De Clercq & Partners

The present disclosure relates to method to remove water during production of a ternary molten salt mixture, comprising at least calcium nitrate and potassium nitrate where the calcium nitrate in the form of a hydrated calcium nitrate or a hydrated calcium nitrate / potassium nitrate double salt. Foaming can be reduced by controlling the interaction between water evolving from the calcium nitrate and the potassium nitrate, more particularly to impurities present in the potassium nitrate.

A mask forming film is disclosed comprising a carrier sheet, optionally an intermediate layer, and an imageable layer including at least one infrared absorbing dye according to Formula I <img class="EMIRef" id="0557c8f6-3b25-40bd-8380-af8d75c70596-ia01" /> wherein R<1> and R<2> independently represent a methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl group; T<1>, T<2>, T<3>, T<4>, T<'1> and T<'2> independently represent hydrogen, a halogen, an optionally substituted alkyl group, a cyano, methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy or butoxy group; R<3> and R<4> independently represent an optionally substituted alkyl group; m represents 1 or 2, and W represents an anion which renders the chromophoric group neutral.

The invention relates to a computer-implemented audio signal processing method for controlling spatial focus in three-dimensional sound.

[Problem] The problem is to provide a measure to enable a determination of whether a subject develops renal amyloidosis caused by proIAPP.[Solution] The above-mentoined problem is solved by measuring proIAPP in a biological sample from a subject, and using a result of the measuring as an indicator of proIAPP-type renal amyloidosis.

The present disclosure provides a process for regenerating a dryer of a syngas dryer assembly comprising one or more dryers in an ammonia plant (100), the process comprising steps of: (i) contacting a charge of desulphurized natural gas (1) and steam (2), with air, oxygen-enriched air or oxygen, in a conversion section resulting in a synthesis gas comprising hydrogen, CO and CO<2>, the conversion section comprising at least one furnace; (ii) subjecting the synthesis gas obtained in step (i) to shift conversion, carbon dioxide removal and methanation, thereby obtaining a stream of treated syngas (7') and further passing the treated syngas (7') through a first syngas compressor (8) to obtain a compressed syngas (8'); (iii) introducing the compressed syngas (8') to a first dryer (9) of the syngas dryer assembly, located downstream of the first syngas compressor (8) to absorb water resulting in a dried make-up syngas, wherein the syngas dryer assembly further comprises a second dryer (14) positioned in parallel to the first dryer (9), wherein the second dryer is a saturated dryer requiring regeneration, wherein a part of the dried make-up syngas (9") is compressed in a second syngas compressor (10) to provide a compressed make-up syngas (10') that is further supplied to an ammonia synthesis loop (11) forming ammonia (11') and generating a purge gas (11") comprising hydrogen, ammonia, methane and argon; and (iv) introducing the purge gas (11") to a purge gas recovery unit (12), whereby ammonia and hydrogen are recovered and a reject gas (12') is generated, wherein a part of the reject gas (12a) is introduced to a third dryer (13) positioned in series to the second dryer (14) resulting in a dried reject gas (13'), wherein a part of the dried reject gas (13') is supplied to the second dryer (14), located downstream of the third dryer (13), thereby regenerating the second dryer (14) and resulting in a used reject gas (14'). The disclosure further provides a plant for producing ammonia, the use of a reject gas emerging from the purge gas recovery unit in the ammonia plant to perform the process of the disclosure and a method of revamping the ammonia plant.

The present disclosure provides a method for operating a urea plant comprising an urea synthesis section, wherein the synthesis section comprises at least one high-pressure process line, a flushing system fluidly connected to the at least one high-pressure process line, a first high pressure flushing pump configured to direct an aqueous solution to the flushing system, and at least one sensor for measuring a process variable, wherein the urea plant comprises a second high-pressure flushing pump configured to direct an aqueous solution to the at least one sensor for measuring a process variable, and wherein the method further comprises continuously directing an aqueous solution from the second high-pressure flushing pump to the flushing system. The present disclosure further provides an assembly comprising a flushing system, a first high pressure flushing pump fluidly connected to the flushing system, a second high-pressure flushing pump and at least one sensor for measuring a process variable in the synthesis section, wherein the second high-pressure flushing pump is fluidly connected to the flushing system and to the at least one sensor and configured to provide an aqueous solution to the flushing system and to the at least one sensor.

The present disclosure relates to a process for production of nitric acid and a nitric acid production plant, particularly wherein a tail gas recycle stream is supplied to the converter. More in particular, in the process and plant of the present disclosure, at least part of the tail gas is treated in a tail gas treatment section and further heated in a heating section, thereby obtaining a heated tail gas stream, typically having the temperature in the range of 400-600°C. The temperature of this heated tail gas stream is reduced by mixing with a tail gas bypass stream bypassing the tail gas treatment section and/or heating section, resulting in the tail gas recycle stream that can be recirculated to the converter and having the correct temperature for the converter, typically having a temperature in the range of 150-300°C. The disclosure further provides the use of the nitric acid production plant for performing the method according to present disclosure and the method of revamping a nitric acid production plant.

Described herein are biopolymer compositions for removing algae from recreational waters such as swimming pools and spas, kits comprising same and method to remove such undesirable algae. The biopolymer is selected for causing flocculation of algae when added to the recreational waters. Thanks to addition of the biopolymer, flocculated algae can easily be removed from the waters by being trapped in the pool or spa's filtration system. In embodiments the biopolymer comprises chitosan, preferably high molecular weight chitosan (HMWC).

The invention provides for systems, methods, and compositions for targeting nucleic acids. In particular, the invention provides non-naturally occurring or engineered DNA-targeting systems comprising a novel DNA-targeting CRISPR effector protein and at least one targeting nucleic acid component like a guide RNA. Aspects of the invention in particular relate to Cpfl mutants having altered PAM specificity.

The present disclosure relates to a heat exchange arrangement comprising one or more shell and tube heat exchangers having a shell with an inner space, the heat exchanger having a tube-side inlet which enters a tube-side fluid to be heated or cooled in a front head located in between the tube-side inlet and a front tube sheet, from which the tube-side fluid then is distributed to a plurality of tubes which are held in place by tube sheets, and through which the tube-side fluid moves and during the movement is cooled or heated by a first shell-side heating or cooling fluid which moves through a first compartment with a first compartment inlet and a first compartment outlet, and by a second shell-side heating or cooling fluid which moves through a second compartment with a second compartment inlet and a second compartment outlet, whereafter the cooled or heated tube-side fluid is collected in a rear head located between a rear tube sheet and a tube-side outlet through which the cooled process gas leaves the heat exchanger, the tubes further being supported by a first and a second intermediate tube sheet placed between the front tube sheet and the rear tube sheet and between which a buffer compartment is formed with a buffer fluid with a buffer fluid temperature, the buffer fluid not chemically reacting producing insoluble compounds that precipitate as scale and not comprising compounds that chemically react with the shell resulting in corrosion at the buffer fluid temperature, and having a pressure which is higher than the higher one of the pressure of the first shell-side fluid in the first compartment and the second shell-side fluid in the second compartment.