In order to provide an apparatus for industrially producing a fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate (CNB), the apparatus comprises: a target holding unit holding a carbon target in sheet form containing a metal catalyst such as Fe; a light source irradiating a laser beam on a surface of the carbon target; a movement unit moving one of the target held by the target holding unit and the light source relative to the other to move the irradiation position of the laser beam on the surface of the target; a production chamber configured to irradiate the carbon target with the laser beam in an atmosphere of non-oxidizing gas to produce a product including the fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate; a collection mechanism collecting carbon vapor evaporated from the target by irradiation of the laser beam to collect nanocarbon including the fibrous carbon nanohorn aggregate; and a control unit controlling an operation of the movement unit or the light source so that the power density of the laser beam irradiated to the surface of the carbon target is substantially constant, and the irradiation position of the laser beam is moved to a region adjacent to a region previously irradiated by the laser beam, an interval being formed therebetween that is equal to or larger than the width of an altered region formed on the periphery of the region irradiated by the laser beam.

Techniques are provided for catalyst preparation. A system for catalyst preparation may include an agitator disposed inside a polymerization catalyst tank and configured to mix a polymerization catalyst and a solvent to generate a polymerization catalyst solution. The system may also include a heating system coupled to the polymerization catalyst tank and configured to maintain a temperature of the polymerization catalyst solution above a threshold. The system may also include a precontactor configured to receive feed streams comprising an activator and the polymerization catalyst solution from the polymerization catalyst tank to generate a catalyst complex. The system may also include a transfer line configured to transfer the catalyst complex from an outlet of the precontactor to a reactor.

A method for producing a bulk material consisting substantially of foamed or blown mineral or oxide particles by thermal treatment of a bulk material of basic particles, characterized in that the thermal treatment includes transport of a transversely conveyed or horizontal layer or of a free flow of the bulk material through a radiation field, the substantial active component of which lies in the near infrared range (NIR), and which has a power density of at least 50 kW/m2.

The present invention provides a feed gas feeding system for a propylene ammoxidation reactor. The feed gas feeding system comprises a feed gas mixing system and a feed distributor. A propylene and ammonia mixed gas is mixed by the feed gas mixing system and then uniformly distributed in the propylene ammoxidation reactor by means of the feed distributor, an initial temperature T.sub.0 when the propylene and ammonia mixed gas enters the feed distributor being 10-220 C. The propylene and ammonia feed gas feeding system of the present invention for ammoxidation of propylene and the preparation of acrylonitrile prevents the temperature of a gas mixture at any position in the propylene and ammonia feed distributor from reaching a temperature at which ammonia decomposes into active nitrogen atoms, thereby reducing a risk of brittle nitriding fractures of the propylene and ammonia distributor.

A reaction furnace for producing a polycrystalline silicon according to the present invention is designed so as to have an in-furnace reaction space in which a reaction space cross-sectional area ratio (S=[S.sub.OS.sub.R]/S.sub.R) satisfies 2.5 or more, which is defined by an inner cross-sectional area (So) of a reaction furnace, which is perpendicular to a straight body portion of the reaction furnace, and a total sum (S.sub.R) of cross-sectional areas of polycrystalline silicon rods that are grown by precipitation of polycrystalline silicon, in a case where a diameter of the polycrystalline silicon rod is 140 mm or more. Such a reaction furnace has a sufficient in-furnace reaction space even when the diameter of the polycrystalline silicon rod has been expanded, and accordingly an appropriate circulation of a gas in the reaction furnace is kept.

A nitric oxide generator generates nitric oxide from a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen such as air treated by a pulsating electrical discharge. The desired concentration of nitric oxide is obtained by controlling at least one of a frequency of the pulsating electrical discharge and duration of each electrical discharge pulse.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems are provided for using laser ablation to manufacture nanoparticles. An example method includes steps of generating, by a laser beam generator, a laser beam, splitting, by a set of beam splitters, the laser beam into a plurality of derivative laser beams, and directing each derivative laser beam towards a plurality of targets. In this example method, the plurality of targets are submerged in corresponding synthesis solvents within corresponding synthesis chambers. Moreover, interaction of each derivative laser beam with its corresponding target releases nanoparticles into the corresponding synthesis solvent to create a nanoparticle solution including both the corresponding synthesis solvent and the released nanoparticles.

Provided is a fuel reformer for a vehicle. The vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, a fuel tank in which fuel of the internal combustion engine is stored, and a fuel supply device configured to supply the fuel in the fuel tank to the internal combustion engine. The fuel reformer includes an irradiator configured to emit light from an irradiation portion. The irradiation portion is disposed at a position where the fuel stored in the fuel tank is irradiated with the light without the light passing through a gas phase region in the fuel tank.

A method for generating a hybrid reaction flows feedstock gas that is also a plasma medium through microchannels. Plasma is generated with the plasma medium via excitation with a time-varying voltage. UV or VUV emissions are generated at a wavelength selected to break a chemical bond in the feedstock gas. The UV or VUV emissions are directed into the microchannels to interact with the plasma medium and generate a reaction product from the plasma medium. A hybrid reactor device includes a microchannel plasma array having inlets and outlets for respectively flowing gas feedstock into and reaction product out of the microchannel plasma array. A UV or VUV emission lamp has its emissions directed into microchannels of the microchannel plasma array. Electrodes ignite plasma in the microchannels and stimulating the UV or VUV emission lamp to generate UV or VUV emissions. One common or plural phased time-varying voltage sources drive the plasma array and the UV or VUV emission lamp.

A metal ion detection equipment and a metal ion detection method are provided. The metal ion detection equipment includes a porous silicon resonant cavity structure, an electrochemical device and a spectrum detecting device. A sample solution permeates into the porous silicon resonant cavity structure. A to-be-detected metal ion of the sample solution in the porous silicon resonant cavity structure is reduced into a to-be-detected metal by the electrochemical device. The spectrum detecting device detects a spectral variation of a reflective light from the porous silicon resonant cavity structure.