X
New Patents
for waste material packages, located below floor level. The package is delivered to a external storage bin for multiple waste packages, located in the curbside or near driveway of the building, where it is automatically loaded into a storage container. Indication means are attached to the storage bin to provide information on the types of waste material packages which are stored in the storage bin, thereby preparing for central waste collection of sorted and bar-code marked recyclable and non-recyclable waste.
5447703 PROCESS
FOR COMBUSTION
OF
SULFUR-CONTAINING CARBONACEOUS
MATERIALS
Baer Stephen H; Dell'Aquila Joseph Bedford, NY, UNITED STATES Assigned to Novacon Energy Systems Inc In a process for burning a combustible, sulfur-containing carbonaceous material such as coal, municipal waste, or tires, recrystallized metamorphic CaCO 3 is introduced into the combustion zone along with the fuel. The amount of SO 2 and NO2 generated is substantially reduced as compared to conventional processes and, even with no post-scrubbing equipment, the emission levels compare favorably te the emission levels of state-of-the-art power plants using the same coal with extensive emission controls. The present process also acts to convert sulfur resident in coal into elemental sulfur and loose sulfur compounds and to reduce the particulate output.
5448071 GAS SPECTROSCOPY McCaul Bruce W; Doggett David; Thorson Eric Palo Alto, CA, 94301, UNITED STATES Assigned to McCaul Bruce A spectroscopy device comprises a laser diode/lens assembly driven by a periodic stepped laser diode drive current. Each period of the stepped laser diode drive current has a plurality of constant current intervals: a left baseline interval, a left skirt interval,
a peak interval, a right skirt interval, and a right baseline interval. The left and right skirt constant current intervals are used to lock the laser radiation emitted from the laser diode onto a preselected absorption line. The left and right baseline constant current intervals are used to subtract baseline absorption measurements from peak constant current interval absorption measurements. A high frequenc.~ common mode noise rejection circuit rejects noise common to a monitor radiation detector and a radiation detector which detects radiation passing through a sample cell. A serial line locking cell is provided to allow locking when little or no absorbing material is present in the sample cell. A heated sample cell is provided to allow for the measurement of oxygen concentration in human breath. The pressure and temperature of the gas in the sample cell are detected to account for pressure and temperature dependencies of the absorption measurement. Techniques are disclosed for minimizing the effects of unwanted reflections off various surfaces of a spectroscopy device which otherwise would reflect back into the laser diode.
5448604 CASK TRANSPORT, MONITORING,
STORAGE,
AND RETRIEVAL
SYSTEM Peterson William STATES
Holladay, UT, 84124, UNITED
A transport, storage, monitoring, and retrieval system for casks including intermediate storage of spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants. The system consists of a powered rail transport car which carries a cask standing on its end. A cross-ways traveling powered rail under car unit carries the rail transport car and loaded cask transversely on rails underneath to align with a bay rail which the powered rail car traverses to the cask storage location. Bridge cranes off-load the casks and with monitoring equipment perform remote cask inspections. Bay rails and a pair of cross-ways traveling under car units serve for movement of both the transport car and the bridge units. Casks are located automatically at specific addresses for inventory control and data logging of radioactive emissions. The system may operate remotely and cask conditions are monitored from automated retrieved collected at an off-site data base.