The Superior Oil Company

Columbia Scientific Industries Corporation

David H Weinstein

A J Mallett

John R Rhodes

Andrzej H Pradzynski

Joe W Keeney

Monroe Alfred Ashworth, Iii

Gregory M Haas

A photochemical cell is disclosed which includes an anode of titanium, a cathode of platinum, and a suitable electrolyte. The anode has a thin film of titanium dioxide formed on it, and the anode and cathode are suitably configured in the electrolyte which is normally a very basic potassium hydroxide solution. When the anode is exposed to light of wavelength shorter than 415 nm, an emf of about 1 volt is found between the anode and the cathode so that an external current will flow from the cathode to the anode when they are connected. The cell also extracts O.sub.2 from a mixture of O.sub.2 and any other gases present.

Photochemical cell

A method and apparatus for seismic geophysical exploration including a seismic energy source, a control means, a plurality of geophones, and a plurality of geophone monitoring means, all located in a selected survey area. Each geophone monitoring means is positioned in relatively close physical proximity and electrically coupled to one or more of the geophones forming a set of geophones. The control means is utilized to generate electrical signals containing data initiating the operation of the seismic energy source and the plurality of geophone monitoring means. The electrical signals generated by the various geophones in a set responsive to a particular shot of the seismic energy source are received by the associated geophone monitoring means. Apparatus contained within the associated geophone monitoring means samples such geophone signals and produces representative data in digital form. The digitized data is stored in a memory device contained within the geophone monitoring means. When the geophone monitoring means receives electrical signals from the geophones responsive to a subsequent shot of a seismic energy source, these electrical signals are sampled and digitized. The stored data from the previous shot is withdrawn from the memory device and the data representative of the subsequent shot is summed thereto. The summed data is then accessed to the memory device. The procedure is repeated successively until the data representative of a selected number of shots has been summed. The cumulatively summed data is then accessed to a recording device also contained within the geophone monitoring means and a record is made of such summed data.

Method and apparatus for seismic geophysical exploration

Method and apparatus for detection of mercury vapor present in environmental atmosphere for the purpose of detecting the degree of environmental mercury pollution that might be present. Environmental air is passed through a bed of fibrous material such as glass wool, the fibers of which are coated with a noble metal, such as silver, capable of extracting mercury vapor from the environmental air. The bed of fibrous material may be placed within a heating chamber where sufficient heat is applied to drive off the collected mercury and a clean and perhaps inert gasiform fluid, such as clean air, nitrogen, argon, etc. is passed through the heating chamber to serve as a carrier for mercury vapor that is driven off of the bed of fibrous material. The mercury vapor laden carrier gas is then cooled and the mercury vapor present in the gas is collected by passing the gas through a screen of nylon mesh that is also coated with the noble metal. The mercury vapor that is collected by the coated nylon mesh may be analyzed with an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer capable of accurately detecting and measuring the amount of mercury present in the sample. The mercury vapor, after being driven off the bed of fibrous material, may be cooled and transported directly through a gas analyzer, such as a flameless atomic absorption analyzer with a mercury lamp, for ultra-violet absorption using the 2357A mercury line.

Method and apparatus for collection and analysis of mercury in the

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Brookshire, TX, United States of America

David H Weinstein