A humidifying gas inducion or supply system

WIPO Patent Application WO2001011216

A3

Water vapor is introduced into an inlet air stream (16) of an engine (12), for example, by a pervaporation process through a non-porous hydrophilic membrane (18). A water reservoir (20), which can contain contaminated water, provides a vapor pressure gradient across the hydrophilic membrane (18) into the inlet air stream (16), while the rate of delivery of the water vapor to a cylinder (38-40) is self-regulated by the rate of flow of air across the membrane. The hydrophilic membrane (18) therefore also filters the water from the water reservoir (20) to an extent that pure water vapor is provided to the air inlet stream (16). Delivery of water vapor can nevertheless be controlled using a hood (26) that slides over the hydrophilic membrane to limit its exposed surface area. Alternatively, water vapor is introduced into one or more of the gas streams of a fuel cell by separating the gas stream from the wet exhaust gas stream by a hydrophilic membrane such that moisture passes across the membrane to moisten the gas stream and thereby prevent drying out of the proton exchange membrane.

TONKIN MARK CHRISTOPHER (GB)
SCHUCHARDT MARK ELDEN (US)
YOUNG MARK ANDREW (GB)

PCT/US2000/021153

August 23, 2001

August 03, 2000

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E U DU PONT NEMOURS AND COMPAN (US)
DESIGN TECH & IRRIGATION LTD (GB)

B01D69/08; F02B47/04; F02M25/032; F02M25/022; F02M25/028; F23C99/00; F23L7/00; F24F6/00; H01M8/04; H01M8/10; (IPC1-7): F02M25/028; H01M8/04

WO1996024958A1

1996-08-15

US4289508A	1981-09-15
DE19654977A1	1998-06-10
US4398506A	1983-08-16
US4800848A	1989-01-31
EP0831543A1	1998-03-25
GB2139110A	1984-11-07

PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 015, no. 232 (M - 1124) 13 June 1991 (1991-06-13)

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