A method of preparing non-volatile bituminous material in solid form includes first accessing molds having mold cavities defining an irregularly shaped brick having a plurality of non-planar surfaces and preparing the bituminous material for casting by heating it until it is suitably viscous for casting and optionally blending it with an additive. Then, the molds can be filled with the bituminous materials, preferably using a retractable conduit that progressively fills each mold cavity from its bottom to its top. Next, the bituminous material in the molds is solidified until substantially solid bricks are formed. Optionally, a skeleton with optional additional buoyant features can be placed in each mold cavity prior to casting so that the resulting brick has increased buoyancy throughout, and the skeleton and any buoyant features can be customized according to the needs of the customer. The resulting bricks can be removed for transport.

An apparatus and method for electromagnetic heating of a hydrocarbon formation. The method involves providing electrical power to at least one electromagnetic wave generator for generating high frequency alternating current; using the electromagnetic wave generator to generate high frequency alternating current; using at least one pipe to define at least one of at least two transmission line conductors; coupling the transmission line conductors to the electromagnetic wave generator; and applying the high frequency alternating current to excite the transmission line conductors. The excitation of the transmission line conductors can propagate an electromagnetic wave within the hydrocarbon formation. In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining that a hydrocarbon formation between the transmission line conductors is at least substantially desiccated; and applying a radiofrequency electromagnetic current to excite the transmission line conductors. The radiofrequency electromagnetic current radiates to a hydrocarbon formation surrounding the transmission line conductors.

A vehicle system having an internal combustion engine and evaporative emission system including a canister is described, wherein canister includes a chamber having a flexible Metal Organic Framework (MOF) material disposed therein. A controllable device is coupled to the flexible MOF material, and a controller is operatively connected to the controllable device and the purge valve. The controller includes an instruction set that is executable to activate the controllable device and control the purge valve to an open state in response to a command to purge the canister, determine an activation parameter for the controllable device, determine a purge flow, integrate the purge flow to determine a total purge mass, and deactivate the controllable device when the total purge mass is greater than a threshold.

The present application discloses a high-performance far-infrared surface heating element of carbon composite material and application thereof. The surface heating element comprises: a carbon composite material layer comprising a film-like material consisted of an sp.sup.2 hybrid structure carbon material; and thermal stable electronic insulating layer provided on opposite sides of the carbon composite material layer. The surface heating element of the present application has the characteristics of flexibility, high strength, high stability, high safety, etc., and has excellent flame retardancy, no harmful electromagnetic, no circuit protection module, economical, safe and practical characteristics, and no safety hazard; it can be used as a direct surface heating source in the field of low-voltage electric heating, such as a civil heating device used in the preparation of a floor heating device, an electric heating carpet, an electric heating mattress or a heater, as well as an industrial heating device for lithium battery modules and industrial pipe heating elements.

A method for producing a ceramic honeycomb structure, the honeycomb structure includes: an outer peripheral wall; and partition walls disposed on an inner side of the outer peripheral wall, the partition walls defining a plurality of cells, each of the cells extending from one end face to the other end face to form a flow path, wherein the honeycomb structure includes at least one slit provided on a cross section perpendicular to an axial direction of the honeycomb structure, wherein the method includes the steps of: preparing a honeycomb structure element before forming the slit; and forming the slit by arranging a wire so as to pass from one end face to the other end face in the cell and then cutting the partition walls while moving the honeycomb structure element and/or the wire.

An apparatus for a coaxial transmission line is provided. The apparatus can include a first and a second section of a conductor of the coaxial transmission line and a connector for connecting the first and the second sections in end-to-end relation. Each of the first and the second sections of the conductor have an exterior lateral surface and an interior lateral surface. For inner conductors, the connector is connected to the interior lateral surfaces of the first and second sections of the conductor. For outer conductors, the connector is connected to the exterior lateral surfaces of the first and second sections of the conductor. The connector allows the inner and outer diameters of the annulus between the inner and outer conductors line to be substantially uniform along the length of the coaxial transmission line.

A method of transporting non-volatile bituminous materials from a first location to a second location involves carrying a plurality of irregular bricks formed by the bituminous material in transport chambers carried by vehicles. Bricks are defined by a plurality of non-planar surface, which create gaps between adjacent bricks, and can further include polymer skeletons and other features that help them float. The bricks can travel by land, sea, air, or rail and need not be heated while in transit. Transport chambers have active or preferably passive environmental control systems to circulate cooling air, water, or other substances through the transport chamber and the gaps between adjacent bricks. In a preferred embodiment, ambient air circulates among the bricks during travel by land and ambient water circulates among the bricks during marine travel. The vehicles carrying the transport chambers can be low-emissions or zero-emission vehicles including fuel-cell powered trains and ships.

A substantially solid brick of non-volatile bituminous material has a shape that is defined by an irregular outer surface to minimize surface contact with nearby bricks when shipped in bulk. The overall shape is preferably that of a modified tetrahedron having three non-planar face surfaces, a top surface, and a surface or point. Both the top and bottom surfaces are preferably modified domed shapes comprised of several sections. The face sections are preferably modified concave surfaces comprised of several triangular sections that can be planar, concave, or convex. Curved edges connect the face sections to each other and can include several planar edge sections. The bituminous material can include additives, and the brick can further include a skeleton distributed throughout. The skeleton can be a customizable matrix, framework of fiber groups, or other structure and can include customizable buoyant features such as air pockets or capsules.

A method of preparing non-volatile bituminous material in solid form includes first accessing molds having mold cavities defining an irregularly shaped brick having a plurality of non-planar surfaces and preparing the bituminous material for casting by heating it until it is suitably viscous for casting and optionally blending it with an additive. Then, the molds can be filled with the bituminous materials, preferably using a retractable conduit that progressively fills each mold cavity from its bottom to its top. Next, the bituminous material in the molds is solidified until substantially solid bricks are formed. Optionally, a skeleton with optional additional buoyant features can be placed in each mold cavity prior to casting so that the resulting brick has increased buoyancy throughout, and the skeleton and any buoyant features can be customized according to the needs of the customer. The resulting bricks can be removed for transport.

A ceramic honeycomb structure includes: an outer peripheral wall; and a partition wall disposed on an inner side of the outer peripheral wall, the partition wall defining a plurality of cells, each of the plurality of cells to form a fluid flow path extending from one end face to other end face. The honeycomb structure contains: 1) particles including one or more selected from silicon carbide, silicon nitride and aluminum nitride; and 2) silicon doped with a dopant. The dopant is a Group 13 element or a Group 15 element. The honeycomb structure has a silicon content (B) of from 20 to 80% by mass, and the honeycomb structure has a porosity of 30% or less.