The present invention relates to metalworking, in particular to producing vessels from non-heat-treatable aluminium alloys used for tanks and pressure vessels. Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a vessel, the method including: forming a tube by rolling at least one flat blank and abutting the edges thereof, friction stir welding the abutted edges and working at least a part of the welded tube into a shape of the vessel, wherein the flat blank is a sheet of a non-heat-treatable aluminium alloy preliminarily subjected to cold working with permanent deformation within the range of 0.5-15%, and said working of at least one part of the welded tube is hot working at a temperature of 230-520° C. The technical effect is a reduction in vessel weight, an increase in vessel strength, a uniform vessel strength and a reduction in the number of hot working cycles during manufacturing of the vessel. Further, the method provides reduced metal and time consumption in manufacturing a vessel from a non-heat-treatable aluminium alloy, low payload ratio, increased reliability and longer service life of the vessel produced using the method.

A thermal storage subsystem may include at least a first storage reservoir configured to contain a thermal storage liquid at a storage pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. A liquid passage may have an inlet connectable to a thermal storage liquid source and configured to convey the thermal storage liquid to the liquid reservoir. A first heat exchanger may be provided in the liquid inlet passage and may be in fluid communication between the first compression stage and the accumulator, whereby thermal energy can be transferred from a compressed gas stream exiting a gas compressor/expander subsystem to the thermal storage liquid.

A valve for pressurized fluid having a body housing a fluid circuit having an upstream end configured to be placed in communication with a reserve of pressurized fluid and a downstream end configured to be placed in communication with a user of fluid, the circuit having a collection of valve shutter(s) having at least one shutoff valve shutter allowing the circuit to be closed or opened, the valve having a member for manually controlling the collection of valve shutter(s), the control member being mounted to allow the body to move between a rest position in which the collection of valve shutter(s) is in a position in which the circuit is closed and an active position in which the control member actuates the collection of valve shutter(s) into a position in which the circuit is open with a first bore section

A valve for pressurized fluid having a body housing a fluid circuit having an upstream end configured to be placed in communication with a reserve of pressurized fluid and a downstream end configured to be placed in communication with a user of fluid, the circuit having a collection of valve shutter(s) having at least one shutoff valve shutter allowing the circuit to be closed or opened, the valve having a member for manually controlling the collection of valve shutter(s), the control member being mounted to allow the body to move between a rest position in which the collection of valve shutter(s) is in a position in which the circuit is closed and an active position in which the control member actuates the collection of valve shutter(s) into a position in which the circuit is open with a first bore section

A system for recycling helium comprising a bursting chamber with a re-sealable lid and a vent; a bursting mechanism disposed inside the bursting chamber; wherein the bursting chamber is in fluid communication with a compressor; wherein an output of the compressor is in fluid communication with an evacuation valve and a control valve; wherein when the evacuation valve is opened and the control valve is closed the compressor evacuates the air from the bursting chamber; and wherein when the evacuation valve is closed and the control valve is opened, and the bursting mechanism is activated, compressed helium gas recovered from balloons burst in the bursting chamber flows through the control valve into a helium storage tank.

A system for recycling helium comprising a bursting chamber with a re-sealable lid and a vent; a bursting mechanism disposed inside the bursting chamber; wherein the bursting chamber is in fluid communication with a compressor; wherein an output of the compressor is in fluid communication with an evacuation valve and a control valve; wherein when the evacuation valve is opened and the control valve is closed the compressor evacuates the air from the bursting chamber; and wherein when the evacuation valve is closed and the control valve is opened, and the bursting mechanism is activated, compressed helium gas recovered from balloons burst in the bursting chamber flows through the control valve into a helium storage tank.

Provided is an X-beam structure including: a plurality of beams extending in X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions and formed in a lattice pattern and a plurality of cross intersections at which an X-axis beam, a Y-axis beam, and a Z-axis beam meet one another, wherein in the X-beam structure in which a cross section of each beam has the geometry of a right-angled X, and the beam intersections are formed with one continuous beam and the two other joining beams are attached and welded onto the continuous beam.

Disclosed is a vending system for supply of product from a plurality of containers each having a corresponding access door having an electrically activatable lock arrangement 200. The system has an interface module by which a predetermined maximum electrical power is made available for supply to the containers and lock arrangements such that each lock arrangement has a plurality of operational modes. The modes include: an active mode by which the lock arrangement is activatable in response to a vending instruction; a standby mode by which the lock arrangement awaits a vending instruction; and a sleep mode by which the lock arrangement minimises power drawn from the interface module. The interface module operates the lock arrangements in the standby mode and the interface module operates at least one lock arrangement in the sleep mode, and at least one lock arrangement in the active mode.

A high aspect ratio vacuum air sampling assembly is disclosed including a first canister module. The canister module includes a high aspect ratio conduit having an aspect ratio of at least 30:1, an inlet disposed at an inlet end of the conduit, and an outlet with an outlet valve disposed at an outlet end of the conduit. The outlet is in fluid communication with the inlet through an internal volume of the conduit. An air sampling train is attached to and in fluid communication with the inlet, and includes an inlet valve, a precision orifice, and a flow controller. The inlet valve and the outlet valve are configured to isolate the internal volume of the conduit from fluid communication with an external environment when the inlet valve and the outlet valve are closed. The assembly may further include a second canister module or more in sequence.

A diffuser is disclosed and includes a channel with an inner portion having an inlet and an outlet through which a gaseous substance enters and exits the diffuser, respectively. The inner portion includes a first conical section that has an increasing cross-sectional area, taken along a plane perpendicular to a central axis, in a first direction. The inner portion also includes a second conical section that has a decreasing cross-sectional area, taken along a plane perpendicular to the central axis, in the first direction. The second conical section is communicatively coupled with the first conical section. The outer portion includes a first annular section that has an increasing cross-sectional area, taken along a plane perpendicular to the central axis, in a second direction opposite the first direction. The diffuser further includes a plurality of orifices that communicatively couple the second conical section with the first annular section.