Electrolytic drying apparatus

Claim 1

AN ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS FOR DRYING A FLOWING FLUID COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A FIRST COMPARTMENT AND A SECOND COMPARTMENT, AN INLET FOR INTRODUCING FLUID TO BE DRIED INTO SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT AND AN OUTLET FOR WITHDRAWING DRIED FLUID FROM SAID FIRSTCOMPARTMENT, AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF ELECTRICALLY ISOLATED ELECTRODES DISPOSED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO ONE ANOTHER WITHIN SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT, A DELIQUESCENT HYGROSCOPIC SUBSTANCE WHICH IS ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ONLY WHEN WET ADAPTED TO ABSORB WATER BY CONTACT WITH THE FLUID TO BE DRIED AND TO SPAN THE ELECTRODES SO AS TO PROVIDE A CURRENT-CONDUCTING PATH FOR ELECTROLYSIS OF WATER ABSORBED IN SAID DELIQUENSCENT HYGROSCOPIC SUBSTANCE, A DIRECT CURRENT POWER SOURCE IN OF VOLTAGE SUFFICIENT TO ELECTROLYZE ABSORBED WATER IN SAID DELIQUESCENT HYGROSCOPIC SUBSTANCE CONNECTED ACROSS SAID ELECTRODES, AND CONVEYOR MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT AND SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT FOR SEQUENTIALLY AND CYCLICALLY EXPOSING SAID DELIQUESCENT HYGROSCOPIC SUBSTANCE TO SAID FLUID TO BE DRIED IN SAID FIRST COMPARTMENT AND THEREAFTER INTERPOSING SAID DEL-