Sun Oil Company of Pennsylvania

Suntech, Inc.

Robert Mayer

Stephen M Fromnick

Julius Lerner

Einar T Young

Robert H Livesay

William J Barrow

In order to obtain very close control of the flowrate of a fluid through a conduit against a predetermined desired flowrate, a pulse generator is employed to produce pulses at a frequency representing the desired flowrate, and a flowmeter issues similar pulses representing the actual flowrate. First and second difference pulse streams are digitally derived to represent the difference by which the actual flowrate either exceeds or falls short of the desired flowrate, and these difference pulse streams are applied, respectively, to count down and count up inputs to an up/down counter. The instantaneous count held within the up/down counter is translated to an analog signal by a digital-to-analog converter, and the analog signal is applied to the input of a two-wire transmitter. The two-wire transmitter drives a valve-actuating motor, such as a d-c torquemotor, to correct the valve position as necessary to obtain and maintain the desired flowrate.

Flowrate control means

A control system for automatically controlling the operation of a plurality of fans for a cooling tower so that the minimum number of fans and the lowest speeds are used to provide the required cooling necessary at any one time. The fans are individually controlled in response to the temperature of the working fluid, to be either off or operated at a low or high speed so that as the temperature of the working fluid increases, more fans are turned on first to their low speed and then to their high speed. Safety features are provided for starting the system and for changing the speeds of the fans to prevent damage to the control system and unnecessary wear on the fan motors.

Control system for cooling tower fans

A point selection and display system for monitoring various parameters of a process, which enables the operator to select the particular parameters which are to be monitored and to select the particular display panel on which the value of each parameter is to be indicated. Also included in this system is an identification code system for indicating which parameter is being monitored by the particular display panel. The switching circuit used within this system is designed to permit the use of as many display panels as are necessary and enables the system to monitor as many process parameters as may be desired.

Point selection and display system

A system for transporting parallel digital data in which the parallel digital data is converted to serial digital data, transported as serial digital data, and then reconverted back to parallel digital data. Each parallel digital word to be transported is stepped into a parallel to series shift register which has associated with it a separate digital code to identify the particular digital word. The data in the shift registers is serially stepped out, one shift register at a time, and then transported as serial data to a plurality of series to parallel shift registers. Each series to parallel shift register has associated with it a particular digital code associated with a particular digital word. Each shift register receives the serially transported data, and if the digital code of the shift register matches the digital code of the received word, the data in that particular shift register is stepped out as a parallel digital word.

System for serially transmitting parallel digital data

A test fixture designed to measure selected electrical parameters of a wax which is utilized as a dielectric in telephone transmission lines. The test fixture is mounted on top of and plugged directly into a commercially available Q (quality factor) meter. A high Q coil is also mounted on top of and plugged directly into the Q meter. A T-shaped ground shield plate separates the test fixture from the coil, and also covers the front of both components to shield them from stray capacitance and interference from operator proximity and system configuration.

Test fixture

A system for injecting a predetermined amount of additive fluid into a main stream of fluid which controls the amount of additive injected by a timing circuit. A pump continuously circulates the additive through a circuitous path having a valve which diverts the additive into the main stream. A control system receives signals from a turbine meter in the main stream and opens the valve a predetermined length of time at a frequency depending on the signals received from the turbine meter, thereby maintaining a constant concentration of the additive in the main stream.

Component injection system

A valve operator circuit normally operates to compare the pulse rates of two trains of pulses and to step an associated valve open or closed depending on which of the two pulse rates is the higher. The circuit includes a manually-operated presetting arrangement which, when operated, causes the normal pulses to be inhibited from moving the valve, and causes the valve to move to a desired position.

Valve operator circuit with provision for presetting

In a liquid dispensing apparatus, a train of control pulses are produced at a rate representative of equal fractional parts of a unit volume of the liquid being dispensed, and for each of these control pulses a divider gates to an output circuit a number of pulses (derived from a continuously-operating generator) digitally equal to the price per unit volume of the liquid being dispensed. The gated pulses appearing in said output circuit are counted in continuous fashion by a counter which, during a sustained operation, produces a resultant output pulse at the conclusion of every one thousand pulses fed to its input. These latter output pulses are fed to decade counters which drive the final display devices for exhibit or indication of the total price.

Price calculating and indicating circuit for dispensers

An anti-hunting system for use with a valve operator circuit which compares two trains of pulses to place a valve in the correct position. The anti-hunting system includes a J-K flip-flop circuit receiving a clock pulse train having an absolute time relationship with the input pulse trains. Also included in the valve operator circuit is a system having a shift register for controlling the energizing of the leads to a stepping motor controlling the valve position.

Anti-hunting system for valve operator circuit

Pulses produced by a stream flowmeter, at a repetition rate proportional to the actual flowrate of a liquid, are compared in a counter arrangement with pulses whose repetition rate is the demand flowrate for this liquid. The circuit produces an alarm whenever the difference between the actual flowrate and the demand flowrate is greater than 6%, or 10%. The alarm is inhibited until after 45 seconds subsequent to startup of the blending system for which the said liquid serves as one component.

Pulse rate comparison circuit

A blending-type motor fuel dispensing apparatus operates to blend together, in various proportions, two liquid motor fuels (gasolines) of different octane ratings, to produce various grades of product. The quantity and cost displays, and also the automatic control of the blend during dispensing, are based upon the summation of two sets of pulses, the number of pulses in each set being proportional to the integrated flow rate of a corresponding one of the two fuels. The pulses are counted and multiplied by a price per gallon, which has been previously set for the grade being dispensed, to provide a cost display. A pulse comparison circuit, which compares pulses representative of the flow of one fuel with a percentage (settable for each blend) of the summed pulses, is used to control the proportioning of the two fuels. Selection of a desired product for dispensing (one out of five products, for example) is made by operating an appropriate pushbutton; when this is done, the proportioning control valves are automatically pre-positioned to a setting corresponding to the particular selection that has been made.

Blending-type motor fuel dispensing apparatus

A circuit for detecting flow pulses in a fluid stream includes a thermistor placed in the fluid stream for sensing changes in the flow rate, an R-C filter in circuit with the thermistor for passing pulses having a specified minimum flow rate change, and a square wave generator for producing an output signal when the filter passes a pulse.

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Ardmore, PA, United States of America

Robert Mayer