Georgia Tech Patents

Series

Georgia Tech Patents

Permanent Link

https://hdl.handle.net/1853/71000

Series Type

Publication Series

Full item page

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 20

Method And Apparatus For Processing Vehicles Moving Through A Conduit By Air

( 8/28/1979)

A method and apparatus for processing vehicles which are moved through a conduit by air through sequential zones one, two and three. Preferably, the zones are inclined downwardly towards downstream for aiding movement of the vehicles downstream by gravity. Zone one is a storage zone which preferably has vents adjacent its upstream end and its downstream end for controlling the speed of movement of vehicles into zone one and from zone one to zone two. Zone two is the processing zone which receives vehicles from zone one and releases the vehicles to zone three. Zone two includes an air blocking vehicle stop at its downstream end against which a first vehicle is held, and includes a holding arm which holds a second vehicle while the leading first vehicle is released. The first vehicle is released to zone three, but only when three is clear of vehicles and a second vehicle is positioned behind the first vehicle. Thereafter, the second vehicle is released and moves to the downstream end of zone two and becomes the leading vehicle for continuing the cycle. Additional vehicles moving through the conduit are decelerated in zones one and two with the aid of air trapped behind the air blocking vehicle stop and/or parked vehicles. An accelerator may be provided in zone two for providing a rapid start of the leading vehicle from zone two into zone three. Vehicle position sensors are positioned in the various zones for sensing the presence of vehicles and controlling the movement of the vehicles through the conduit.
Method For Fiber Alignment Using Fluid-dynamic Forces

( 5/15/1979)

A method and apparatus are provided for aligning individual fibers parallel to the main fluid stream that is conveying them, using fluid-dynamic forces. This method and apparatus are based on the use of converging streamlines in a nearly irrotational flow to provide the necessary moments to rotate the fibers so that they become parallel to the streamlines. Counterflow jets are provided to create the desired streamline behavior in a main fluid stream. The irrotationality of the flow and the nearly parallel streamlines thus prevent further fiber rotation downstream.
Method And Apparatus For Producing A Carbonaceous Residue Product

( 3/20/1979)

A carbonaceous residue or char having novel properties is produced from particulate agricultural waste material, such as peanut shells, which upon heating exhibits an exothermic decomposition into an off gas component and a solid component in which the off gas component is more highly reactive to oxygen than is the solid component. By introducing air into the reaction zone whereat the decomposition is effected and controlling the amount of air so introduced such that not all of the off gas component may be oxidized, the preferential reaction of the air with the off gas component will protect the solid component from any significant oxidation while at the same time it will elevate the temperature in the reaction zone sufficiently to effect substantially complete decomposition of the material so that the recovered product is of very high carbon content. At the same time, a temperature gradient is established in the reaction zone which will allow some of the vapor component of the decomposition (i.e. heavier tars) to condense on the solid component at cooler regions for subsequent reintroduction into the high temperature regions so that the latent carbon content of these tars may also be recovered. The throughput or residence time of the material through the reaction zone and the amount of air introduced (to control the maximum reaction temperature as well as the temperature gradient) are controlled in related manner to recover more or less of the heavier tar residue.
Process For Producing Phosphoric Acid And Dicalcium Phosphate

( 2/27/1979)

Phosphatic raw materials are treated with phosphoric acid to obtain monocalcium phosphate which is dissociated with an organic solvent to yield high grade phosphoric acid and fertilizer grade dicalcium phosphate.
Method And Apparatus For Automatically Fractionating A Sample Of Particulate Material Into Discrete Size Fractions

( 1/23/1979)

A fractionating apparatus under microprocessor control including a tumbler having a series of screens of progressively larger openings around its periphery. A sample of particulate material is passed successively through each of the screens by incremental rotation of the tumbler. To aid in classifying the fractions, a spray of fluid is projected against the screens and a rocking motion is imparted to the tumbler. The smallest fraction, not being retained, is entrained in a moving stream of fluid and passed directly to a porous weighing member. When this entire fraction is deposited and weighed, the next larger fraction is accumulated in the weighing member. These individual weights and their sum are recorded and from them size percentages are computed.
Releasable Stop For A Vehicle Moving Through A Conduit

( 8/22/1978)

A releasable stop for releasably stopping a vehicle moving through a conduit. A stop gate is supported for pivotal movement into and out of the path of movement of the vehicle. First and second arms are pivotally connected together between the gate and a support and a pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly actuates one arm for moving the gate between a closed and opened position. The pivoting arms are moved into or slightly past a dead center position when the gate is in the closed position whereby the impact of a vehicle engaging the gate will be transmitted to the support instead of to the piston and cylinder assembly. When the gate is closed, the dead center position of the arm maintains the stop gate in a locked position. The stop gate may be sized and shaped to entirely block the conduit to provide a dead end air cushion stop assist. In addition, the gate, the arms and the piston and cylinder assembly may be mounted on a movable support and a shock absorber may be connected to the movable support for resisting movement when heavy loads engage the gate.
Regenerative Method For Quantitative Removal Of Sulfur Dioxide From Stack Gases

( 7/11/1978)

Sulfur dioxide is removed from stack gases by absorption in an aqueous medium, the preferred embodiment containing a chemical oxidant which generates hydrogen peroxide on a demand that equals the rate sulfur dioxide is absorbed into the medium whereby the absorbed sulfur dioxide is converted to sulfate form. The converted sulfur dioxide is removed in the form of an alkaline earth metal sulfate precipitate and spent oxidant is regenerated for reuse. In the other illustrated embodiments, the aqueous medium is maintained acidic from the start-up of the system. Barium peroxide is the preferred oxidant and acts both as oxidant and precipitant. Alternately, the oxidant and precipitant may be separate compounds.
Regenerative Method Removal Of Sulfur Dioxide From Stack Gases

( 6/21/1977)

Sulfur dioxide is removed from stack gases by absorption in an aqueous medium, the preferred embodiment containing a chemical oxidant which generates hydrogen peroxide on a demand that equals the rate sulfur dioxide is absorbed into the medium whereby the absorbed sulfur dioxide is converted to sulfate form. The converted sulfur dioxide is removed in the form of an alkaline earth metal sulfate precipitate and spent oxidant is regenerated for reuse. In the other illustrated embodiments, the aqueous medium is maintained acidic from the start-up of the system. Barium peroxide is the preferred oxidant and acts both as oxidant and precipitant. Alternately, the oxidant and precipitant may be separate compounds.
Vehicle Transport Pipeline Pumping System

( 4/12/1977)

Booster pump devices for maintaining air flow through a conduit system for sweeping vehicles along the path defined by the conduit operate in full flow fashion such as tends to create reverse flow of air in the conduit within those sections between the inlet and outlet connections of the pump with the conduit. An overhead suspended air control plate is provided for each section movable incident to vehicle approach from a closed position blocking the section to an upwardly swung open position allowing the vehicle to pass beneath it. The plate is balanced by forces acting upon it to stabilize in the open position until the vehicle passes beyond it whereupon the plate automatically returns to closed position.
Method And Apparatus For Determining The Relative Weight Proportions Of Different Size Fractions Of A Sample Of Particulate Material

( 3/16/1976)

A sample of particulate material is entrained in a moving body of fluid and the fluid is continuously discharged through a porous weighing member. Before passing to the weighing member sized fractions within the sample, except for the smallest one, are separated and held back at different regions in the body of fluid so that only the one fraction initially deposits on the weighing member. The weight addition of this fraction is measured and then a further fraction is re-entrained to move with the fluid to pass to and deposit on the weighing member cumulatively with the first fraction. The weight increase caused by this further deposition is measured and the re-entrainment and weight increase measurement of still further fractions are effected separately and successively until all fractions are deposited on the weighing member. These individual weights and their sum are recorded either manually or automatically and from them size percentages are computed. Further samples may be similarly processed while the weighing member accumulates all samples until its capacity is reached, whereafter the weighing member must be cleaned or replaced. The several size fractions may be separately recovered when a multiplicity of weighing members is employed.