8459results about "Wet separation" patented technology

Peer-to-peer redundant file server system and methods include clients that determine a target storage provider to contact for a particular storage transaction based on a pathname provided by the filesystem and a predetermined scheme such as a hash function applied to a portion of the pathname. Servers use the same scheme to determine where to store relevant file information so that the clients can locate the file information. The target storage provider may store the file itself and/or may store metadata that identifies one or more other storage providers where the file is stored. A file may be replicated in multiple storage providers, and the metadata may include a list of storage providers from which the clients can select (e.g., randomly) in order to access the file.

The present invention provides a water-absorbent resin powder and its production process and use, wherein the water-absorbent resin powder has high liquid permeability and high water absorbency. The production process for a water-absorbent resin powder, according to the present invention, comprises the step of obtaining water-absorbent crosslinked polymer particles by an aqueous solution polymerization step, and grinding the resultant crosslinked polymer particles until the bulk density thereof increases to not lower than 0.72 (g/ml). The water-absorbent resin powder is characterized by being arbitrarily pulverized and having a bulk density of not lower than 0.74 (g/ml) and a water absorption capacity of not lower than 20 (g/g) for 0.9 weight % physiological saline under a load of 0.7 psi (4.83 kPa). In addition, the absorbent structure comprises the above water-absorbent resin powder and a fibrous material. The absorbent article comprises an absorbent layer including the above absorbent structure.

A protocol for protected email transmission using micropayments and a segregated inbox in which protected emails are displayed. The protocol also involves authentication of the sender to defeat phishers and an opt out protocol which can be used to block protected emails from sources from which the user no longer wishes to receive emails even if the source has made a micropayment. Branded email is also taught wherein a sender of protected emails can pay extra to have a miniature version of its brand logo or trademark displayed with its email in the segregated inbox. A white list is maintained on the protected email server (along with the opt out black list) so that recipients can designate specific senders who may send email to that recipient without paying a micropayment and still have the protected email displayed in the segregated inbox.

A compactor feeder and methods for feeding relatively low-density biomass materials into a grinding device (such as a hammer mill) is described. The compactor feeder increases the density of the relatively low-density biomass materials in order to fill the grinding device with the biomass materials at a rate that is sufficient to substantially equal the design capacity of the grinding device.

A method and apparatus for separating a mixture of particles of various sizes in a capillary tube into groups by size using multiple forces of controlled amplitude. Ultrasonic radiation at a first selected frequency is applied to set up a standing pressure wave in the capillary tube, resulting in a first aggregating force which causes particles of all sizes to aggregate at positions within the capillary tube which correspond to nodes or anti-nodes of the standing wave. Transverse vibrations are also applied to the capillary tube. The frequency of the ultrasonic radiation is adjusted to reduce the magnitude of the first aggregating force. Inertial forces resulting from the transverse vibrations then cause the particles to separate by size. The apparatus and method allows a mixture of particles to be separated by size quickly, without requiring the use of high voltages.

A method and apparatus for sorting particles moving through a closed channel system of capillary size comprises a bubble valve for selectively generating a pressure pulse to separate a particle having a predetermined characteristic from a stream of particles. The particle sorting system may further include a buffer for absorbing the pressure pulse. The particle sorting system may include a plurality of closely coupled sorting modules which are combined to further increase the sorting rate. The particle sorting system may comprise a multi-stage sorting device for serially sorting streams of particles, in order to decrease the error rate.

A detecting device for biochemical detections is provided. The detecting device includes a first substrate, a magnetic layer located on the first substrate, an isolation layer located on the magnetic layer, at least a first electrode located on the isolation layer, a first dielectric layer located on the first electrode, a first hydrophobic layer located on the first dielectric layer, a second substrate, at least a second electrode located on the second substrate and having a cathode and an anode, a second dielectric layer located on the second electrode and a second hydrophobic layer located on the second dielectric layer. The first electrode is zigzag-shaped, and the cathode and the anode of the second electrode are comb-shaped and interlaced with each other.

This invention is based on size and mass separation of suspended particles, including biological matter, which are made to flow in a spiral channel. On the spiral sections, the inward directed transverse pressure field from fluid shear competes with the outward directed centrifugal force to allow for separation of particles. At high velocity, centrifugal force dominates and particles move outward. At low velocities, transverse pressure dominates and the particles move inward. The magnitudes of the two opposing forces depend on flow velocity, particle size, radius of curvature of the spiral section, channel dimensions, and viscosity of the fluid. At the end of the spiral channel, a parallel array of outlets collects separated particles. For any particle size, the required channel dimension is determined by estimating the transit time to reach the side-wall. This time is a function of flow velocity, channel width, viscosity, and radius of curvature. Larger particles may reach the channel wall earlier than the smaller particles which need more time to reach the side wall. Thus a spiral channel may be envisioned by placing multiple outlets along the channel. This technique is inherently scalable over a large size range from sub-millimeter down to 1 μm.

A spiral microchannel particle separator includes an inlet for receiving a solution containing particles, at least two outlets, and a microchannel arranged in a plurality of loops. Particles within a solution flowing through the spiral microchannel experience a lift force F_L and a Dean drag force F_D. The spiral radius of curvature R and the hydraulic diameter D_h of the spiral microchannel are such that for a flow rate U of the solution, the lift force F_L and a Dean drag force F_D are approximately equal and act in opposite directions for particles of a first size. The particles of the first size are focused in a single stream located at an equilibrium position near an inner wall of the microchannel. In another embodiment, a straight microchannel particle separator separates particles by modulating shear rates via high aspect ratios that focuses particles of a first size along two first walls.

A method and apparatus for sorting particles moving through a closed channel system of capillary size comprises a bubble valve for selectively generating a pressure pulse to separate a particle having a predetermined characteristic from a stream of particles. The particle sorting system may further include a buffer for absorbing the pressure pulse. The particle sorting system may include a plurality of closely coupled sorting modules which are combined to further increase the sorting rate. The particle sorting system may comprise a multi-stage sorting device for serially sorting streams of particles, in order to decrease the error rate.

An automated system for sorting dissimilar materials, and in particular for sorting plastics from other materials and for sorting different types of plastics from one another comprises, depending upon the embodiment, combinations of a sizing mechanism, a friction separation, an air separator, a magnetic separator, a dielectric sensor sortation bed, shaker screening, a ballistic separator, an inductive sensor sortation system and a float/sink tank. The dielectric sensor sortation system may be either analog or digital, depending upon the particular implementation. One or more float/sink tanks can be used, depending upon the embodiment, each with a media of a different specific gravity. The media may be water, or water plus a compound such as calcium chloride. In addition, multiples of the same general type of module can be used for particular configurations. A heavy media system or a sand float process can be used either alternatively or additionally.

A powder recycling system includes a powder feeder, a remaining powder collector, a bridge breaker, a block powder filter, a cyclone separator, a particulate filter cleaner, an air pressure generation device and an electrostatic precipitator. The powder feeder provides a construction powder to a construction platform. The remaining powder collector for collects the remaining powder. The cyclone separator is used to separate the large-size powdery particles and the small-size powdery particles of the remaining powder from each other through a rotating gaseous stream. The large-size powdery particles fall down to the powder feeder due to gravity, and the small-size powdery particles of the remaining powder is removed from the rotating gaseous stream and transmitted to the particulate filter cleaner. After the small-size powdery particles of the remaining powder are filtered by the particulate filter cleaner, the suspended small-size powdery particles are transmitted to the electrostatic precipitator.

The invention discloses a benefication method for recovering specularite. The method comprises the processes of primary grinding, grading, primary low intensity magnetic separation, and tailings discarding by primary high intensity magnetic separation; rough concentrate pre-classification by the primary low intensity magnetic separation and the primary high intensity magnetic separation, secondary grinding, secondary low intensity magnetic separation to obtain concentrates, secondary high intensity magnetic separation to obtain concentrates; and selective flocculation desliming secondary conducted on high intensity magnetic separation tailings (middlings), and anionic reverse flotation. The method further comprises the step of arranging a cylindrical slag separating sieve before the primary high intensity magnetic separation. With the advantages that the iron concentrate grade and the iron recovery are high, the loss of granular iron minerals is low, the mineral process flow is short, concentrates and tailings can be obtained in advance and the energy consumption of the benefication is low, the invention can be used not only for selecting specularite ores, but also for selecting weakly magnetic iron minerals, such as hematite, goethite, siderite, limonite, and the like.

A device for manipulating particles present in a fluid medium is disclosed. The device comprises a planar substrate, formed with at least one primary microchannel to allow passage of the fluid medium therethrough. The primary microchannel(s) has walls and a base and being in fluid communication with a plurality of secondary microchannels via at least one branching point. The device further comprises one or more ultrasound transmission pairs, positioned at opposite sides of the walls to generate ultrasound waves propagating through the fluid medium, substantially parallel to the planar substrate, such as to form a standing wave within the primary microchannel.

A cyclone separator having an improved efficiency to remove a broader spectrum of contained particles is disclosed. The inner wall of the cyclone separator is configured to continuously impart changes in the acceleration of a fluid as it rotates within the cyclone cavity.

A method has been developed for the post-synthesis separation of nanotubes by size and/or type. Solubilized, functionalized nanotubes are passed over a GPC column such that length-separated fractions are collected. These length-separated fractions can then further be separated by diameter or type. Particularly useful are methods for separating nanotubes into metallic and semiconducting fractions.

A system and method of scheduling tasks, comprising receiving activity and performance data from registers or storage locations maintained by hardware and an operating system; storing calibration coefficients associated with the activity and performance data; computing an energy dissipation rate based on at least the activity and performance data; and scheduling tasks under the operating system based on the computed energy dissipation rate.

The present invention provides a passenger location information system that provides information on the current location of a user during a trip in real time and in a mode suitable for each user. A configuration is provided in which passenger location information, at least including information on the ends (station, stop, etc.) of a transportation line interval in which a portable information terminal is located, is output at a predetermined time on a user terminal 1 such as a mobile phone terminal connectable to a network. In addition, using notification means such as a ringing tone or a vibrator, the user terminal 1 notifies the user, under a condition set by the user in advance, that the user is approaching a destination to prevent the user from riding past a destination due to dozing.

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for the extraction of high molecular weight biopolymers from plants. Specifically, invention described herein relates to the commercial processing of plant material, including that from desert plants native to the southwestern United States and Mexico, such as the guayule plant (Parthenium argentatum), for the extraction of biopolymers, including natural rubbers. More specifically, the invention relates to laboratory to commercial scale extraction of high molecular weight biopolymers from plant materials including the chemical and mechanical processing of the plants and purification of the extracted biopolymer.

A technique using a curved channel of a spiral device to introduce a centrifugal force upon neutrally buoyant particles flowing in a fluid, e.g. water, to facilitate improved separation of such particles from the fluid is provided. As these neutrally buoyant particles flow through the channel, a tubular pinch effect causes the particles to flow in a tubular band. The introduced centrifugal force perturbs the tubular band (e.g. forces the tubular band to flow in a manner offset from a center of the channel), resulting in an asymmetric inertial migration of the band toward the inner wall of the channel. This allows for focusing and compaction of suspended particulates into a narrow band for extraction. The separation principle contemplated herein implements a balance of the centrifugal and fluidic forces to achieve asymmetric inertial equilibrium near the inner sidewall.