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Method and Apparatus for measuring Gravitational Acceleration Utilizing a high Temperature Superconducting Bearing (open access)

Method and Apparatus for measuring Gravitational Acceleration Utilizing a high Temperature Superconducting Bearing

Gravitational acceleration is measured in all spatial dimensions with improved sensitivity by utilizing a high temperature superconducting (HTS) gravimeter. The HTS gravimeter is comprised of a permanent magnet suspended in a spaced relationship from a high temperature superconductor, and a cantilever having a mass at its free end is connected to the permanent magnet at its fixed end. The permanent magnet and superconductor combine to form a bearing platform with extremely low frictional losses, and the rotational displacement of the mass is measured to determine gravitational acceleration. Employing a high temperature superconductor component has the significant advantage of having an operative temperature at or below 77K, whereby cooling maybe accomplished with liquid nitrogen.
Date: November 6, 1998
Creator: Hull, John R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electrochemical Membrane Incinerator (open access)

Electrochemical Membrane Incinerator

Electrochemical incineration of benzoquinone was evaluated as a model for the mineralization of carbon in toxic aromatic compounds. A Ti or Pt anode was coated with a film of the oxides of Ti, Ru, Sn and Sb. This quaternary metal oxide film was stable; elemental analysis of the electrolyzed solution indicated the concentration of these metal ions to be 3 {micro}g/L or less. The anode showed good reactivity for the electrochemical incineration of benzoquinone. The use of a dissolved salt matrix as the so-called ''supporting electrolyte'' was eliminated in favor of a solid-state electrolyte sandwiched between the anode and cathode.
Date: December 8, 1998
Creator: Johnson, Dennis C.; Houk, Linda L. & Feng, Jianren
System: The UNT Digital Library
Very Large Aperture Diffractive Space Telescope (open access)

Very Large Aperture Diffractive Space Telescope

A very large (10's of meters) aperture space telescope including two separate spacecraft--an optical primary functioning as a magnifying glass and an optical secondary functioning as an eyepiece. The spacecraft are spaced up to several kilometers apart with the eyepiece directly behind the magnifying glass ''aiming'' at an intended target with their relative orientation determining the optical axis of the telescope and hence the targets being observed. The magnifying glass includes a very large-aperture, very-thin-membrane, diffractive lens, e.g., a Fresnel lens, which intercepts incoming light over its full aperture and focuses it towards the eyepiece. The eyepiece has a much smaller, meter-scale aperture and is designed to move along the focal surface of the magnifying glass, gathering up the incoming light and converting it to high quality images. The positions of the two space craft are controlled both to maintain a good optical focus and to point at desired targets.
Date: April 20, 1998
Creator: Hyde, Roderick Allen
System: The UNT Digital Library
High Specific Surface area Aerogel Cryoadsorber for Vacuum Pumping Applications (open access)

High Specific Surface area Aerogel Cryoadsorber for Vacuum Pumping Applications

A cryogenic pumping system is provided, comprising a vacuum environment, an aerogel sorbent formed from a carbon aerogel disposed within the vacuum environment, and cooling means for cooling the aerogel sorbent sufficiently to adsorb molecules from the vacuum environment onto the aerogel sorbent. Embodiments of the invention include a liquid refrigerant cryosorption pump, a compressed helium cryogenic pump, a cryopanel and a Meissner coil, each of which uses carbon aerogel as a sorbent material.
Date: December 22, 1998
Creator: Hill, Randal M.; Fought, Eric R. & Biltoft, Peter J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Titanium Carbide Bipolar Plate for Electrochemical Devices (open access)

Titanium Carbide Bipolar Plate for Electrochemical Devices

Titanium carbide comprises a corrosion resistant, electrically conductive, non-porous bipolar plate for use in an electrochemical device. The process involves blending titanium carbide powder with a suitable binder material, and molding the mixture, at an elevated temperature and pressure.
Date: May 8, 1998
Creator: LaConti, Anthony B.; Griffith, Arthur E.; Cropley, Cecelia C. & Kosek, John A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iron-Phosphate Ceramics for Solidification of Mixed Low-Level Waste (open access)

Iron-Phosphate Ceramics for Solidification of Mixed Low-Level Waste

A method of immobilizing mixed low-level waste is provided which uses low cost materials and has a relatively long hardening period. The method includes: forming a mixture of iron oxide powders having ratios, in mass %, of FeO: Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}: Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} equal to 25-40: 40-10: 35-50, or weighing a definite amount of magnitite powder. Metallurgical cinder can also be used as the source of iron oxides. A solution of the orthophosphoric acid, or a solution of the orthophosphoric acid and ferric oxide, is formed and a powder phase of low-level waste and the mixture of iron oxide powders or cinder (or magnetite powder) is also formed. The acid solution is mixed with the powder phase to form a slurry with the ratio of components (mass %) of waste: iron oxide powders or magnitite: acid solution = 30-60: 15-10: 55-30. The slurry is blended to form a homogeneous mixture which is cured at room temperature to form the final product.
Date: August 7, 1998
Creator: Aloy, Albert S.; Kovarskaya, Elena N.; Koltsova, Tatiana I.; Macheret, Yevgeny; Medvedev, Pavel G. & Todd, Terry
System: The UNT Digital Library
Device for Detecting Actinides, Method for Detecting Actinides (open access)

Device for Detecting Actinides, Method for Detecting Actinides

A heavy metal detector is provided comprising a first molecule and a second molecule, whereby the first and second molecules interact in a predetermined manner; a first region on the first molecule adapted to interact with an actinide; and a second region on the second molecule adapted to interact with the actinide, whereby the interactions of the actinide with the regions effect the predetermined manner of interaction between the molecules.
Date: October 29, 1998
Creator: Stevens, Fred J. & Wilkins-Stevens, Priscilla
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electrochemical storage cell containing a substituted anisole or di-anisole redox shuttle additive for overcharge protection and suitable for use in liquid organic and solid polymer electrolytes (open access)

Electrochemical storage cell containing a substituted anisole or di-anisole redox shuttle additive for overcharge protection and suitable for use in liquid organic and solid polymer electrolytes

A electrochemical cell is described comprising an anode, a cathode, a solid polymer electrolyte; and a redox shuttle additive to protect the cell against overcharging and a redox shuttle additive to protect the cell against overcharging selected from the group consisting of: (a) a substituted anisole having the general formula shown in a figure (in an uncharged state): where R{sub 1} is selected from the group consisting of H, 0CH{sub 3}, OCH{sub 2}CH{sub 3}, and OCH{sub 2}phenyl, and R{sub 2} is selected from the group consisting of OCH{sub 3}, OCH{sub 2}CH{sub 3}, OCH{sub 2} phenyl, and O{sup {minus}}Li{sup +}; and (b) a di-anisole compound having the general formula shown in a second figure (in an uncharged state): where R is selected from the group consisting of -OCH{sup 3} and -CH{sub 3}, m is either 1 or 0, n is either 1 or 0, and X is selected from the group consisting of -OCH{sub 3} (methoxy) or its lithium salt -O{sup {minus}}Li{sup +}. The lithium salt of the di-anisole is the preferred form of the redox shuttle additive because the shuttle anion will then initially have a single negative charge, it loses two electrons when it is oxidized at the cathode, …
Date: March 1998
Creator: Kerr, John B. & Tian, Minmin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fatty acyl-CoA reductase (open access)

Fatty acyl-CoA reductase

The present invention relates to bacterial enzymes, in particular to an acyl-CoA reductase and a gene encoding an acyl-CoA reductase, the amino acid and nucleic acid sequences corresponding to the reductase polypeptide and gene, respectively, and to methods of obtaining such enzymes, amino acid sequences and nucleic acid sequences. The invention also relates to the use of such sequences to provide transgenic host cells capable of producing fatty alcohols and fatty aldehydes.
Date: December 1, 1998
Creator: Reiser, Steven E. & Somerville, Chris R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Self-seeded injection-locked FEL amplifier (open access)

Self-seeded injection-locked FEL amplifier

A self-seeded free electron laser (FEL) provides a high gain and extraction efficiency for the emitted light. An accelerator outputs a beam of electron pulses to a permanent magnet wiggler having an input end for receiving the electron pulses and an output end for outputting light and the electron pulses. An optical feedback loop collects low power light in a small signal gain regime at the output end of said wiggler and returns the low power light to the input end of the wiggler while outputting high power light in a high signal gain regime.
Date: December 1, 1998
Creator: Sheffield, Richard L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Raman Fiber Optic Probe Assembly for use in Hostile Environments (open access)

A Raman Fiber Optic Probe Assembly for use in Hostile Environments

This invention provides a device for Raman spectroscopic measurement of composition and concentrations in a hostile environment by the use of a first fiber optic as a means of directing high intensity monochromatic light from a laser to the hostile environment and a second fiber optic to receive the lower intensity scattered light for transmittal to a monochromator for analysis. To avoid damage to the fiber optics, they are protected from the hostile environment. A preferred embodiment of the Raman fiber optic probe is able to obtain Raman spectra of corrosive gases and solutions at temperatures to 600 F and pressures up to 2000 psi. The incident exciting fiber optic cable makes an angle of substantially 90{degree} with the collecting fiber optic cable. This 90{degree} geometry minimizes the Rayleigh scattering signal picked up by the collecting fiber, because the intensity of Rayleigh scattering is lowest in the direction perpendicular to the beam path of the exciting light and therefore a 90{degree} scattering geometry optimizes the signal to noise ratio.
Date: September 21, 1998
Creator: Schmucker, John E.; Falk, Jon C.; Archer, William B. & Blasi, Raymond J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reduction of B-Integral Accumulation in Lasers (open access)

Reduction of B-Integral Accumulation in Lasers

A pulsed laser is provided wherein the B-integral accumulated in the laser pulse is reduced using a semiconductor wafer. A laser pulse is generated by a laser pulse source. The laser pulse passes through a semiconductor wafer that has a negative nonlinear index of refraction. Thus, the laser pulse accumulates a negative B-integral. The laser pulse is then fed into a laser amplification medium, which has a positive nonlinear index of refraction. The laser pulse may make a plurality of passes through the laser amplification medium and accumulate a positive B-integral during a positive non-linear phase change. The semiconductor and laser pulse wavelength are chosen such that the negative B-integral accumulated in the semiconductor wafer substantially cancels the positive B-integral accumulated in the laser amplification medium. There may be additional accumulation of positive B-integral if the laser pulse passes through additional optical mediums such as a lens or glass plates. Thus , the effects of self-phase modulation in the laser pulse are substantially reduced.
Date: June 5, 1998
Creator: Meyerhofer, David D. & Konoplev, Oleg A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rack Protection Monitor (open access)

Rack Protection Monitor

A hardwired, fail-safe rack protection monitor utilizes electromechanical relays to respond to the detection by condition sensors of abnormal or alarm conditions (such as smoke, temperature, wind or water) that might adversely affect or damage equipment being protected. When the monitor is reset, the monitor is in a detection mode with first and second alarm relay coils energized. If one of the condition sensors detects an abnormal condition, the first alarm relay coil will be de-energized, but the second alarm relay coil will remain energized. This results in both a visual and an audible alarm being activated. If a second alarm condition is detected by another one of the condition sensors while the first condition sensor is still detecting the first alarm condition, both the first alarm relay coil and the second alarm relay coil will be de-energized. With both the first and second alarm relay coils de-energized, both a visual and an audible alarm will be activated. In addition, power to the protected equipment will be terminated and an alarm signal will be transmitted to an alarm central control. The monitor can be housed in a separate enclosure so as to provide an interface between a power supply for …
Date: October 21, 1998
Creator: Orr, Stanley G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Solar reduction of CO{sub 2} (open access)

Solar reduction of CO{sub 2}

The red shift of the absorption spectrum of CO{sub 2} with increasing temperature, along with CO stabilization are the foundation of a process for direct solar reduction of CO{sub 2} to liquid fuels. The result is a process capable of using renewable solar energy to directly reduce CO{sub 2} from the atmosphere or stationary sources for recycle as a liquid fuel resulting in a net decrease in CO{sub 2} in the atmosphere and decreased demand on fossil fuel. The process includes in sequence: preparation of adequately pure CO{sub 2} feed; preheating CO{sub 2} to near 1,800 K; breaking the CO{sub 2} bonds to produce CO, O{sub 2} and O; quenching the hot product mix by rapid admixture with room temperature CO{sub 2}; removing excess thermal energy to produce electricity, heat new CO{sub 2} and enable subsequent process steps; removing the remaining CO{sub 2} from the gas; removing oxygen from the gas; converting part of the product CO to H{sub 2} by the shift reaction; and, finally, catalytically synthesizing methanol from the synthetic gas.
Date: December 1, 1998
Creator: Jensen, Reed J.; Lyman, John L.; King, Joe D. & Guettler, Robert D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Drum bubbler tritium processing system (open access)

Drum bubbler tritium processing system

A method is described for separating tritium oxide from a gas stream containing tritium oxide. The gas stream containing tritium oxide is fed into a container of water having a head space above the water. Bubbling the gas stream containing tritium oxide through the container of water and removing gas from the container head space above the water. Thereafter, the gas from the head space is dried to remove water vapor from the gas, and the water vapor is recycled to the container of water.
Date: December 1, 1998
Creator: Rule, Keith; Gettelfinger, Geoff & Kivler, Paul
System: The UNT Digital Library
Periodic equivalence ratio modulation method and apparatus for controlling combustion instability (open access)

Periodic equivalence ratio modulation method and apparatus for controlling combustion instability

The periodic equivalence ratio modulation (PERM) method and apparatus significantly reduces and/or eliminates unstable conditions within a combustion chamber. The method involves modulating the equivalence ratio for the combustion device, such that the combustion device periodically operates outside of an identified unstable oscillation region. The equivalence ratio is modulated between preselected reference points, according to the shape of the oscillation region and operating parameters of the system. Preferably, the equivalence ratio is modulated from a first stable condition to a second stable condition, and, alternatively, the equivalence ratio is modulated from a stable condition to an unstable condition. The method is further applicable to multi-nozzle combustor designs, whereby individual nozzles are alternately modulated from stable to unstable conditions. Periodic equivalence ratio modulation (PERM) is accomplished by active control involving periodic, low frequency fuel modulation, whereby low frequency fuel pulses are injected into the main fuel delivery. Importantly, the fuel pulses are injected at a rate so as not to affect the desired time-average equivalence ratio for the combustion device.
Date: December 1, 1998
Creator: Richards, George A.; Janus, Michael C. & Griffith, Richard A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Separation of catalyst from Fischer-Tropsch slurry (open access)

Separation of catalyst from Fischer-Tropsch slurry

This paper describes a process for the separation of catalysts used in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The separation is accomplished by extraction in which the organic compounds in the wax are dissolved and carried away from the insoluble inorganic catalyst particles that are primarily inorganic. The purified catalyst can be upgraded by various methods.
Date: April 1, 1998
Creator: White, C.M.; Quiring, M.S.; Jensen, K.L.; Hickey, R.F. & Gillham, L.D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Method for Plutonium-Gallium Separation by Anodic Dissolution of a Solid Plutonium-Gallium Alloy (open access)

Method for Plutonium-Gallium Separation by Anodic Dissolution of a Solid Plutonium-Gallium Alloy

Purified plutonium and gallium are efficiently recovered from a solid plutonium-gallium (Pu-Ga) alloy by using an electrorefining process. The solid Pu-Ga alloy is the cell anode, preferably placed in a moving basket within the electrolyte. As the surface of the Pu-Ga anode is depleted in plutonium by the electrotransport of the plutonium to a cathode, the temperature of the electrolyte is sufficient to liquify the surface, preferably at about 500 C, resulting in a liquid anode layer substantially comprised of gallium. The gallium drips from the liquified surface and is collected below the anode within the electrochemical cell. The transported plutonium is collected on the cathode surface and is recovered.
Date: December 8, 1998
Creator: Miller, William E. & Tomczuk, Zygmunt
System: The UNT Digital Library
Design for Ceramic Membrane Reactor with two Reactant Gases at Different Pressures (open access)

Design for Ceramic Membrane Reactor with two Reactant Gases at Different Pressures

The invention is a ceramic membrane reactor for syngas production having a reaction chamber, an inlet in the reactor for natural gas intake, a plurality of oxygen permeating ceramic slabs inside the reaction chamber with each slab having a plurality of passages paralleling the gas flow for transporting air through the reaction chamber, a manifold affixed to one end of the reaction chamber for intake of air connected to the slabs, a second manifold affixed to the reactor for removing the oxygen depleted air, and an outlet in the reaction chamber for removing syngas.
Date: November 18, 1998
Creator: Balachandran, Uthamalingam & Mieville, Rodney L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cyanoethylated Compounds as Additives in Lithium/Lithium Ion Batteries (open access)

Cyanoethylated Compounds as Additives in Lithium/Lithium Ion Batteries

The power loss of lithium/lithium ion battery cells is significantly reduced, especially at low temperatures, when about 1% by weight of an additive is incorporated in the electrolyte layer of the cells. The usable additives are organic solvent soluble cyanoethylated polysaccharides and poly(vinyl alcohol). The power loss decrease results primarily from the decrease in the charge transfer resistance at the interface between the electrolyte and the cathode.
Date: May 8, 1998
Creator: Nagasubramanian, Ganesan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Focused Ion beam source method and Apparatus (open access)

Focused Ion beam source method and Apparatus

A focused ion beam having a cross section of submicron diameter, a high ion current, and a narrow energy range is generated from a target comprised of particle source material by laser ablation. The method involves directing a laser beam having a cross section of critical diameter onto the target, producing a cloud of laser ablated particles having unique characteristics, and extracting and focusing a charged particle beam from the laser ablated cloud. The method is especially suited for producing focused ion beams for semiconductor device analysis and modification.
Date: August 17, 1998
Creator: Pellin, Michael J.; Lykke, Keith R. & Lill, Thorsten B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Improved Consolidation Process for Producing Ceramic Waste forms (open access)

Improved Consolidation Process for Producing Ceramic Waste forms

A process for the consolidation and containment of solid or semisolid hazardous waste, which process comprises closing an end of a circular hollow cylinder, filling the cylinder with the hazardous waste, and then cold working the cylinder to reduce its diameter while simultaneously compacting the waste. The open end of the cylinder can be sealed prior to or after the cold working process. The preferred method of cold working is to draw the sealed cylinder containing the hazardous waste through a plurality of dies to simultaneously reduce the diameter of the tube while compacting the waste. This process provides a quick continuous process for consolidating hazardous waste, including radioactive waste.
Date: July 24, 1998
Creator: Hash, Harry C. & Hash, Mark C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Method and Apparatus to Produce and Maintain a thick, flowing, Liquid Lithium first wall for Toroidal Magnetic Confinement DT Fusion Reactors (open access)

Method and Apparatus to Produce and Maintain a thick, flowing, Liquid Lithium first wall for Toroidal Magnetic Confinement DT Fusion Reactors

A system for forming a thick flowing liquid metal, in this case lithium, layer on the inside wall of a toroid containing the plasma of a deuterium-tritium fission reactor. The presence of the liquid metal layer or first wall serves to prevent neutron damage to the walls of the toroid. A poloidal current in the liquid metal layer is oriented so that it flows in the same direction as the current in a series of external magnets used to confine the plasma. This current alignment results in the liquid metal being forced against the wall of the toroid. After the liquid metal exits the toroid it is pumped to a heat extraction and power conversion device prior to being reentering the toroid.
Date: October 21, 1998
Creator: Woolley, Robert D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Attachment Apparatus (open access)

Attachment Apparatus

The present invention includes an attachment apparatus comprising a rotation limiting member adapted to be threaded onto a threaded member; and a preload nut adapted to be threaded onto the threaded member. The rotation limiting member comprises a plurality of pins; and the preload nut comprises plurality of slots, preferably wherein the plurality of pins and the plurality of slots are the same in number, which is preferably three. The plurality of pins of the rotation limiting member are filled into a corresponding plurality of slots of the preload nut to form a rotatable unit adapted to be threaded onto the threaded member. In use, the rotatable unit is threaded onto the threaded member. The present invention thus provides a unitized removable device for holes, including holes other than circular in shape, which have an established depth before an end of, or before an enlargement of the hole. The configuration of some exposed part of the device, or the head, is shaped and formed for its intended purpose, such as clamping, anchor points, eye bolts, stud anchor, and the like. The device allows for the installation, preloading and removal of all components of the device, as a unit, without damage …
Date: August 18, 1998
Creator: Morrison, Edward F.
System: The UNT Digital Library