Westinghouse Electric Corporation

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Laurence H Cadoff

Robert Tracy Elms

Douglas M Mattox

David B Smith-Magowan

An alkoxide glass former composition has silica-containing constituents present as solid particulates of a particle size of 0.1 to 0.7 micrometers in diameter in a liquid carrier phase substantially free of dissolved silica. The glass former slurry is resistant to coagulation and may contain other glass former metal constituents. The immobilization of nuclear waste employs the described glass former by heating the same to reduce the volume, mixing the same with the waste, and melting the resultant mixture to encapsulate the waste in the resultant glass.

Glass former composition and method for immobilizing nuclear waste using

Compact ballast circuit for operating a low-pressure fluorescent lamp wherein line voltage is from about 120% to about 150% of the lamp operating voltage. The compact ballast comprises a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistance means and a parallel-connected fixed resistor, both connected in series with the ballasted lamp. Room temperature ohmic resistance of the PTC resistor is from about one-third to about twice the ohmic resistance of the fixed value resistor and the ohmic value of the fixed value resistor is sufficiently low that it will pass sufficient current to sustain the lamp discharge. The voltage drop across the combined ballast resistors is at least about 20% of the voltage across the operating lamp. The PTC resistor is selected to display a curve of resistance versus temperature which breaks and rises sharply after a predetermined operating temperature is achieved and the PTC resistor is associated with a heat sink to cause it to operate at about this transition temperature so that the operating PTC resistor has a relatively constant power dissipation within the range of from about one-third to about one-tenth of the rated lamp power consumption. The power regulation of the circuit is excellent under conditions of varying line voltage.

Compact ballast for fluorescent lamp which provides excellent lamp power

Refractory-oxide-based elongated incandescent radiator has a body portion which principally comprises refractory oxide with from about 8 volume percent to 20 volume percent of refractory metal dispersed therein. Such members are normally not sufficiently conducting to enable them to be self-resistance heated to a condition of incandescence. The room-temperature conductivity of such a member is greatly increased by heating the initially sintered member during fabrication thereof to a temperature of at least about 1400.degree. C while simultaneously subjecting the heated member to the influence of an electric field having an intensity of at least about 5 volts/mm. The completely processed members can be self-resistance heated to a condition of incandescence without the use of supplemental heaters. In its preferred form the radiator carries thereon a thin oxide coating, in order to improve the visible-radiation-emission characteristics. These radiators have utility as incandescent elements in light sources.

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Wilkins Township, PA, United States of America

Laurence H Cadoff