57149 results about "Environmental engineering" patented technology

Irrigation and drainage systems are disclosed, including a saturated zone and at least one pipe in communication with the saturated zone. The pipe(s) can be configured to comprise a tubarc porous microstructure for conducting water from the saturated zone to an unsaturated zone in order to drain the water from the saturated zone. The water can be delivered from the saturated zone to the unsaturated zone through the tubarc porous microstructure, thereby permitting the water to be harnessed for irrigation or drainage through the hydrodynamic movement of the water from one zone of saturation or unsaturation to another.

Methods and systems are disclosed for controlling energy consumption at a facility, or a group of facilities, using current and future energy prices, and seasonal and environmental information to control a load shedding scheme.

Certain embodiments and aspects of the present invention relate to photobioreactor apparatus (100) designed to contain a liquid medium (108) comprising at least one species of photosynthetic organism therein, and to methods of using the photobioreactor apparatus (100) as part of a gas-treatment process and system able to at least partially remove certain undesirable pollutants from a gas stream (608). In certain embodiments, the disclosed photobioreactor apparatus (100 can be utilized as part of an integrated combustion method and system, wherein photosynthetic organisms utilized within the photobioreactor (100) at least partially remove certain pollutant compounds contained within combustion gases, e.g. CO₂ and/or NO_X, and are subsequently harvested from the photobioreactor (100), processed, and utilized as a fuel source for a combustion device (e.g. an electric power plant generator and/or incinerator).

A method for promoting recycling from a fund established with revenue generated from the sale of environmental and/or power generation attributes by an entity producing renewable energy. The method comprises providing a point system by which a recycling consumer is credited for recycled materials collected. Further, the method provides for a reward system for redemption of points accumulated by the recycling consumer, the reward system including redeemable fund certificates drawn against the fund. The method further includes collecting recyclable materials from the recycling consumer and crediting an account in the name of the recycling consumer based on the quantity and/or quality of the recyclable material collected. Then the method provides for awarding fund certificates to the recycling consumer upon the accumulation of a sufficient point level.

Methods of diverting treating fluids in subterranean zones penetrated by well bores are provided. The methods basically comprise the following steps. A degradable particulate diverting material is placed in a subterranean zone that contains releasable water. A treating fluid is then introduced into the subterranean zone which is diverted by the degradable particulate diverting material therein. Thereafter, the degradable particulate diverting material is allowed to at least partially degrade in the presence of the released water in the subterranean zone.

A process for recovering CO₂ from a feed gas stream comprises treating the feed gas stream with a regenerated absorbent comprising at least one tertiary amine absorbent having a pK_a for the amino function of from about 6.5 to about 9 in the presence of an oxidation inhibitor to obtain a CO₂ rich stream and subsequently treating the CO₂ rich stream to obtain the regenerated absorbent and a CO₂ rich product stream. The feed gas stream may also include SO₂ and/or NO_x.

A water injection amount control system for a fuel and water injection engine, comprises running state detecting unit for detecting the running state of the engine; an EGR system for recirculating part of exhaust gas of the engine to a combustion chamber of the engine; EGR system operating state detecting unit for detecting or estimating the operating state of the EGR system; water injection amount regulating unit for regulating an amount of water to be injected to the combustion chamber of the engine; and control unit for controlling the operation of the water injection amount regulating unit: wherein the system is arranged to have water injection amount setting unit for deciding a water injection amount based on information from the running state detecting unit and on the operating state of the EGR system detected by the EGR system operating state detecting unit, so that the control unit controls the operation of the water injection amount regulating unit based on the water injection amount decided by the water injection amount setting unit.

A low-temperature gasification system comprising a horizontally oriented gasifier is provided that optimizes the extraction of gaseous molecules from carbonaceous feedstock while minimizing waste heat. The system comprises a plurality of integrated subsystems that work together to convert municipal solid waste (MSW) into electricity. The subsystems comprised by the low-temperature gasification system are: a Municipal Solid Waste Handling System; a Plastics Handling System; a Horizontally Oriented Gasifier with Lateral Transfer Units System; a Gas Reformulating System; a Heat Recycling System; a Gas Conditioning System; a Residue Conditioning System; a Gas Homogenization System and a Control System.

One concept of the inventors relates to a system and method in which a particulate filter comprises at least about 40% by weight of an NOx adsorbant. The filter can be used as both an NOx trap and a particulate filter. By constructing the filter elements using a substantial amount of NOx adsorbant, a large volume of NOx adsorbant can be incorporated into the particulate filter, which substantially reduces the volume and expense of an exhaust system that includes both a catalytic diesel particulate filter and an NOx trap having a large quantity of NOx adsorbant. In a preferred embodiment, the filter also oxidizes NO to NO₂. In another preferred embodiment, an SCR catalyst is position downstream of the filter elements.

An exhaust aftertreatment system comprises an injector for injecting urea water into an exhaust duct, and a denitration catalyst disposed downstream of the injector with respect to a flow of exhaust gas. The exhaust aftertreatment system reduces nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas by the denitration catalyst while using ammonia produced from the urea water injected from the injector. The urea water is injected along a direction of the flow of the exhaust gas within the exhaust duct, and a porous plate is disposed in multiple stages in a space of the exhaust duct such that droplets of the injected urea water impinge against the porous plate before reaching a wall surface of the exhaust duct. A surface of the porous plate subjected to the impingement of the droplets is arranged to face downstream with respect to the flow of the exhaust gas. Deposition of the urea water is prevented by causing film boiling when the droplets impinge against the porous plate, and the urea water reflected by the porous plate is uniformly dispersed into the exhaust gas. Thus, the urea water is uniformly dispersed into the exhaust gas without increasing a pressure loss of the exhaust gas. The urea water is prevented from depositing on the wall surface and producing a precipitate in the form of a solid.

A method and system for controlling an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system is provided. The EGR system recirculates a portion of an exhaust through an inlet portion of the turbomachine. The EGR system reduces the level of harmful constituents within the exhaust before the recirculation occurs.

The invention provides an industrial treatment method for oil field waste. The industrial treatment method for oil field waste comprises the following steps: carrying out sampling analysis on the oil field waste, preheating to 80-300 DEG C by using high-temperature steam or conduction oil, then carrying out microwave pyrolysis treatment, controlling pressure at minus 5000 to minus 100 Pa, thus obtaining solid treatment substances and gas, condensing, separating and purifying the gas, and finally recycling so as to obtain water, oil and non-condensable gas. An industrial treatment device for oil field waste comprises a feed hopper, a dryer, a microwave heating cavity, a microwave generator, a heating device and a condensation separation purification device, wherein the feed hopper is connected to the dryer which is connected to the microwave heating cavity, a steam or conduction oil outlet of the heating device is connected to a steam or conduction oil outlet of the dryer; gas outlets of the dryer and the microwave heating cavity are connected to the condensation separation purification device; the microwave generator is connected to the microwave heating cavity. The industrial treatment method and the industrial treatment device have good treatment effects, high utilization rate of energy sources and good economical efficiency.

The present disclosure presents methods, systems, and assemblies for the near real-time remote monitoring of aquatic environments, particularly domestic aquatic environments such as aquariums and backyard ponds, using remotely located computer communication systems and control assemblies and software connected by a standard Internet connection and capable of bilateral transfer and interpretation of status files. Also presented herein are business processes of remotely managing, monitoring, and/or controlling the environmental parameters of aquatic environments using electronic control systems installed in the aquarium in combination with a remotely located control system, wherein the two systems are in communication through an Internet connection.

A portion of the exhaust generated by a turbomachine is recirculated through an inlet portion by an exhaust gas recirculation system. The system reduces the level of harmful constituents within the exhaust before the exhaust is recirculated.

The invention relates to a household cooking appliance (1) comprising food-receiver (2) for receiving loose pieces of food (100), and heater means including generator means (3) for generating a flow of air (4), said household appliance being characterized in that the generator means (3) for generating the flow of air (4) include an air outlet (5) and an air inlet (6), the appliance (1) further comprising a screen (7) arranged relative to the air outlet (5) and to the air inlet (6) so that it forces the flow of air (4) to go around the screen (7) in order to reach the air inlet (6) from the food-receiver (2). Cooking appliances of the deep fryer type.

The invention provides a method for monitoring hydrology and water quality of a river basin under influence of water projects based on Internet of Things. According to the method, various fixed and flowing sensors are additionally mounted so as to obtain real-time hydrology and water quality data of important water areas, in combination with a video technology, monitoring on a spot environment is achieved, the monitoring information is transmitted through the Internet of Things, intelligent prediction for hydrology and water quality of the river basin is carried out through a neural network, and finally, critical applications, such as current situation assessment, tendency estimation, implementation effect estimation and extreme event handling, are achieved through an expert system. The method provided by the invention can provide real-time, reliable and complete hydrology and water quality information for the river basin under influence of water projects, and can achieve cross-regional and multi-machine type integrated remote protection for the river basin.

Certain embodiments and aspects of the present invention relate to a photobioreactor including photobioreactor units through which a liquid medium stream and a gas stream flow. The photobioreactor units are floated on a body of water such as a pond or a lake. The liquid medium comprises at least one species of phototrophic organism therein. Certain methods of using the photobioreactor system as part of fuel generation system and/or a gas-treatment process or system at least partially remove certain undesirable pollutants from a gas stream. In certain embodiments, the photobioreactor units are formed of flexible, deformable material and are configured to provide a substantially constant thickness of liquid medium. In certain embodiments, a barrier between the photobioreactor unit and the body of water upon which the unit is floated facilitates thermal communication between the liquid medium and the body of water.

An engine, an exhaust system, and a method for reducing NOx in an exhaust stream are provided. The system comprises a first SCR catalyst, a second SCR catalyst, and a particulate filter positioned between the first and second SCR catalyst. The engine comprises an intake air system, at least one combustion chamber, and an exhaust system comprising a first SCR catalyst positioned upstream of a particulate filter and a second SCR catalyst positioned downstream of the particulate filter. The method comprises the steps of passing the exhaust through a low-temperature SCR catalyst, passing the exhaust through a particulate filter, and passing the exhaust through a high-temperature SCR catalyst.

A method and apparatus to reduce the emissions of an exhaust stream is provided. One feature of the present invention includes a control unit for metering a reagent into the exhaust stream. The control unit adjusts a quantity of the reagent to be metered into the exhaust stream. One embodiment of the present invention concerns a method of removing nitrogen oxides in exhaust gases from a diesel engine by introducing ammonia into the exhaust stream. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

An exhaust passage (2) of a diesel engine (1) is provided with a filter (41) for trapping particulate matter. Regeneration of the filter (41) is divided into first to third phases. In the first phase the filter temperature is raised to the combustion temperature of the particulate matter in a short period of time through control of the exhaust gas temperature. In the second phase, the oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas is held at a predetermined low level while the filter temperature is maintained so as to prevent excessive combustion of particulate matter. In the third phase, wherein the amount of trapped particulate matter has been reduced, the oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas is held at a predetermined high level while the filter temperature is maintained so as to complete the combustion of the trapped particulate matter.

An engine exhaust gas cleaning method and system, which can effectively reduce emission amounts of particular components, such as NOx, contained in exhaust gas by adding an additive, such as urea water or light oil, into an exhaust passage, which is adaptable for a reduction of the cleaning rate caused by deterioration of a catalyst, which can always maintain a high cleaning rate during acceleration and deceleration as well, and which can minimize environmental pollution with use of the additive in the least necessary amount. The engine exhaust gas cleaning system comprises a catalyst for removing a particular component, represented by NOx, contained in exhaust gas of an engine, an additive adding unit for adding, to the exhaust gas, an additive for reducing the particular component represented by NOx, and an EGR amount adjusting unit for adjusting an EGR amount. An addition amount of the additive and the EGR amount are set depending on an operating state and deterioration of the catalyst with time. The catalyst is regenerated when a cleaning capability of the catalyst has reduced to a predetermined value or below.

An apparatus for purifying water, such as for desalinization, includes a source of a heated air stream, the heated air stream having a temperature above an ambient temperature. A diffusion tower having high surface area material therein receives a water stream including at least one impurity and creates at least one region having thin films of water therein from the water stream. The heated air stream is directed over the thin films of water to create a humidified air stream that is at least substantially saturated. At least one direct contact condenser is in fluid communication with the humidified air stream for condensing the humidified air stream, thus producing purified water. A power plant can include the apparatus for purifying water, where energy to heat the air stream is provided by low pressure condensing steam.

An exhaust emission purifying apparatus has a NOx reduction catalytic converter in an exhaust passage of an engine, for purifying nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas by reduction with urea aqueous solution; an injection nozzle injecting the urea solution toward an exhaust upstream side of the converter in the exhaust passage; and fins disposed on an exhaust upstream side of an injection position of the urea solution in the injection nozzle, for generating a spiral swirling flow of the gas swirling about a center corresponding to the central axis of an exhaust pipe. The swirling flow generated in the exhaust gas prior to the injection-supply of the urea aqueous solution promotes mixing of the solution with the gas to thereby promote the hydrolysis of the urea solution. And the exhaust gas and ammonia generated from the urea solution are uniformly mixed together.

A filter element for reducing or eliminating the harmful vapor phase components of air or smoke. The filter element includes a first section and a second section. The first section is positioned relative to and in fluid communication with the second section and contains an activated carbon fabric. The second section contains a mixture of catalytic activated carbon and coconut activated carbon.

A diesel engine exhaust treatment system and method is provided which includes a platinum group metal trapping device positioned between a diesel oxidation catalyst and an SCR catalyst. The platinum group metal trapping device traps trace amounts of platinum group metals which may be released from the diesel oxidation catalyst during engine operation and prevents them from accumulating on the SCR catalyst, preventing potential contamination of the SCR catalyst as well as ensuring that the performance of the SCR catalyst is uninhibited.

A system and process to provide integrated control for the pyrolytic composition of organic (biomass) waste products especially for municipal solid waste systems. The system includes integrated control that monitors biomass waste stream throughout the entire system and the products produced therefrom and includes presorting, controlling the amount of material processed in a continuous manner, shredding, removing moisture in a continuous process that is controlled and providing the waste stream to the distillation unit for pyrolytic action where it is converted into gaseous fuel and a char residue. The gaseous fuel is scrubbed clean and monitored and stored and reused to provide heat to the system. The entire system may be self-sustaining and continuous with very little or no human intervention. An integrated real time computer control system includes sensors and measuring devices with all the major components to ensure integrated efficiency.

A self-adhering air and moisture barrier sheet membrane for structural surfaces of buildings, which is permeable to the passage of water vapor, is comprised of a water vapor permeable sheet onto one surface of which is applied an adhesive in a non-continuous film.

A system for delivering a chemical agent in the form of a spray or foam, which in a preferred embodiment involves the use of an aerosol dispenser to deliver a formulation containing both an anionic surface active agent such as sodium lauryl sulfate as a foaming agent and a chemical agent such as either hydrogen peroxide as a disinfecting chemical agent or natural sea water.

A reactor has an aerobic tank, an anoxic tank and a sealed membrane tank with conduits for circulating mixed liquor between them. Permeation starts when the mixed liquor reaches a high level and stops when the mixed liquor reaches a low level. A sensor, for detecting the mixed liquor level, may stop and start permeation. Pressure builds in the membrane tank when membrane air is on. Transmembrane pressure is also provided by gravity flow or siphon. Membrane air generates an air lift which drives the mixed liquor circulation. The total amount of air provided by an air source is divided and varied in time between the membrane aerator and the process aerator. The process aerator acts as a screening inlet to the conduit to the membrane tank. Chemical maintenance cleaning is provided by gravity flow.

A method of treating a treatment zone in a well to reduce the permeability of the treatment zone including the steps of: introducing into the treatment zone a water-based treatment fluid comprising: an aqueous silica sol; and a water-soluble chemical activator for gelling the silica sol, wherein the chemical activator is selected from the group consisting of: phytic acid, methylglycinediacetic acid, a water-soluble polyepoxysuccinic acid, salicylic acid, ascorbic acid, tannic acid, and an alkali metal salt or ammonium salt of any of the foregoing; and shutting in treatment zone for at least a sufficient time to allow the treatment fluid to in-situ form a solid gel at a design temperature for the method. Alternatively, a first treatment fluid including the aqueous silica sol and a second treatment fluid including the chemical activator can be introduced into the treatment zone separately, in any order.