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A system for separating hydrocarbons from a material which includes a process chamber, a process pan operatively connected to the process chamber and removable therefrom, a blower operatively connected to the process chamber and to a heat source, the blower adapted to force heated air into the proce

A system for separating hydrocarbons from a material which includes a process chamber, a process pan operatively connected to the process chamber and removable therefrom, a blower operatively connected to the process chamber and to a heat source, the blower adapted to force heated air into the process chamber through the material disposed on the process pan, the forced heated air adapted to vaporize hydrocarbons and other contaminants disposed on the material, and at least one condenser operatively connected to the process chamber and adapted to condense the vaporized hydrocarbons and other contaminants is disclosed. Further, a method for separating hydrocarbons from a material which includes passing a stream of heated air over the material to volatilize the hydrocarbons, passing the stream of heated air containing the hydrocarbons through at least one condenser to form liquid hydrocarbons, collecting the liquid hydrocarbons, and recirculating the heated air is disclosed.

대표청구항 ▼

A system for separating hydrocarbons from a material which includes a process chamber, a process pan operatively connected to the process chamber and removable therefrom, a blower operatively connected to the process chamber and to a heat source, the blower adapted to force heated air into the proce

A system for separating hydrocarbons from a material which includes a process chamber, a process pan operatively connected to the process chamber and removable therefrom, a blower operatively connected to the process chamber and to a heat source, the blower adapted to force heated air into the process chamber through the material disposed on the process pan, the forced heated air adapted to vaporize hydrocarbons and other contaminants disposed on the material, and at least one condenser operatively connected to the process chamber and adapted to condense the vaporized hydrocarbons and other contaminants is disclosed. Further, a method for separating hydrocarbons from a material which includes passing a stream of heated air over the material to volatilize the hydrocarbons, passing the stream of heated air containing the hydrocarbons through at least one condenser to form liquid hydrocarbons, collecting the liquid hydrocarbons, and recirculating the heated air is disclosed. to the tunable LC circuit, wherein the resonant frequency associated with the tunable LC circuit is adjusted in response to the first capacitance and the modulated second capacitance. 2. The digitally-controlled oscillator according to claim 1 wherein the inductor element comprises a center-tapped inductor. 3. A digitally-controlled oscillator comprising: a center-tapped inductor; a plurality of controllable capacitors coupled to the inductor to formulate a tunable LC circuit having an output, each capacitor having an input node, wherein a first portion of the controllable capacitor input nodes is configured to receive more significant bits of a digital control word such that a first capacitance can be presented to the tunable LC circuit in response thereto, and further wherein a second portion of the controllable capacitor input nodes is operational to receive at least one dithered and noise shaped less significant bit of a digital control word such that a modulated second capacitance can be presented to the tunable LC circuit, wherein the resonant frequency associated with the tunable LC circuit is adjusted in response to the first capacitance and the modulated second capacitance, wherein the plurality of controllable capacitors comprise a plurality of more significant capacitors and at least one less significant capacitor. 4. The digitally-controlled oscillator according to claim 1 wherein the tunable LC circuit is self-oscillating to generate a signal at the output. 5. The digitally-controlled oscillator according to claim 4 further comprising output circuitry having an input node coupled to the oscillator output and further having an output node configured for generating a digital signal at an RF frequency in response to the signal generated at the oscillator output. 6. A digitally-controlled oscillator comprising: an inductor element; a plurality of controllable capacitors coupled to the inductor to formulate a tunable LC circuit having an output, each capacitor having an input node, wherein a first portion of the controllable capacitor input nodes is configured to receive more significant bits of a digital control word such that a first capacitance can be presented to the tunable LC circuit in response thereto, and further wherein a second portion of the controllable capacitor input nodes is operational to receive at least one dithered less significant bit of a digital control word such that a modulated second capacitance can be presented to the tunable LC circuit, wherein the resonant frequency associated with the tunable LC circuit is adjusted in response to the first capacitance and the modulated second capacitance, wherein the plurality of controllable capacitors comprise a plurality of more significant capacitors and at least one less significant capacitor; and a gain circuit having an input configured to receive a new digital control word and generate a DCO tuning control word therefrom. 7. The digitally-controlled oscillator according to claim 6 wherein the gain circuit comprises a dithering circuit having an input configured to receive and dither at least one digital control word less significant bit. 8. The digitally-controlled oscillator according to claim 7 wherein the dithering circuit is operative to generate a dithering clock that is derived from and synchronous with LC oscillator output signal. 9. A digitally-controlled oscillator comprising: a tunable self-oscillating LC oscillator having an output and including a plurality of controllable more significant capacitors and at least one controllable less significant capacitor, the more significant capacitors and the at least one controllable less significant capacitor coupled to at least one inductor, the more significant capacitors configured to receive more significant bits of a digital control word such that a first capacitance can be presented to the tunable LC oscillator in response thereto, the at least one less significant capacitor