A composite structure including a metal form. The composite structure further includes an aerogel matrix formed of an aerogel, with the aerogel matrix being nanoporous and including a plurality of aerogel pores. A polymer occupies at least a portion of the aerogel pores of the aerogel matrix. The polymer is a thermoplastic. The thermoplastic is nanoporous and includes a plurality of thermoplastic pores. The thermoplastic pores are less than 10 nanometers in size. The polymer is impregnated within the aerogel pores of the aerogel matrix. The aerogel comprises at least 20% by weight of the composite structure. The aerogel pores are less than 10 nanometers in size. The composite structure further contains filler material. The filler material may be graphene. The composite structure further contains reinforcing agents.

A horizontal decanter centrifuge for enhanced recovery of drilling mud from drilling mud solids. Oilfield decanters will always suffer some drilling mud losses because they can only achieve a certain effectiveness with respect to solids dryness. The embodiment describes a process to mitigate the financial burden of drilling mud losses by adding a less expensive sacrificial fluid to take the place of drilling mud in the solids phase. A process and apparatus for drilling mud displacement is described including flowing the drilling mud into a horizontal decanter centrifuge, wherein the stresses imposed within the decanter act to force a sacrificial fluid to displace the drilling mud. The embodiment also describes a process wherein vapours or mist are prevented from escaping and becoming airborne into the external atmosphere.

A horizontal decanter centrifuge for enhanced recovery of drilling mud from drilling mud solids. Oilfield decanters will always suffer some drilling mud losses because they can only achieve a certain effectiveness with respect to solids dryness. The embodiment describes a process to mitigate the financial burden of drilling mud losses by adding a less expensive sacrificial fluid to take the place of drilling mud in the solids phase. A process and apparatus for drilling mud displacement is described including flowing the drilling mud into a horizontal decanter centrifuge, wherein the stresses imposed within the decanter act to force a sacrificial fluid to displace the drilling mud. The embodiment also describes a process wherein vapours or mist are prevented from escaping and becoming airborne into the external atmosphere.

A process and system for recovering gel-mass from a gel-mass-containing waste material. The process comprises retrieving the gel-mass-containing waste material from an encapsulation process; melting the retrieved waste material to provide an oil phase and a non-oil phase; retrieving the non-oil phase to produce a recovered gel-mass; and recycling the recovered gel-mass for combination with fresh encapsulating material to provide a combined encapsulating material for use in encapsulating a same lot of the same product which was being encapsulated in the step that produced the gel-mass-containing waste material from which the gel-mass was obtained. The system comprises a heated accumulator for receiving and melting the gel-mass-containing waste material to provide an oil phase and a non-oil phase; a pumping system; an optional mixer; and a control system.

Shaker assemblies for dewatering are disclosed. The shaker assemblies may include a clamping system for securing a vibratory screen of the shaker assembly.

Shaker assemblies for dewatering are disclosed. The shaker assemblies may include a clamping system for securing a vibratory screen of the shaker assembly.

A method for recycling or processing asphalt waste held in a vessel that extracts oil from the waste and cleans the remaining solids includes the steps of adding a reaction solvent into the vessel and into contact with the asphalt waste, adding a bioremediation product into the vessel, adding a quantity of water into the vessel sufficient to effectively stop activity of the bioremediation product, and then removing any oil present in the water from the water. The resulting free oil collected from the process is similar to No. 4 fuel oil.

A method for recycling or processing asphalt waste held in a vessel that extracts oil from the waste and cleans the remaining solids includes the steps of adding a reaction solvent into the vessel and into contact with the asphalt waste, adding a bioremediation product into the vessel, adding a quantity of water into the vessel sufficient to effectively stop activity of the bioremediation product, and then removing any oil present in the water from the water. The resulting free oil collected from the process is similar to No. 4 fuel oil.

A method is disclosed for the operation of a mixing container of a latent heat storage unit, whereby a heat storage fluid changes between a liquid phase and a solid phase, and has a higher density than a heat transfer fluid. In this method, by virtue of the geometry of the mixing container as well as the flow path of the heat storage fluid and the heat transfer fluid through the mixing container, the solid and the liquid heat storage fluids are concentrated after being mixed with the heat transfer fluid and they are subsequently separated from the heat transfer fluid at a boundary layer and withdrawn from the heat storage fluid by a flow induced below the boundary layer in the direction of an ice reservoir via a pipeline, and subsequently, the liquid heat storage fluid is separated from the solid heat storage fluid in the ice reservoir.

A method is disclosed for the operation of a mixing container of a latent heat storage unit, whereby a heat storage fluid changes between a liquid phase and a solid phase, and has a higher density than a heat transfer fluid. In this method, by virtue of the geometry of the mixing container as well as the flow path of the heat storage fluid and the heat transfer fluid through the mixing container, the solid and the liquid heat storage fluids are concentrated after being mixed with the heat transfer fluid and they are subsequently separated from the heat transfer fluid at a boundary layer and withdrawn from the heat storage fluid by a flow induced below the boundary layer in the direction of an ice reservoir via a pipeline, and subsequently, the liquid heat storage fluid is separated from the solid heat storage fluid in the ice reservoir.