1. An apparatus configured to stabilize a strain-temperature response for a shape memory alloy, comprising:
a multi-axial deformation unit configured to simultaneously apply shear and normal stresses to a shape memory alloy; and
a temperature unit selected from the group consisting of an induction heater, a resistance heater furnace, a tape heater and a resistance joule heater, configured to supply a stable temperature or cycle a temperature from a minimum temperature to a maximum temperature;
a gauge to measure the corresponding shear and normal deformations or strains when applying an isobaric treatment at constant pressure to a first sample of said shape memory alloy, the multi-axial deformation unit is configured to apply a constant stress to the first sample and the temperature unit is configured to cycle temperature from a minimum temperature to a maximum temperature until the strain or the deformation within the first sample stabilizes to provide a stabilized strain value at the constant pressure;
one of a determining unit or a controller configured to compare and determine whether the strains have stabilized, and
when applying an isothermal treatment to a second sample, the multi-axial deformation unit is further configured to apply different levels of stress on the second sample until a strain on the second sample matches the stabilized strain value on the first sample to produce a material that is equally stabile under conditions equivalent to the deformationstrain levels achieved under isobaric conditions.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the constant stress applied to the first sample is based on a size of the first sample.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining unit is further configured to assess whether the strain on the first sample is stabilized in martensite and austenite states.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining unit is further configured to determine a stress value having a corresponding strain that matches the stabilized strain of the first sample.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-axial deformation unit is configured to apply stress or a cycle of stresses, from a minimum stress to a maximum stress, to the sample material of shape memory alloy.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multi-axial deformation unit is capable of deforming compounds selected from the group consisting essentially of: Ag\u2014Cd, Au\u2014Cd, Cu\u2014Al\u2014Ni, Cu\u2014Sn, Cu\u2014Zn, Fe\u2014Pt, Mn\u2014Cu, Fe\u2014Mn\u2014Si, Pt alloys, Co\u2014Ni\u2014Al, Co\u2014Ni\u2014Ga, Ni\u2014Fe\u2014Ga, Ti\u2014Pd, Ni\u2014Ti, Ni\u2014Ti\u2014X, or Ni\u2014Mn\u2014Ga, wherein X is platinum, palladium, gold, hafnium or combinations thereof.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-13. (canceled)
14. A process for the desulfurization of a hydrocarbon feedstream that includes one or more aromatic sulfur-containing hydrocarbon compounds, the process comprising:
a. mixing the feedstream with a solvent feedstream including a solvent containing a furan ring that is selective for the one or more aromatic sulfur-containing hydrocarbon compounds;
b. separating as a first phase mixture having a reduced content of aromatic sulfur-containing hydrocarbon compounds and as a second phase the solvent and dissolved aromatic sulfur-containing hydrocarbon compounds from the feedstream;
c. recovering the first phase for further processing;
d. distilling the second phase to recover a solvent for use in step (a), above, that is more volatile than the remainder of the second phase including aromatic sulfur-containing hydrocarbon compounds; and
e. recovering aromatic sulfur-containing hydrocarbon compounds.
15. The process as in claim 14 further comprising subjecting the recovered aromatic sulfur-containing hydrocarbon compounds to hydroprocessing, and recovering a second liquid hydrocarbon stream having a reduced content of aromatic sulfur-containing hydrocarbon compounds from the hydroprocessor.
16. The process as in claim 14, wherein step (d) occurs in an atmospheric distillation unit.
17. The process of claim 14 in which the solvent containing a furan ring is selected from the group consisting of furfural, furfuryl alcohol, 2-furyl methyl ketone and 5-methylfurfural
18. The process of claim 14 in which the hydrocarbon is selected from the group consisting of heavy, medium and light crude oils, and mixtures thereof.
19. The process of claim 14 in which the solvent is introduced into the feedstream prior to its introduction into a mixing vessel.
20. The process of claim 14 in which the ratio of solvent to hydrocarbon during mixing is in the range of from 0.5:1 to 3:1.
21. The process of claim 14 which includes adding an emulsion breaking composition to the mixture of solvent and whole crude oil to promote the formation of two liquid phases.
22. The process of claim 14 which includes the step of pretreating the whole crude oil by one or more processes selected from the group consisting of oil-water separation, gas-oil separation, desalting and stabilization.
23. The process of claim 18 in which the feedstream is subjected to a topping process prior to mixing with the one or more extractive solvents to produce a first hydrocarbon stream of low sulfur content and a second whole crude oil stream of increased sulfur content.
24. The process of claim 14 which is conducted as a batch process.
25. The process of claim 14 which is conducted as a continuous process in a column.
26. The process of claim 14 which includes the further steps of treating the first phase of reduced sulfur content recovered in step (c) to strip any retained solvent and recovering the stripped solvent for use in step (a).