A vaporizer (20) is shaped to define a flow channel (120) that is open to an environment external to the vaporizer at first and second ends of the flow channel. At the first end of the flow channel is a mouthpiece (112) of the vaporizer. A flow sensor (114) includes (a) a nanoscale resistive element (200) disposed at least partially within the flow channel and (b) sensing circuitry (115) configured to measure a change in the nanoscale resistive element due to airflow within the flow channel. Other applications are also described.

A method for recycling a scrapped polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane through chemical cleaning-structural transformation-hydrophilicity is disclosed, which can extend the service life of scrapped PVDF membrane materials (namely, membrane at the end of service life). The method includes the following steps: cleaning a scrapped membrane with sodium hypochlorite and citric acid; treating the membrane with a structural transformation agent, where, irreversible contaminants are washed away while the PVDF membrane is subjected to pore expansion and hydrophilization; and with self-polymerization of dopamine on a membrane surface, further improving the hydrophilicity of the membrane surface, enhancing the anti-contamination performance, and repairing damaged points on the surface of the scrapped PVDF membrane produced during long-term operation.

The systems and methods of automatically cleaning a wheel are disclosed herein. The systems and methods include a foreign matter detector arranged adjacent to the wheel, a cleaning device arranged adjacent to the wheel, one or more processors communicatively coupled to the foreign matter detector and the cleaning device; and a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium includes one or more programming instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to: receive a signal from the foreign matter detector, the signal being indicative of possible foreign matter present on a surface of the wheel, determine from the signal, whether foreign matter is present on the wheel, and direct the cleaning device to remove the foreign matter from the wheel.

A cleaning method of cleaning a film-forming device, which includes a processing container having a substrate holder provided in the processing container so as to hold a SiC substrate, and which supplies a source gas to the processing container, an interior of which is depressurized, and heats the SiC substrate so as to perform a film formation on the SiC substrate, includes: a reaction product removal process of removing a reaction product, which is formed during the film formation and attached to portions other than the SiC substrate, by supplying a ClF.sub.3 gas into the processing container after the film formation; and a residue removal process of removing a substance, which remains after the reaction product removal process and serves as an unnecessary impurity or causes a defect during a subsequent film formation, by supplying air into the processing container.

A method for reprocessing a medical device uses a medical device processor with an enclosure for holding the medical device. The enclosure also has a reservoir containing a disinfectant, a water source, and a mixing chamber that retains the medical device. The method delivers disinfectant from the reservoir to an internal channel of the medical device, and further delivers water from the water source to the mixing chamber. A flow sensor is operable to monitor the disinfectant delivered to the internal channels of the medical device.

Provided are a friction reduced and wear resistant coating, a preparation method thereof and a piston ring. The coating includes an adhesive layer, a transition layer, a gradient layer and a function layer in sequence. The gradient layer is a CrMo.sub.xN layer in which Mo content progressively increases. The function layer includes at least one cyclical layer. Each cyclical layer includes a first CrMo.sub.xN layer and a second CrMo.sub.xN layer in sequence from bottom to top. The Mo content of the first CrMo.sub.xN layer is lower than the Mo content of the second CrMo.sub.xN layer. The coating provided by the present invention has a friction coefficient of 0.3 to 0.45, 10% to 30% lower than a CrN coating, and has an overall hardness of up to 1400 HV to 2600 HV and a thickness of 80 μm, satisfying the required durability for the full lifecycle of the piston ring. The preparation process of the coating is simple and highly operable, and thus is convenient for industrialization.

A method for cleaning solar panels when snow, ice, or dust accumulates on the solar panels to reduce or eliminate the electrical power output from the solar panels. The method of cleaning includes selecting specific cleaning locations, on the array of solar panels, based primarily upon obstruction location and obstruction size differences. The method of cleaning also includes the incremental and sequential selection of the cleaning locations, and the incremental and sequential activation of cleaning devices within the selected cleaning locations. Additional groups of incrementally and sequentially activated cleaning devices may be powered, in whole or in part, by the prior solar panels that have been cleaned.

Disclosed herein is a pipe assembly comprising: a pipe with an electrically conductive wall with a thermally conductive outer coating; a first electrical connector that is arranged in electrical contact with the wall of the pipe; and a second electrical connector that is arranged in electrical contact with the wall of the pipe; wherein the first and second electrical connectors are arranged to support the flow of an electrical current through the wall of the pipe to thereby heat the wall of the pipe; and in use, the pipe is arranged to allow cooling of the outer surface of the wall of the pipe by the surrounding environment of the pipe when the outer surface of the wall of the pipe is hotter than its surrounding environment. Advantageously, embodiments provide an effective, efficient and less expensive technique for heating the pipe in order to remove deposits for the inner walls of the pipes. Applications include the subsea application of cooling oil well products for cold flow.

Systems and methods for safe on-line pigging decoking of a coker furnace tubes and which also permits on-line spalling operations.

A method of remediating a media asset comprising a magnetic tape includes preliminarily cleaning the media asset, treating the media asset, and finally cleaning the media asset. Treating the media asset includes baking the media asset, determining whether adjacent layers of the tape are stuck to each other, and re-baking the media asset. If adjacent layers of the tape are stuck to each other, the method includes submerging the magnetic tape in a cleaning bath for a predetermined period of time, unwinding the magnetic tape from a supply reel to a take-up reel at an unwind speed while drying the magnetic tape, and rewinding the magnetic tape onto the supply reel at a rewind speed before re-baking the media asset.