a cover flap. The joining flange is joinable to the coupling flange so that the respective cover flaps can be opened, and the cartridge can be pushed through openings thereby provided into the plane of the inner wall of the process container. The second powder is emptied from the cartridge into the process container by a delivery piston. The cartridge may include a piston rod having multiple pistons. Other embodiments include a double piston, a rotatable cartridge core or a rotary closure.

A processing system according to embodiments has an article supplier which supplies an article; a first conveyor which conveys an object to be processed; a workbench which is provided on the downstream side of the first conveyor and places thereon the object to be processed, conveyed by the first conveyor; a robot which takes out the article from the article supplier and subjects the object to be processed, placed on the workbench, to an operation using the article according to a previously instructed operation movement; and a second conveyor which is provided on the downstream side of the workbench and conveys the object to be processed, which has been subjected to the operation by the robot.

A powder refilling device includes a refill powder chamber to accommodate a powder bag containing powder, an opener to open the powder bag inside the refill powder chamber, and a squeezer to squeeze the opened powder bag to discharge powder therefrom and reduce a volume of the opened powder bag.

There is provided a DC-DC converter which converts an input voltage into an output voltage for supply to a load, in which an input terminal receives the input voltage, an output terminal outputs the output voltage, power stages each includes: a high side switch, a low side switch and an inductor, the control unit executes a first mode and a second mode wherein the first mode controls the high side switch and the low side switch in each of the power stages so that a ratio of an output current in each of the power stages to a load current flowing through the load becomes a set value and the second mode controls the high side switch and the low side switch in each of the power stages so that duty ratios of the high side switch and the low side switch are equalized among the power stages.

Use of two different methods, either each by itself or in combination, to enhance the stiffness, strength, maximum possible use temperature, and environmental resistance of thermoset polymer particles is disclosed. One method is the application of post-polymerization process steps (and especially heat treatment) to advance the curing reaction and to thus obtain a more densely crosslinked polymer network. The other method is the incorporation of nanofillers, resulting in a heterogeneous “nanocomposite” morphology. Nanofiller incorporation and post-polymerization heat treatment can also be combined to obtain the benefits of both methods simultaneously. The present invention relates to the development of thermoset nanocomposite particles. Optional further improvement of the heat resistance and environmental resistance of said particles via post-polymerization heat treatment; processes for the manufacture of said particles; and use of said particles in the construction, drilling, completion and/or fracture stimulation of oil and natural gas wells are described.

A steam assisted gravity drainage process that includes the addition of oxygen for recovering hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon reservoir is described. Steam and an oxygen-containing gas are separately and continuously injected into the hydrocarbon reservoir to heat hydrocarbons and water to drain, by gravity, to a horizontal production well. The process can include controlling the ratio of oxygen and steam from about 0.05 to about 1.00 (v/v). The steam assisted gravity drainage process can further include removing non-condensable combustion gases from the reservoir to avoid undesirable pressures in the reservoir. The non-condensable combustion gases can be removed from the reservoir by at least one separate vent-gas well.

A modular portable evaporator system for use in a Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) systems having an evaporator, with a sump including an oil skimming weir, a short tube vertical falling film heat exchanger including an outer shell containing short tubes provided for lower water circulation rate. The system further having external to the evaporator, a compressor for compressing evaporated steam from the tube side of the heat exchanger and routing to the shell side of the same exchanger, a distillate tank to collect hot distilled water, a recirculation pump to introduce liquids from the sump into the heat exchanger and an external suction drum protecting the compressor from liquid impurities. The evaporator system receives produced water from the SAGD process into the sump and provides cleaned hot water to a boiler.

A pyrolytic conversion assembly for processing biomass including: a rotary kiln including a tube for heating the biomass at pressure having a sealable inlet at a first, higher end for ingress of the biomass, and a sealable outlet at a lower end for egress of charcoal formed from the biomass; and heating elements disposed around the kiln to provide a localized source of heating at a predetermined distance from the sealable inlet for reflux condensation of gas from the biomass.

One exemplary embodiment can be a system for separating a plurality of naphtha components. The system can include a column, an overhead condenser, and a side condenser. Generally, the column includes a dividing imperforate wall with one surface facing a feed and another surface facing at least one side stream. Typically, the wall extends a significant portion of the column height to divide the portion into at least two substantially vertical, parallel contacting sections. Typically, the overhead condenser receives an overhead stream including a light naphtha from the column. Usually, a side condenser receives a process stream from the column and returns the stream to the column to facilitate separation. A cooling stream may pass through the overhead condenser and then the side condenser.

Additives may be used to lower the set up point for bitumen thereby allowing it to be transported from place to place more easily. Additives useful for lowering the set up point of bitumen include alkylphenol formaldehyde resins and oxyalkylated alkylphenol formaldehyde resins; amines and esters; solvents; and combinations thereof.

A method of forming an opaque layer includes forming a first layer by discharging droplets of an ink composition containing a metallic pigment on a record medium by an ink-jet recording process and forming a second layer by discharging droplets of an ink composition containing a white pigment on the record medium by an ink-jet recording process. The opaque layer is formed on the record medium on the side where the first layer and the second layer are formed in a region where the first layer and the second layer overlap each other.

Provided are silica-based fine particle dispersion sols, processes for producing the sols, coating compositions containing the dispersion sol, curable coating films obtained from the coating composition, and substrates having the coating film. A process includes (1) mixing an aqueous aluminate solution to an alkaline silica sol which contains water-dispersible silica fine particles in a given ratio; (2) heating the mixture liquid obtained in the step (1) to 60 to 200° C. and stirring the mixture liquid at the temperature for 0.5 to 20 hours; and (3) contacting the mixture liquid obtained in the step (2) with a cation exchange resin to remove by ion exchange alkali metal ions contained in the mixture liquid and thereby controlling the pH of the mixture liquid to be in the range of 3.0 to 6.0.

The present invention relates to a process for producing a base material for disks of disk rolls, in which the disk roll contains a rotating shaft and a plurality of the disks fitted on the rotating shaft by insertion whereby the outer peripheral surface of the disks serves as a conveying surface, in which the process contains molding a slurry raw material containing inorganic fibers, an inorganic filler having an aspect ratio of from 1 to 25 and an inorganic binder into a plate shape; and drying the molded plate.

A process for preparing an encapsulated pigment dispersion suitable for use in an ink jet printing ink comprising the following steps in the order I) followed by II): I) providing a dispersion comprising a pigment, a liquid medium and a dispersant comprising the repeat units from copolymerizing the ethylenically unsaturated monomers in components a) to c):a) from 75 to 97 parts of one or more hydrophobic ethylenically unsaturated monomers comprising at least 50 parts benzyl (meth)acrylate;b) from 3 to 25 parts one or more hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomers having one or more ionic group(s);c) from 0 to 2 parts of one or more hydrophilic ethylenically unsaturated monomers having a hydrophilic non-ionic group; and wherein the parts are by weight and the sum of the parts a) to c) add up to 100; II) cross-linking the dispersant in the presence of the pigment and the liquid medium.

A yarn object which, even though made of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, can be satisfactorily prevented from color fading caused by contact with other objects or the like, can be produced easily at low cast, and can maintain high strength. The yarn object is colored with a colorant. The yarn object includes a core yarn 2 colored with a predetermined colorant and an outer-layer yarn 3 disposed on the periphery of the core yarn. The outer-layer yarn 3 is disposed in such a manner that the core yarn 2 is prevented from contacting with other objects. The outer-layer yarn 3 includes a transparent filament and a space 4 is formed between the outer-layer yarns 3. The color applied to the core yarn 2 is externally visible through the transparent outer-layer yarn 3 and the space therebetween 4.

A three-dimensional preform, composite components formed with the preform, and processes for producing the preform and composite materials. The three-dimensional preform includes first and second sets of tows containing filaments. Each tow of the first set has a predetermined polygonal cross-sectional shape and is embedded within a temporary matrix. The preform is fabricated from the first and second sets of tows, in which the second set of tows are transverse to the first set of tows, adjacent tows of the second set are spaced apart to define interstitial regions therebetween, and the polygonal cross-sectional shapes of the first set of tows are substantially congruent to the cross-sectional shapes of the interstitial regions so as to substantially fill the interstitial regions.