A device for processing a hydrocarbon resource may include a hydrocarbon processing container configured to receive the hydrocarbon resource therein and having a pair of opposing ends with an enlarged width medial portion therebetween. The device may also a spirally wound electrical conductor surrounding the hydrocarbon processing container, and a radio frequency (RF) circuit coupled to the spirally wound electrical conductor and configured to supply RF power to the hydrocarbon resource while tracking a load resonance of the RF circuit. The RF circuit may be configured to generate magnetic fields within the hydrocarbon processing container parallel with an axis thereof.

A method is provided for producing vacuum in a vacuum oil-stock distillation column and includes pumping a gas-vapor medium out of a column by an ejector into a condenser; feeding a gas mixture and a high-pressure gas into a second gas-gas ejector from which the vapor-gas mixture is fed into a second condenser. A condensate is directed from the condensers into a separator in which the condensate is separated into a water-containing condensate and a hydrocarbon-containing condensate. The hydrocarbon-containing condensate is removed while the water-containing condensate is fed into a steam generator in which heat is supplied to the water-containing condensate from a hot distillate removed from the vacuum column and steam is produced from the water-containing condensate, the steam is fed as a high-pressure gas into the gas-gas ejectors. A plant for carrying out the method is also provided.

The invention relates to a process for the purification of crude and apparatus for its implementation. This process comprises a separation into gas and degassed emulsion and separation of the degassed emulsion into water and oil. The invention also relates to a process of separating a hydrocarbon emulsion and apparatus for implementing this. This process comprises washing of the emulsion at an oil/water interface.

A method of produced water treatment in an in-situ recovery method of producing bitumen from oil sand, the method has the steps of: separating bitumen from bitumen-mixed fluid so as to leave produced water, the bitumen-mixed fluid having been recovered from the oil sand wells; and filtering the produced water via a microfiltration membrane made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

A method is described to excite molecules at their natural resonance frequencies with sufficient energy to break or form chemical bonds using electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency (RF) and microwave frequency range. Liquid, solid, or gaseous materials are prepared and injected into a resonant structure where they are bombarded with electromagnetic energy in the RF or microwave range at resonant frequencies of the molecules of the materials. Alternatively, electromagnetic energy tuned to dielectric particles prepared from the materials may also be supplied to further enhance the reaction.

A device for processing a hydrocarbon resource may include a hydrocarbon processing container configured to receive the hydrocarbon resource therein and having a pair of opposing ends with an enlarged width medial portion therebetween. The device may also include a radio frequency (RF) source, and a first spirally wound electrical conductor surrounding the hydrocarbon processing container and coupled to the RF source. The device may further include a second spirally wound electrical conductor carried within the hydrocarbon processing container. The first spirally wound electrical conductor may be configured to generate magnetic fields with the hydrocarbon processing container that are parallel with an axis thereof.

Provided is a dividing wall distillation column. The dividing wall distillation column includes a main column having a dividing wall. The main column includes a pressure equalization unit for pressure equalization between a preliminary divisional section and a main divisional section which are divided by the dividing wall. The dividing wall distillation column has an effect of enabling easier operations due to the uniform pressure drop between the two divisional sections divided by the dividing wall.

An improved apparatus strips HPNA's from hydroprocessed streams in a fractionation column having a split shell configuration. Only one vapor stripping feed is required to the split shell of the fractionation column. The resulting reduction in steam requirement provides a superior fractionation in the column.

A device for processing a hydrocarbon resource may include a hydrocarbon processing container configured to receive the hydrocarbon resource therein and having a pair of opposing ends with an enlarged width medial portion therebetween. The device may also include a radio frequency (RF) source, and a spirally wound electrical conductor surrounding the hydrocarbon processing container and coupled to the RF source. The spirally wound electrical conductor may be configured to generate magnetic fields within the hydrocarbon processing container that are parallel with an axis thereof.

Systems and processes for improving quality and yield of one or more distillate products generated in a distillation column are disclosed. The system comprises a feed inlet distributor that reduces the amount of liquid entrained in vapor rising from the feed zone of the distillation column, a wash zone collection apparatus having an improved design for collecting slop wax falling from a liquid/vapor contacting structure provided in the wash zone, a recirculation subsystem for recirculating at least a portion of the collected slop wax to the top of the wash zone for distribution as wash oil, and a control subsystem. The feed inlet distributor ensures a horizontal fluid flow path free of transverse surfaces thereby minimizing atomization of liquid droplets entrained in vapor in the feed stream.

Split-shell fractionation columns and associated processes for separating aromatic hydrocarbons. A split-shell fractionation column includes a housing shell having a first height and a partition having a second height and disposed within the housing shell. The partition includes first and second vertically oriented baffles separated by a gap region, a seal plate connecting top ends of the baffles, a first input port formed to extend through the partition for the introduction of a gas into the gap region, and a first output port formed to extend outwardly from a bottom of the gap region and through the housing shell. The partition defines a first distillation zone and a second distillation zone within the housing shell.

A system for treating recovered fluids in-line that includes a thermal reactor for separating contaminated drill cuttings into drill cuttings and contaminants by applying heat to the contaminated drill cuttings so as to vaporize contaminants from the contaminated drill cuttings; a first condenser in fluid connection with the thermal reactor for condensing the vaporized contaminants; a separator in fluid connection with the first condenser for separating the condensed vapors into an oleaginous liquid and an aqueous liquid, wherein at least a portion of one of the aqueous liquid and oleaginous liquid is fed back into the first condenser via a feedback line; and an ozone generator operatively coupled to the feedback line, wherein at least the portion of the fed back liquid is ozonated by the ozone generator and fed into the condenser is disclosed.

Two-stage hydroprocessing uses a common dividing wall fractionator. Hydroprocessed effluents from both stages of hydroprocessing are fed to opposite sides of the dividing wall.

A feed distribution device in separation columns and a method of operation for such a device. In particular, distillation columns in which the feed stream is substantially liquid phase, or a mixture of gas and liquid upstream of the column, but where the feed vaporizes or partially vaporizes prior to or as it enters the column. More specifically, the feed distribution device contains a plurality of opening which allow the feed to vaporize prior to or as it enters the column and where the openings are maintained in critical condition during operation. Significant advantage is achieved through the implementation and use of the present feed distribution devices.

A method of extracting hydrocarbon-containing organic matter from a hydrocarbon-containing material includes the steps of providing a first liquid comprising a turpentine liquid; contacting the hydrocarbon-containing material with the turpentine liquid to form an extraction mixture; extracting the hydrocarbon material into the turpentine liquid; and separating the extracted hydrocarbon material from a residual material not extracted.

A system and process for the preparation of high quality gasoline through recombination of catalytic hydrocarbon includes fractionator and extractor. The upper part of the fractionator is equipped with light petrol pipeline, the lower part of the fractionator is equipped with heavy petrol pipeline, the middle part of the fractionator is equipped with medium petrol pipeline. The medium petrol pipeline is connected with a medium petrol extractor, the upper part of the medium petrol extractor is connected with the medium petrol raffinate oil hydrogenation unit through the pipeline, the lower part of the medium petrol extractor is connected with the medium petrol aromatic hydrocarbon hydrogenation unit through the pipeline. The medium petrol aromatic hydrocarbon hydrogenation unit is then connected with the light petrol pipeline in the upper part of the fractionator through the pipeline, the lower part of the heavy petrol extractor is connected with the medium petrol aromatic hydrocarbon hydrogenation unit through the pipeline, the upper part of the heavy petrol extractor is connected with the medium petrol raffinate oil hydrogenation unit through the pipeline.

A water recovery process for a steam assisted gravity drainage system for a heavy oil recovery facility, the process comprising a flash drum and a flash drum heat exchanger/condenser, wherein the water recovery process receives hot water produced by a facility at a temperature above the water atmospheric boiling point and cools it to a temperature below the water atmospheric boiling point before transferring it to the remaining section of the water recovery process.

Systems and methods for extracting recoverable materials from source materials are provided. Source materials are introduced into a furnace. A condition is created within the furnace in which a gaseous pressure within the furnace is less than an atmospheric pressure outside of the furnace by removing air from within the furnace with a vacuum pump. Hydrocarbons contained within the source material are separated from the source material without using a significant amount of water by heating the source material to a temperature sufficient to cause the hydrocarbons to liquefy or vaporize. The liquefied hydrocarbons or vaporized hydrocarbons are then captured.

A filter device for filtering a suspension includes at least one filter for continuous creation of a filter cake including particles from the suspension, at least one dispensing device configured to apply at least one first wash liquid to the filter cakes, at least one steaming unit configured to steam the filter cake using steam; at least one removal device configured to remove a surface layer of the filter cake facing away from the at least one filter, wherein the filter device is configured to convey the filter cake to the at least one removal device, the at least one dispensing device and the at least one steaming device, and at least one transport device configured to transport the removed surface layer of the filter cake away from the filter device.

The invention relates to a method producing a portioned column by forming a first segment and a third segment into arcuate segments, and attaching these arcuate segments to a second z-shaped segment to from two contiguous volumes with approximately semi-circular cross-sections that combine to form a partitioned, approximately cylindrical segment.

The present invention provides a method of converting coal to a petroleum product. The method includes the steps of mixing the coal and water to form a mixture, and heating the mixture to approximately 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The method further includes separating the mixture in a first separator into a liquid stream of a water bearing minerals and a solid stream of coal, and transferring the coal from the first separator to a coking reactor wherein the temperature is raised to approximately 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit to drive off lighter fractions of the coal as a gas. The method also includes transferring the gas to a fourth separator to separate water and liquid petroleum product from the gas.

The present invention relates to a feed distribution device in separation columns and a method of operation. In particular it relates to distillation columns in which the feed stream is substantially liquid phase, or a mixture of gas and liquid upstream of the column, but where the feed vaporizes or vaporizes more when it enters the column. More specifically, the feed distribution device contains a plurality of opening which allow the feed to vaporize inside the column and where the openings are maintained in critical condition during operation. Significant advantage is achieved through the implementation and use of the present feed distribution device.

A system and process for integrated desulfurizing, desalting and deasphalting of hydrocarbon feedstocks is provided. A hydrocarbon feedstock, a water soluble oxidant, and a water soluble catalyst can be introduced in a oxidation zone and retained for a period of time sufficient to achieve the desired degree of desulfurization, or introduced directly into the desalting zone along with wash water. Catalyst and dissolved salt are discharged along with the wastewater effluent from the desalting zone. A hydrocarbon stream including converted hydrocarbons and oxidation by-products is passed to a deasphalting zone. In the deasphalting zone, phase separation occurs, whereby a light phase including desulfurized hydrocarbons are produced, and a heavy phase including asphaltenes and oxidation by-products are discharged, e.g., passed to an asphalt pool.

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for recovery of spent lubricating oil. The evaporation of hydrocarbon fractions from spent lubricating oil is carried out in three steps. The first step is at approximately 150-1030 mbar and between 70-240° C. in which is greater than 99% water, greater than 99% of ethylene glycol and greater than 50% of hydrocarbon molecules with normal boiling point up to 310° C. are evaporated from spent oil. The second step is operated at 6-30 mbar and 200-2900 C in which predominantly gasoil and light vacuum gasoil fractions are evaporated. The third step is operated at 250-320° C. and 0.5-15 mbar in which mainly heavy vacuum gasoil (boiling range of 425 to 570° C. on ASTM D-1160 test) is evaporated from spent oil.

A crude oil feedstream is treated to remove or reduce the content of known undesired heteroatomic and polynuclear aromatic compounds containing nitrogen and sulfur by contacting the feedstream with one or more solid adsorbent materials selected from attapulgus clay, alumina, silica gel and activated carbon in a mixing vessel for a time that is sufficient to optimize the adsorption of the undesired compounds from the crude oil, subjecting the mixture to atmospheric flash distillation and then to vacuum flash distillation to recover presorbed boiling ranges of products having a lowered content of the undesired compounds, and preferably regenerating at least a portion of the solid adsorbent material for reuse in the process.

Described are methods, implants, insertion tools, and related systems and kits, for placing an implant to treat urinary incontinence; the implants include soft tissue anchors that are capable of engaging needles of the insertion tools, and the implants are designed to place a central support portion at a location to support a urethra with extension portions and soft tissue anchors extending to tissue at regions of an obturator foramen.

A method for manufacturing a fluid-filled chamber may include obtaining a spacer textile material a stabilization structure. A tensile member is removed from an area of the spacer textile material where the stabilizing structure is absent. The tensile member is located between a first polymer element and a second polymer element. Additionally, (a) the first layer is bonded to the first polymer element, (b) the second layer is bonded to the second polymer element, and (c) the first polymer element and the second polymer element are bonded together around a periphery of the tensile member.

An exercise mat can include a knit spacer fabric having a first ground fabric spaced apart from a second ground fabric in an uncompressed state. The exercise mat can be configured to be rolled up and compressed for storage and to expand into a planar spaced apart arrangement between the first and second ground fabrics for use. The knit spacer fabric can be formed from a plurality of knit polymeric threads and can include a first wall fabric extending between the first ground fabric and the second ground fabric. The first wall fabric can support the first ground fabric and the second ground fabric in a compressible spaced-apart configuration. The spacer fabric can include a traction-enhancing coating at an outer surface.

Auxetic fabric structures, of the sort which can be useful in conjunction with composite materials, and related methods of fabrication.

Provided is a glove which has good adhesiveness to a rubber or resin coating material and excellent durability and further fits a hand well enabling good work efficiency. The glove is knitted from a covered yarn obtained by winding a sheath yarn around a core yarn and at least a part of the surface thereof is coated with a rubber or resin coating material, wherein the sheath yarn is a crimped yarn made of a high strength fiber having, as a property of a raw yarn, a tensile strength of 1.75 N/tex or more as measured according to JIS L 1013 8.5, and the crimped yarn simultaneously satisfies the following (1) to (3): (1) a degree of bulkiness of 40 cm3/g or more as measured according to JIS L 1013 8.16 A method after hot water treatment at 90° C. for 20 minutes, (2) a bulk compression modulus of 80% or more as measured according to the same method, and (3) a shrinkage/elongation ratio of 20% or more as measured according to JIS L 1013 8.11 A method.

The present invention provides a method for producing thread using nonwoven, which discloses that nonwoven having different materials is slit first to get a plurality of nonwoven threads and then the nonwoven threads are used for performing a twisting process to get a plurality of nonwoven yarns. In the twisting process, each of the nonwoven threads has different materials, so that the nonwoven yarns have good mechanical characteristic and can be added for producing textiles with various functionalities.

A double-cylinder circular machine, particularly for knitting hosiery items, with simplified actuation mechanism, comprising a supporting structure which comprises a footing, which supports a lower needle cylinder, and a column which extends substantially vertically, protrudes upwardly from the footing and supports an upper needle cylinder, which is arranged above and coaxially with respect to the lower needle cylinder, and further comprising elements for the actuation of the lower needle cylinder and of the upper needle cylinder with a rotary motion about a common axis, the actuation elements comprising an electric motor which is connected kinematically to the lower needle cylinder and to the upper needle cylinder and is accommodated inside the column.

An apparatus for closing a toe end of a tubular hosiery body includes a stitching device having a main body, a fixed reed, a movable reed pivoted to the fixed reed, and a main drive assembly for driving the movable reed to rotate relative to the fixed reed between juxtaposed and stacked positions. A rotary control unit includes a support frame supporting the main body, a rotary disc attached to the main body, a plurality of detent members disposed around the rotary disc, and a plurality of control drive members respectively driving the detent members. The control drive members consecutively operate to consecutively actuate the respective detent members such that the rotary disc together with the stitching device consecutively produces a limited amount of rotation in an intermittent manner.

Described are methods, implants, insertion tools, and related systems and kits, for placing an implant to treat urinary incontinence; the implants include soft tissue anchors that are capable of engaging needles of the insertion tools, and the implants are designed to place a central support portion at a location to support a urethra with extension portions and soft tissue anchors extending to tissue at regions of an obturator foramen.

The present disclosure is directed to a flexible filament that includes a length of material configured to be used in forming at least a portion of a textile product to have at least a portion of a visual pattern that is visible on at least one of a first side or a second side of the textile product. The material includes a plurality of stitch indicators formed on the material to separate the material into a plurality of segmented regions, at least one of the stitch indicators or the segmented regions forming at least the portion of the visual pattern visible on the at least one of the first side or the second side of the textile product.

An air belt having mesh webbing sufficiently strong and sufficiently expandable in the circumferential direction of a bag-shaped belt and an air belt apparatus including the air belt are provided. An air belt includes a folded member being a bag-shaped belt folded in a band shape and mesh webbing covering the folded member of the bag-shaped belt. The mesh webbing hardly expands in the longitudinal direction of the air belt, and is flexibly expandable in the circumferential direction of the bag-shaped belt. The mesh webbing is made of a raschel-knitted material. The knitted material is arranged such that the extending direction of knot portions of yarn threads and corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the air belt.

There is described herein a knitting technique for creating a garment having one or more 3D textile electrodes integrated therein. The knitting technique involves knitting the item with integrated electrodes and transmission channels in one single step. The electrode is knit using conducting thread while a base fabric is knit using non-conducting thread. The electrode is knit on a first needle bed and the base fabric is knit on a second needle bed opposite to and facing the first needle bed, the two needle beds being separated by a few millimeters. During the knitting process, the surface knit on the first needle bed and the surface knit on the second needle bed may be linked using an isolating thread network that is simply deposited, without forming a mesh, on the fabric, in order to provide the three-dimensional effect.

A fryer for deep frying a turkey has an outer cooking pot for containing hot oil. A splatter sleeve is telescopically slidable into the pot, the sleeve having a surrounding side wall, an open top surrounded by a top sleeve rim and an open bottom surrounded by a bottom sleeve rim. A lid is sealingly seatable upon the top sleeve rim and has a lid hole. A lid latch latches the lid to the top sleeve rim. A turkey support has a turkey support base, extends upwardly from the base to a handle top end and is insertable through the hole in the lid. When these components and a turkey are assembled, suspended from the handle and lowered into hot cooking oil, the sleeve is sufficiently long that it enters the oil before the turkey thereby assuring a complete splatter barrier.

A serving station includes a first well and a second well. The wells configured for receiving food pans. The serving station further includes an active cooling system and an active heating system. The active cooling system is configured to independently lower the temperature of either or both of the first and second wells, and the active heating system is configured to independently raise the temperature of either or both of the first and second wells. Both wells may be heated, both wells may be cooled, or one of the first and second wells may be heated while the other is cooled.

An apparatus for preparing a melon juice concentrate, such as watermelon juice concentrate, includes a finisher with brushes for separating melon flesh from melon rind including leaving at least 1/16 inch flesh on the rind and screens for separating juice from flesh. The apparatus also includes a steamer to reduce bacteria count on whole melon, a chopper for chopping melons into pieces less than about 16 inches square, an extractor for extracting juice from the flesh, and an evaporator for concentrating melon juice to form melon juice concentrate. The steamer includes a cylinder frame, steam jets directing steam through apertures in the cylinder frame at whole melon therein, and a motivator to move the whole melon along the cylinder frame. The apparatus can also process cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and other melon.

A machine for the homogenization and thermal treatment of liquid and semi-liquid food products, for example ice creams, whipped cream, creams, chocolate, yogurt and the like, comprises a containment tank for the mixture and a centrifugal pump put in fluid communication with the bottom of the containment tank for drawing mixture from the tank and putting it back into the tank, heating and cooling means acting at the pump for heating and cooling the mixture in transit in the pump. The heating and cooling means comprise a thermal machine with reversible thermodynamic cycle and using carbon dioxide as refrigerant.

The invention relates to a method for determining the residual time until a cooking process of a foodstuff (12) has been finished. At first a set temperature value for a core (14) of the foodstuff (12) is defined. Next the actual temperatures in the core (14) of the foodstuff (12) at predetermined times are measured and the time dependence of the measured temperature in the core (14) of the foodstuff (12) is determined. At last the time dependence of the measured temperature is compared with the set temperature value and “the residual time of the cooking process is estimated. The invention relates further to a corresponding apparatus for determining the residual time until a cooking process of a foodstuff (12) has been finished.

A fryer unit includes a vat and heat exchange system with multiple passes within the fryer vat. Additional heat exchange passes may be provided in ductwork along the exterior surface of the lateral vat sidewalls.

The present invention provides a device and method for simulating cooking stuffing in a bird, such as a turkey. Stuffing prepared with the device and method of the invention has both the appearance and taste of cooked-in-the-bird stuffing. In addition, the device and method of the invention allows the user to prepare simulated cooked-in-the-bird stuffing at any time, in any quantity and in less time compared to the several hours usually needed to cook stuffing in a bird. The invention, therefore, provides all the benefits of cooked-in-the-bird stuffing without the safety concerns of bacterial contamination when cooked in a bird.

A treatment device for treating food products with conditioned air comprises a housing which delimits a treatment space and is provided with an entry and an exit, at least one conveying device for conveying the products from the entry throughout the treatment space to the exit, the conveying device between the entry and the exit following a conveying path with several windings which are situated one above the other, air-circulation device for circulating conditioned air throughout the treatment space via a hollow drum. According to a first aspect, air-conditioning device are provided upstream of the air-circulation device for conditioning the air. According to a second aspect, at least one winding of the conveying path near the entry has a pitch which is different to the pitch of the downstream windings.

An apparatus for preparing infant formula to be supplied to a bottle, and methods and circuits for operating the same, are disclosed. The apparatus includes a housing having a shape for integrating together components of the apparatus. A fluid reservoir for holding fluid and configured to be coupling to the housing is provided. Further provided is a formula disc disposed at a first location of the housing. The first location defined above a dispense location of the bottle, and the formula disc having a top end and a dispense end, the formula disc further includes a plurality of slots for holding the infant formula in a powder state. The apparatus has an end plate that is coupled to the dispense end of the formula disc, and the end plate has a dispense hole, such that the end plate is rotatable relative to the formula disc.

A method and apparatus for forming a beverage. Movement of a brew chamber may automatically enable the provision of beverage precursor liquid into a reservoir in a brewer, which is then used (heated or not) to form a beverage. For example, closing of the brew chamber may cause a lid for a water reservoir to be fully opened or otherwise permit movement of the lid to allow access to the reservoir, allowing a user to provide water into the reservoir. The reservoir lid may open with an abrupt action, causing attention to be drawn to the reservoir lid. In another arrangement, closure of the brew chamber may cause actuation of a baffle, pump, valve or other device to provide a suitable amount of water to a reservoir for beverage formation. In another arrangement, opening of the brew chamber may cause the reservoir lid to be automatically and simultaneously opened with the brew chamber.

The invention relates to a capsule for the preparation of a beverage. The capsule includes first and second covering walls connected for forming a cavity containing a beverage ingredient and a contactless identifying element for identifying the capsule by detecting the identifying element using the detector of a beverage producing device. The identifying element is preferably disposed in the cavity.

The invention relates to a domestic cooking pot (1) comprising means of controlling (7) at least part of its operation, wherein said control means (7) have a mobile mounting between a plurality of positions, wherein said pot (1) is characterized in that it is further fitted with an information window (8) and at least an indicator (10) that is representative of one of the positions of the control means (7), and in that the window (8), the indicator (10) and the control means (7) work together so that said indicator (10) appears in the window (8) when the control means (7) are in the corresponding position.

The present invention relates to a device to regulate the level of a liquid inside a boiler of a coffee machine, having a transparent duct connected to the boiler and designed to visibly display the level of the liquid inside the boiler, a capacitive sensor that can be positioned outside the transparent duct in determined positions and designed to generate electric signals representing the presence or absence of liquid in correspondence to the position of the sensor along the transparent duct. The sensor of the device has first measuring elements and second measuring elements, both of capacitive type; the second measuring elements are positioned at a predetermined distance from the first measuring elements, and a measuring device designed to measure the impedance between the first and second measuring elements and to generate signals indicating the presence or absence of liquid in correspondence to the position of the sensor. The invention also relates to the machine that includes this device.