An inventive apparatus induces a vortex in a liquid flow (e.g., storm-water runoff) to remove particulates from the liquid. The apparatus can be inserted into a tubular portion (e.g., a manhole) such that a sump region is located below the apparatus. The apparatus includes a base and a weir extending upwardly from the base. The base has a first region including a funnel shape with a sump inlet aperture. The base also has a second region including a sump outlet aperture and optionally a sump access aperture. The weir separates the first region from the second region.

In at least one embodiment, the invention provides a retrofit for existing water treatment systems where the retrofit includes at least one of the following: a particulate separator, a supplementary inlet, and a waveform disk-pack turbine. In a further embodiment, the invention includes a water treatment system combined with at least one of the following: a particulate separator, a supplementary inlet, and a waveform disk-pack turbine.

In at least one embodiment, the invention provides a retrofit for existing water treatment systems where the retrofit includes at least one of the following: a particulate separator, a supplementary inlet, and a waveform disk-pack turbine. In a further embodiment, the invention includes a water treatment system combined with at least one of the following: a particulate separator, a supplementary inlet, and a waveform disk-pack turbine.

Provided is a chiller and system that may be utilized in a supercritical fluid chromatography method, wherein a non-polar solvent may replace a portion or all of a polar solvent for the purpose of separating or extracting desired sample molecules from a combined sample/solvent stream. The system may reduce the amount of polar solvent necessary for chromatographic separation and/or extraction of desired samples. The system may incorporate a supercritical fluid chiller, a supercritical fluid pressure-equalizing vessel and a supercritical fluid cyclonic separator. The supercritical fluid chiller allows for efficient and consistent pumping of liquid-phase gases employing off-the-shelf HPLC pumps. The pressure equalizing vessel allows the use of off-the-shelf HPLC column cartridges. The system may further incorporate the use of one or more disposable cartridges containing silica gel or other suitable medium. The system may also utilize an open loop cooling circuit using fluids with a positive Joule-Thomson coefficient.

Provided is a chiller and system that may be utilized in a supercritical fluid chromatography method, wherein a non-polar solvent may replace a portion or all of a polar solvent for the purpose of separating or extracting desired sample molecules from a combined sample/solvent stream. The system may reduce the amount of polar solvent necessary for chromatographic separation and/or extraction of desired samples. The system may incorporate a supercritical fluid chiller, a supercritical fluid pressure-equalizing vessel and a supercritical fluid cyclonic separator. The supercritical fluid chiller allows for efficient and consistent pumping of liquid-phase gases employing off-the-shelf HPLC pumps. The pressure equalizing vessel allows the use of off-the-shelf HPLC column cartridges. The system may further incorporate the use of one or more disposable cartridges containing silica gel or other suitable medium. The system may also utilize an open loop cooling circuit using fluids with a positive Joule-Thomson coefficient.

A dust separator including a top member having a top member having an inlet port arranged to supply dust-laden air and an outlet port arranged to remove clean air, the top member having a lower portion configured as a lip and having a radius which equals diameter of the inlet port, and a dust separator plate, housed within the lip, having a passage with at least one opening arranged to remove the dust from within the top member.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus for growing agricultural products with a reduced abundance of radioactive carbon-14 (.sup.14C) by employing centrifugal separation of atmospheric gases to selectively remove carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) with .sup.14C. Agricultural products with reduced .sup.14C content can be grown in controlled environments with filtered atmospheric gases for the benefit of reducing harmful damage to human DNA that is unavoidable with our current food chain, due to the natural abundance of .sup.14C in atmospheric gases. Bilateral and unilateral compression helikon vortex apparatus provide efficient and economical removal of CO.sub.2 with .sup.14C from atmospheric gases with a single filtration pass, which is ideally suited for large scale agricultural production.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus for growing agricultural products with a reduced abundance of radioactive carbon-14 (.sup.14C) by employing centrifugal separation of atmospheric gases to selectively remove carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) with .sup.14C. Agricultural products with reduced .sup.14C content can be grown in controlled environments with filtered atmospheric gases for the benefit of reducing harmful damage to human DNA that is unavoidable with our current food chain, due to the natural abundance of .sup.14C in atmospheric gases. Bilateral and unilateral compression helikon vortex apparatus provide efficient and economical removal of CO.sub.2 with .sup.14C from atmospheric gases with a single filtration pass, which is ideally suited for large scale agricultural production.

A handheld vacuum cleaner (10), including a main body (22) having a handle (98), a motor assembly (114) positioned within the main body, and a cyclonic separator assembly (26) removably coupled to the main body. The cyclonic separator assembly includes an inlet nozzle (42) having a dirty air inlet (14) positioned in the front of the handheld vacuum cleaner when the cyclonic separator assembly is coupled to the main body, and a cyclonic chamber (30) in fluid communication with the dirty air inlet. The cyclonic chamber defines a separator axis (34). The cyclonic separator assembly further includes a dirt collection region (38) configured to receive debris separated in the cyclonic chamber. The inlet nozzle includes an upstream height (270) measured perpendicular to the inlet axis and a downstream height (274) measured parallel to the separator axis. The downstream height is larger than the upstream height.

A handheld vacuum cleaner (10), including a main body (22) having a handle (98), a motor assembly (114) positioned within the main body, and a cyclonic separator assembly (26) removably coupled to the main body. The cyclonic separator assembly includes an inlet nozzle (42) having a dirty air inlet (14) positioned in the front of the handheld vacuum cleaner when the cyclonic separator assembly is coupled to the main body, and a cyclonic chamber (30) in fluid communication with the dirty air inlet. The cyclonic chamber defines a separator axis (34). The cyclonic separator assembly further includes a dirt collection region (38) configured to receive debris separated in the cyclonic chamber. The inlet nozzle includes an upstream height (270) measured perpendicular to the inlet axis and a downstream height (274) measured parallel to the separator axis. The downstream height is larger than the upstream height.