General Electric Company

Terradex, Inc.

William J Ward, Iii

Alan Ritzer

George L Gaines, Jr

James Alfred Day

Heinz Jaster

Edward J McInerney

Monica A Ferrero-Heredia

Ivar Giaever

Richard C Bopp

Philip G Kosky

Charles R Keese

Shiro G Kimura

Stephen L Matson

Timothy J Gallivan

John W Flock

Oliver H LeBlanc, Jr

Harry M Laska

Kenneth Michael Carroll

Patricia A Piacente

Heine Lapidot

David A Vermilyea

Peter C Smith

William A Healy

John A Kamal

Insulating foam for refrigerators and the like is prepared by blowing in the presence of carbon dioxide as the sole or principal blowing agent. The thermal conductivity of the foam is decreased by sealing said foam in a gas-impervious enclosure with at least one getter, such as an alkaline material, capable of removing carbon dioxide and at least one drying agent which will produce a relative humidity greater than the equilibrium relative humidity over a saturated aqueous solution of the getter, thus removing water without rendering the getter anhydrous. For example, calcium chloride dihydrate may be used when the getter is sodium hydroxide.

Insulating foam of low thermal conductivity and method of preparation

Low thermal conductivity insulation for refrigerators and the like is produced by blowing a resinous foam in an inert (e.g., nitrogen) atmosphere with a mixture of carbon dioxide and a low thermal conductivity inert gas such as krypton or xenon. The foam is then sealed in a gas-impervious enclosure and carbon dioxide is removed therefrom, typically by inclusion in said enclosure of a solid material reacted therewith such as an alkaline reagent. The final partial pressure of the low thermal conductivity gas in the enclosure is in the range of about 20-200 torr, and the total pressure is up to 110% of said partial pressure.

Polyurethane foam of low thermal conductivity is prepared by employing carbon dioxide as a blowing agent, preferably in combination with a halogenated compound, typically a halocarbon or halohydrocarbon such as monofluorotrichloromethane or 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane, and incorporating in the foam a carbon dioxide-reactive reagent. Sodium hydroxide and soda lime are illustrative carbon dioxide-reactive reagents. The carbon dioxide is preferably formed in situ by the reaction of water with the diisocyanate precursor of the polyurethane, and the carbon dioxide-reactivereagent is preferably introduced in admixture with a portion of the polyol precursor.

Polyurethane foam of low thermal conductivity and method of preparation

A simple process for producing expandable thermoplastic resin particles is provided wherein a desired amount of a blowing agent is added to a particulate thermoplastic resin in a closed vessel and the mixture is allowed to age at ambient conditions for a sufficient period of time to allow the resin to become impregnated with the blowing agent.

Simple process for imbibing blowing agents in thermoplastic resin

A microporous plug is provided which serves to seal a vessel so as to prevent the bulk flow of gases through an outlet. The pores of said microporous plug are sized so as to permit the transport of gases to and from the vessel interior by Knudsen diffusion. In preferred embodiments, the pores of the plug are sized so as to release helium from the interior of a vessel and restrict the transport of carbon dioxide into the vessel from the surrounding atmosphere by Knudsen diffusion. Such embodiments are particularly useful on Mars where the helium is transported into an environment of higher pressure. In other embodiments, the microporous plug is used in conjunction with an absorber positioned within the vessel to react with atmospheric gases that pass through the plug, such as carbon dioxide. Also provided are radioisotope thermoelectric generators that incorporate a microporous plug and optionally an absorber.

Apparatus for passively releasing gases from a vessel against an adverse

The use of fumed silica in a mixture of powdered silicon and cuprous chloride has been found to reduce agglomeration in a fluid bed reactor during the production of alkylhalosilane under continuous conditions.

Method for making alkylhalosilanes

A method is provided for making alkylhalosilanes by effecting reaction between an alkyl halide, such as methyl chloride and powdered silicon in the presence of a copper-zinc-tin catalyst. Significant improvements in reaction rate and product selectivity are achieved when copper is employed at a critical weight percent relative to silicon and critical weight ratios of tin and zinc are employed relative to copper.

A process is provided for making methylchlorosilanes based on the reaction of methylchloride and particulated silicon, which has been contacted with a mixture of partially oxidized copper catalyst and copper formate. A reduction is achieved in the percent by weight of residue which are the silicon products in the methylchlorosilane crude having boiling points exceeding 70.degree. C. at atmospheric pressure, while the weight percent of disilane in such residue cleavable to useful chlorosilane monomer is not adversely affected.

Method for making methylchlorosilanes

A nuclear fuel material green body of density from about 30 to 70% of theoretical density having tensile strenght and plasticity adequate to maintain the integrity of the body during processing leading to ultimate sintered condition is produced by adding an amine carbonate or carbamate or mixture thereof to a particulate mass of the nuclear fuel material under conditions resulting in reaction with the amine compound to form a water-soluble compound effective as a binder for the particulate material.

Method of producing fugitive binder-containing nuclear fuel material

A nuclear fuel material green body of density from about 30 to 70% of theoretical density having tensile strength and plasticity adequate to maintain the integrity of the body during processing leading to ultimate sintered condition is produced by adding one or more amines to a particulate mass of the nuclear fuel containing about five percent of ammonium uranyl carbonate under conditions resulting in reaction of the amine with the ammonium uranyl carbonate, liberation of ammonia and formation of a water-soluble uranyl compound more effective as a binder than the ammonium uranyl carbonate.

Fugitive binder-containing nuclear fuel material and method of production

An ultrathin polyphenylene oxide/organopolysiloxane-polycarbonate copolymer film is described wherein the film contains from about 10 to about 35 percent by weight of the organopolysiloxane-polycarbonate copolymer.

Ultrathin polymer membranes

There is described the selective separation of a gas from a gaseous mixture utilizing a suitable ion-exchange membrane having specific counter-ions electrostatically retained therein, which counter-ions react reversibly with the specific gas molecules to be separated. By this method, the membrane exhibits high selectivity and facilitated transport of the gas across the membrane effecting superior separation of the select gas from the gas mixture.

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Schenectady, NY, United States of America

William J Ward, Iii