567 results about "Unit operation" patented technology

Systems for converting a carbonaceous feedstock into a plurality of gaseous products are described. The systems include, among other units, two separate gasification reactors to convert a carbonaceous feedstock in the presence of an alkali metal catalyst into the plurality of gaseous products including at least methane. Each of the gasification reactors may be supplied with the feedstock from a single or separate catalyst loading and/or feedstock preparation unit operations. Similarly, the hot gas streams from each gasification reactor may be purified via their combination at a heat exchanger, acid gas removal, or methane removal unit operations. Product purification may comprise trace contaminant removal units, ammonia removal and recovery units, and sour shift units.

Systems to convert a carbonaceous feedstock into a plurality of gaseous products are described. The systems include, among other units, four separate gasification reactors for the gasification of a carbonaceous feedstock in the presence of an alkali metal catalyst into the plurality of gaseous products including at least methane. Each of the gasification reactors may be supplied with the feedstock from a single or separate catalyst loading and/or feedstock preparation unit operations. Similarly, the hot gas streams from each gasification reactor may be purified via their combination at a heat exchanger, acid gas removal, or methane removal unit operations. Product purification may comprise trace contaminant removal units, ammonia removal and recovery units, and sour shift units.

Systems to convert a carbonaceous feedstock into a plurality of gaseous products are described. The systems include, among other units, four separate gasification reactors for the gasification of a carbonaceous feedstock in the presence of an alkali metal catalyst into the plurality of gaseous products including at least methane. Each of the gasification reactors may be supplied with the feedstock from a single or separate catalyst loading and/or feedstock preparation unit operations. Similarly, the hot gas streams from each gasification reactor may be purified via their combination at a heat exchanger, acid gas removal, or methane removal unit operations. Product purification may comprise trace contaminant removal units, ammonia removal and recovery units, and sour shift units.

Systems to convert a carbonaceous feedstock into a plurality of gaseous products are described. The systems include, among other units, three separate gasification reactors for the gasification of a carbonaceous feedstock in the presence of an alkali metal catalyst into the plurality of gaseous products including at least methane. Each of the gasification reactors may be supplied with the feedstock from a single or separate catalyst loading and/or feedstock preparation unit operations. Similarly, the hot gas streams from each gasification reactor may be purified via their combination at a heat exchanger, acid gas removal or methane removal unit operations. Product purification may comprise trace contaminant removal units, ammonia removal and recovery units, and sour shift units.

Mechanically tunable electromagnetic and photonic devices featuring enhanced spectral tunability with minimal mechanical movement are provided. These nano/micro-electromechanically (N/MEMS) tunable elements, including filters and pixels, rely on leaky-mode resonance effects in subwavelength photonic lattices that constitute periodic wavelengths. Such elements can operate in reflection (bandstop) or transmission (bandpass) modes, and can be arranged in one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrays, or operated as single units, and their spectral regions are controlled by the element design. Input electromagnetic radiation illuminates the element and is then filtered, modulated, analyzed or tuned by the element. Mechanical motion alters the structural symmetry, and therefore, the tuning properties, of the nanostructured subwavelength resonance elements. Further, incorporating metals and dielectrics to generate coexisting plasmonic and leaky-mode resonance effects adds to the versatility of the potential applications.

Methods and apparatus are provided for making particles comprising: (a) spraying an emulsion, solution, or suspension, which comprises a solvent and a bulk material (e.g., a pharmaceutical agent), through an atomizer and into a primary drying chamber, having a drying gas flowing therethrough, to form droplets comprising the solvent and bulk material dispersed in the drying gas; (b) evaporating, in the primary drying chamber, at least a portion of the solvent into the drying gas to solidify the droplets and form particles dispersed in drying gas; and (c) flowing the particles and at least a portion of the drying gas through a jet mill to deagglomerate or grind the particles. By coupling spray drying with “in-line” jet milling, a single step process is created from two separate unit operations, and an additional collection step is advantageously eliminated. The one-step, in-line process has further advantages in time and cost of processing.

A machine-vision-based counter includes an image acquisition component (imager), wherein light provides discrimination between a background field and imageable units located away from the imager. The imager outputs data representing the field and units; an image processor receiving imager data finds countable units therein. An operator interface accepts command inputs and presents count output. A controller manages image acquisition, processor, and operator interface functions. A counting method includes configuring an imager to detect light, directing light from a source to units positioned to be detected by the imager, and directing the light to the imager. The method includes discriminating between a background field and imageable units; providing, as an imager output, data representing the field and units; configuring an image processor to receive imager data; configuring the processor to interpret the data as counted units on a background field; and configuring an operator interface to present a count result.

Disclosed is process for the production of (E) 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HCFO-1233zd(E)) by conducting a continuous reaction without the use of a catalyst. Also disclosed is an integrated system for producing hydrofluoro olefins, particularly 1233zd(E). The manufacturing process includes six major unit operations: (1) a fluorination reaction of HCC-240fa (in continuous or semi-batch mode) using HF with simultaneous removal of by-product HCl and the product 1233zd(E); (2) recycle of unreacted HCC-240fa and HF together with under-fluorinated by-products back to (1); (3) separation and purification of by-product HCl; (4) separation of excess HF back to (1); (5) purification of final product, 1233zd(E); and (6) isomerization of by-product 1233zd(Z) to 1233zd(E) to maximize the process yield.

The present invention provides a manufacturing method for polypeptides that are produced in insect cells using a baculoviral expression system. In one example, the insect cell culture is supplemented with a lipid mixture immediately prior to infection (e.g., one hour prior to infection). The polypeptides are isolated from the insect cell culture using a method that employs anion exchange or mixed-mode chromatography early in the purification process. This process step is useful to remove insect-cell derived endoglycanases and proteases and thus reduces the loss of desired polypeptide due to enzymatic degradation. In another example, mixed-mode chromatography is combined with dye-ligand affinity chromatography in a continuous-flow manner to allow for rapid processing of the insect-cell culture liquid and capture of the polypeptide. In yet another example, a polypeptide is isolated from an insect cell culture liquid using a process that combines hollow fiber filtration, mixed-mode chromatography and dye-ligand affinity in a single unit operation producing a polypeptide solution that is essentially free of endoglycanase and proteolytic activities. In a further example, the isolated polypeptides are glycopeptides having an insect specific glycosylation pattern, which are optionally conjugated to a modifying group, such as a polymer (e.g., PEG) using a glycosyltransferase and a modified nucleotide sugar.

The present invention relates to an improved process for the preparation of biodiesel from triglyceride oils through transesterification, particularly the fatty acid methyl ester of oil mechanically expelled from whole seeds of Jatropha curcas, a plant with potential for cultivation on wastelands in India and other countries, all unit operations being carried out at ambient temperature.

The invention provides apparatuses and techniques for controlling flow between a manifold and two or more connecting microchannels. Flow between plural connecting microchannels, that share a common manifold, can be made more uniform by the use of flow straighteners and distributors that equalize flow in connecting channels. Alternatively, flow can be made more uniform by sections of narrowed diameter within the channels. Methods of making apparatus and methods of conducting unit operations in connecting channels are also described.

Automatic control systems, and corresponding processes, for controlling either an anode adjuster in a chlor/alkali cell or at least one average middle temperature of a distillation column wherein the combination of feedback control from at least one real unit operation variable and an embedded real-time dynamic simulation of that variable are used.

Methods using gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry for the rapid, quantitative analysis of proteins or protein function in mixtures of proteins derived from two or more samples in one unit operation are disclosed. In one embodiment the method includes (a) preparing an extract of proteins from each of at least two different samples; (b) providing a set of substantially chemically identical and differentially isotopically labeled protein reagents; (c) reacting the extract of proteins from different samples of step (a) with a different isotopically labeled reagent from the set of step (b) to provide two or more sets of isotopically differentially labeled proteins; (d) mixing each of the two or more sets of isotopically labeled proteins to form a single mixture of isotopically differentially labeled proteins; (e) electrophoresing the mixture of step (d) by an electrophoresing method capable of separating proteins within the mixture; (f) digesting at least a portion of one or more separated proteins of step (e) and (g) detecting the difference in the expression levels of the proteins in the two samples by mass spectrometry based on one or more peptides in the sample of labeled peptides. The analytical method can be used for qualitative and particularly for quantitative analysis of global protein expression profiles in cells and tissues, i.e. the quantitative analysis of proteomes.

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for storing information in a storage device that includes multi-level memory cells. The method involves storing data that is written to the storage device in the LSBs of the multi-level memory cells, and storing audit data in the MSBs of the multi-level memory cells. The audit data can be read separately from the data and used to determine whether or not there has been any unintended drift between states in the multi-level cells. The audit data may be used to correct data when the errors in the data are too numerous to be corrected using error correction code (ECC). The audit data may also be used to monitor the general health of the storage device. The monitoring process may run as a background process on the storage device. The storage device may transition the multi-level memory cells to operate as single-level memory cells.

A wastewater treatment system comprising separation unit operations inhibits or promotes the formation and precipitation of species by controlling the pH of wastewater to be treated entering into the separation unit operations. The separation unit operations include first and second reverse osmosis devices. The first reverse osmosis device treats wastewater having pH that is less than about 3.5 and the second reverse osmosis device treats wastewater, from the first reverse osmosis device, having a pH that is about 6 or higher.

Supercritical conversion of hydrocarbons boiling above 538° C. (1000° F.) with a solvating hydrocarbon at a weight ratio of solvating hydrocarbon to high-boiling hydrocarbons of at least 2:1 and at conditions above the critical temperature and pressure of the high-boiling hydrocarbons-solvent mixture, in the presence of hot fluidized solids. The hydrocarbons are supplied to a reaction zone at a temperature below that of the hot solids supplied thereto, whereby the resulting hydrocarbons-solids suspension has a thermal equilibrium temperature corresponding to the reaction temperature. The conversion has high rates of sulfur, nitrogen and metals removal, nearly complete conversion to lower molecular weight products, high naphtha and distillate selectivity, and low coke formation. The supercritical conversion can replace crude distillation, vacuum distillation, solvent deasphalting, coking, hydrocracking, hydrotreating, and/or fluid catalytic cracking, and/or used in parallel with such unit operations for debottle-necking or increasing capacity.

Provided are an automatic operation system for automating satellite control operation, a method thereof, and an automatic satellite ground control system using the same. The object of the present research is to provide an automatic operation system that can reduce operation manpower and cost by automatically operating an entire satellite ground control system, which requires a plurality of operators to be properly operated, all the times, a method thereof, and an automatic satellite ground control system using the same. The satellite ground control system of the present research includes: a mission timeline receiving unit, an operation procedure editing unit, an operation procedure analyzing and code transforming unit, an operation procedure executing unit, a subsystem process state monitoring unit, and an access managing unit for providing interface with each of the subsystems.

The production of light hydrocarbons consisting of ethylene, propylene, butylenes, and of gasoline is enhanced by introducing a virgin paraffinic naphtha feedstream derived from an external source into an ancillary downflow reactor that utilizes the same catalyst composition as an adjacent FCC unit for cracking the naphtha and withdrawing the desired lighter hydrocarbon reaction product stream from the downflow reactor and regenerating the catalyst in the same regeneration vessel that is used to regenerate the spent catalyst from the FCC unit. The efficiency of the recovery of the desired lighter olefinic hydrocarbons is maximized by limiting the feedstream to the downflow reactor to paraffinic naphtha that can be processed under relatively harsher conditions, while minimizing production of undesired by-products and reducing the formation of coke on the catalyst.

Fluid sensor methods and systems adapted for monitoring and/or controlling distillation operations in fluidic systems, such as batch distillation operations or continuous distillation operations, are disclosed. Preferred embodiments are directed to process monitoring and/or process control for unit operations involving endpoint determination of a distillation, for example, as applied to a liquid-component-switching operation (e.g., a solvent switching operation), a liquid-liquid separation operation, a solute concentration operation, a dispersed-phase concentration operation, among others.

The present disclosure relates to a system comprising an integrated sensor for measurement of permeate flow and permeate conductivity of individual membrane elements while they are in operation in an RO unit. The flow and conductivity measuring integrated sensor is of a small size that enables it to be inserted into the permeate tube of connected membrane elements during RO unit operation. Measured flow and conductivity information is transferred to the recording device through electric wires or through wireless transmission.

The invention discloses a boiler combustion optimizing control system and a boiler combustion optimizing control method. The method comprises the following steps of: on the basis of the equilibrium distribution and transformation for coal powder in a fire coal unit, accurately measuring parameters such as wind, powder, ash and the like by using a measuring device; analyzing a history behaviour of operation by the deep analysis and digging of data by using the acquired real-time history data of a boiler and taking the work condition optimization as a basic optimizing method; establishing mathematical models among operation parameter, status input parameter and parameters such as boiler efficiency, NOx and the like in the combustion process to obtain a unit operation mode knowledge base; performing the whole plant energy-saving and emission-reducing comprehensive assessment and diagnosis; analyzing the unit operation potential; and providing a knowledge base and a rule for optimizing operation; optimizing boiler combustion parameter configuration aiming at different combustion indexes or an index combination to realize the optimization of multiple optimizing objects and propose an energy-saving and emission-reducing implementation scheme and measurement in a classification mode. The method not only can realize closed-loop optimizing control but also can realize on-line optimizing guide.

A system and a process for recovering high concentrations of methane from crude natural gas and solid waste landfill exhaust gas uses a sequential combination of a pressure swing adsorber unit operation to remove volatile organic compounds from the crude feed gas mixture followed by a membrane separation unit operation. The membrane separation uses a membrane which is selectively gas permeable to reject transmission of methane and thus to produce a permeate depleted in methane relative to the feed mixture. The permeate is also free of volatile organic compounds and is recycled to the pressure swing adsorber unit operation to regenerate saturated adsorbers.

The present invention discloses a test handler comprising a main body, a stocker including a user tray supplier and a user tray deliver for loading plurality of user trays carrying the semiconductor device during devices tests, a plurality of test trays, a device loading means for transferring the devices in the user tray of the user tray supplier to the test tray, a first tray inverter changing the horizontal posture of the test tray, a soak chamber preparing a desired test temperature condition, a test chamber accomplishing tests, a de-soak chamber restoring the devices temperature, a second tray inverter inverting to the test tray of a horizontal posture, a device unloading means transferring the semiconductor devices on the test tray. The present invention can double the lot size in unit operation to improve equipment operation ratio. In more, the device loading time and unloading can be reduced so that the number of the devices treated in unit operation can be increased.

A head mount display device including a housing comprising a closed, front side and a back side having an opening, a pair of optic modules arranged horizontally and a head fixing unit configured to fix the housing to a user's head is provided. Each of the optic modules includes a display provided in the housing; a barrel comprising one side arranged in the housing and the other side exposed outside the housing via the opening; a lens fixed to the barrel; a focus adjuster configured to adjust a distance between the barrel and the display; and a horizontal adjusting unit configured to guide horizontal movement of the optic module, and the focus adjuster and the horizontal adjusting unit provided in one of the optic modules is operable independently from the focus adjuster and the horizontal adjusting unit provided in the other optic module.

A novel improved process and apparatus is disclosed for producing low oil potato chip products having less than 30 percent by weight oil based on the total weight of an unseasoned chip. The process requires contacting the chip with a brine solution, frying the chip, and concurrently dehydrating and de-oiling the chip with superheated steam in a single unit operation.

In a display apparatus including a correction unit and a switching transistor, the correction unit operates in a non-light emission period such that a correction voltage for eliminating an effect of a variation in a characteristic of a driving transistor is stored in a storage capacitor. The switching transistor is disposed between one current terminal of the driving transistor and a light emitting element. The switching transistor turns off during the non-light emission period thereby to electrically disconnect the light emitting element from the one current terminal of the driving transistor thereby preventing a leakage current from flowing through the light emitting element during the period in which the correction unit operates, and thus preventing the correction voltage from having an error due to the leakage current.

Multiphasic reactions, especially those reactions using a phase transfer catalyst, are conducted in microchannel apparatus. Advantageously, these reactions can be conducted with two, planar microlayers of reactants in adjacent laminar flow streams. Microchannel apparatus and methods for conducting unit operations such as reactions and separations in microchannel apparatus is also described. Microchannel apparatus can provide advantages for controlling reactions and separating products, solvents or reactants in multiphase reactions.

Portable Battery operated asset mount GPS tracking apparatus, having a processor, GPS receiver and a satellite or cellular modem. Incorporated with a low power consumption RF transceiver, the transceiver is designed to communicate at time interval with a home base station RF transceiver unit, located within the communication range of the GPS tracking unit. When the GPS unit is present within communication range of home base unit, the GPS unit's receiver, satellite or cellular modem power circuitry is in “Off” position. If and when a subject or asset carrying GPS unit, moves out of communication range from home base unit, the GPS unit transceiver circuitry within a predetermined time detects RF communication signal loss, and “Power's On” GPS tracking unit receiver and satellite or cellular modem circuitry. The method provides user automatic asset movement tracking, and conserves GPS unit battery consumption, and provides longer period of portable GPS unit operation.

A workstation that provides an efficient method to collect biological tissues in a column tissue array format from blocks of embedded, frozen tissues, or fresh tissues. The workstation has a control unit for directing operations of the workstation and the operation unit for performing the production of the tissue column array. The operation unit comprises an array of vertical tubes in a platform, an arbor which engages and presses down the designated tube in the array, the embedded tissue block which is mounted directly below the designated tube, assemblies of motors responsive to the control unit for driving the platform and the tissue block, a light source block for generating an alignment signal, and a light detector block which measures the signal from the light source to determine the degree of alignment between the arbor, punch tubes, and the specimen block.

A device control apparatus includes a processor that operates according to software, a storage unit that stores privileged software which manages an interrupt to the processor from a device included in the device control apparatus, an OS storage unit that stores an Operation System for calling the privileged software from the storage unit when an interrupt from the device is detected during an execution of the software, a detecting unit that detects an interrupt to the Operation System from the device while the Operation System is operating on the processor, a judging unit that judges whether the Operation System has called the privileged software from the storage unit in a first predetermined time from detection of the interrupt to the Operation System from the device, and a resetting unit that resets the processor when the judging unit judges that the Operation System has not called the privileged software from the storage unit.