A cover for the gap in an automobile automatic gear shift assembly is presented. The gap cover is formed from a single molded housing with inward pointing fibrillations. These fibrillations act as fingers to cover the hole created when the multi position mechanism is moved from one position to another. The fibrillations are assisted back to their original position through (1) physical properties of the advanced polymeric substance used to mold the housing and (2) through the interactions of assisting tabs formed on the back side of the fibrillations, which act as springs.

Provided is a window glass sheet fitted with a seal member and incorporated with a device such as a deicer which facilitates the device and the seal member to be installed in a proper manner. The automotive window glass sheet comprises a laminated glass sheet including a first glass sheet and a second glass sheet placed on an outboard side of the first glass sheet, and a seal member fitted on a peripheral part of the laminated glass sheet. The automotive window glass sheet further comprises a cutout formed on an edge of the first glass sheet, an electrode provided on a part of the inboard side of the second glass sheet corresponding to the cutout, a lead wire connected to the electrode and a spacer extending along an edge of the second glass sheet on the inboard side of the second glass sheet in a part thereof corresponding to the cutout and defining a flat and smooth inboard surface, wherein the inboard surface of the spacer is flush with a plane extrapolated from an inboard side of the first glass sheet, and the seal member is attached to a peripheral part of the inboard side of the first glass sheet and is attached to the inboard surface of the spacer in the cutout.

A top cover for use in a disk drive apparatus includes a plate made of a metal and a gasket fixed to the plate. The gasket is made of an elastomer. A surface of the plate includes a fixing region to which the gasket is closely adhered. The fixing region includes a plurality of ridges and in plan view a plurality of filamentous projections extending from each of the plurality of ridges. The plurality of ridges are arranged in the fixing region to increase a surface area of the fixing region. The plurality of ridges and the plurality of filamentous projections extending from each ridge are distributed over the fixing region.

A reductant delivery unit (10) includes a fluid injector (12) and a flange (20) coupled with the fluid injector. An exhaust boss (28) has a surface (39) defining a through-hole (40) that communicates with a vehicle's exhaust flow path. The flange is coupled to a mounting surface such that the outlet of the fluid injector communicates with the exhaust flow path so as to control injection of urea solution into the exhaust gas flow path. A gasket (32) is sandwiched between the flange and the mounting surface. The gasket has a surface (37) defining a through-hole (38) therein that communicates with the through-hole in the exhaust boss to permit the urea solution to pass from the fluid outlet to the exhaust flow path. Gasket shielding structure (44) covers the surface defining the through-hole in the gasket to prevent the urea solution from contacting the gasket.

A valve includes a stem seal assembly that prevent fluid flow in a first direction and vents in a second direction opposite the first direction. The assembly includes a packing assembly positioned within a valve stem opening of a valve body of the valve to seal a valve stem to the valve body. The packing assembly includes a first seal and a second seal preventing passage of fluid from a body cavity of the valve body to an exterior of the valve body along the valve stem while venting fluid from an exterior of the valve body to the body cavity along the valve stem. The packing assembly isolates the first seal and the second seal so that a load applied to the first seal ring is not transferred to the second seal ring.

An apparatus includes a rotatable shaft having a shaft surface and a first seal disposed in a sealing engagement with the shaft surface. At least a second seal is disposed in a first position relative to the rotatable shaft where the second seal is not in sealing engagement with the shaft surface and is movable to a second position relative to the rotatable shaft where the second seal is in sealing engagement with the shaft surface.

A packer unit for an annular blowout preventer including an annular elastomer body including an elastomer having a unidirectional grain and a quantity of fiber longitudinally aligned with the grain of the elastomer. A method of forming a packing unit for a blowout preventer including forming a fiber reinforced elastomer by aligning fibers with a grain of an elastomer; cutting a portion from the fiber reinforced elastomer in the direction of the grain; loading the cut portion in a packing unit mold such that the grain of the fiber reinforced elastomer of the cut portion is parallel to a packing unit axis; and heating the loaded packing unit mold.

A seal including a tubular carrier body (1) and two annular sealing elements (2, 3), wherein the carrier body (1) on both sides of its front face is respectively enclosed by one of the sealing elements (2, 3) on the side of its outer perimeter forming a seal. At least one of the sealing elements (2, 3) is made of a non-elastomeric high-temperature resistant sealing material.

A seal assembly includes a first component and a second component of a gas turbine engine. The first component has a threaded portion. The second component interfaces with the threaded portion and together the threaded portion and the second component form a seal that restricts fluid flow between a first cavity and a second cavity of the gas turbine engine.

An oil-lubricated anti-friction bearing is provided for a horizontal arrangement of a rotational axis with a shaft seal that separates a bearing inner chamber, which accommodates rolling bodies, from a bearing outer side, and has a clamping arrangement which acts on the shaft seal from a bearing outer side in order to fix the shaft seal axially. The clamping arrangement has an outlet for oil.

The present application provides for ceramic collars and metal rings for active brazing in sodium-based thermal batteries. The ceramic collar may be an alpha-alumina collar configured for active brazing, and thereby sealing, to outer and inner Ni rings for use in NaMx cells. The portions of the alpha-alumina collar active brazed to the outer and inner Ni rings may be outwardly facing and include inwardly extending recesses. The portions of the outer and inner Ni rings active brazed to the outwardly facing portions of the collar may be inwardly facing. The alpha-alumina collar may include a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than each of the outer and inner Ni rings, and the alpha-alumina collar and outer and inner Ni rings may be configured such that a portion of the outer and inner Ni rings is deformed into the inwardly extending recesses of the alpha-alumina collar after active brazing thereof.

A radial shaft seal for separating two media includes two radial shaft sealing rings each including an axial surface and a sealing lip. The sealing rings are disposed with the axial surfaces facing one another and the sealing lips axially opposed to one another with a space between the sealing lips including a vent. At least one of the sealing rings includes clamping cams configured to grip an inner rim of the other sealing ring so as to join the sealing rings in a form-locking, rear-engaging position relative to each other.

Disclosed is a system and method for decreasing airflow and improving ventilation within a tunnel, such as a railroad tunnel, including a path for movement of a vehicle (e.g., train) therethrough. The system has a plurality of air baffles mounted within the tunnel, each device comprising a body and a mounting device. Each mounting device positions each body inside and along the length of the tunnel between the entrance and the exit. The air baffles are configured to restrict airflow at least in part in a longitudinal direction of the tunnel, thereby increasing a relative difference between a vehicle speed and air speed in a tunnel annulus when the vehicle passes through the tunnel. The restriction (e.g., decrease) of airflow in the tunnel reduces the piston effect resulting from the vehicle or train passing through, thus reducing emissions and heat generated by the locomotives in the tunnel.

An aircraft nacelle including a pipe (32), a peripheral wall (34), a lip (36), and a front frame (38) connecting the peripheral wall (34) and the pipe (32) and forming with the lip (36) a space (50) in which the hot air that is provided for frost treatment can circulate, with the pipe (32) including a coating (44) for the composite material acoustic treatment, is characterized in that the nacelle includes at least one element (52) made of a heat-conducting material inserted between the lip (36) and the pipe (32) ensuring the continuity of the aerodynamic surfaces of the lip (36) and the pipe (32) and the propagation of heat from the space (50) toward the rear of the nacelle, whereby the at least one element (52) includes a coating (54) for acoustic treatment that is made of a heat-resistant material.

The attenuation and other optical properties of a medium are exploited to measure a thickness of the medium between a sensor and a target surface. Disclosed herein are various mediums, arrangements of hardware, and processing techniques that can be used to capture these thickness measurements and obtain dynamic three-dimensional images of the target surface in a variety of imaging contexts. This includes general techniques for imaging interior/concave surfaces as well as exterior/convex surfaces, as well as specific adaptations of these techniques to imaging ear canals, human dentition, and so forth.

A bone conduction hearing aid device comprising a vibrator configured to vibrate in response to sound signals received by the device. The device further comprises a housing mass forming a housing for one or more operational components of the device, wherein the housing mass is attached to the vibrator so as to move in response to the vibration. The device also comprises a coupling configured to attach the device to a recipient so as to deliver the generated mechanical to the recipient's skull.

A muffler is capable of stably supporting the catalytic converter in a muffler box with a pair of partitions. The muffler box includes first and second box halves joined together with open surfaces thereof abutting each other, and first and second partition plates interposed between the first and second box halves and overlapping each other to separate inside of the muffler box into first and second silencing chambers and define a third silencing chamber between the first and second partition plates, one end opening of a cylindrical holding tube housing and holding the catalytic converter is connected to the exhaust inlet pipe, the pair of partition plates support the holding tube in such a way as to wrap an outer peripheral surface thereof, and another end opening of the holding tube is communicated with the exhaust outlet pipe through the first, second, and third silencing chambers in this order.

An enhanced, lightweight acoustic absorber is provided. The acoustic absorber is bounded by the at least one scrim layer without need for additional layers, such as melt-blown or nonwoven layers. The at least one scrim layer includes at least one non-planar, folded scrim layer bonded to itself or another scrim layer to form a plurality of air spaces between folded portions of the at least one scrim layer. The at least one scrim layer establishes a thickness of the acoustic absorber extending across opposite exposed sides of the acoustic absorber.

A sound suppressor device for an air drying unit of a compressed-air supply system having a sound suppressor housing on which is arranged an inlet opening for the supply of condensate-laden compressed air to be discharged from the air drying unit and at least one outlet opening for the discharge of the condensate-laden compressed air to the outside, wherein the inlet opening issues into at least one pre-chamber of the sound suppressor housing, which pre-chamber issues into post-chambers which are connected in parallel and which are arranged around a heating rod arranged centrally in the sound suppressor housing.

An acoustic damping article includes a substrate, wherein the substrate has a surface area S. The acoustic composition further includes a polymer resin. The polymer resin coats partially the surface area with a set of areas. The ratio of the coated areas over the surface area S is less than 1 and the polymer resin coverage is not greater than about 500 g/m2.

A vest can be worn by a visually impaired pet, such as a dog, to help the pet navigate without hurting themselves by bumping into walls or objects. The vest includes plastic tubing with wire woven therein. The tubing is shaped like a halo that surrounds the front and sides of the pet's head. Should the visually impaired pet run into an object or wall, the halo will hit before their head hits and the pet will turn away before injuring themselves. The vest can be worn about their torso with their front legs fitting in leg holes of the vest. The vest can be adjustable to fit a range of pet sizes. The halo can also be adjustable to provide safe navigation of the pet. Typically, the vest is designed for dogs, but other visually impaired pets or animals may benefit by using the vest.

A system for identifying an animal comprises an identification tag/transponder device surgically implanted into tissue of the animal and a scanning unit. As the animal passes in a vicinity of a scanning unit, the system causes the identification device to send a signal to a receiving portion of the scanning unit, and processes the signal, and identifies the animal from the signal. The system is of particular benefit to veterinary surgeries in assisting their smooth operation.

A system for creating a plurality of sheltered stalls around feeding ports of a hummingbird feeder. The sheltered stalls may be formed by generally V-shaped members having opposed curved wings, one stall being formed beneath abutting wings of two abutting generally V-shaped members. The generally V-shaped members may be supported on mounting hooks which are either integral with or removable from the hummingbird feeder. The sheltered stalls and mounting hooks are red. The system may include the hummingbird feeder. The system deters dominant males from preventing use of the hummingbird feeder by competing hummingbirds.

This invention describes a collagen fiber reconstituted rawhide useful in the production of pet chews, and a method for making the same. Beginning materials include animal skins with hair, depilated limed splits and leftovers from the manufacture of rawhide pet chews. The materials are pretreated, ground, subjected to acid treatment to swell and separate the collagen fibers that comprise the animal hide, further ground into pulp, vacuum filtered, mixed with a dehydration agent that chemically shrinks the expanded fibers, drained, formed and dried into sheet and finally exposed to a cross-linking agent to increase the adhesive strength of the end product. Edible materials, including meats, may be added to the solution prior to draining, to enhance the nutritional value and palatability of the final product, and the reconstituted rawhide sheets may be bleached for appearance.

A multi-reel, line-handling apparatus can include a housing, a shaft located within the housing, the shaft defining a shaft axis, a first reel located within the housing, the first reel rotatably mounted to the shaft about a first reel axis angled with respect to the shaft axis, and a second reel located within the housing, the second reel rotatably mounted to the shaft about a second reel axis angled with respect to the shaft axis. The first reel and the second reel can be rotatable with respect to the housing about the shaft axis.

A system and method for monitoring and mitigating leakage currents is disclosed. The data acquisition system records data from multiple monitoring locations over extended periods of time to identify stray voltage and/or leakage currents present at the monitoring location. The data is processed to identify trends in the stray voltage and/or leakage currents and to suggest methods for mitigating the same.

A Vertically Integrated Aquaculture System for producing high quality consumer seafood products at a significantly reduced cost. The Vertically Integrated Aquaculture System includes at least one aquaculture grow-out module for containing an aquaculture species, a feed handling system for distributing feed to the aquaculture species located in the aquaculture grow-out module(s), an aquaculture species moving system for routing the aquaculture species at least out of the aquaculture grow-out module(s), and a processing system for processing the aquaculture species after harvesting from the aquaculture grow-out module(s).

The present invention relates to an aquarium cleaning apparatus, systems and methods for removing debris from the aquarium, and in particular, a self-contained cleaning apparatus that utilizes a siphon effect created by pouring water in an aquarium tank and/or pulling water out of an aquarium tank, such as via a vacuum. In a preferred embodiment, the siphon operation occurs because of the difference between the water level of the aquarium tank and the vertical height of a spout attached to the top of a vertical tube. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to immerse their hands in the aquarium water to operate the cleaning device.

A windowed muzzle has left and right side sections, a lower section, an upper section and a rear section. A left window is in the left side section and a similarly configured right window is in the right side section. A left flap is configured and sized to cover the left window and a similarly configured right flap is configured and sided to cover the right window. A securement assembly selectively retains each flap in a raised orientation above the window or in a lowered orientation covering the window.

A device for separating clean litter from soiled litter comprising a receptacle with one inlet and two discharge outlets. Soiled animal litter enters the receptacle through the inlet and clean litter is separated out from the soiled litter. When the container is tilted in a first direction, feces exit the container through the first outlet and clean litter is retained in the receptacle. When the container is tilted in a second direction, clean litter exits the container through the second outlet and clean litter is retained in the receptacle.

A liquid hummingbird feeder is provided with a liquid container having a sealable top opening and a bottom opening, a liquid tray adapted to immerse the bottom opening in liquid, and a valve mechanism adapted to close the bottom opening to enable the liquid container to be filled through the sealable top opening.

An advancement system for an in ovo injection apparatus is provided. Such an advancement system is configured to advance an egg carrier carrying a plurality of avian eggs to an injection assembly. The advancement system includes a guide assembly configured to receive the egg carrier and provide support thereto during advancement of the egg carrier. A manual advancement device slidingly engages the guide assembly such that the manual advancement device is movable along the guide assembly. The manual advancement device is capable of interacting with a trailing end of the egg carrier to advance the egg carrier to an injection position. At least one stop is positioned to interact with the manual advancement device during advancement of the egg carrier so as to prevent progression of the manual advancement device beneath the injection assembly, thereby locating the egg carrier at the injection position. An associated method is also provided.

A birdseed dispenser and birdfeeder incorporating the same are provided. The dispenser has a base assembly mounted to a first opening formed in the sidewall of the birdseed reservoir, including a front plate having a second opening formed therein, a flange extending around the second opening and projecting away from the front plate, and an end wall supported by the flange such that the flange and end wall together define a chamber. The dispenser also includes an apertured piece received in the chamber having a first seed aperture of a first configuration and a second seed aperture of a different configuration. The apertured piece is moveable between a first orientation, which places the first seed aperture in a seed accessible state permitting birds access to the seed, and a second orientation to place the second seed aperture in the seed accessible state.

A tube bird feeder comprising a seed tube having a side wall and at least one feed opening in the side wall, a top ring mounted on a top marginal edge of the seed tube, a cover removably engaged with the top ring, at least one perch mounted on the seed tube proximate the feed opening, and a base member removably secured to the seed tube adjacent the bottom marginal edge, the base portion having a protrusion engaging with an aperture in the seed tube proximate the bottom marginal edge.

A hay bale holder having an enclosure that retains a hay bale within chain link fencing is disclosed. The hay bale holder includes a spring mechanism that causes the chain link fencing to tightly retain the hale bale. Hay can then pass through openings in fencing to allow animals to remove portions of hay from a comfortable height without excessive waste.

A mammalian quadruped walking system for providing visibility in dimly lit conditions features a body harness having a first side top shoulder strap, a second side top shoulder strap, a bottom strap, an upper body strap, a lower body strap, and a breast shield. The breast shield features a powerful bicycle's strength planar reflector that is only red or blue. The system features a harness extension having an extension first end located at an intersection of a first side top shoulder strap second end, a second side top shoulder strap second end and an upper body strap midpoint. A powerful bicycle's strength spherical red bead reflector is located adjacent to a spherical blue bead reflector close to a harness extension second end. The system features an external light source emitting light in a horizontal beam between 22 inches and 54 inches from a ground surface.

A long handled sock donning tool includes a handle portion adapted to be gripped by a user and an opposing sock engaging portion. The sock engagement portion includes first and second flanges spaced from an elongated support by first and second spacers. Each of the flanges include a sock engagement arm for retaining a sock thereon, and an opposing stabilizing arm for supporting the tool during the mounting of the sock onto the tool. First and second rubber sock gripping portions help retain the sock on the tool. Once an upper portion of a sock is folded over the sock gripping portions, a user's foot can be inserted into the sock comfortably without being forced into contact with a hard plastic wall of the tool. Additionally, the tool can be used as a shoe horn by fitting one of the first and second flanges into the heel of a shoe.

A garment stored, transported, and displayed as a soft wedge. A triangular prism is transformed from flat fabric pieces by flexible fasteners and a method of folding. Sleeves and other delicate decorations and components are protected from damage by folding into a self enclosed polyhedron defined by two triangles and three trapezoid faces without pins, straps, ribbons, cans, cylinders, bags, boxes, or bands.

A friction reducing element for a hanging device includes a roller configured for positioning on an upper portion of a hook and a tubular elastomeric sleeve stretch-fitted over an outer surface of the roller. The roller is provided with a contoured outer surface and the sleeve is made from a thermoset elastomer such that the friction reducing element facilitates positioning of the hanging device, along a clothing rod. Use of the thermoset elastomer also prevents premature development of areas of deformation on the friction reducing element over time. The friction reducing element may be assembled into an upper portion of a hook for a clothes hanger, or other similar hanging device.

A pre-threaded and knotted needle with a length of thread knotted though the eye of the needle and a connection securing the ends of the thread and a sleeve securing a bundle of the thread so that the thread is not tangled until it is released and ready for use The thread is bundle is formed by wrapping it into a bundle and securing a sleeve around the bundle of the thread so that the thread is not tangled until it is released and ready for use. The bundle is released for use by pulling on the needle and the end of the thread to release the bundle of thread.

A biochar generator may include a pyrolysis chamber, a heater connected to the pyrolysis chamber and a biochar collection chamber in communication with the pyrolysis chamber. A biochar collection chamber sensor may sense a composition of the biochar collected in the biochar collection chamber to define a sensed composition of the biochar. A controller in electrical communication with the biochar collection chamber sensor may utilize the sensed composition of the biochar to dynamically alter conditions in the pyrolysis chamber to alter the composition of the biochar.

A process for the controlled gasification of a carbonaceous feedstock includes pyrolizing the feedstock by conveying the feedstock through a retort surrounded by a plurality of successive heating chambers each comprising an axially adjustable chamber separation wall and each operated at a predetermined temperature, wherein a predetermined dwell time of the feedstock in each of the plurality of successive heating chambers is controlled by a conveyance rate of the feedstock through the retort and a position of each of the axially adjustable chamber separation walls to produce a gas product and a solid product. The gas product includes methane and noxious chemicals and the solid product includes carbon, and the pyrolizing step is controlled using feedback related to constituents of the gas product.

The present invention provides a microwave assisted flash pyrolysis system to carry out microwave assisted flash pyrolysis in an industrial scale. The microwave assisted flash pyrolysis system comprises at least one microwave generator; a chamber comprises: at least one feedstock inlet, at least one baffle plate, a microwave-transparent rotating window, and at least one microwave inlet, at least one wet gas outlet, and at least one dry end product outlet. The present invention also provides a method using the same system to carry out microwave assisted flash pyrolysis.

A method and apparatus for pyrolytic destruction of polymer products including whole vehicle vulcanised rubber tires is disclosed. The apparatus 111 has a reaction chamber 153 into which a tire can be placed, and immersed for pyrolytic decomposition in a molten alloy of zinc with a minor proportion of aluminium. The apparatus 111 has a heated reservoir 155 in which the alloy is maintained in a molten state, and from where it can be transferred to the reaction chamber 153 to immerse the tire. Fluid hydrocarbon byproducts are drawn off for condensation and recovery, and solid zinc sulphides are also recovered. Where steel belted tires are processed, carbon and steel residues are also recovered.

This invention relates to a process for thermochemically transforming biomass or other oxygenated feedstocks into high quality liquid hydrocarbon fuels. In particular, a catalytic hydropyrolysis reactor, containing a deep bed of fluidized catalyst particles is utilized to accept particles of biomass or other oxygenated feedstocks that are significantly smaller than the particles of catalyst in the fluidized bed. The reactor features an insert or other structure disposed within the reactor vessel that inhibits slugging of the bed and thereby minimizes attrition of the catalyst. Within the bed, the biomass feedstock is converted into a vapor-phase product, containing hydrocarbon molecules and other process vapors, and an entrained solid char product, which is separated from the vapor stream after the vapor stream has been exhausted from the top of the reactor. When the product vapor stream is cooled to ambient temperatures, a significant proportion of the hydrocarbons in the product vapor stream can be recovered as a liquid stream of hydrophobic hydrocarbons, with properties consistent with those of gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel. Separate streams of gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel may also be obtained, either via selective condensation of each type of fuel, or via later distillation of the combined hydrocarbon liquid.

This invention presents a versatile and continuous drying technology that utilizes controlled heat combined with forced air supply for drying a feedstock. The dryer virtually divided top-down into different zones, each having definite heated air distribution rate to secure desired condition for drying of the feedstock. The heat source of the dryer is waste heat, either provided by the feedstock itself through exothermic heat generated by the feedstock or reclaimed waste heat or solar heat. The discharge system of the dryer is a fail-safe discharge system, which ensures equal residence time for the feedstock through all the zones. The synergic interaction of all these components along with recycling the heat through an efficient use of heat exchangers, optimized control of airflow rate and feedstock resident time, purifying the exhaust air and condensing the outlet vapor empowers the technology to function with minimum energy, minimum processing time, minimum environmental foot-print, minimum cost and with minimum operational cost.

A process and system is disclosed for optimizing a key parameter of a biomass feedstock that enhances bio-oil production. The process and system involves optimizing the values of the key parameter in multiple biomass feedstocks by regulating their feed rates and blending those feedstocks to produce a cumulative biomass feedstock with an optimal value for the key parameter. The key parameter in the biomass feedstocks is measured and the feed rates of the multiple biomass feedstocks are adjusted in order to produce a cumulative biomass feedstock exhibiting optimal values for the desired key parameter. The key parameters can include compositional properties, such as lignin content or mineral content, and/or fluidization properties of the biomass materials, such as density, particle cohesion force, or particle size.

A process and a unit for fluidized bed torrefaction and grinding of particles of a biomass with a largest dimension of 2 cm to 5 cm, and which unit contains an envelope having a general shape of a sector having a) two substantially vertical walls delimiting that sector; and b) at least one inclined wall defining three zones, from bottom to top: a lower zone provided with a fluidization means, and provided with a grinder placed at the bottom of that zone; an intermediate zone (2) provided with a fluidization means; and an upper zone (3) provided with a fluidization means; and a pipe (11) for introducing the particles reaching into the unit to the level of the intermediate zone.

Techniques, systems, apparatus and material are described for generating renewable energy from biomass waste while sequestering carbon. In one aspect, a method performed by a reactor to dissociate raw biomass waste into a renewable source energy or a carbon byproduct or both includes receiving the raw biomass waste that includes carbon, hydrogen and oxygen to be dissociated under an anaerobic reaction. Waste heat is recovered from an external heat source to heat the received raw biomass waste. The heated raw biomass waste is dissociated to produce the renewable fuel, carbon byproduct or both. The dissociating includes compacting the heated raw biomass waste, generating heat from an internal heat source, and applying the generated heat to the compacted biomass waste under pressure.

The device and method are provided to increase anhydrosugars yield during pyrolysis of biomass. This increase is achieved by injection of a liquid or gas into the vapor stream of any pyrolysis reactor prior to the reactor condensers. A second feature of our technology is the utilization of sonication, microwave excitation, or shear mixing of the biomass to increase the acid catalyst rate for demineralization or removal of hemicellulose prior to pyrolysis. The increased reactivity of these treatments reduces reaction time as well as the required amount of catalyst to less than half of that otherwise required. A fractional condensation system employed by our pyrolysis reactor is another feature of our technology. This system condenses bio-oil pyrolysis vapors to various desired fractions by differential temperature manipulation of individual condensers comprising a condenser chain.