Fater S.p.a.

Estech USA, LLC

Other

Ess Tech, Inc.

Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation

Ekstrom Industries, Inc.

Power Corporation of America

Michalek Engineering Group, Inc.

Slane Energy, LLC

Jan K Michalek

Theodore Thomas

Marcello Somma

Giorgio Vaccaro

Ufuk Bozkaya

Ebrahim B Shahrodi

Darrell A Robinson

Allen V Pruehs

Robert O Learmont

John T Shincovich

Leong Soon Lee

Ebrahim Shahrodi

Norman C Baldwin

Theodore J Thomas

A process for treating used absorbent sanitary products, comprising the steps of providing a rotary cylindrical autoclave having an inner surface and two ends, at least one of which terminates in a hatch that can be opened to enable access to said autoclave and sealably closed to enable pressurization of said autoclave; loading said autoclave with closed absorbent sanitary products; heating and pressurizing the autoclave to a sterilization temperature and at the same time driving the autoclave in rotation about a longitudinal axis thereof, wherein said step of heating and pressurizing the autoclave envisages a first temperature regime for the products contained in the autoclave and a second temperature regime, higher than the first temperature regime, for said inner surface.

Process for recycling absorbent sanitary products

The present invention is a method and apparatus for controlling the processing solid waste material in a vessel during a processing cycle, including: (1) loading the vessel with a charge of solid waste products, said vessel including: (a) a rotatably mounted cylindrical vessel having an interior surface and two ends, at least one end terminating in a hatch that may be opened to allow access to the interior of said vessel and sealably closed to allow pressurization of said vessel; (b) a vessel steam inlet for injecting steam into at least one of said ends so as to come into contact with waste material placed into said vessel; (c) a thermometer adapted to monitor the processing temperature of the waste material placed into said vessel during an operational cycle; (d) a timer adapted to monitor the processing time of an operational cycle for the waste material placed into said vessel; (e) a microprocessor having processing instructions adapted to calculate the required processing time by integrating the function of the said processing temperature versus the processing time so as to be able to determine whether a predetermined energy input to the waste material has been attained, and to issue a signal in response thereto; and (2) terminating said processing cycle in response to said signal.

Method and apparatus for treating waste involving control of energy input to assure sterilization

A system and method for processing solid waste products includes an autoclave, a combined heat and power generation system and a water treatment system. Water in the solid waste products is vaporized to raise steam, by heating the autoclave. Waste liquids, steam and cellulosic material are removed from the autoclave. The cellulosic material is combusted in the heat and power generation system, which generates steam and electricity, with the steam recycled to the autoclave. The steam and the waste liquids are processed in the water treatment system, with the cleaned water cycled to the heat and power generation system to be converted into steam.

Waste processing apparatus and method featuring power generation, water recycling and water use in steam generation

The present invention includes an apparatus and method for processing solid waste products. The invention features periodic removal of water preferably while the contents are under pressure. The apparatus comprises a rotatably mounted cylindrical vessel having a first end, a second end and an interior surface, at least one end terminating in a hatch that may be opened to allow access to the interior of the vessel and sealably closed to allow pressurization of the vessel; a steam inlet for injecting stem disposed at one or both ends; and one or more valves for exhausting water periodically as the waste mass is being processed.

Waste processing apparatus and method featuring water removal

An apparatus for treating used absorbent sanitary products includes a rotary cylindrical autoclave having a side wall and two ends, at least one of which terminates in a hatch that can be opened to enable access to the autoclave and sealably closed to enable pressurization of the autoclave; a circuit for heating and pressurizing the autoclave for heating the absorbent sanitary products to a sterilization temperature; and a plurality of cutting nozzles supplied by pressurized fluid, which are arranged for directing respective jets of pressurized fluid inside the autoclave.

Apparatus and process for recycling absorbent sanitary products

A process for treating used absorbent sanitary products by providing a rotary cylindrical autoclave having an inner surface and two ends, at least one of which terminates in a hatch that can be opened to enable access to the autoclave and sealably closed to enable pressurization of the autoclave; loading the autoclave with closed absorbent sanitary products; heating to a sterilization temperature and pressurizing the autoclave and at the same time driving the autoclave in rotation about a longitudinal axis thereof; and providing inside the autoclave a load of high-density tearing elements designed to facilitate thermal and physical destructuring of the absorbent sanitary products.

An apparatus for treating used absorbent sanitary products, comprising, a rotary cylindrical autoclave having an inner surface and two ends, at least one of which terminates in a hatch that can be opened to enable access to said autoclave and sealably closed to enable pressurization of said autoclave; and a circuit for heating and pressurizing the autoclave for heating the absorbent sanitary products to a sterilization temperature, wherein said autoclave comprises a sealing layer on said inner surface, designed to prevent adhesion on said inner surface of material coming from destructuring of said absorbent sanitary products.

The invention includes an apparatus, system, waste treatment facility and method of autoclave loading and treatment that involves (a) receiving solid waste at a solid waste treatment facility; (b) compressing the waste into a plurality of compressed bales, the compressed bales bound by a binding material adapted to melt at a temperature at which an autoclave operates or otherwise break upon the operation of the autoclave; (c) loading the compressed bales into an autoclave; and (d) operating the autoclave so as to melt or break the binding material to allow the compressed bales of solid waste to be decompressed and treated in the autoclave.

Solid waste compression loading and waste treatment apparatus and method

The present invention includes an apparatus and method for processing solid waste products. The apparatus comprises a rotatably mounted cylindrical vessel having a first end, a second end and an interior surface, at least one end terminating in a hatch that may be opened to allow access to the interior of the vessel and sealably closed to allow pressurization of the vessel; a steam inlet for injecting stem disposed at one or both ends; a plurality of substantially straight blades protruding from the interior surface of the vessel, and each the blade extending substantially the entire length of the vessel, so as to be capable of transporting waste material from the bottom of the vessel toward the top of the vessel, and releasing the waste material to fall to the bottom of the vessel. The apparatus also includes one or more actuators for moving the vessel between a position wherein the first end is higher than the second end and a position wherein the second end is higher than the first end.

Waste processing apparatus and method

The present invention provides a signalling system for a railroad locomotive, providing the locomotive with the capability to signal its approach to upcoming railroad crossing signals in order for the crossing signals to activate lights, bells or similar warning devices. The present invention includes a global positioning system receiver mounted within the locomotive for the purpose of determining the train location and, therefore, its proximity to the known locations of railroad crossings. The present invention also includes a self-diagnostic mechanism within the crossing signal device capable of performing certain internal checks for proper functioning of the warning devices. Such information, along with a digitally encoded identification of the particular crossing, is relayed to the locomotive as it passes the crossing. Thus, maintenance information concerning every railroad crossing so equipped is automatically collected on the locomotive-based system for frequent interrogation at service locations, and subsequent crossing-specific maintenance. Also included in the present invention is the capability to signal the approach of a locomotive directly to specially equipped motor vehicles. Further embodiments of the present invention include the capability for a locomotive to signal its position to other locomotives for purposes of collision avoidance.

Railway train signalling system for remotely operating warning devices

Instantaneous current and voltage values are digitized at each of a plurality of electrical utility customer sites and integrated by a processor to calculate electrical power consumed at each customer site. A communication interface couples the processor at each customer site to a central processor in a central utility site to communicate the power consumed values of each customer site to the central utility site. In a preferred embodiment, the automatic meter reader apparatus is mounted in an electrical watthour meter socket adapter which plugs into a watthour meter socket at each customer site. Telephone modem circuitry mounted in the socket adapter connects to telephone lines to communicate calculated power values from each customer site to the central utility site.

Remote automatic meter reading apparatus

The present invention involves measurement of an electrical current by means of a current transformer having the current to be measured passing in an axial direction through the current transformer, and the voltage induced thereby in the windings of the current transformer are used to produce a first voltage. A Hall effect is used in series with the current transformer to produce a second voltage measurement corresponding to the current measured by the Hall effect sensor. When the two measurements agree to within a predetermined value (typically 5% of the root-mean-square current values measured by each sensor) then the current transformer reading is used as the more accurate. Otherwise, the Hall effect current sensor is used as the more accurate current measurement.

Method and apparatus for measurement of AC and DC electrical current

A solid state, bipolar, ignition exciter for gas turbine engines is described for delivering high energy pulses to one or more igniter plugs. A storage capacitor is charged with typically 12 to 20 Joules of stored energy and discharged through a solid state switch and a series-connected ignitor plug. The solid state switch consists of a plurality of silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs) connected in series, in combination with other components connected in parallel with each SCR. Protection is provided against transients in voltage by means of resistance-capacitance snubber circuits connected in parallel with each SCR. Protection is provided against transients in current by means of inductance connected externally, and in series with, the solid state switch. Protection is provided against damage from reverse voltages by means of a reverse current path through the solid state switch, typically by means of a diode or series-connected diode chain connected in parallel with the SCRs. Thus, the solid state switch of the present invention conducts current alternately in forward and reverse directions once the SCRs are switched to their conducting state, providing bipolar current flow to the igniter plug. Controlling means and short circuit protection circuits are also described.

Apparatus for providing ignition to a gas turbine engine and method of

A method and apparatus for collecting mineral fibers comprises a moving surface for receiving a flow of fibers, sensing means for sensing the speed of said moving surface, control means for generating a signal in response to the sensed speed of the moving surface, and means for intermittently directing gases into the flow of mineral fibers in response to the signal.

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Pataskala, OH, United States of America

Jan K Michalek