A nozzle apparatus comprising: an inlet, an outlet, a filter disposed between the inlet and the outlet, and, a container; wherein the nozzle apparatus defines a first flow path for particles too large for said filter and a second flow path towards the outlet for particles small enough for said filter; and wherein the container is provided downstream of the first flow path. In this way the pressure on the container downstream of the first fluid path causes the debris to accumulate therein and the nozzle is less liable to blockages. The apparatus is of particular use as a sprinkler system.

According to a system and method for evaluating the dissolution quality of a binder solution for a secondary battery electrode, by preparing an electrode slurry with a binder solution having a predetermined amount or more of cumulative filtration amount or a predetermined level or less of flow rate reduction rate, the quality of an electrode for a secondary battery may be improved.

Modified thermoplastic hydrocarbon thermoplastic resins are provided, as well as methods of their manufacture and uses thereof in rubber compositions. The modified thermoplastic resins are modified by decreasing the relative quantity of the dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer oligomers as compared to the corresponding unmodified thermoplastic resin polymers, resulting in a product that exhibits a greater shift in the glass transition temperature of the elastomer(s) used in tire formulations. This translates to better viscoelastic predictors of tire tread performance, such as wet grip and rolling resistance. The modified thermoplastic resins impart remarkable properties on various rubber compositions, such as tires, belts, hoses, brakes, and the like. Automobile tires incorporating the modified thermoplastic resins are shown to possess excellent results in balancing the properties of rolling resistance, tire wear, snow performance, and wet braking performance.

Modified thermoplastic hydrocarbon thermoplastic resins are provided, as well as methods of their manufacture and uses thereof in rubber compositions. The modified thermoplastic resins are modified by decreasing the relative quantity of the dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer oligomers as compared to the corresponding unmodified thermoplastic resin polymers, resulting in a product that exhibits a greater shift in the glass transition temperature of the elastomer(s) used in tire formulations. This translates to better viscoelastic predictors of tire tread performance, such as wet grip and rolling resistance. The modified thermoplastic resins impart remarkable properties on various rubber compositions, such as tires, belts, hoses, brakes, and the like. Automobile tires incorporating the modified thermoplastic resins are shown to possess excellent results in balancing the properties of rolling resistance, tire wear, snow performance, and wet braking performance.

Modified thermoplastic hydrocarbon thermoplastic resins are provided, as well as methods of their manufacture and uses thereof in rubber compositions. The modified thermoplastic resins are modified by decreasing the relative quantity of the dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer oligomers as compared to the corresponding unmodified thermoplastic resin polymers, resulting in a product that exhibits a greater shift in the glass transition temperature of the elastomer(s) used in tire formulations. This translates to better viscoelastic predictors of tire tread performance, such as wet grip and rolling resistance. The modified thermoplastic resins impart remarkable properties on various rubber compositions, such as tires, belts, hoses, brakes, and the like. Automobile tires incorporating the modified thermoplastic resins are shown to possess excellent results in balancing the properties of rolling resistance, tire wear, snow performance, and wet braking performance.

Modified thermoplastic hydrocarbon thermoplastic resins are provided, as well as methods of their manufacture and uses thereof in rubber compositions. The modified thermoplastic resins are modified by decreasing the relative quantity of the dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer oligomers as compared to the corresponding unmodified thermoplastic resin polymers, resulting in a product that exhibits a greater shift in the glass transition temperature of the elastomer(s) used in tire formulations. This translates to better viscoelastic predictors of tire tread performance, such as wet grip and rolling resistance. The modified thermoplastic resins impart remarkable properties on various rubber compositions, such as tires, belts, hoses, brakes, and the like. Automobile tires incorporating the modified thermoplastic resins are shown to possess excellent results in balancing the properties of rolling resistance, tire wear, snow performance, and wet braking performance.

Systems and methods include testing the weight and water activity of a product at different times and using those measurements to track changes in the water content/water weight and non-water content/non-water weight in the product. These can be useful to detect anomalous activities or batches of processed product, such as when portions of a product are being stolen or improperly altered or wasted. Plant operators can track properties of a product as the product undergoes processing to detect stages and areas in which problems occur and can thereby improve plant and operator efficiency.

A system is provided for detecting the mass of oil in an inorganic mineral of shale. The system operates by performing an extraction test on a first shale sample by using chloroform to obtain a total content of shale oil in the shale; enriching kerogen from the second shale sample to obtain dry kerogen; and performing an extraction test on oven-dried kerogen by using chloroform to determine the mass of extracted kerogen. The system also operates by determining the mass of the oil in the organic matter of the shale sample and the mass of the oil in an inorganic mineral of the shale; establishing a model for predicting a ratio of the mass of the oil in the inorganic mineral of the shale to the mass of the oil in the organic matter; and using the prediction model to determine the mass of oil in an inorganic mineral.

A system is provided for detecting the mass of oil in an inorganic mineral of shale. The system operates by performing an extraction test on a first shale sample by using chloroform to obtain a total content of shale oil in the shale; enriching kerogen from the second shale sample to obtain dry kerogen; and performing an extraction test on oven-dried kerogen by using chloroform to determine the mass of extracted kerogen. The system also operates by determining the mass of the oil in the organic matter of the shale sample and the mass of the oil in an inorganic mineral of the shale; establishing a model for predicting a ratio of the mass of the oil in the inorganic mineral of the shale to the mass of the oil in the organic matter; and using the prediction model to determine the mass of oil in an inorganic mineral.

A meat product fat testing system (MPFTS) for determining the percent fat content of a meat product. The MPFTS includes two embodiments: a fat testing/analyzing unit and a hand-held calculating unit. The fat testing/analyzing unit integrally houses a heating means, meat product weighing means, a fat/moisture analyzer, a microcontroller, and a display. A sample of a meat product is placed into the unit and the unit is activated. The percent fat content of the sample is automatically analyzed and the result shown on the unit's display. The hand-held calculating unit is used with a conventional scale and heat source, which are used to obtain wet and dry weight readings of a meat product sample. The readings are input into the calculating device, which then displays in a window the percent fat content of the sample.