Southwest Research Institute

Other

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Gas Research Institute

Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Government of the United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Commerce

Geooptics, Inc.

Thomas E Owen

Edgar C Schroeder

David L Davidson

Wendell R Peters

Michael A Miller

Merle E Converse

Thomas B Morrow

Jorge Octavio Parra

Eric Kelner

Andrew Nagy

Sidney A Suhler

John B Campbell

Stephen Thomas Wellinghoff

James Minto

Glenn T Darilek

Donald H Heihn

Donald J Shirley

Bob M Duff

Ali Minachi

Steven Petullo

Edward L Bryan

Pontie J Pantermuehl

Martin H Sorrells

Marion Burzynski, Jr

James C Biard

Kathryn B Glass

A cotton gin for use in a pneumatic cotton harvesting machine. The gin is located in the harvester downstream of the pneumatic picking heads. The gin receives seed bearing cotton balls on a front side of a fiber separation plate. Co-acting and oppositely rotating toothed fiber separation blades protrude through the separation plate and incrementally tear the cotton fiber free from the cotton ball leaving behind the seeds. The separated cotton fiber is, thereafter, drawn from the back or downstream side of the separation plate to a dust collector and then bailed in a dry condition in the harvester in the field. The separated seeds remain in the gin and fall downwardly, via gravity toward and into a seed collecting bin.

Cotton gin for pneumatic cotton harvesting machine

A vibration sensor system for contacting the surface of a solid medium for detecting horizontally polarized shear waves and compressional waves. At least two contact points interface between a vibration sensor array and the solid medium to provide uninterrupted contact with the medium during detection of dynamic motions in the medium. A single vibration sensor is mounted on at least two adjacent contact points to convert detected dynamic motions to corresponding electrical signals. The single vibration sensor mounted on the two adjacent contact points forms a sub-array. The vibration sensor system has at least two sub-arrays. A conditioning and combining member treats sensor electrical signals from at least two sub-arrays to form a composite output signal for the system.

Directional seismic sensor array

A cotton picking machine comprises a chassis for moving the machine in a traveling direction, a vacuum pump provided to create a predetermined vacuum and a cotton picking unit including a cotton picking head supported by the chassis. The cotton picking head includes upper and lower vacuum compartments both in fluid communication with the vacuum pump and connecting tubes vertically extending between the upper and lower vacuum compartments and movable along a predetermined endless path so as to be in sliding contact with the upper and lower vacuum compartments at the corresponding distal ends thereof. Each of the connecting tubes includes a set of hollow picking fingers radially outwardly extending therefrom. The predetermined endless path includes an extracting zone and an inoperative zone. The connecting tubes fluidly connect the upper and lower vacuum compartments only when the connecting tubes pass the extracting zone of the predetermined endless path.

Pneumatic cotton harvesting machine

A vibration source () includes an armature bar () having a major length dimension, and a driver (A) positioned about the armature bar. The driver (A) is movably coupled to the armature bar (), and includes an electromagnet (). During operation the electromagnet () is activated such that the driver (A) moves with respect to the armature bar () and a vibratory signal is generated in the armature bar. A described method for generating a vibratory signal in an object includes positioning the vibration source () in an opening of the object, coupling the armature bar () to a surface of the object within the opening, and activating the electromagnet () of the driver (A) such that the driver moves with respect to the armature bar () and a vibratory signal is generated in the armature bar and the object.

Seismic wave generation systems and methods for cased wells

A method of determining the amount of nitrogen in a gas mixture. The constituent gases of the mixture are dissociated and transformed to create a substance that may measured using nondispersive infrared adsorption techniques.

Measurement of nitrogen content in a gas mixture by transforming the nitrogen into a substance detectable with nondispersive infrared detection

A gas energy meter that acquires the data and performs the processing for an inferential determination of one or more gas properties, such as heating value, molecular weight, or density. The meter has a sensor module that acquires temperature, pressure, CO2, and speed of sound data. Data is acquired at two different states of the gas, which eliminates the need to determine the concentration of nitrogen in the gas. A processing module receives this data and uses it to perform a 'two-state' inferential algorithm.

Gas energy meter for inferential determination of thermophysical properties of a gas mixture at multiple states of the gas

A method, used in connection with a pulse-echo type sensor for determining the speed of sound in a gas, for improving the accuracy of speed of sound measurements. The sensor operates on the principle that speed of sound can be derived from the difference between the two-way travel time of signals reflected from two different target faces of the sensor. This time difference is derived by computing the cross correlation between the two reflections. The cross correlation function may be fitted to a parabola whose vertex represents the optimum time coordinate of the coherence peak, thereby providing an accurate measure of the two-way time diffference.

Processing data, for improved, accuracy, from device for measuring speed of sound in a gas

A method of indirectly measuring the diluent (nitrogen and carbon dioxide) concentrations in a natural gas mixture. The molecular weight of the gas is modeled as a function of the speed of sound in the gas, the diluent concentrations in the gas, and constant values, resulting in a model equation. A set of reference gas mixtures with known molecular weights and diluent concentrations is used to calculate the constant values. For the gas in question, if the speed of sound in the gas is measured at three states, the three resulting expressions of molecular weight can be solved for the nitrogen and carbon dioxide concentrations in the gas mixture.

Indirect measurement of diluents in a multi-component natural gas

A gas sensor, whose chamber uses filters and choppers in either a semicircular geometry or annular geometry, and incorporates separate infrared radiation filters and optical choppers. This configuration facilitates the use of a single infrared radiation source and a single detector for infrared measurements at two wavelengths, such that measurement errors may be compensated.

Compensated infrared absorption sensor for carbon dioxide and other infrared absorbing gases

A composite piezoelectric transducer, whose piezoeletric element is a 'ribbon wound' film of piezolectric material. As the film is excited, it expands and contracts, which results in expansion and contraction of the diameter of the entire ribbon winding. This is accompanied by expansion and contraction of the thickness of the ribbon winding, such that the sound radiating plate may be placed on the side of the winding.

Polymer film composite transducer

A sensor for measuring the speed of sound in a gas. The sensor has a helical coil, through which the gas flows before entering an inner chamber. Flow through the coil brings the gas into thermal equilibrium with the test chamber body. After the gas enters the chamber, a transducer produces an ultrasonic pulse, which is reflected from each of two faces of a target. The time difference between the two reflected signals is used to determine the speed of sound in the gas.

Device for precision measurement of speed of sound in a gas

A column assembly for use in conjunction with a test machine, for inducing high-cycle fatigue (at kilohertz vibration rates) in a specimen of a material under test. The column assembly has isolation masses, a specimen grip, and two actuators, the latter for imparting dynamic forces to the test specimen. The actuators are arranged on the column assembly asymmetrically relative to the test specimen.

Asymmetrical column assembly for high-cycle fatigue test machines

A fretting fixture accessory for a_test machine ( ) that induces high-cycle fatigue (at kilohertz vibration rates) in a specimen of a material under test. The fretting fixture ( ) is clamped to the test specimen ( ), for the purpose of testing for fretting damage. The fixture ( ) is designed to provide both the normal and shearing forces that result in fretting damage.

Growing community of inventors

Helotes, TX, United States of America

Thomas E Owen