Catalytic and electrochemical cell structures

Claim 1

IN A STRUCTURE THROUGH WHICH FLUID IS TO BE PASSED SUBTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY IN STRAIGHT-THROUGH PATHS, THE COMBINATION OF A CATALYST SUPPORT HAVING AN INPUT SIDE AND AN OUTPUT SIDE AND COMPRISING A MULTIPLICITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT, CONTINUOUS, JUXTAPOSED, SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL, TUBULAR, OPEN-ENDED CELLS DISPOSED OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE AREA OF SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT SIDES IN A TWO-DIMENSIONAL ARRAY, SAID CELLS HAVING CELL WALLS EXTENDING ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE CELLS BETWEEN SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT SIDES OF SAID SUPPORT AND COMPRISING STRIPS OF ELECTRONIC INSULATOR MATERIAL, SAID WALLS BEING VERY THIN COMPARED WITH THE CROSS-DIMENSIONS OF SAID CELLS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE, LARGE STRAIGHT-THROUGH, OPEN PASSAGES FOR FLUID AND HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID WALLS, CONDUCTIVE CATALYTIC MATERIAL BEING SUPPORTED BY WALLS OF SAID CELLS FOR CATALYTIC REACTION WITH FLUID PASSED THROUGH SAID CELLS, ELECTRODE MEANS MOUNTED UPON SAID SUPPORT FOR PROVIDING HEAT TO SAID CATALYTIC MATERIAL AND FOR CONNECTION TO AN EXTERNAL CURRENT-CARRYING CIRCUIT, AND A FLUID INLET HAVING A FLOW AXIS ORIENTED PARALLEL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID CELLS FOR DIRECTING FLUID SIMULTANEOUSLY ALONG SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL STRAIGHT-THROUGH PATHS EXTENDING FROM SAID INPUT SIDE TO SAID OUTPUT SIDE.