Abstract:
A method and apparatus for continuously pressure decatising a fabric include a rotatable drum (12) around which an endless belt (15) is arranged to travel for conveying a fabric (19) (and optionally a moisture laden textile (20)) between the facing surfaces of the belt (15) and the drum (12). The drum (12) is heated and fabric (19) is pressed between the belt and the drum as it is conveyed through the apparatus. The fabric (19) is subjected to pressurised saturated steam, which may be generated by evaporation of the moisture in textile (20) when it contacts the heated drum, as it is pressed. Various options other than use of a moisture laden textile (20) for supplying the steam are disclosed. The invention involves enclosing the drum in a pressure vessel (14) within which a compressed air atmosphere at ambient temperature is maintained. The surrounding compressed air atmosphere can be used to control the steam temperature, that is, the saturated steam temperature can be changed by changing the pressure of the surrounding compressed air. The surrounding compressed air atmosphere also reduces the sealing requirements for the steam treatment and belt wear. The method and apparatus are also applicable for setting staple fibres.
Abstract:
A laser marking apparatus for marking a moving workpiece such as a wire or cable directs a substantially constant rapidly pulsed beam of laser radiation in the U.V. band towards a low inertia, low mass rotatable mask with character apertures disposed around its periphery. The mask is driven asynchronously and slaved to the laser to present successive character apertures in the beam at each pulse. The drive system has a pre-stored drive profile for each possible angular increment to ensure that mask is very rapidly indexed between characters. Also disclosed is an optical transformation scheme for optionally transforming the mask characters to reduce the mask size, and a solid state spatial light modulator for obviating the need for a rotatable mask.
Abstract:
Apparatus for twisting a travelling strand comprises a rotary structure (12) rotatable about a rotational axis X-X and a series of pulleys (48, 50, 52, 54 and 56) mounted on structure (12) in an array disposed about the rotational axis X-X with each pulley in the series rotatably mounted on structure (12) for rotation about an individual axis of pulley rotation which is generally parallel to the axis X-X and moves around that axis on rotation of the structure (12). An input strand guide pulley (60) guides an input strand to be twisted into a path in which it will successively engage the pulleys (48, 50, 52, 54 and 56) and a strand exit guide pulley (62) guides the strand from that path into an exit path along the axis X-X. Rotary structure (12) is driven through a drive shaft (16) and the pulleys (48, 50, 52, 54 and 56) are rotated by gearing (32).
Abstract:
A method for stretching an assembly, e.g. a sliver or roving, of untwisted staple fibres (12) to reduce their diameter and increase their length employs false twist to provide grip between the fibres to ensure that stretching of the fibres and not drafting of the assembly occurs. The fibres are first plasticized by treatment with a suitable agent in a bath (16) and then passed through apparatus which employs a number of rotatable arrays (24, 25, 29, 32) of driven pulleys (26, 33). The arrays are mounted for rotation between two twist blocking nips (18, 18') and are rotatable about a longitudinal axis corresponding to the direction of travel of the assembly through the apparatus to impart false twist into the assembly. The assembly is stretched between two of the pulley arrays (24 and 25), the pulleys of the downstream array (25) being driven at a higher speed than the pulleys of the upstream array (24). The stretch is then set by steam heating in chamber (17) while the false twist is maintained by further rotatable pulley arrays (29). Post treatment stages (14, 46) may be added to further stabilize the stretched fibres. The fibres are animal hairs, for example wool.
Abstract:
A pump has a signal processor, including one forming part of a printed circuit board assembly, that receives signaling containing information about a voltage supplied to a motor to run a particular pump model, and also containing information about whether a current draw of the pump is lower than a predetermined low current level or is higher than a predetermined high current level; and determines whether to shut off the pump after a predetermined time, based on the signaling received. The signal processor provides control signalling to shut off the pump after the predetermined time if the current draw of the pump is lower than the predetermined low current level or is higher than the predetermined high current level, where the predetermined low current level and the predetermined high current level depend on the voltage being supplied to the motor to run the particular pump model.
Abstract:
Extraction of bitumen from oil sands may generate oil sands tailings mixed with a liquid. Systems may be used to separate the liquid from the tailings so the tailings can be disposed or otherwise reclaimed. In some examples, a system includes a primary separation vessel configured to receive oil sands tailings mixed with water and to separate the oil sands tailings into a plurality of layers, where at least one of the plurality of layers includes a mature fines tailing material. The system may include an apparatus configured to receive the mature fines tailing material from the primary separation vessel and to mechanically separate a portion of the water in the mature fine tailings material. The system may also include an apparatus configured to receive a concentrated oil sands tailings material and to thermally evaporate water from the concentrated oil sands tailings materials, thereby producing trafficable dried oil sands tailings.
Abstract:
A chewing gum, when chewed, produces a cud having improved removability from environmental surfaces by virtue of its extensional viscosity strain hardening parameter. Specifically, the cud has a extensional strain hardening parameter of less than zero or greater than 2.0.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a multichannel active sensing and switching device featuring a multiple sensing and switching module configured to respond to operational conditions of different load types and provide load type sensor signals containing information about the operational conditions of the different load types, and also configured to respond to controller signals for controlling the operation of the different load types in two or more different protection configurations; and a controller module configured to respond to the load type sensor signals and provide the controller signals in order to control the operation of the different load types in the two or more different protection configurations. The controller module may be programmable and configured to provide a default circuit breaker configuration and a device specific configuration using active intelligence (AI).
Abstract:
A method of obtaining rheological data for a waxy fluid in a shut-in pipeline, the method comprising: (A) creating a model of shrinkage flow in a shut-in pipeline by: a) (i) determining the length and internal diameter of the pipeline, and (ii) obtaining a topographic relief map of the pipeline that identifies critical waypoints and entering the horizontal and vertical coordinates of these waypoints (relative to a selected low point) as model loci thereby creating a plurality of pipeline sub-sections; b) calculating the hydrostatic pressure change across each pipeline sub-section; c) determining the temperature profiles for a plurality of parameters of the waxy fluid over a temperature range typical of the temperatures encountered in the shut-in pipeline wherein the parameters include the density, shear stress, shear strain rate and vapour pressure of the waxy fluid; d) entering a temperature change into the model for each pipeline subsection for a selected cooling time interval; e) by reference to the density temperature profile, calculating the mean temperature in each pipeline sub-section, the volume change in each pipeline sub-section, and the resulting shrinkage flow rate in each pipeline sub-section; f) by reference to the shrinkage flow rate in each pipeline subsection, the mean temperature in each pipeline sub-section, and the shear stress/shear strain rate temperature profile, calculating the wall shear strain rate in each sub-section, the shear viscosity in each sub-section and the pressure difference across each sub- section that is required to maintain shrinkage flow; g) subtracting the required pressure difference across each sub-section from any existing pressure difference arising from a hydrostatic head and generating a pipeline pressure profile from the resultant pressure differences for the pipeline sub-sections; h) if the line pressure at any locus fall below the vapour pressure of the waxy fluid at i) the locus temperature, a void is presumed to form at the locus and the fluid body in j) the pipeline is divided at that locus; and k) repeating steps (d) to (h) for a further cooling time interval; and (B) using the model of shrinkage flow to (i) determine the distribution of any void spaces along the pipeline for the cooling time interval that the pipeline has been shut in; and, (ii) to obtain rheological data for the waxy fluid in each pipeline sub-section for the cooling time interval that the pipeline has been shut-in.
Abstract:
The present invention relates antidotes to anticoagulants targeting factor Xa. The antidotes are factor Xa protein derivatives that bind to the factor Xa inhibitors thereby substantially neutralizing them but do not assemble into the prothrombinase complex. The derivatives describe herein lack or have reduced intrinsic coagulant activity. Disclosed herein are methods of stopping or preventing bleeding in a patient that is currently undergoing anticoagulant therapy with a factor Xa inhibitor.