Biofoam is a rigid, microcellular organic foam made from organic materials derived from natural products and biological organisms. Starting materials include agar, agarose, gelatin, algin, alginates, gellan gum, and microcrystalline cellulose. The organic material is dissolved in a polar solvent, typically water, and the mixture is gelled. The water in the gel pores is replaced at least once with another solvent to reduce the pore size of the final biofoam. The solvent in the gel pores may be replaced several times. After the final replacement of solvent, the gel is frozen and freeze-dried to form a biofoam. Translucent biofoams are formed by selecting a final solvent that forms very small crystals. A variety of crystalline, fibrous, amorphous, or metallic additives may be incorporated into the foam structure to produce lightweight composite materials with enhanced strength and insulating properties.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rigid, microcellular organic foams made from naturally occurring organic material. The foam is formed from an organic gel in which the solvent in the gel pores is exchanged with at least one other solvent to produce microscopic pores. The gel is rapidly frozen and then dried to form a microcellular biofoam.
2. Description of Related Art
A myriad of applications exist for strong, low-density, inexpensive materials to manufacture lightweight articles. Synthetic polymers and foams, such as polystyrene, polyurethane, and Styrofoam.RTM., are commonly-used materials for these purposes. A soluble, lightweight material made from corn and wheat is also currently available. A continual demand exists for the development of ever lighter, stronger, cost-effective materials that are biodegradable and made from renewable resources.
The scientific research communities in government and academia have a need for ultralightweight microcellular foams exhibiting a variety of characteristics. Researchers working with materials such as TPX (synthetic methylpentene polymer) and polystyrene have been unable to reach very low densities and create the cell structures desired. The present invention addresses these diverse needs and is a biofoam produced from organic materials derived from biological organisms, such as algae.
Biofoam is distinguishable from another class of ultra-low density materials, namely aerogels, which were developed by another group at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Aerogel is a true gel in which the gel structure must be maintained throughout the production process. In contrast, while the biofoam production process involves a gel stage, the end product is not a gel, but an open-cell rigid foam material similar to polystyrene. The different microscopic structures of the two materials leads to variances in their physical and chemical properties.
For example, the most common aerogel is a silica-based material that will not burn easily. Biofoam is an organic-based material that will burn without producing toxic fumes. The average cell or pore size of aerogel is about 10 times smaller than the pores in the present version of biofoam; aerogel pore diameters are about 0.02-0.03 microns, whereas biofoam cells have diameters of about 0.2-0.3 microns. The smaller pore size of aerogels makes them visibly transparent and better thermal and acoustic insulators than biofoam, although the present form of biofoam is almost transparent and has excellent insulating properties due to its small pore size.
The major advantage of biofoam over aerogel is its lower production cost. Aerogel's complex production process involving supercritical extraction of solvents is time-consuming and expensive when compared to the freeze-drying procedure used in biofoam production. Furthermore, biofoam is a more robust material than aerogel that can withstand greater forces without fracturing or deforming and can be readily machined into different shapes.
A biofoam with an average pore size less than that of the earlier version of biofoam (described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/043,300) would have better insulating properties, making it more competitive with aerogel. The ultrasmall pore size would also result in translucent varieties of biofoam which are useful for certain applications. Therefore, the need exists for an improved version of biofoam having significantly smaller pores.


The present invention relates to a process for the biocatalytic, enantioselective production of a β-amino acid precursor from an optionally substituted dihydrouracil using a hydantoinase and/or a dihydropyrimidinase, a process for producing a β-amino acid from said precursor, a hydantoinase and its use in said process for the biocatalytic production of a β-amino acid precursor or a β-amino acid, and a method for obtaining said hydantoinase.

Enantiomerically pure β-amino acids are valuable building blocks for novel therapeutics agents that possess a wide range of biological activity. Although a number of biocatalytic routes have been developed for their preparation, no single method has emerged as being universally applicable. Similarly, few chemo-catalytic routes to β-amino acids have been developed, most requiring stoichiometric quantities of chiral auxiliaries.
Dihydropyrimidinases and hydantoinase are possible candidates for the biocatalytic synthesis of amino acids or their precursors. Gaebler and Keltch first reported hydantoinase cleaving activities in 1920s (Gaebler, O. H.; Keltch, A. K. On the metabolism of hydantoins and hydantoic acid, 1926; Vol. 70). It was initially suggested by Eadie et al. in the 1950s that microbial hydantoinases were identical to animal dihydropyrimidinase (Eadie, G.; Bernheim, F.; Bernheim, M. Journal of Biological Chemistry 181: 449-458, 1949). Dihydropyrimidinase enzymes, isolated from calf liver and plants, catalysed the hydrolysis of dihydrouracil and dihydrothymine into the N-carbamoyl-β-alanine and N-carbamoyl-2-methyl-β-alanine, respectively. These enzymes also cleaved (R)-5-monosubsitituted hydantoin into (R)—N-carbamoyl-amino acid. Recent literature generally proposes that D-hydantoinase from microbial sources can be considered to be the counterpart of animal dihydropyrimidinase, with Nonaka and co-workers, suggesting an evolutionary relationship between these two enzymes (Hamajima, N.; Matsuda, K.; Sakata, S.; Tamaki, N.; Sasaki, M.; Nonaka, M. Gene 180:157-163, 1996). Syldatk et al. conclude that dihydropyrimidinases and hydantoinases are not necessarily the same enzyme (Syldatk, C.; May, O.; Altenbuchner, J.; Mattes, R.; Siemann, M. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 51:293-309, 1999). The different entantioselecivities of hydantoinases are often used to group them, according to their specificity, as D-, L-, or nonspecific (Ogawa, J.; Shimizu, S. Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic 2:163-176, 1997).
Problems arising from the naming system used for the hydantoinase and dihydropyrimidinase enzymes are further aggravated by the fact that often, especially in earlier journals, the terms were used interchangeably. Amidohydrolases, also referred to as cyclic amidases [E.C.3.5.2], are a group of more than 14 enzymes all acting on cyclic amide rings and containing a number of highly conserved regions and invariant amino acid regions (Kim, G. J.; Cheon, Y. H.; Kim, H. S. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 1998, 61, 1-13). Comprised in this group are carboxylmethylhydantoinase [E.C.188.8.131.52], allantoinase [E.C.188.8.131.52], 1-methylhydantoinase [E.C.184.108.40.206] and carboxyethyl-hydantoinase, all of which are technically the only hydantoinases, as their substrates are naturally occurring hydantoin derivatives.
Other enzymes which fall into the wider grouping of cyclic amidases include dihydroorotase [E.C.18.104.22.168] and dihydropyrimidinase [E.C.220.127.116.11], the latter of which is commonly referred to as D-hydantoinase, due to its ability to hydrolyse (R)-5-monosubstituted hydantoin derivatives. This superfamily of proteins most likely evolved in prehistoric earth, when N-carbamoyl-amino acids are hypothesised to have been the original synthons of prebiotic peptides.
The use of hydantoinases for the enantioselective hydrolysis of racemic mixtures of 5-substituted hydantoins (R)-1 and (S)-1 to their corresponding N-carbamoyl derivatives (R)-2 and (S)-2 is well established (cf. Scheme 1 below) and described in literature (Morin, Enzyme Microb. Technol. 15:208-214, 1993; Fan and Lee, Biochemical Engineering J. 8:157-164, 2001; Arcuri et al., J. Molecular Catalysis B 21:107-111, 2003; Arcuri et al., Amino Acids 19:477-482, 2000). It has been developed to the stage where commercial processes now operate at scale for the production of specific D-(R)-amino acids (R)-3 using this technology. A key aspect of these processes is the in situ racemisation of the unreacted enantiomer (S)-1 together with carbamoylase catalysed hydrolysis of (R)-2 leading to a dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) reaction.

Kinetic resolution occurs when an enzyme turns over one enantiomer faster than the other. However, the maximum yield for this type of reaction is only 50%, and the products need to be separated from the starting material. In a dynamic kinetic resolution the enantiomers are racemized, so that (R)- and (S)-enantiomers form a chemical equilibrium and readily interconvert. When the faster reacting enantiomer is converted to the corresponding product, it is replenished due to the racemisation, thereby allowing yields of up to 100%.
In contrast to the enantioselective hydrolysis of racemic 5-substituted hydantoins, the possibility of carrying out enantioselective hydrolysis of 6-substituted dihydrouracils (+/−)-4 (cf. Scheme 2) to their corresponding N-carbamoyl derivatives (R or S)-5, as a route to β-amino acids (R or S)-6, has received very little attention. Syldatk et al., in 1998 (May, O.; Siemann, M.; Pietzsch, M.; Kiess, M.; Mattes, R.; Syldatk, C. J. Biotechnol. 61:1-13, 1998) reported the use of a hydantoinase from Arthrobacter aurescens for the hydrolysis of dihydrouracil ((+/−)-4, wherein R stands for H) and subsequently in 2003 described in a poster that this hydantoinase could be applied to the resolution of 6-phenyldihydrouracil (6-PDHU, (+/−)-4, wherein R stands for phenyl) although poor enantioselectivity and low reaction rates relative to 5-phenylhydantoin ((R)-1 and (S)-1, respectively, wherein R stands for Ph in Scheme 1) were observed.
The Japanese patent application JP06261787 reported enantiomeric excess rates of up to 51% for the hydrolysis of 6-PDHU using Pseudomonas putida IFO 12996; better selectivities (up to 93% of enantiomeric excess) were obtained with substrates containing 6-alkyl substituents. Clearly, there is need for improved methods for the biocatalytic production of β-amino acid precursors or β-amino acids.


A magnetic suspension system and a procedure for operating the system employ a superconducting magnet having a lift coil assembly for developing a magnetic field to interact with the magnetic field of an object to be supported about the superconducting magnet. Smaller and larger magnet coils are provided in the superconducting magnet with counter rotating flow of current to introduce a depression in a potential energy surface above the superconducting magnet, this allowing the object to seek a height at the depression for stably locating the object. The system and methodology employs a set of control coils which are energized to orient and to translate the object to maintain a desired position and orientation. Pairs of the control coils are energized to produce a tilting of the object, as in roll or pitch, or a displacement of the object relative to the vertical axis.

This invention relates to the suspension of an object in space by magnetic levitation and, more particularly to the use of a set of coil assemblies which are symmetrically positioned about a central vertical axis, and are selectively energized, for providing both lift and directional stability to the object. The object, to be referred to herein as a model, consists of permanent magnet material with the magnetization in the direction of the vertical axis. The coil assemblies include a main superconducting coil assembly for providing lift, and sets of control, or gradient, coils for providing positional and directional stability, wherein the control coils are constructed in a flat pie form, and also in a circular cylindrical form. The control coils are located outside of a superconducting coil of the superconducting coil assembly.
The suspension of objects in free space, distant from any physical support, is useful in certain situations for conducting various forms of tests and measurements. Of particular interest herein is the suspension of a model by magnetic levitation under conditions wherein the model can be held essentially motionless and with precise control over the orientation of the model. Furthermore, the system of magnets which is to be employed for holding and orienting the model is to be located at a distance from the model, and below the model, so as to provide unimpeded access to the model for the conduction of experiments and measurements.
A problem arises in that presently available magnetic suspension systems do not provide all of the foregoing features. The problem may be appreciated from the fact that the laws of physics dictate that one cannot generate a field that will keep a permanent magnet, such as that employed in the model, stable in all degrees of freedom if the field source is below the permanent magnet. Therefore there is a need for active control by use of control coils driven with electric currents from a control system. In the past, equilibrium has been obtained by suspending an object from a magnet coil against the force of gravity with the attendant disadvantage that the space above the object is cluttered and may well interfere with utilization of the object.

Large gap magnetic suspension system with superconducting coils


The process and system of the invention converts solid and liquid carbonaceous feedstock into electricity, steam, fuels, and carbon dioxide with minimal air emissions. Oxygen is partially consumed in a fuel cell then exhausted to a combustor of a Twin-Fluid Bed Steam Gasifier Unit (TFBSGU) where it is consumed in burning carbon contained in ash. After particulates are separated, the flue gas is expanded then cooled to recover power before returning to atmosphere or a bio-reactor. Synfuel leaving the TFBGSU is cooled in a heat recovery unit, producing steam and hot water. Carbon monoxide in this stream reacts with steam producing hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The stream is then cooled and compressed. The compressed gas passes through an acid gas removal system removing carbon dioxide and sulfur bearing compounds. Steam is added to the clean gas to prevent coking and the stream enters the anode space of the fuel cell.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of generating electricity, steam or hot water, chemicals and gaseous fuels from solid or liquid fuels. It also relates to the field of using photosynthesis to produce oxygen and algae from carbon dioxide and water.
2. Prior Art
Coal and other solid and liquid fuels have been gasified into more readily usable gaseous fuels for over one hundred years. In the most common reaction, the char-steam reaction, solid carbon reacts with steam to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This reaction, being endothermic, requires heat and high temperatures to proceed. Traditionally, air was supplied to the fuel to partially burn the fuel and supply heat and temperature needed to drive the char-steam reaction.
Air-blown gasifiers (gasifiers using oxygen in air as an oxidizer for combustion) produce a low heat content fuel (synfuel) containing the nitrogen from the air. This fuel is burned with additional combustion air to produce heat. This fuel, and/or the combustion gases resulting after combustion, must be cleaned or treated to avoid air pollution. This is particularly difficult because of the high volumes of gas involved. The nitrogen in the air increases the volume of fuel gas that must be cleaned, and to reduce energy consumption of the air compressors, the gasification process proceeds at low pressures, which increases the specific volume of the fuel gas.
If an oxygen separation plant is used, oxygen rather than air is sent to the gasifier, which increases the heat content of the synfuel and reduces the volume of synfuel needed to be treated. Currently, this is the preferred configuration of coal or petcoke gasification projects: An IGCC (integrated Gasifier combined cycle) plant comprises one or more ASU (air separation units), oxygen blown gasifiers, combustion gas turbines with heat recovery steam generators and steam turbines. An example of this type of technology is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,069 (Bell et al.).
A third type of gasifier, the Twin-Fluidized Bed Steam Gasifier, uses steam to partially gasify the carbon-bearing fuel in a fluidized bed gasifier. Because steam does not supply enough heat for the gasification reactions, hot sand is also added to the gasifier. The cooled sand and residual ash from the carbon-bearing material is blown out of the gasifier and separated from the gas in a gasifier cyclone. This material drops into a fluidized bed combustor chamber, along with combustion air. The combustion air burns the residual carbon in the ash and reheats the sand. The ash and sand is removed from the flue gas in a cyclone. After separating the ash from the sand the sand returns to the gasifier.
This particular type of gasification has been used in the petrochemical industry to gasify petroleum coke for over fifty years as the Exxon Flexicoker process. A similar device for gasifying biomass has recently been developed by Battelle National Laboratories and has been commercially offered as the Silvagas process. A similar process has been offered by Taylor Biomass Industries. The advantage of this type of gasifier is that it produces high energy content fuel gases (gases with little nitrogen in them) without the expense of a air separation unit.
To further increase system efficiency, several recent designs incorporate fuel cells. Two different types of fuel cells have been considered in recent fuel cell-gasification patents: the Solid Oxide Fuel cell (SOFC), and the molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC).
The SOFC uses a ceramic, solid-phase electrolyte operating at about 1830° F. Oxygen reacts with the cathode in the reaction:O2+4e−→2O=The oxygen ions diffuse through the electrolyte and react with the fuel gas at the anode in the reactions:H2+O=→H2O+2e−CO+O=→CO2+2e−andCH4+4O=→2H2O+CO2+8e−The electrons travel from anode to cathode through an electric load, producing power. Because of the high temperatures, hydrocarbons in the fuel stream can also be reformed into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, if sufficient water vapor is available in the fuel stream.
The MCFC uses a molten carbonate salt mixture operating at about 1200° F. as an electrolyte. Oxygen and carbon dioxide reacts with the cathode in the reaction:O2+2CO2+4e−→2CO3=The carbonate ions diffuse through the electrolyte and react with the fuel gas at the anode in the reactions:H2+CO3=→H2O+CO2+2e−andCO+CO3=→2CO2+2e−
As with the SOFC, the electrons travel from anode to cathode through an electric load, producing power. Because of the high temperatures. hydrocarbons in the fuel stream can also be reformed into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, if sufficient water vapor is available in the fuel stream. Unlike the SOFC, the oxidant stream must contain carbon dioxide, which must be recovered from the system.
Because both the SOFC and MCFC reaction products accumulate in the anode, fuel cannot be completely consumed in the anode; eventually, the reaction products dilute the concentration of fuel enough so that the fuel cell potential decreases below economically recoverable voltages. At that point, the remaining fuel is generally burned in an external combustor to produce heat that pre-heats the gases entering the fuel cell. The heat can also be used to produce steam to produce additional power or heat.
One example of a SOFC gasification technology is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,039 (Dowdy), which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In this invention the compressor section of a gas turbine provides pressurized air to both a fuel cell and to a Gasifier. A portion of the oxygen in the air entering the fuel cell reacts with the cathode to produce water, and this vitiated air stream then enters a combustor, where it reacts with fuel leaving the Gasifier. The other portion of the compressed air enters the Gasifier where it reacts with fuel to form hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and hydrogen. After cleaning and phase shifting some of the carbon monoxide to hydrogen, some of the hydrogen is sent to the fuel cell and the remainder of the gas is burned in the combustor. This reaction produces a hot, pressurized gas stream which drives the turbine section of the gas turbine. One disadvantage with this prior art is that the Nitrogen in the exhaust forms NOx when it is combusted. A second disadvantage is that the nitrogen adds volume to the gas leaving the Gasifier, increasing the expense in cleaning it.
Another example of an prior art, suitable for both SOFC and MCFC equipment is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,465 (Galloway), which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The all embodiments of this patent feed the fuel cell cathode exhaust to the Gasifier after removing the water from the stream. This arrangement has the disadvantage of requiring a separate oxygen supply to the Gasifier.
Another example of a prior art, is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,453 (Steinfeld), which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This patent recycles a portion of the Gasifier exhaust back to the Gasifier, supplying the heat needed for gasification by heating this stream with an exhaust stream formed by burning the exhaust of a MCFC with air. This patent requires an extremely high temperature heat exchanger to supply the gasification heat.
The prior art referenced above all produce significant volumes of exhaust to the atmosphere, which must be further cleaned. They also require cooling or heating of streams entering the Gasifier, reducing gasification efficiency. They did not make use of the hot oxygen leaving the fuel cell in the Gasifier.
One example of a prior art is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,515 (Johnsen) which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This patent did allow oxygen leaving the fuel cell to be directly used in the Gasifier. However, the oxygen and hydrogen used in the fuel cell were generated electrically from water using electrical power.
Another example of prior art is disclosed and claimed in patent application Ser. No. 10/705,289 (Radovich), which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. This patent combines the streams from the anode and cathode into a single gasifier, rather then directing these streams to separate gasifiers and combustors.
A final example of a prior art is disclosed as a Power Point presentation entitled "Coal System Studies: Effects of Methane Content and High-Efficiency Catalytic Gasification" attached to this application. This presentation describes a thermal cycle with the anode exhaust directly connected to a catalytic gasifier. The exhaust from the cathode is directly connected to a turbo-expander.

Electricity, heat and fuel generation system using fuel cell, bioreactor and twin-fluid bed steam gasifier


A process for mitigation of fouling deposits within a combustion zone, capturing of toxic metal emissions, and reduction of visible sulfur emissions attributable to sulfuric acid mist during coal combustion. SO3 formed during coal combustion is reduced by the addition to the coal of raw, unprocessed magnesium-containing minerals such as magnesite ore or brucite ore. The minerals are pulverized to a fine particle size and combined with pulverized coal to provide a mixture of the particles. The mixture is combusted and the ore particles calcine and decrepitate to very fine magnesium oxide particles that have a significant particle surface area. The magnesium oxide particles react with the SO3 produced during combustion of the coal and also capture toxic metals to reduce the quantity of undesirable stack discharge components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processes for improved operation of coal-fired electrical utility boilers and other solid-fuel-fired, high temperature combustion reactors. More particularly, the present invention relates to processes for reducing fouling of solid-fuel-fired boiler internal components, reducing corrosion within such boilers, and reducing undesirable and noxious stack emissions.
2. Description of the Related Art
In coal-fired power generating plants, as well as in other industrial processes involving combustion of coal, the products of the combustion process include compounds that have an adverse influence on boiler operation, or are environmentally undesirable and the discharge of which into the environment is subject to environmental regulations. Such compounds include sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and such heavy metals as mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium. In order to meet environmental limitations affecting the discharge of the most prevalent sulfur oxide, SO2, into the atmosphere, combustion products from such plants and processes are commonly passed through flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. The sulfur oxides contained in such combustion products are thereby converted into less-environmentally-harmful compounds that are either disposed of in landfills, or, when suitably modified or treated, are sold as marketable chemicals.
The treatment of flue gases to capture SO2 is often effected in lime- or limestone-based wet scrubbers, in which lime or limestone slurries are sprayed into the flue gases before they are discharged into the atmosphere. The sulfur oxides are thereby chemically converted into insoluble calcium compounds in the form of calcium sulfites or sulfates. The less environmentally harmful calcium compounds are separated from the scrubber blowdown liquor and either are disposed of in landfills or are converted into marketable gypsum.
Although useful for converting some sulfur oxides, widely-used lime/limestone scrubbers are not very effective in capturing the 1% to 1.5% of the sulfur in the fuel that is transformed during the combustion process into gaseous SO3, which can escape from the scrubber. The SO3 poses operating problems within the boiler itself, in that it leads to corrosion and fouling of low temperature heat exchange surfaces. Additionally, it poses environmental problems in that unless captured or transformed, the SO3 results in a persistent visible plume and the discharge of corrosive and potentially hazardous sulfuric acid fumes. Further complicating the matter, selective catalytic reactors (SCR's), which are available and are installed in such plants to comply with nitrogen oxide emission regulations, essentially cause a doubling of the amount of SO3 that is generated, and consequently the already serious operational and environmental problems caused by the presence of SO3 are magnified.
The SO3 emission problem has been addressed chemically using a variety of alkaline chemicals that are injected into the system at many different points in the flue gas flow path. Lime or limestone injected into the high temperature region of the boiler can be effective in capturing the SO3, but it tends to magnify boiler deposit problems and to increase the quantity of particulates that escape from the precipitators. The adverse impact on the precipitators is also encountered when lime or lime hydrate is injected as powders into the lower temperature region downstream of the SCR's. The precipitator problem can be circumvented by injecting the lime downstream of the precipitator, but an efficient backup dust collector is needed, and most FGD scrubbers are not efficient collectors of fine particulates.
Sodium compounds, such as the bisulfite, carbonate, bicarbonate and carbonate/bicarbonates (Trona) compounds, have also been injected into the cooler regions of the system and are effective in SO3 capture. However, they pose material handling and some deposit problems, and they tend to have poor utilization efficiencies unless they are ground to very fine particle sizes. Relatively coarse particles are prone to formation of an outer sulfate shell, thereby inhibiting utilization of the unreacted chemical inside the shell. Additionally, grinding of such materials is expensive, and it creates storage and handling problems because of the fineness of the particles.
Commercially-available, but relatively expensive, oil-based magnesium additives can be extremely effective in SO3 capture. In that regard, one of the most effective chemical techniques for controlling both ash-related fouling in the boiler, and also the corrosion and emission problems associated with SO3 generated in solid-fueled boilers, is the injection into the upper region of the boiler of oil slurries of MgO or Mg(OH)2. That technology was originally developed for use with oil-fired boilers in which the magnesium-based oil suspension was usually metered into the fuel. It was later applied to coal-fired boilers. The most widely accepted mode of application of such additives today is by injection of slurries of MgO or Mg(OH)2 into the boiler above the burners and just below the region at which a transition from radiant heat transfer to convective heat transfer occurs.
In addition to the oil-based slurries, Mg(OH)2 powders and water-based slurries have also been utilized as fireside additives in boilers, but because of their generally coarser particle size they are less efficient in capturing the SO3. Water slurries of MgO have also been injected through specially modified soot blowers on oil and Kraft-liquor-fired boilers, in which they moderated high temperature deposit problems but had only a nominal impact on SO3-related problems because of an inability to apply the chemicals continuously.
Regulations aimed at controlling mercury emissions of coal-fired boilers have been promulgated by regulatory authorities, and regulations applicable to other toxic metals are anticipated eventually. A considerable amount of research aimed at finding practical techniques for capturing such toxic metals has shown that high surface area solids can capture a significant portion of mercury by adsorption, if the mercury is in an oxidized form rather than an elemental form. Oxidants, either added to or naturally present in the fuel, such as chlorides, can facilitate the oxidation. Although high surface area lime can be effective in mercury capture, it results in operational problems in the form of ash deposits and increased stack emissions. The most widely accepted way to achieve capture has been injection of expensive activated carbons.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide processes by which boiler operational and emissions problems can be reduced more economically than is attainable by presently-utilized methods.

Reduction of coal-fired combustion emissions


A push switch is arranged to be mounted on a board. The push switch includes a case, a plurality of contacts provided in the case, an operation body for activating the plurality of contacts upon being pushed in an operation direction parallel to the surface of the board, first and second terminals protruding from the case. The case has first and second side surfaces opposite to each other. The first terminal includes a first base portion protruding from the first side surface of the case, and a first end portion extending from the first base portion in a direction non-parallel to perpendicular to the operation direction. The second terminal includes a second base portion protruding from the second side surface of the case and a second end portion extending from the second base portion in a direction non-parallel to perpendicular to the operation direction. The push switch has a small size and is mounted securely onto a board.

Various types of push switches are used for input sections of electronic devices. A push switch which is activated by pushing an operation body of the switch in parallel to a surface of a board the push switch is mounted onto is often used.
FIG. 9 is a plan view of a conventional push switch 501 disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-122989. FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of push switch 501 at line 10-10 shown in FIG. 9.
Case 1 made of resin material has a recess opening upward. Inner fixed contact 2A and an outer fixed contact are located in the recess and are fixed unitarily within case 1. Terminals 5 connected with inner fixed contact 2A and the outer fixed contact protrude from side surfaces of case 1 opposite to each other, respectively. Terminals 5 have ends which are bent up, and have shapes suitable for being mounted onto the surface of a board.
Movable contact 7 is made of a thin metal plate. Movable contact 7 is accommodated in the recess of case 1, and has its outer circumference placed on the outer fixed contact. The recess of case 1 is covered with protection film 8 adhered onto on an upper surface of case 1. Movable contact 7 has a square shape, or circular shape.
Operation body 10 made of resin material includes operation portion 10A protruding to the front and driving portion 10B located behind operation portion 10A. Operation body 10 is placed on protection film 8 such that the operation body is movable in front and back directions on the upper surface of case 1.
Metal cover 15 covers case 1 with operation body 10 between the cover and the case. Slope portion 15A is formed at the central part of metal cover 15 and inclines towards case 1. Slope portion 15A is positioned behind driving portion 10B. An end of driving portion 10B contacts a front surface of slope portion 15A which inclines. Metal cover 15 has leg 15B which can be soldered and which protrudes downward at the side surface of case 1.
FIG. 11 is a side view of push switch 501 mounted on surface 501C of board 501A. Operation portion 10A protrudes to the front from end 501B of board 501A. Terminals 5 are connected with surfaces of corresponding lands by soldering, thereby mounting push switch 501 on surface 501C of board 501A. Leg 15B of metal cover 15 is also soldered to a land corresponding to the leg. Terminals 5 are drawn from both side surfaces of case 1 such that terminals 5 protrude perpendicularly to front and back directions, i.e., a moving direction of operation portion 10A. Terminals 5 are fixed to the board with solder such that respective ends of terminals 5 which are bent up are in parallel with the moving direction of operation portion 10A.
If an operating force is applied to operation portion 10A for pushing operation portion 10A in a direction parallel to surface 501C, operation body 10 moves along the parallel direction by sliding on protection film 8 covering the upper surface of case 1. Then, the end of driving portion 10B is guided downward along slope portion 15A to apply a downward force to movable contact 7 located beneath slope portion 15A.
When the downward force exceeds a predetermined level, movable contact 7 is inverted at the central part and has its central bottom contact inner fixed contact 2A. Thereby, terminals 5 are connected via movable contact 7, thus turning on push switch 501.
Upon the force applied to operation portion 10A being released, movable contact 7 returns to have its original shape by its restoring force and pushes driving portion 10B upward. Driving portion 10B which is pushed up is guided along slope portion 15A and causes operation body 10 to be pushed back to the front, thereby turning off push switch 501, as shown in FIG. 10.
In the conventional push switch 501, soldered portions of terminals 5 and leg 15B of metal cover 15 receive the operating force applied to operation portion 10A. Even if push switch 501 is small in size, a certain clearance between leg 15B and terminals 5 are necessary to avoid possible mutual contact of solder applied to terminals 5 and leg 15B. This structure accordingly prevents push switch 501 from having a small size.
If the number of constituent members, such as terminal 5 and leg 15B, which are connected with board 501A, is decreased in order to reduce the size of push switch 501 and to allow the push switch to be suitable for a portable device, board 501A may be removed when the portable device is dropped.


A joint is provided between two abutting cables, where the cables each have, around a central support, at least one phase layer composed of at least one layer of superconducting material and a neutral layer that are concentric and contained in a shell, filled with cryogenic fluid. The neutral layer of each cable is also stripped, at least one bridging support member is placed between the stripped neutral layers, and a layer of conducting or superconducting material, for, the electrical connection of these neutral layers, is placed on the support member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a superconducting cable joint.
More specifically, it relates to a joint between two abutting cables, each cable comprising, around a central support, at least one phase layer composed of at least one layer of superconducting material and a neutral layer, these layers being concentric and contained in a shell filled with cryogenic fluid.
2. Description of Related Art
Patent EP 2 006 862 discloses the use of three single-phase cables for each cable and the connection of two abutting cables of the same phase. The two abutting phase layers of superconducting material are then connected by a central conducting element covered with at layer of complementary insulating material.
The invention also relates to cables comprising, around a central support, three concentric phases each composed of at least one layer of superconducting material, these layers being separated by a layer of insulating material.
The assembly formed by each cable may be covered with a screen connected to neutral and with an outer sheath, as described in US 2010/0184604. These cables are contained in a shell filled with cryogenic fluid, generally liquid nitrogen. The latter document describes a complex cable joint which is time-consuming to produce, being formed by reconstituting the layers of superconducting material, and the layers of insulating material by means of an arrangement in stages with superimposition.
The invention relates to a joint between two abutting cables, each cable comprising, around a central support, at least one phase layer composed of at least one layer of superconducting material and a neutral layer, these layers being concentric, the joint being reliable and easily produced.
For this purpose, the invention proposes a joint between two abutting cables, each cable comprising, around a central support, at least one phase layer composed of at least one layer of superconducting material and a neutral layer, these layers being concentric and contained in a shell filled with cryogenic fluid, said abutting inner phase layers being stripped and being directly connected, characterized in that said neutral layer of each cable is also stripped, at least one bridging support member is placed between said stripped neutral layers, and a layer of conducting or superconducting material for electrically connecting these neutral layers is placed on said bridging support member.
In a preferred embodiment, said support member is formed by a bridging element of tubular insulating material beveled at its ends.
Very advantageously, a longitudinal cylindrical space filled with cryogenic fluid is provided between the joint of said inner phase layers of superconducting material and the bridging support member.
In this embodiment, the forming of the joint, makes use of the dielectric properties of the cryogenic fluid contained in the enclosure.
Said bridging support members may be made at least partially of metal and/or at least partially of insulating material.
Preferably, each cable comprises, around a central support, three concentric phase layers, each composed of at least one layer of superconducting material and a neutral layer, these layers being separated by a layer of insulating material, the innermost abutting phase layers being stripped and directly connected, and said layers of superconducting material are stripped in a staged way, from the innermost phase to the neutral, moving away from the joint end, while a bridging support member is placed between each stripped phase or neutral layer and the other same layer, and a layer of conducting or superconducting material for the electrical connection of the same phase or neutral layers is placed on each support member.
In a preferred embodiment, said support members are each formed by a bridging element of tubular insulating material beveled at its ends.
Very advantageously, a longitudinal tubular space filled with cryogenic fluid is provided between said innermost, phase layers of superconducting material and the subsequent bridging support member, and a longitudinal, tubular space filled with cryogenic fluid is also provided between each bridging support member and each said layer of conducting or superconducting electrical connection material placed on the innermost bridging support member.
Said bridging support members may be made at least partially of metal and/or at least partially of insulating material.
Said insulating material is preferably paper.
Said metal is preferably aluminum or stainless steel.
Very advantageously, said bridging support members are prefabricated.
This prefabrication is particularly advantageous because it enables the joint to be produced very rapidly and easily and also allows a high degree of safety to be achieved, particularly at high voltage, as the prefabricated elements have precise shapes and dimensions which are independent of human error or approximation.
Preferably, each said layer of conducting or superconducting electrical connection material is formed from strands or tapes laid in a distributed manner on said bridging element.
Also advantageously, each said electrical connection layer is made of superconducting material.
Thus the electrical connections throughout the joint are practically exclusively superconducting, since the connection resistance between the strands or tapes is extremely low at cryogenic temperatures. The joint therefore provides virtual continuity of the superconducting property of the cable with virtually no Joule effect losses. In the first place, this enables the losses of the system to be reduced; furthermore, it can considerably reduce the risk of local heating compared with a resistive connection which could cause a local transition of the cable outside its critical temperature, possibly resulting in destruction.
Moreover, the overall dimensions of this connection using superconducting copper strands or tapes are smaller than those of the same connection using resistive copper tapes or strands.


A method of depositing of a film on a substrate with controlled adhesion. The method comprises depositing the film including metal, wherein the metal is deposited on the substrate using physical vapor deposition at a pressure that achieves a pre-determined adhesion of the film to the substrate. The pre-determined adhesion allows processing of the film into a device while the film is adhered to the substrate but also allows removal of the device from the substrate.

Electrochemical sensors are commonly used to detect or measure the concentrations of in vivo analytes, such as glucose. Typically in such analyte sensing systems, an analyte (or a species derived from it) is electro-active and generates a detectable signal at an electrode in the sensor. This signal is then correlated with the presence or concentration of the analyte within a biological sample. In some conventional sensors, an enzyme is provided that reacts with the analyte to be measured, the byproduct of the reaction being qualified or quantified at the electrode. In one conventional glucose sensor, immobilized glucose oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of glucose to form hydrogen peroxide, which is then quantified by amperometric measurements (e.g. change in electrical current) through one or more electrodes.
A variety of electrochemical glucose sensors are multi-layered, comprising electrodes on top of and/or coated by layers of various materials. Multilayered sensors have a number of desirable properties including the fact that the functional properties of such sensors can be tailored by altering certain design parameters (e.g. number of internal layers, layer thickness, electrodes area and architecture etc). However, the inventors of the present invention have found that undesirable interactions between the anode and cathode in conventional sensors degrade sensor performance. What is needed, then, are sensor fabrication methods and electrode structures that reduce or prevent unwanted cathode-anode interactions, thereby improving sensor performance. The present disclosure satisfies this need.

Methods for controlling physical vapor deposition metal film adhesion to substrates and surfaces


Disclosed is a process in which the fluorination of an organic reactant comprising 1,1,1,3,3-pentachloropropane (240fa) with anhydrous HF is conducted in the presence of an effective amount of a phase-transfer catalyst which facilitates the reaction between these incompatible reaction components to produce 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoro-propene (1233zd). Other organic reactant materials include 1,1,3,3-tetrachloropropene (HCO-1230za), 1,3,3,3-tetrachloropropene (HCO-1230zd), and various mixtures with or without 240fa.

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) based chemicals have been widely used in industry in a variety of different applications including as refrigerants, aerosol propellants, blowing agents and solvents, among others. However, certain CFCs are suspected of depleting the Earth's ozone layer. Accordingly, more environmentally friendly substitutes have been introduced as replacements for CFCs. For example, 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (HFC-245fa) is recognized as having favorable physical properties for certain industrial applications, such as foam blowing agents and solvents, and therefore is considered to be a good substitute for the CFCs previously used for these applications. Unfortunately, the use of certain hydrofluorocarbons, including HFC-245fa, in industrial applications is now believed to contribute to the global warming. Accordingly, more environmentally friendly substitutes for hydrofluorocarbons are now being sought.
The compound 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene, also known as HCFO-1233zd or simply 1233zd, is a candidate for replacing HFC-245fa in some applications, including uses as blowing agents and solvents. 1233zd has a Z-isomer and an E-isomer. Due to differences in the physical properties between these two isomers, pure 1233zd(E), pure 1233zd(Z), or certain mixtures of the two isomers may be suitable for particular applications as refrigerants, propellants, blowing agents, solvents, or for other uses.
It is known that 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene can be prepared through the fluorination of 1,1,1,3,3-pentachloropropane (HCC-240fa) in a liquid phase reactor. The uncatalyzed HCC-240fa fluorination using anhydrous HF is slow due to their low solubility and limited contact surface area between HCC-240fa and HF.
Also known are methods to improve the reaction rate and/or to elevate the conversion of HCC-240fa to 1233zd. These include an increase in the agitation speed and/or increase the reaction temperature. However, the increase in agitation speed can increase the contact surface area between two phases only to a certain degree. Thus, the reaction rate or the conversion is limited by the increase in the agitation speed. While it is true that the rate of a reaction is increased with increasing temperature, by-products are accompanied by elevating the solution temperature. Hence, there is a need for means by which the reaction rate can be improved without these detrimental impacts.

Process for the preparation of 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene using a phase transfer catalyst


The signal translating repeater is located in the aircraft and enables a traditional ground-based mobile subscriber station to provide wireless telecommunication services to a subscriber in both the terrestrial (ground-based) and non-terrestrial regions. The signal translating repeater receives frequency translated cell site cellular signals, comprising cellular radio frequency communication signals from a cell site that are in a mode compatible with ground-based cellular communications but shifted in frequency from the standard ground-based cellular radio frequency communication signals to other radio frequencies that are allocated for non-terrestrial cellular communications. The signal translating repeater automatically translates the received frequency translated cell site cellular signals into the ground-based cellular signals, comprising radio frequency communication signals that are in a mode compatible with ground-based cellular communications, used by the ground-based mobile subscriber stations located in the aircraft.

This invention relates to cellular communications and, in particular, to a signal translating repeater that enables a terrestrial (ground-based) mobile subscriber station to provide wireless telecommunication services in both the terrestrial (ground-based) and non-terrestrial regions.
It is a problem in the field of cellular mobile telecommunication services to provide customers with high quality communication services in a unified manner via a wireless communication medium. Existing cellular mobile telecommunication systems serve terrestrial (termed ground-based herein) mobile subscriber stations, but this service was traditionally not extensible to non-terrestrial mobile subscriber stations due to signal interference problems between ground-based and non-terrestrial mobile subscriber stations. The above-noted U.S. Patents disclose a non-terrestrial mobile telecommunication system and a mobile subscriber station operable in such a system, which provides subscribers with cellular mobile telecommunication services in the non-terrestrial region. However, the mobile subscriber stations used in the ground-based cellular mobile telecommunication system and the mobile subscriber stations used in the non-terrestrial cellular mobile telecommunication system are traditionally architected to operate in only their associated cellular mobile telecommunication system.
Thus, the existing mobile subscriber stations are incapable of being used both in ground-based cellular mobile telecommunication systems and non-terrestrial cellular mobile telecommunication systems. Therefore, subscribers must presently use one mobile subscriber station for the ground-based cellular mobile telecommunication system and another mobile subscriber station for the non-terrestrial cellular mobile telecommunication system. Each of these mobile subscriber stations has an assigned telephone number and the communication services provided to the subscriber are therefore disjunction.
The mobile subscriber station described in the above-noted U.S. patent application Ser. No.: 09/379,825, titled Ubiquitous Subscriber Station, provides wireless telecommunication services in both the terrestrial (ground-based) and non-terrestrial regions. This unique mobile subscriber station enables the subscriber to receive wireless cellular mobile telecommunication services in a unified manner in both the terrestrial (ground-based) and non-terrestrial regions.
However, for subscribers equipped with a traditional ground-based mobile subscriber station, there is no provision for receiving cellular communication services in an aircraft.
The above described problems are solved and a technical advance achieved in the field by the signal translating repeater, located in the aircraft, that enables a traditional ground-based mobile subscriber station to provide wireless telecommunication services to a subscriber in both the terrestrial (ground-based) and non-terrestrial regions. The signal translating repeater achieves this by extending the usage of existing ground-based cellular communications to non-terrestrial cellular communications in a manner that avoids the possibility of signal interference between the ground-based mobile subscriber stations and ground-based mobile subscriber stations located in a non-terrestrial location.
In particular, the signal translating repeater is located in the aircraft and receives frequency translated cell site cellular signals, comprising cellular radio frequency communication signals from a cell site that are in a mode compatible with ground-based cellular communications but shifted in frequency from the standard ground-based cellular radio frequency communication signals to other radio frequencies that are allocated for non-terrestrial cellular communications.
The signal translating repeater automatically translates the received frequency translated cell site cellular signals from the radio frequencies that are allocated for non-terrestrial cellular communications into the ground-based cellular signals, comprising radio frequency communication signals that are in a mode compatible with ground-based cellular communications, used by the ground-based mobile subscriber stations located in the aircraft. The subscriber therefore can use their ground-based mobile subscriber station in all locations for uninterrupted wireless communications services, either using one telephone number for all locations, or by having a telephone number that is assigned for ground-based wireless communications services and another telephone number that is assigned for non-terrestrial wireless communications services to assist in the direction of the call completion.
The existing ground-based cell site transmitter/receiver antenna installations can be used to serve non-terrestrial mobile subscriber stations by the addition of non-terrestrial antenna elements and the operation of the non-terrestrial transmitters and receivers at radio frequencies that are not used for ground-based cellular communications. In this manner, non-terrestrial cells can be created in the region of space adjacent to and overlying the existing ground-based cells without the possibility of interaction between the existing ground-based cellular mobile telecommunication system and the non-terrestrial mobile subscriber stations. To the mobile telecommunication switching office, the non-terrestrial cells all operate in harmony with the existing ground-based cell sites with no discernible differentiation among cells or stations, whether ground-based or non-terrestrial in nature. A further optional solution to the interference problem is the manipulation of the control channels in the frequency translated cell site cellular signals such that the cellular signals transmitted between the signal translating repeater in the aircraft and the cell site cannot cause either a ground-based cell site receiver or ground-based mobile subscriber station receiver to receive and interpret these control signals. The designation of a set of control channels within the plurality of available voice channels in the cellular channel space represents the method of bifurcating the volume of space into two disjunct regions: ground-based and non-terrestrial.

Signal translating repeater for enabling a terrestrial mobile subscriber station to be operable in a non-terrestrial environment


A bottle cap is provided that allows for venting of gases generated in a bottle. A single or multiple ridges are formed on the inner surface of the cap top such that the ridges sit on the bottle mouth rim when the cap is threaded onto the bottle. A single or multiple slots may be formed across each of the ridges. Alternatively, a single or multiple grooves may be formed on the inner surface of the cap top. The ridge(s) or groove(s) may also be formed on a disc fitted over the inner surface of the cap top. When the cap is threaded on to the bottle, gases generated in the bottle can escape through the slot(s) formed across the ridge(s) or through the groove(s) formed on the inner surface of the cap top. A liner having an opening formed through its thickness may be placed in the cap. The liner opening allows the passage of gases from the bottle to the slot(s) or groove(s) formed on the cap top or disc.

This invention relates to bottle caps which when screwed on a bottle allow for the venting of gases generated in the bottle.
Shampoos, cold creams and other cosmetics are typically prepared under heat and are poured into plastic containers such as bottles usually while still hot. The plastic bottles containing the hot cosmetic material are capped, trapping the hot gases generated by the hot cosmetics. When capped, a lower or inner surface 10 of the cap top seats against the mouth 12 of the bottle 14 forming a seal (FIG. 1). Consequently, if capped immediately after filling, the gases generated by the hot cosmetics generate a pressure within the bottle. The hot pressurized gases cause the plastic bottle to form flat spots. This condition is commonly referred to as "bottle paneling." Moreover, the increase in pressure within the bottle may cause the bottles to explode creating a hazardous condition. One way to avoid pressure build-up and paneling is to fill the bottles while the cosmetics are cold. When cold, the cosmetics are thick and viscous, thus, having reduced fluidity. Consequently, the filling process is slowed requiring a longer time to fill the bottles.
A typical way of avoiding pressure build-up and paneling is to fill the bottles with the hot cosmetics and wait for a period of time, typically in the order of 24 hours, before capping the bottles. This approach also slows down the filling process adding to production costs.
Another common way of preventing bottle paneling, incorporates a grooved liner fitted into the bottle cap. The liner typically has a surface that has grooves forming a cross-hatched pattern as well as holes penetrating its thickness. The bottom surface of the liner is covered with a gas permeable layer. When fitted into the cap, the grooved surface of the liner is mated to the lower surface of the cap top. When the cap is screwed onto the bottle, the holes provide a path for gas generated within the bottle to travel to the grooves which provide a path to the inner circumference of the cap from where the gas can escape through the space created between the cap rim and the bottle neck to the exterior of the bottle.
Thus, there is a need for a fail safe bottle cap that would allow for venting of gases generated in a bottle so as to allow for the capping of bottles immediately after being filled with hot liquids.


An optical system for coupling a laser radiation source to a circularly symmetric single-mode optical fiber. The laser radiation source produces a beam of light having an elliptical mode field. The input end of a coupling fiber, which has a core that is elliptically-shaped in cross-section, is situated in light receiving relationship with respect to the source. The coupling fiber is oriented with respect to the source such that the mode field of the source is aligned with the coupling fiber core to provide the most efficient coupling of light from the source to the fiber. Means such as an evanescent coupler couples light from the output end of the fiber to the circularly symmetric fiber.

The present invention relates to a coupling element for coupling a source of elliptically-shaped radiation such as a laser diode to a conventional circularly symmetric single-mode optical fiber, and to a method of making such element.
The coupling efficiency between laser diodes and conventional single-mode fibers is affected by the aspect ratio of the radiating area of the diodes. The elliptically shaped laser mode must be transformed into an appropriately sized, circularly symmetric fiber mode.
A circularly symmetric lensed fiber that is situated several microns in front of the laser facet can be employed if the light beam is fairly round, i.e. if its aspect ratio is no greater than 2:1. One such scheme has been reported to provide a coupling efficiency of 90%. However, typical laser diodes are much more elliptical (aspect ratio of about 3.5:1) for which the maximum coupling efficiency to a circularly symmetric lensed fiber is about 65-70%.
A more efficient coupling between a laser diode and a circularly symmetric single-mode fiber has been effected by heating the end of the fiber and then flattening it to provide the desired aspect ratio. Such a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,370,021 and 4,763,975. Because of viscosities of the fiber core and cladding glass during flattening step, core glass emerges from the fiber endface in form of semi-ellipsoidal lens. The shape of a lens that is formed by flattening the end of the fiber is not easily controllable; it is usually too steep to provide the desired focusing properties.
In a modification of the above-described method, the endface of the flattened fiber end portion is presumably ground flat, since a reflecting layer that forms part of the laser is deposited on the end of the fiber core. Thereafter, a lens is added to the fiber endface by applying thick layer of photoresist on the elongated endface which is then exposed via the fiber core and developed. The curvature of the resultant semi-ellipsoidal lens cannot be shaped independently of the aspect ratio.

Optical fiber for coupling to elliptically-shaped source


Consistent the present disclosure, a network or system is provided in which a hub or primary node may communication with a plurality of leaf or secondary nodes. The hub node may operate or have a capacity that may be greater than that of the leaf nodes. Accordingly, relatively inexpensive leaf nodes may be deployed that receive data carrying optical signals from and supply data carrying optical signals to the hub node. One or more connections may couple each leaf node to the hub node, whereby each connection may include one or more spans or segments of optical fibers, optical amplifiers, and optical add/drop multiplexer, for example. Consistent with an aspect of the present disclosure, optical subcarriers may be transmitted over such connections. The subcarriers may be generated by a combination of a laser and a modulator, such that multiple lasers and modulators are not required, and costs may be reduced. In addition, the subcarriers may be employed using multiple access techniques, such as frequency division multiplexing (FDM), code-division multiple access (CDMA), and time-division multiple access so that the primary node can communicate with a relatively large number of secondary nodes. In addition, an out-of-band control channel may be provided to carry OAM information from the primary node to the secondary nodes, as well as from the secondary nodes to the primary nodes.

Optical communication systems are known in which multiple optical signals, each having a corresponding wavelength, and each being modulated to carry a different data stream, are multiplexed onto an optical fiber. In such systems, a laser and a modulator may be used to generate each optical signal. Accordingly, in order to increase the capacity of such systems, additional lasers, modulators and associated circuitry are employed. The cost associated with such systems may therefore increase, as capacity is increased. Accordingly, there is a need for a more cost-effective network requiring fewer components, such as the components described above.
Moreover, conventional optical communication systems may include high speed circuitry and components to generate optical signals at a transmit end of the system. Such signals may carry data at a relatively high data rate. At a receive end, corresponding high-speed circuitry may be provided to detect the incoming data and forward or distribute such data to lower capacity nodes. Accordingly, there is a further need to reduce costs by supplying high capacity signals to less expensive lower capacity nodes without the need for intermediate high-speed circuitry and components at the receive end of the system.
In addition, in conventional optical communication systems, data may be transmitted as a series of frames, each of which including a payload portion including customer or user data, and a header or overhead portion including operation, administration, and maintenance ("OAM") information associated with the system. With increasing network complexity, the amount of such control or OAM information has increased, which may limit the amount of transmitted customer data. Therefore, there is also need to more efficiently transmit the OAM information so that more customer data may be transmitted.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

Code division multiple access optical subcarriers


The present invention relates to a process to pretreat aqueous biological sludge in order to provide combustibles solids to an autogenous combustion system used to thermally oxidize the sludge.

The use of fluidized bed combustors to thermally oxidize various types of municipal and industrial wastes are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,676 to Brown et al. discloses using a fluidized bed for burning log yard waste and U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,889 to Smith discloses using a fluidized bed combustion apparatus for burning heterogeneous solid waste material, particularly materials usually found in municipal waste.
Further, U S. Pat. No. 4,769,157 to Bassler et al. discloses a process for drying sludges using a drying gas produced by the partial oxidation of sludge dried using a fluidized bed. Exhaust gases resulting from the disclosed drying process are used to produce combustible materials necessary to maintain the temperature of the bed. The present invention preferably uses a fluidized bed to dry wet sludge and the dried sludge is combined with wet sludge to give a mixture which supports autogenous combustion in a primary combustion system. The sludge is preferably sprayed onto the top of a fluidized bed under conditions selected to allow recovery of solid transportable dried combustibles which are directed to the primary combustion system for thermal oxidation.


Systems, apparatus and methods for dispersing a coolant along different portions of a supply tube of a cryo-ablation device which may be in the form of a linear ablation device or catheter probe or a balloon catheter. A supply tube includes multiple tubes that are in fluid communication with an inner space of a transmissive region or an inner space of an inflatable balloon. The tubes are coaxially arranged and extend to different lengths or to different locations such that the coolant is dispersed from different tubes at different axial locations. Annular apertures are defined by pairs of tubes and have different sizes. The tubes and arrangement thereof are structured to provide uniform or substantially uniform coolant distribution to provide uniform or substantially uniform cryo-ablation of surrounding tissue.

Cardiac arrhythmias are a significant health problem, and atrial fibrillation is a common type of cardiac arrhythmia. Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm that originates within the atria or the upper two chambers of the heart. The pulmonary veins, in particular, can be sources of disruptive electrical impulses that cause atrial fibrillation.
Medication is one known manner of treating atrial fibrillation and is intended to maintain a normal sinus rate and/or decrease ventricular response rates. It is also known to implant devices such as atrial pacemakers to treat atrial fibrillation. Other known methods and devices have been developed for creating therapeutic lesions in myocardial tissue, e.g., by use of minimally-invasive surgical methods, to block unwanted electrical impulses that are believed to be a source of atrial fibrillation. In this context, ablation has come to mean the deactivation, or removal of function, rather than the actual removal of tissue. A number of energy sources may be used for creating these "blocking" lesions that are preferably transmural and extend across the entire heart wall.
Formation of lesions may be performed using both endocardial and epicardial devices and techniques. Endocardial procedures are performed from within the heart. Since the endocardium primarily controls myocardial functions, there are inherent advantages to generating lesions by applying an energy source to endocardial surfaces. One known manner of applying energy for this purpose is utilizing radio frequency (RF) catheters. Certain known endocardial ablation devices include expandable balloons, which are inflated with a coolant such as nitrous oxide. Examples of known lesion formation devices, including cryogenic balloon devices for use in endocardial ablation, and their operation, are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20060084962, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,261,879; 6,355,029; 6,468,297; 7,081,112 and 7,101,368, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
While known cryo-ablation devices have been used effectively to some degree, they can be improved. In particular, releasing coolant through a central lumen of a supply tube may result in non-uniform coolant distribution within a cooling element or along a surface of a thermally transmissive region of a cyroablation device. More particularly, the concentration of coolant is highest at the outlet of the tube, and while this may be sufficient for purposes of cryo-ablation in a limited surrounding area, there are uneven mass flows and coolant pressures resulting from this configuration that may result in non-uniform distribution of coolant, which may result in non-uniform cooling and cryo-ablation which, in turn, may result in less effective and more time consuming cryo-ablation procedures.
One attempt to address these issues is to utilize a coolant supply tube that includes apertures that are formed through a wall of the supply tube. This allows coolant to be dispersed from multiple locations of a supply tube. However, such configurations may still result in non-uniform coolant distribution.
For example, referring to FIG. 1, a wall 111 of a coolant supply tube 110 that is positioned within a thermally transmissive region 122 of a body or element 125 of a cryo-ablation device 120 may include multiple apertures (five apertures 112a-e are shown) (generally aperture 112) and a central lumen 112f through which coolant 130 flows. The pressure of the coolant 130 that is dispersed through an aperture 112 is highest at the first or most proximal aperture 112a and decreases along the length of the supply tube 110 to a lowest pressure as coolant 130f exits the distal end of the supply tube 110. As a result, in the illustrated example, the pressure (P2) of coolant 130b dispersed through the second aperture 112b is less than the pressure (P1) of coolant 130a dispersed through the first aperture 112a, the pressure (P3) of coolant 130c dispersed through the third aperture 112c is less than the pressure (P2) of coolant 130b dispersed through the second aperture 112b the pressure (P4) of coolant 130d dispersed through the fourth aperture 112d is less than the pressure (P3) of coolant 130c dispersed through the third aperture 112c, the pressure (P5) of coolant 130e dispersed through the fifth aperture 112e is less than the pressure (P4) of coolant 130d dispersed through the fourth aperture 112d, and so on for more coolant 130 dispersed through more distal apertures. Uneven coolant pressure distribution may result in non-uniform fluid mass flows or coolant volumes (V1-V6) and corresponding uneven cooling and tissue ablation along the thermally transmissive region 122.

Systems apparatus and methods for distributing coolant within a cryo-ablation device


A method, information processing system, and computer program product manage virtual workspace migration. A set of information associated with a user is analyzed. A future virtual workspace demand associated with the user is predicted based on the analyzing. At least a portion of at least one virtual workspace associated with the user is migrated from a first location to at least a second location based on the future virtual workspace demand that has been predicted.

Cloud computing and related data center technologies will increasingly offer a low maintenance and transparent method of remotely storing, accessing, and maintaining personal computer workspaces. Examples include software development environments and other project-related workspaces that are either too resource-intensive for or natively incompatible with one's personal computing device, which has quickly grown to include "thin clients" such as smartphones and netbooks. In many cases, users are either explicitly maintaining "multiple" computer workspaces (e.g., one for a coding project, one for a research project, one for media management, etc.) or engage in day-to-day computing activities that can easily be classified under different workspaces. This further increases the attraction of using the cloud model for workspace maintenance since it allows a transparent way of maintaining multiple workspaces without worrying about stressing the resources of the personal machine.
With respect to migrating workspaces across different datacenters, conventional migration methods encounter various challenges. For instance, for users who maintain large resource-intensive workspaces in the cloud, on-demand migration can be an insufficient proposition. The major reason is that workspace migration can take an extensive amount of time depending on the size of the workspace, network link congestion, and physical distance of migration. Also, on-demand migration might not provide the best "global" migration decision for a cloud environment, i.e., a decision that considers workspace migrations of "all" users of the system at any given time. Finally, manually determining what workspace(s) to migrate and where to migrate it (or them) can be rather inconvenient on the part of the user.

Predictive context-based virtual workspace placement

International Business Macines Corporation


A drill chuck key for use with a conventional Jacobs-type drill chuck includes a cylindrical shaft having a bevel gear secured adjacent one end. A knob has a central cylindrical boss receiving an opposite end of the shaft. A roll pin extends through aligned apertures in the boss and the shaft, securing the knob for rotation with the shaft. A circular ring is received with clearance on the shaft, between the bevel gear and the knob. The ring has a diameter less than the bevel gear and the cylindrical boss and greater than the shaft, such that the ring is captured on the shaft. A chain is connected to the ring for securing the drill chuck key to a selected mounting point. This arrangement allows rotation of the chuck key, without release of the securing chain.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drill chuck keys, and more particularly pertains to a drill chuck key for use with the conventional drill chuck of the type known in the industry as a Jacobs-type chuck. A variety of conventional forms of chuck keys have been proposed by the prior art. It is an advantageous safety feature that the chuck key be secured to a stationary mounting surface, to prevent loss of the key, and inadvertent rotation of the drill with the chuck key left in engagement with the drill chuck. Conventional forms of chuck key securing devices have been proposed, but these conventional securing device require release of a securing member from the intended mounting point, prior to rotation of the key. In order to overcome these problems, and to provide a more ergonometrically design and Safer chuck key which allows a larger tightening torque to be easily applied to a drill chuck, the present invention provides an improved drill chuck key.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of drill chuck keys are known in the prior art. A typical example of such a drill chuck keY is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,543, which issued to H. Johnson on Jan. 9, 1979. This patent discloses a drill chuck key having a generally triangular loop stem portion which is received with clearance on the power cord of a portable electric drill. U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,005, which issued to M. Harrington on Jan. 8, 1980, discloses a drill chuck key having an elongated cylindrical shaft including a transverse aperture which receives a transversely extending handle portion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,677, which issued to D. Grifford on Aug. 28, 1984, discloses a combination tool including intersecting cylindrical shafts. Drill chuck keys of various different standard sizes are provided at opposite ends of each of the shafts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,495, which issued to T. Olsen on Dec. 17, 1985, discloses a holder for a drill chuck key for attaching a chuck key to a power cord of a machine tool in a manner that it remains rotatable although not removable from the machine tool. U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,797, which issued to J. Purviance on Jan. 12, 1988, discloses a snap on pad for a drill chuck key having a unitary construction to permit application of a greater torque during tightening and loosening of a drill chuck.
While the above mentioned devices are directed to drill chuck keys, none of these devices disclose a drill chuck key including a cylindrical ring captured between a cylindrical boss of a handle knob in a bevel gear on a chuck key. Additional features of the present invention, not contemplated by the aforesaid prior art devices, include the provision of a generally cylindrical knob having a plurality of circumferentially spaced concave finger depressions, and the provision of a transversely extending elongated bar-shaped handle knob on a drill chuck key having a plurality of concave finger receiving depressions disposed in aligned pairs on opposite sides of the handle bar. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of drill chuck keys, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such drill chuck keys, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.


A method is provided for operating an internal combustion engine (10) that has at least one cylinder row (11a, 11b) with multiple cylinders (12a, 12b). Each cylinder row (11a, 11b) has a first exhaust-gas turbocharger (13a, 13b) and a second exhaust-gas turbocharger (14a, 14b). The method includes providing charge air for the cylinders (12a, 12b) of the internal combustion engine (10) either exclusively by the first exhaust-gas turbocharger (13a, 13b) of the cylinder row (11a, 11b) of the internal combustion engine (10) or by both the first exhaust-gas turbocharger (13a, 13b) of the cylinder row (11a, 11b) of the internal combustion engine (10) and the second exhaust-gas turbocharger (14a, 14b) of the cylinder row (11a, 11b) of the internal combustion engine (10) in a manner dependent on an operating mode demanded by a driver and/or by a controller for the internal combustion engine (10).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine and to a control device for carrying out the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
DE 10 2007 046 655 A1 discloses an internal combustion engine that has a cylinder row of multiple cylinders. Each cylinder of the cylinder row has multiple outlet valves for exhaust gas. More particularly, a first exhaust-gas duct couples first outlet valves of the cylinders of the cylinder row to a first turbine of a first exhaust-gas turbocharger, and a second outlet duct couples second outlet valves to a turbine of a second exhaust-gas turbocharger. A first charge-air line couples a compressor of the first exhaust-gas turbocharger to the cylinders of the cylinder row, and a second charge-air line couples a compressor of the second exhaust-gas turbocharger to the cylinders of the cylinder row. Exhaust gas exiting the cylinders of the internal combustion engine is conducted either exclusively via the first exhaust-gas turbocharger or alternatively via both the first and second exhaust-gas turbochargers. The two exhaust-gas turbochargers are connected in parallel with one another. When the exhaust gas is conducted exclusively via the turbine of the first exhaust-gas turbocharger, the exhaust gas exits the cylinders exclusively via the first outlet valves of said cylinders. By contrast, when the exhaust gas is conducted in parallel via the turbines of both exhaust-gas turbochargers, the exhaust gas can exit the cylinders of the cylinder row via both outlet valves in parallel. Such an internal combustion engine also is referred to as an internal combustion engine with sequential supercharging.
Internal combustion engines with sequential supercharging are known from DE 10 2007 046 655 A1, DE 10 2007 046 656 A1 and DE 10 2008 036 308 B4. However, there is a demand for improving the operation of such an internal combustion engine to utilize the sequential supercharging optimally.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel method for operating an internal combustion engine, and a control device for carrying out the method.

Method and control device for operating an internal combustion engine

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft


A sample processing system comprising: a transporting apparatus for transporting samples to a first loading position, a second loading position, and a third loading position; a first sample processing apparatus capable of being set in a first setting position and a third setting position; a second sample processing apparatus capable of being set in a second setting position; and a controller including a memory under control of a processor, the memory storing instructions enabling the processor to carry out operations comprising: controlling the transporting apparatus so as to transport a sample to the first loading position when the first sample processing apparatus is set in the first setting position; and controlling the transporting apparatus so as to transport a sample to the third loading position when the first sample processing apparatus is set in the third setting position, is disclosed. A sample processing method and a computer program product are also disclosed.

Conventionally, there is a known sample processing system including a plurality of sample processing apparatuses.
JP laid-open patent 2000-028620 and JP laid-open patent 2001-349897 each disclose a multiple-sample analysis system (a sample processing system) that includes: a plurality of analyzers (sample processing apparatuses) that are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other; and rack transporting means (a transporting apparatus) for transporting samples to the plurality of analyzers.
In such a sample processing system that includes a plurality of analyzers, there is a case where maintenance work is performed on side faces, of adjoining analyzers, which are opposed to each other. In such a case, it is necessary to widen a space between the adjoining analyzers in order to obtain sufficient space for the maintenance work. However, the overall size of such a sample processing system is required to be reduced. Accordingly, in some cases, in order to perform maintenance work on one of the side faces, of the adjoining analyzers, which are opposed to each other, moving only an analyzer that is subjected to the maintenance work is not enough to obtain sufficient space for the maintenance work, and the other analyzer which is operating normally and which does not need maintenance at the time also needs to be moved.
However, when it is necessary in the sample processing systems of JP laid-open patent 2000-028620 and JP laid-open patent 2001-349897 to move the normally operating analyzer as described above, there is a necessity to stop the sample processing that is being performed by the normally operating analyzer and then move the analyzer. Thus, it is impossible to continue the sample processing while obtaining sufficient space for the maintenance work.

Sample processing system, sample processing method, and computer program product


A method of operating a fuel reformer includes advancing a first air/fuel mixture having a first air-to-fuel ratio into the fuel reformer. The method further includes determining if a soot purge is to be performed and generating a purge-soot signal in response thereto. Further, a second air/fuel mixture having a second air-to-fuel ratio is advanced into the fuel reformer in response to generation of the purge-soot signal. The second air-to-fuel ratio is greater than the first air-to-fuel ratio in order to burn soot present within the fuel reformer. A fuel reformer system is also disclosed.

Fuel reformers reform hydrocarbon fuel into a reformate gas such as hydrogen-rich gas. In the case of an onboard fuel reformer of a vehicle or a stationary power generator, the reformate gas produced by the fuel reformer may be utilized as fuel or fuel additive in the operation of an internal combustion engine. The reformate gas may also be utilized to regenerate or otherwise condition an emission abatement device associated with an internal combustion engine or as a fuel for a fuel cell.

Apparatus and method for operating a fuel reformer so as to purge soot therefrom


A process comprising regenerating a used ionic liquid catalyst, recovering conjunct polymer from the regenerated catalyst and using at least a portion of the conjunct polymer is disclosed.

Conjunct polymers are common by-products of acid-catalyzed alkylation reactions including the alkylations of isoparaffins, e.g. isobutane and isopentane, with light olefins, e.g. propylene and butenes, to produce high octane and clean burning alkylate gasoline. The term conjunct polymer was first used by Pines and Ipatieff to distinguish these polymeric molecules from typical polymers. Unlike typical polymers which are compounds formed from repeating unites of smaller molecules by controlled or semi-controlled polymerizations, "conjunct polymers" are "pseudo-polymeric" compounds formed asymmetrically from two or more reacting units by concurrent acid-catalyzed transformations including polymerization, alkylation, cyclization, additions, eliminations and hydride transfer reactions. Consequently, the produced "pseudo-polymeric" may include a large number of compounds with varying structures and substitution patterns. The skeletal structures of "conjunct polymers", therefore, range from the very simple linear molecules to very complex multi-feature molecules.
Some examples of the likely polymeric species were reported by Miron et al. (Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 1963) and Pines (Chem. Tech, 1982). Conjunct polymers are also commonly known to those in the refining industry as "red oils" due to their reddish-amber color or "acid-soluble oils" due to their high uptake in the catalyst phase where paraffinic products and hydrocarbons with low olefinicity and low functional groups are usually immiscible in the catalyst phase. In this application, the term "conjunct polymers" also includes ASOs (acid-soluble-oils) red oils and C12+ polyalkylates.
Separating conjunct polymers formed as by-products during HF-catalyzed isoparaffin/olefin alkylation from the catalyst-alkylation products-conjunct polymer mixture has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,746.

Recovery and use of conjunct polymers from ionic liquid catalysts


A drive-on vehicle supporting arrangement for use with a floor anchor system includes a pair of parallel, spaced vehicle supporting treadways, each of which includes vehicle support stands secured to floor anchors to affix the support stand to the floor and clamps to connect to the undercarriage of a vehicle. Removable treadways are positioned between front and rear vehicle support stands. Additionally, a front treadway extends forwardly from the front vehicle support stand and a rear treadway extends rearwardly from the rear vehicle support stand and are supported by treadway support stands. A ramp leads to the rear treadway so that the repairman can drive a vehicle onto the treadway surface, elevate the vehicle, if necessary, by portable jacks and secure the vehicle atop the support stands. Thereafter, the treadways may be removed for clear access to the underside of the vehicle to facilitate repair.

Tie down devices are used for anchoring one end of chain or cable or other such member for securing a vehicle, stand or the like to the floor, whereby the anchored member is restrained from movement. It is imperative that a vehicle must be restrained or held fast in position so that sideward pulls and pushes may be applied to the vehicle to correct damaged frame and body portions. Generally, in body shops, these tie down devices are arranged in a grid pattern in a poured concrete floor and are spaced at proper intervals to allow ready connection to portions of a vehicle desired to be restrained. The tie down devices are normally embedded in the floor by a drill core of approximately four inches in diameter being removed and an anchor pot, or tie down device, being emplaced and secured. One such tie down device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,207, owned by the assignee of the present invention, and includes a wedge member movable through the bore of a body member so as to deform cantilevered segments in a radial pattern beyond a normal outer diameter of the body member to grip the surrounding concrete wall of the bore.
Chains or other such connecting members are attachable to the tie down device because, as shown in the above '207 patent, a top member of the tie down device includes a cross shaped aperture into which a chain may be inserted. Certain car stands may also serve as anchoring devices, provided that they include a means for secure connection to the tie down device. One such stand is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,131, also owned by the assignee hereof and which discloses a stand having a rectangular base, a rectangular pyramidal base with a pinchweld clamp arrangement at the top and an anchor bolt and nut to longitudinally draw the bolt and securely attach the stand to the anchor pot. In order to position a vehicle upon the anchor stand shown in the '131 patent, the vehicle had to be elevated as by floor jacks, with the wheels placed on movable dollies and moved to a position over the floor anchor grid system. Thereafter, the anchor stands of the '131 patent are placed under the vehicle, the pinchweld clamps secured to the vehicle and the anchor bolts connected to the floor pot and tightened.
The present invention provides a drive-on vehicle supporting arrangement which is particularly adapted for economical operation and provides, at low cost to the garage owner, a quick elevation system using removable treadways whereby a vehicle can be driven up ramps onto an elevated treadway, secured atop vehicle support stands whereby the vehicle is restrained from movement and then the treadways removed for freedom of access to the vehicle to facilitate repair.


A bale processor has a bale chamber mounted on a frame and a disintegrator shreds material from a bale and discharges shredded material laterally. A fan receives the shredded material through a fan inlet and blows the material out through a fan discharge. A conveyor receives the shredded material from the disintegrator along an inner side thereof. A side opening extends along an outer side of the conveyor and a side door is movable from a closed position, where the side opening is closed and the conveyor is enclosed and moves the shredded material along the conveyor and into the fan inlet, to an open position where the outer side of the conveyor is open and the conveyor moves the shredded material laterally out through the side opening. An auger conveyor mounted only on an end opposite the fan inlet leaves the fan inlet unobstructed, increasing capacity.

Crop material such as hay, straw and the like is commonly harvested by compacting the material into bales tied with twine. These bales can be small square bales that can be handled by hand, but more commonly now they are large bales that can weigh up to 2000 pounds. These large bales can be rectangular or cylindrical, and when feeding such bales it is common to use a bale processor to shred crop material from the bale with a disintegrator or flail apparatus and then and discharge the shredded material onto the ground or into a feed bunk. Such a bale processor is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,040 to Bussiere et al. and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,683 to Taylor.
It is sometimes desired to cover an area of ground with shredded bale material, for example as a mulch to protect freshly seeded grass, as bedding in feed lot pens, or for like purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 8,066,208 to Bennett discloses a bale processor that includes a fan for receiving shredded bale material and blowing it long distances to provide ground cover. The Bennett machine can also instead discharge shredded material laterally into windrow or feed bunk.
In the Bennett machine, an auger along one side of the bale chamber receives the shredded material and carries it forward to a chamber that has two openings, a first opening faces forward and is open to the fan, and a second faces to the side and is open to the intake of a short conveyor that carries the material laterally into a windrow or feed bunk. In operation one of the openings is closed by placing a panel in the opening, and the other is open, depending on which discharge system is being used.

Bale processor with fan and side discharges