II New Pa ten t s

4681444 4681685

A U T O M A T I C W A V E L E N G T H C A L I B R A T I O N A P P A R A T U S

Alan C Ferber, Morteza M Chamran assigned to The Perkin-Elmer Corporation

A self-contained automatic computer controlled system for checking and recalibrating the wavelength scale of both monochromators of a fluorescence spectrophotometer is described. No operator adjustments are required. The system sets the wavelength of each monochromator to within 0.1 nanometers. Besides automatic inde- xing at turn-on the operation can be repeated at any desired time. The system is applicable to single or double monochromator instruments.

4681682

M E T H O D A N D A P P A R A T U S F O R C O N C E N T R A T I N G

B I O P A R T I C L E S

Paul Sutton, Joseph Peplinski assigned to Dorr- Oliver Inc

A method and apparatus for controlling bio- mass growth in a fluidized bed reactor during anaerobic or aerobic treating of a waste feed. In particular, means is provided for concentrating a portion of bioparticles, the bioparticles being media with biomass adhered thereto and the concentrating means being integral to the fluid bed reactor, so that bioparticles delivered to a separator means for separating the biomass from the media are of high concentration requiring lit- tle downstream processing of the biomass separated thereby.

A I R F L O T A T I O N C L A R I F I E R 4681727

Harold R White, Alex J Doncer assigned to Alar Engineering Corporation

A clarifier is provided with an elongated settling tank having an inlet at one end, an outlet at the opposite end, a generator producing air saturated liquid released near the inlet end of the tank to float lighter sludge to the top of the tank, suction heads removing settled out heavier sludge from the bottom of the tank, skimmers pushing scum or foam floating on top of the li- quid in the tank to the overflow outlet near the inlet end of the tank, a travelling bridge moving the suction heads along the length of the tank, elongated outlets for clarified liquid projecting into the tank from the discharge end thereof, and outlets at different levels for discharge of clarified effluent and recirculating effluent. The recirculating effluent is pumped to a mixing device to be saturated with air and the air saturated effluent is discharged back into the in- let end of the tank. A pressurized tank for air saturated effluent receives the admixed air and effluent from the mixing device into the bottom thereof and air from the top of the tank is com- pressed by a liquid ring compressor to charge the mixing device. The dissolved air flotation takes place at the inlet end of the tank and the floating froth or scum is pushed into the top of the collec- tor trough extending across the inlet end of the tank. A control panel on the unit monitors all of the operations and the entire unit is portable to be easily placed alongside any industrial equip- ment having liquid to be clarified.

P R O C E S S F O R P R O D U C I N G A S T A T I N E - 2 1 1 F O R

R A D I O P H A R M A C E U T I C A L U S E

Saed Mirzadeh, Richard M Lambrecht assigned to The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy

A process for reliably and consistently pro- ducing astatine-211 in small controlled volumes of a solution, which is selected from a choice of solvents that are useful in selected radiophar- maceutical procedures in which the At-211 ac- tivities are to be applied.

4681742

A S S A Y T R A Y

Larry Johnson, Stephen R Coates, Rueymin Loor assigned to Cetus Corporation

A machine for transferring liquids to and from the wells of assay trays in a controlled, auto- mated manner and a solid phase assay tray for use with the machine. The machine includes a horizontally translatable table (15) that holds the tray (46), a plurality of liquid dispensing manifolds (54) for dispensing liquids into the tray wells (50) and an aspirating manifold (65) for aspirating liquid from the well. The dis- pensing and aspirating manifolds are mounted

New Pa ten t s III

on a vertically translatable head (16) above the table. Each dispensing manifold is equipped with a row of dispensing tubes (56) and is connected via a pump (58) to a liquid container (62). The aspirating manifold is equipped with a row of aspirating tube (66) and is connected via a pump (69) to a waste liquid receptacle (73). A micro- processor (85) controls the movements of the table and manifolds and operates the pumps. The tray wells include means, such as sloping bottoms (74) or subwells (83), that cause the solid phase (76) to occupy a particular position in the wells and sumps (75), (84) that are positioned relative to the location of the solid phase such that they may be accessed vertically by the aspirating tubes without danger of dist- urbing the solid phase. The bottoms of the sumps have optically flat areas so that beams of light may be passed vertically through the liquid con- tents of the wells without intersecting the solid phase to make optical measurements of the li- quid contents.

4681996

A N A L Y T I C A L P R O C E S S I N W H I C H M A T E R I A L S T O B E

A N A L Y Z E D A R E D I R E C T L Y A N D I N D I R E C T L Y H E A T E D A N D

D R I E D B Y M I C R O W A V E R A D I A T I O N

Michael J Collins, Wyatt P Hargett assigned to CEM Corporation

An apparatus for controllably heating material, such as a material to be analyzed for volatiles or non-volatiles contents, directly and indirectly by microwave radiation, includes a chamber, in which the material to be heated is placed, a source of microwave radiation, for radiating onto materials in the chamber and for con- trollably heating such a material, and a support for such material, which support includes a matrix of a material which transmits microwave radiation, and also includes particulate material therein which absorbs microwave radiation. The absorptive material is one that has a Curie tem- perature, above which it is transmissive of micro- wave radiation, so as thereby to prevent excessive heating of the support and the suppor- ted material which is to be heated. The matrix material is stable and form-retaining at the Curie temperature of the dispersed material. Pre- ferably the support matrix will be of a silicone rubber or of a polyfluoroalkylene polymer, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, and the dispersed material will be a ferrite, garnet or a mixture

thereof. The apparatus may include a turntable for one or more supports, an automatic elec- tronic balance, computerized controls and readout means. Also within the invention are the described support, and processes for heating and drying, in a preferred embodiment of which pro- cesses a particulate diluent or dispersant for the sample being treated is employed to prevent overheating of the sample.

4682145

T R U C K L E V E L S E N S I N G A N D I N D I C A T I N G S Y S T E M

Clarence A Brawner

A level sensing system with a level sensor-data transmitter and a data receiver-display for use particularly with long (18 wheel type) trailer dump trucks plagued with a problem hazard of trailer turn over as it is elevated in the dumping process. The sensor-data transmitter is placed in a desired location on the truck trailer where it is to monitor a level condition generally on the trailer frame in the area of the trailer rear wheels, and the data receiver display is located in the truck cab for observation by the operator. The level sensor includes a plumb vane mounted with two right angle pivot axis-pitch and roll with the rotation around the roll axis when the wheels are not level. Since the plumb vane tends to remain vertical, the frame around it, attached to the truck trailer, moves relative to the vane with this movement in the roll plane sensed and data, with roll beyond a predetermined limit, transmitted reflecting roll axis angular rotation. With a roll £73 + 0 angle within preselected plus and minus limits the operator gets a green light display in the cab and if the roll + 73 + 0 angle is outside the preselected limits a left red light or right red light will show indicating a hazardous tractor trailer rear wheel axis slant that could result in tipping of the trailer. + RE

4682222

S T I M U L A T E D S C A N N I N G I N F R A R E D I M A G I N G S Y S T E M

Daniel P Smith, Robert Lillquist assigned to General Electric Company

A scanning infrared display system capable of variable magnification and high spatial resolu- tion measures the emitted infrared radiation caused by the scanning of a highly collimated