Oregon State University

Other

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Gunderson, Inc.

Deborah V Pence

Jose N Reyes, Jr

John T Groome

Qiao Wu

Kevin Drost

Bruce D Becker

James Anthony Liburdy

Nathan Phillips

Vinod Narayanan

Jeremy John Siekas

An air flow conduit () and a related plenum () for distributing conditioned air from a refrigeration and heating unit () on an end () of a railroad freight car () into a cargo space () within the car (). A deflector directs a flow of air upward into an inlet end of the plenum () and allows the flow to expand gradually within the plenum, smoothing the flow of air within the plenum so that it continues effectively at sufficient rates over the length of the car ().

Air flow direction in a temperature controlled railroad freight car

Microchannel or fractal plate desorption retains the advantage of high-flux, thin-film desorption without using membranes and allows for lightweight, compact desorbers for either LiBr and water or ammonia and water. Working embodiments of the process comprise providing a droplet desorber, feeding a multicomponent fluid mixture comprising at least a first fluid and a second fluid to the desorber, and performing a desorption process on the mixture using the desorber. The primary fluid mixtures used were ammonia and water, and aqueous lithium bromide. Various working embodiments of desorbers are disclosed, including several desorbers comprising plural, substantially straight, substantially parallel microchannels in an array, and a fractal plate desorber, such as a bifurcating fractal plate. The method also comprises separating a first fluid from a second fluid using a separation process, such as gravity separation, wicking separation, electro hydrodynamic separation, centrifugal separation, cyclone separation, and combinations thereof. Disclosed embodiments of the system useful for performing the desorption process include a desorber; a manifold positioned to deliver a mixture of fluids to the desorber, the mixture comprising a refrigerant; a heater, including thin film deposited heaters, operatively associated with the desorber; and a separator downstream of the desorber for separating a refrigerant vapor from a liquid fraction remaining from the mixture following vaporization of the refrigerant. Such systems also typically include an expansion valve through which the refrigerant flows, where the pressure is reduced and the refrigerant boils at a low temperature, and may include additional optional devices useful for practicing the desorption process, such as pumps, fluid collectors, etc.

Droplet desorption process and system

A syringe device includes a first chamber defined by a cylindrical barrel, a plunger head within the barrel and a hollow needle sealed to an administering end of the barrel but open to an environment outside of the first chamber. A second chamber is defined by the barrel, the plunger head and a seal that seals around a plunger shaft leading to the plunger head and that seals an actuation end of the barrel. A receiving container having a second hollow needle attached and sealed at one end is also attached and sealed to the syringe, to thereby define a receiving chamber in fluid communication with the second chamber of the syringe and, via the second needle, with an environment outside of the receiving chamber. Depressing the plunger will infuse a substance through the first needle while simultaneously withdrawing a substance through the second needle. Reverse action is possible.

Syringe device for simultaneous infusion and withdrawal

Thermal management devices and methods include branching networks comprising flow channels of varying cross-sectional area. The branching networks can be fractal-like in nature with an increase in the total flow area following a flow channel bifurcation. In representative embodiments, the branching networks are defined in a channel pattern that is laminated between cover plates to form a thermal management device. The channel pattern includes bridging portions so that the branching network is defined with a single pattern piece. The branching networks can exhibit radial symmetry or be aligned with respect to one or more axes. Heat exchangers and diffusive mixers that include such networks are also provided.

Multiscale transport apparatus and methods

Growing community of inventors

Corvallis, OR, United States of America

Deborah V Pence