Humidification system

A respiratory humidification system, comprising:

• a respiratory circuit;
• and
• a controller, wherein the controller is configured to:
• provide, during a patient inhalation cycle or immediately after a patient exhalation cycle, a first amount of humidification agent to a first volume of gas being delivered from a gas source to the respiratory circuit via a humidifying flow path;
• heat, when the humidification agent is combined with the first volume of gas, the humidification agent or the first volume of gas to a temperature sufficient to maintain the humidification agent in a vapor state in the humidifying flow path;
• divide a second volume of the gas delivered from the gas source so that a first gas portion of the second volume of the gas flows through a separate diverted flow path while a second gas portion of the second volume of the gas flows through the humidifying flow path;
• and
• remove, during the patient exhalation cycle or immediately after the patient inhalation cycle, condensation from the respiratory circuit at least in part by providing the first gas portion to the respiratory circuit and a second amount of the humidification agent to the second gas portion after the first volume of gas being delivered from the gas source to the respiratory circuit, the second amount of the humidification agent being less than the first amount of the humidification agent.