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US 4,254,086 AGranted
Endothermal water decomposition unit for producing hydrogen and oxygen
OwnerAlfred P. Sandersinventor
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OwnerAlfred P. Sandersinventor
Estimating the term…
The manufacture of hydrogen and oxygen by the dissociation of water vapor at elevated temperatures followed by separation of hydrogen from the water vapor and the oxygen produced using a hydrogen permeable membrane is improved by increasing the surface area of the membrane exposed to the dissociation gas mixture. One way of increasing the surface area of contact, according to the present invention, is to form a hydrogen permeable membrane coated on one side of a porous refractory wafer with an inlet hole through the wafer connecting a beginning of the maze and an outlet at the end of the maze facing the opposite direction from the inlet. A number of these wafers are then stacked or replicated front-to-back with each outlet corresponding to the inlet of the next wafer to give a compact and efficient hydrogen diffusion separator.
A coated article comprising a porous refractory base material with a hydrogen permeable membrane coated on portions thereof, said base material having at least first and second flat surfaces, said base material having a top and a bottom, a hole extending through said base material at the top thereof, a grooved maze in at least one of said flat surfaces extending from said hole at the top of the bottom and said grooved maze coated with said hydrogen permeable membrane.
An apparatus for separating hydrogen from a hydrogen containing gas mixture comprising a plurality of wafers stacked back-to-front, each of said wafers comprising a porous refractory base material with a hydrogen permeable membrane coated on portions thereof, said base material having at least first and second flat surfaces, said base material having a top and a bottom, a hole extending through said base material at the top thereof and defining an inlet, a grooved maze in said second flat surface extending from said hole at the top of the said bottom and defining an outlet at the termination thereof, said grooved maze and said first flat surface coated with said hydrogen permeable membrane and said outlets of successive wafers registered with said inlets of successive wafers in said plurality.
An apparatus for separating hydrogen and oxygen from thermally dissociating water vapor comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.