This invention relates to a power recovery process in waste steam/CO.sub.2 reformers in which a waste stream can be made to release energy without having to burn the waste or the syngas. This invention in some embodiments does not make use of fuel cells as a component but makes use of exothermic chemical reactors using syngas to produce heat, such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. It also relates to control or elimination of the emissions of greenhouse gases in the power recovery process of this invention with the goal of producing energy in the future carbonless world economy.

To encode High Dynamic Range (HDR) images, the HDR images can be converted to Low Dynamic Range (LDR) images through tone mapping operation, and the LDR images can be encoded with an LDR encoder. The present principles formulates a rate distortion minimization problem when designing the tone mapping curve. In particular, the tone mapping curve is formulated as a function of the probability distribution function of the HDR images to be encoded and a Lagrangian multiplier that depends on encoding parameters. At the decoder, based on the parameters indicative of the tone mapping function, an inverse tone mapping function can be derived to reconstruct HDR images from decoded LDR images.

To encode High Dynamic Range (HDR) images, the HDR images can be converted to Low Dynamic Range (LDR) images through tone mapping operation, and the LDR images can be encoded with an LDR encoder. The present principles formulates a rate distortion minimization problem when designing the tone mapping curve. In particular, the tone mapping curve is formulated as a function of the probability distribution function of the HDR images to be encoded and a Lagrangian multiplier that depends on encoding parameters. At the decoder, based on the parameters indicative of the tone mapping function, an inverse tone mapping function can be derived to reconstruct HDR images from decoded LDR images.

This invention relates to a power recovery process in waste steam/CO.sub.2 reformers in which a waste stream can be made to release energy without having to burn the waste or the syngas. This invention in some embodiments does not make use of fuel cells as a component but makes use of exothermic chemical reactors using syngas to produce heat, such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. It also relates to control or elimination of the emissions of greenhouse gases in the power recovery process of this invention with the goal of producing energy in the future carbonless world economy.

A method of processing a first material including an oil source, and a second material including a medium. The method includes mixing the first material and the second material to provide a blended feedstock mixture including predetermined respective proportions of the first material and the second material, and also including water. The blended feedstock mixture is heated in a pre-distillation process and is further heated in a distiller to at least partially crack and vaporize the oil source, to provide atmospheric gas oil and vacuum gas oil from the oil source, coked medium material including carbon-heavy hydrocarbons and sand, and a first barren hot medium material. The coked medium material is heated in a gasifier to provide a second barren hot medium material and syngas. Heat energy from certain products resulting from such heating is transferred to the blended feedstock mixture.

This invention relates to a power recovery process in waste steam/CO.sub.2 reformers in which a waste stream can be made to release energy without having to burn the waste or the syngas. This invention in some embodiments does not make use of fuel cells as a component but makes use of exothermic chemical reactors using syngas to produce heat, such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. It also relates to control or elimination of the emissions of greenhouse gases in the power recovery process of this invention with the goal of producing energy in the future carbonless world economy.

This invention relates to a power recovery process in waste steam/CO.sub.2 reformers in which a waste stream can be made to release energy without having to burn the waste or the syngas. This invention in some embodiments does not make use of fuel cells as a component but makes use of exothermic chemical reactors using syngas to produce heat, such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. It also relates to control or elimination of the emissions of greenhouse gases in the power recovery process of this invention with the goal of producing energy in the future carbonless world economy.

A reactor for hydrocarbon production that separates wax reaction products from lightweight gaseous reaction products. The reactor has a housing, a catalyst bed, a product recovery zone, and a stripping zone. The catalyst bed can be provided in multi-tubular and other fixed bed configurations. The stripping zone receives light-weight gas reaction products from the product recovery zone, while a gas outlet of the housing receives non-lightweight gaseous hydrocarbon reaction products from the product recovery zone. A wax outlet of the housing receives wax products from the product recovery zone.

This invention relates to a power recovery process in waste steam/CO.sub.2 reformers in which a waste stream can be made to release energy without having to burn the waste or the syngas. This invention in some embodiments does not make use of fuel cells as a component but makes use of exothermic chemical reactors using syngas to produce heat, such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. It also relates to control or elimination of the emissions of greenhouse gases in the power recovery process of this invention with the goal of producing energy in the future carbonless world economy.

A method for heating or cooling a carbon containing reducing gas having a carbon monoxide content of at least 0.5 vol %, wherein the gas is heated to a temperature of at least 400 C. or wherein the gas is cooled from a temperature exceeding 400 C., wherein the gas is passed along a surface of a heating or cooling unit having a heat conductive metal or metal alloy body and a protective layer, which protective layer provides said surface, and which protective layer is made from a coating composition including colloidal amorphous silicate and crystalline oxide particles.