1. A gas fed water-heater comprising a double wall container (1) inside of which are arranged a burner (2) and a tank (3) for water to be heated, the double wall defining an interspace (5) containing a thermoinsulating system, wherein the thermoinsulating system comprises, at least in a first portion (5\u2032) of the interspace adjacent to the burner, an inner layer (6) of rock wool or glass wool and an outer layer (7) formed of at least one vacuum panel comprising an envelope which encloses an inert material powder having an average particle size of less than 100 nanometers.
2. The water-heater according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer (6) has a volume percentage comprising between 70-80% of the total volume of the thermoinsulating system.
3. The water-heater according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer of rock wool or glass wool and the at least one vacuum panel of the thermoinsulating system occupy only the first portion (5\u2032) of the interspace adjacent to the burner (2).
4. The water-heater according to claim 3, wherein a second portion (5\u2033) of the interspace adjacent to the tank (3) is filled with a foamed polymeric material.
5. The water-heater according to claim 1, wherein the inert material powder comprises particles with an average size between 2 and 20 nanometers.
6. The water-heater according to claim 1, wherein the envelope comprises a plastic material.
7. The water-heater according to claim 6, wherein the plastic material is metallized.
8. The water-heater according to claim 1, wherein the inert material powder is mixed with mineral fibers.
9. The water-heater according to claim 8, wherein the mineral fibers comprise glass fibers.
10. The water-heater according to claim 1, wherein the inert material comprises pyrogenic silica.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A process for stimulating or regulating the growth of a living, growing plant precursor germinating seed or plant having a degree of maturity of from about >0% seedling stage up to about <100% late maturity stage of full growth consisting of the steps of:
(a) formulating an aqueous plant precursor or plant growth-regulating or stimulating solution consisting essentially of water, substantially free of any (i) fertilizer and (ii) Periodic Table Group IIa or higher Group metal cations or chelated metals, and at least one substantially pure nitrogen-containing organic compound selected from the group consisting of IDS, EDDS, ammonium salts thereof, alkali metal salts thereof, ammonium-alkali metal salts thereof and optical isomers thereof;
(b) providing a living, growing (i) plant precursor, or (ii) plant having a degree of maturity of from about >0% up to about <100% of full growth; and
(c) applying, in the absence of fertilizer, a plant precursor or plant growth stimulating or regulating concentration and quantity of said nitrogen-containing organic compound contained in said plant precursor or plant growth-regulating or stimulating solution to said plant precursor or to said plant or to the effective proximity of said plant precursor or said plant, over a period of time and at a rate such that the plant precursor or plant growth is stimulated or regulated.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the plant precursor or plant is a germinating seed of a plant.
3. The process of claim 2 wherein the germinating seed of a plant is selected from the group of germinating seeds of monocotyledons and dicotyledons.
4. The process of claim 2 wherein the germinating seed of a plant is selected from the group consisting of germinating snap bean Phaseolus vulgaris L. seed, germinating sweet corn Zea L. var. saccharata Sturt. seed and germinating field corn Zea L., mays L. seed, the growth of which is stimulated by an aqueous nitrogen compound-containing solution selected from the group consisting of (i) one or more ammonium, alkali metal, or ammonium-alkali metal salts of EDDS taken alone, or in combination with one or more ammonium, alkali metal or ammonium-alkali metal salts of IDS and (ii) the free acids of IDS or EDDS, taken alone or in combination, in a germinating seed growth stimulating concentration and quantity.
5. The process of claim 4 wherein the weight ratio of ammonium, alkali metal or ammonium-alkali metal salts of EDDS to ammonium, alkali metal or ammonium-alkali metal salts of IDS is from about 20:1 up to about 1:20.
6. The process of claim 5 wherein the weight ratio of ammonium, alkali metal or ammonium-alkali metal salts of EDDS to ammonium, alkali metal or ammonium-alkali metal salts of IDS is about 1:1.
7. The process of claim 2 wherein the germinating seed of a plant is selected from the group consisting of germinating field corn Zea L., mays L. seed and germinating snap bean Phaseolus vulgaris L. seed, the growth of which is regulated by an aqueous solution of one or more alkali metal salts of EDDS in a germinating seed growth regulating concentration and quantity.
8. A composition of matter comprising a mixture of (a) IDS andor one or more of its ammonium salts, alkali metal salts, ammonium-alkali metal salts or optical isomers thereof and (b) EDDS andor one or more of its ammonium salts, alkali metal salts, ammonium-alkali metal salts or optical isomers thereof with the weight ratio of (a):(b) being in the range of from about 1:20 up to about 20:1.
9. The composition of claim 8 wherein the weight ratio of (a):(b) is about 1:1.
10. The composition of claim 8 wherein the alkali metal salts are selected from the group consisting of sodium salts and potassium salts.
11. The composition of claim 9 wherein the alkali metal salts are selected from the group consisting of sodium salts and potassium salts.
12. The process of claim 4 wherein the germinating seed of a plant is the germinating sweet corn Zea L. var. saccharata Sturt. seed, the growth of which is stimulated by an aqueous solution containing at least one nitrogen-containing compound selected from the group consisting of IDS free acid and EDDS free acid, wherein the nitrogen-containing compound concentration is in the range of from about 5104 gram moles per liter up to about 10104 gram moles per liter.
13. The process of claim 4 wherein the growth of the germinating seed of a plant is stimulated by an aqueous solution containing at least one nitrogen-containing compound selected from the group consisting of (i) the tri-potassium salt of IDS or the tetra-sodium salt of EDDS at a concentration of about 1104 gram moles per liter and (ii) a mixture of the tri-potassium salt of IDS and the tetra-sodium salt of EDDS at a total concentration of 10104 gram moles per liter.
14. The process of claim 7 wherein the growth of the germinating seed of a plant is regulated by an aqueous solution containing a nitrogen-containing compound composition consisting of the tetra-sodium salt of EDDS at a concentration of about 10104 gram moles per liter.
15. The process of claim 12 wherein the nitrogen-containing compound concentration is in the range of from about 7104 gram moles per liter up to about 8104 moles per liter.
16. The process of claim 5 wherein the weight ratio of ammonium, alkali metal or ammonium-alkali metal salts of EDDS to ammonium, alkali metal or alkali metal-ammonium salts of IDS is from about 1:4 up to about 4:1.
17. The composition of claim 8 wherein the weight ratio range of (a):(b) is from about 1:4 up to about 4:1.
18. The process of claim 3 wherein the range of weight ratios of nitrogen-containing organic compound:germinating seed is in the range of from about 6104:1 up to about 0.04:1.
19. The process of claim 12 wherein the range of weight ratios of nitrogen-containing organic compound:germinating seed is from about 0.01:1 up to about 0.04:1.
20. The process of claim 1 wherein the ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of (a) NH4 and (b) HOCH2CH2NH3.
21. The composition of claim 8 wherein the ammonium salt is selected from the group consisting of (a) NH4 and (b) HOCH2CH2NH3.
22. The composition of claim 8 intimately admixed with at least one adjuvant selected from the group consisting of:
(a) carriers;
(b) surfactants;
(c) carbon skeleton energy adjuvants;
(d) vitaminco-factor adjuvants;
(e) gums;
(f) anti-microbial agents;
(g) buffers;
(h) protective colloids; and
(i) viscosity modifiers.
23. A process for stimulating or regulating the growth of a living, growing plant precursor germinating seed or plant having a degree of maturity of from about >0% seedling stage up to about <100% late maturity stage of full growth consisting of the steps of:
(a) formulating an aqueous plant precursor or plant growth-regulating or stimulating solution consisting essentially of water, substantially free of any Periodic Table Group IIa or higher Group metal cations or chelated metals, and at least one substantially pure nitrogen-containing organic compound selected from the group consisting of IDS, EDDS, ammonium salts thereof, alkali metal salts thereof, ammonium-alkali metal salts thereof and optical isomers thereof;
(b) providing an adjuvant for said formulated aqueous solution selected from the group consisting of:
i. carriers;
ii. surfactants;
iii. carbon skeleton energy adjuvants;
iv. vitaminco-factor adjuvants;
V. gums;
vi. anti-microbial agents;
vii. buffers;
viii. protective colloids; and
ix. viscosity modifiers
x. growth regulators
(c) intimately admixing said adjuvant with said formulated aqueous solution in order to form an adjuvant-containing formulated aqueous solution;
(d) applying, in the absence of fertilizer, a plant precursor or plant growth stimulating or regulating concentration and quantity of said nitrogen-containing organic compound contained in said adjuvant-containing formulated aqueous solution to said plant precursor or to said plant or to the effective proximity of said plant precursor or said plant, over a period of time and at a rate such that the plant precursor growth or plant growth is stimulated or regulated.
24. The process of claim 23 wherein the plant precursor or plant is a germinating seed of a plant.
25. The process of claim 24 wherein the germinating seed of a plant is selected from the group consisting of germinating seeds of monocotyledons and dicotyledons.
26. The process of claim 1 wherein the formulation step (a) includes the introduction into the formulated nitrogen compound-containing solution of an adjuvant.
27. The composition of claim 8 which also comprises 1H-indole-3-butanoic acid.
28. The composition of claim 22 which also comprises 1H-indole-3-butanoic acid.
29. The composition of claim 28 wherein the mole ratio of 1H-indole-3-butanoic acid:IDS and EDDS is from about 5104:1 up to about 10104:1.
30. The process of claim 1 wherein the plant precursor or plant is a plant.
31. The process of claim 30 wherein the plant is Petunia violacea Lind1. and the growth of said plant is regulated by a composition comprising IDS free acid and EDDS free acid in a total concentration of IDS EDDS of >7104 gram moles per liter.