The Texas A&M University System

Other

Precision Machine Products, Inc.

Precision Measurement, Inc.

James C Holste

Kenneth R Hall

Gerald L Morrison

Gerald M Platz

Donald L Parker

Dawid J Duvenhage

A process for the thermocatalytic conversion of waste organic materials (e.g., waste tires) into reusable hydrocarbons is provided. The process entails providing the feedstock and catalyst comprising AlCl to a heated, stirred reactor. An overhead portion of vaporized hydrocarbons as well as vaporized AlCl is initially removed from the reactor via a discharge port. The composition of the removed hydrocarbons will vary depending on which of three modes the process is run: low reactor pressure, partial vacuum, and high pressures. Vaporized AlCl and a certain fraction of the hydrocarbons are subsequently removed via condensation and returned to the reactor. The composition of the condensed hydrocarbon fraction is controlled based on vapor pressure. The remaining vaporized hydrocarbon is recovered for subsequent uses. A reactor discharge portion is also removed from the reactor. This portion may contain unreacted feedstock and catalyst. The reactor discharge portion is provided to a supplemental reactor in which additional vaporized hydrocarbons and additional vaporized AlCl catalyst are produced. The additional vaporized hydrocarbons and additional vaporized AlCl catalyst are removed from the supplemental reactor and provided to a recycle catalyst condenser in which the additional catalyst is condensed while the additional hydrocarbons are maintained in the vapor state. The condensed additional catalyst as well as make-up catalyst are provided to the reactor to maintain appropriate catalyst to feedstock ratios. The additional hydrocarbons are recovered for subsequent uses. Any remaining residuals contained in the supplemental reactor are subjected to solid residue treatment, which includes carbon black recovery.

Resource recovery of waste organic chemicals by thermal catalytic conversion

This invention is related to flow meter instrumentation. More particularly, the invention is related to obstruction flow meters which are used in series in a flow conduit to determine the volume flow rate of liquid and gas phases of fluid flowing within the conduit. Multiple flow meters including at least one obstruction type flow meter are positioned serially within a flow conduit such as a pipe. Mathematical equations are developed for each flow meter based upon measured quantities and phase flow rates within the liquid stream. These equations are then solved simultaneously to obtain the desired phase flow rates. Two flow meters are used to determine the gas and liquid flow rates. Alternately three flow meters are used to determine the flow rates of a gas and two liquid phases.

Multiple-phase flow meter

The focus of this paper is to introduce a novel method for calibrating natural gas flowmeters. This new method can accommodate very large flow rates and it avoids common problems associated with current techniques for meter proving. In this method, the amount of gas accumulated in a vessel of fixed volume is determined by measuring the change in capacitance of the vessel with respect to time. Because the accumulator has a fixed volume the problems inherent with the mechanical motions involved in volumetric provers such as bell provers, piston provers and ball provers are eliminated. Accurate measurements can also be made in larger vessels than would be feasible for gravimetric provers, especially for in situ calibrations. Along with avoiding the fundamental problems associated with current provers, initial studies indicate that accuracies of .+-.0.1% are possible, even for flow rates in large pipelines.

Method and apparatus for in situ calibration of gas flowmeters

A flow impedance device is provided for an obstruction flowmeter for determining the flow rate of a compressible or incompressible fluid in a conduit. The flowmeter preferably includes means for measuring the temperature and pressure of the fluid as well as the pressure differential across the flow impedance device along with further means for computing a flow rate from the measured pressures. The flow impedance device may include a plate having a plurality of elongated openings arranged in a predetermined pattern. The plate is installed generally transverse to fluid flow in the conduit to force the fluid to flow through the plurality of elongated openings.

Slotted orifice flowmeter

A flow impedance device is provided for an obstruction flowmeter for determining the flow rate of a compressible or incompressible fluid in a conduit. The flowmeter has means for measuring the temperature and pressure of the fluid as well as the pressure differential across the flow impedance device, and further means for computing a flow rate from the measured pressures. The flow impedance device includes a plate having a plurality of elongated openings arranged in a predetermined pattern. The plate is installed generally transversely in the conduit to force the fluid to flow through the plurality of elongated openings.

The present invention relates to a method of producing micropores having diameters of less than 20 nanometers in straight sides in silicon film. The silicon film produced by this process may be attached to a substrate material and used as a filter in molecular separation processes.

Method of producing a silicon film with micropores

The flowrate of a compressible gs is determined by measuring the pressure and temperature on each side of a flow impedance device, such as an orifice plate and computing the flowrate from the resulting pressure and temperature differentials according to a newly discovered orifice equation disclosed herein. The flowrate determined in accordance with the invention is more accurate than that calculated by using the standard orifice equation, which ignores the temperature differential. In addition, the calculation is independent of the type of flow impedance used and is not affected by degradation of the impedance device, such as the erosion of the orifice in orifice plates.

Method and apparatus for measuring the flowrate of compressible fluids

An improved proportional gas flow sampler having a combined arrangement of channeled plugs in a main flow line and a sample flow line for obtaining proportionally constant flow samples. The channels in the main line plug have relatively equivalent hydraulic diameters and a substantially greater average cross-sectional area than the channels in the sample line plug. The hydraulic diameter of the sample line plug channels are, however, within an order of magnitude of the hydraulic diameter of the main line plug channels and in certain configurations, relatively equivalent. The pressure drop across the main line and sample line plugs is held constant to impose an equivalent flow impedance, even with proportionally greater flow through the main line plug. In this manner, the arrangement extracts a fixed fraction of the flow into the sample line regardless of overall flow rate. Downstream of the plugs, a control valve is disposed which is responsive to a differential pressure transducer to provide the equal pressure drop as the sample flow is extracted. The sample flow rate typically is a very small percentage of the flow in the main line which, in the present invention, is independent of the relative cross-sectional areas of the channels in the plugs. An advantageously high split is therefore possible in a manner independent of flow rate.

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Bryan, TX, United States of America

James C Holste