Water electrolyzer

Claim 1

AN ELECTROLYZER APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, ELECTROLYTIC CELL MEANS OPERATING UNDER PRESSURE AND ADAPTED TO GENERATE GAS UNDER PRESSURE BY ELECTROLYZING A LIQUID CONTAINED THEREIN; GAS COLLECTING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTROLYTIC CELL MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID GAS UNDER PRESSURE GENERATED THEREIN AND HOLDING SAID GAS UNDER PRESSURE, UPWARDLY EXTENDING SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS HAVING A TOP AND A BOTTOM AND CONNECTED AT SAID BOTTOM TO AND COMMUNICATING AT SAID BOTTOM WITH SAID GAS COLLECTING MEANS; OUTLET MEANS COMMUNICATING VIA SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS WHICH SAID GAS COLLECTING MEANS SO THAT SAID GENERATED GAS UNDER PRESSURE IS ADAPTED TO FLOW FROM SAID GAS COLLECTING MEANS THROUGH SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS TO SAID OUTLET MEANS, SAID OUTLET MEANS DISCHARGING SAID GAS UNDER PRESSURE AND THEREBY DECOMPRESSING THE SAME; FLOW-RETARDING, HEAT-EXCHANGING OBSTACLE MEANS EXTENDING COMPLETELY ACROSS THE INTERIOR OF SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS AND DISTRIBUTED ALONG THE INTERIOR OF SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS FROM THE BOTTOM THEREOF TO A LEVEL ADJACENT THE TOP THEREOF AND RETARDING THE FREE FLOW OF GAS UPWARDLY IN SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS; AND FEED MEANS FOR FEEDING LIQUID IN AT THE TOP OF SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS FOR SUPPLYING MAKE-UP LIQUID TO SAID ELECTROLYTIC CELL MEANS VIA SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS AND SAID GAS COLLECTING MEANS SO THAT SAID LIQUID PASSES ALONG SAID OBSTACLE MEANS IN COUNTERFLOW TO THE GENERATED GAS UNDER PRESSURE, THEREBY SIMULTANEOUSLY WASHING AND COOLING THE GAS WHILE UNDER PRESSURE, SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS TOGETHER WITH SAID OBSTACLE MEANS THEREIN GUARANTEEING THAT THE GAS RISING FROM THE TOP OF SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS AND BEFORE REACHNG SAID OUTLET MEANS IS COOLED TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TEMPERATURE AS THE INITIAL TEMPERATURE OF THE MAKE-UP LIQUID ENTERING THE TOP OF SAID SCRUBBING TOWER MEANS, AND THAT THE MAKE-UP LIQUID AFTER REACHING THE GAS COLLECTING MEANS IS HEATED TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TEMPERATURE AS THE INITIAL TEMPERATURE OF THE GAS IN SAID GAS GOLLECTING MEANS, THE THUS WASHED AND COOLED GAS BEING DRIED BY THE FOLLOWING DECOMPRESSION, WHEREBY A CLEANED DRY GAS IS OBTAINED.