Apparatus for treating process streams

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TREATING A STREAM OF PRESSURIZED FLUID COMPRISING: A FIRST CONTAINER FOR SAID FLUID, SAID CONTAINER A SECOND CONTAINER FOR AN ELECTROLYTE CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST CONTAINER AND HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN FOR THE REMOVAL OF GASES; A FRIST ELECTRODE IN SAID FIRST CONTAINER AND ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM SAID FLOW CONDUIT AND FROM SAID SECOND CONTAINER, SAID ELECTRODE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED BARS LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED IN SAID CONTAINER AND ARRANGED SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY THROUGHOUT THE CROSS SECTION THEREOF; A SECOND ELECTRODE IN SAID SECOND CONTAINER AND ELECTRICALLY INSULATED THEREFROM; A DIRECT CURRENT SOURCE OF POWER CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRODES SO THAT SAID FIRST ELECTRODE IS THE CATHODE AND SAID SECOND ELECTRODE IS THE ANODE; AND A POROUS PLATE INTERPOSED BETWEEN AND SEPARATING SAID CONTAINERS, SAID PLATE HAVING SUCH PERMEABILITY AND STRENGTH CHARACTERISTICS AS TO ALLOW CONTACT BETWEEN FLUIDS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE PLATE BUT TO RESIST BREAKAGE AND PREVENT ANY APPRECIABLE MIGRATION OF FLUID THERETHROUGH DURING PRESSURE DIFFERENTIALS ACROSS SAID PLATE OF FROM ONE FOOT OF WATER UP TO AT LEAST 150 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH.