Fuel cell

Claim 1

A FUEL CELL COMPRISING A BODY PORTION, FIRST AND SECOND END PIECES, FIRST AND SECOND CARBON ELECTRODES IMPREGNATED WITH PLATINUM, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID FUEL ELECTRODE BETWEEN SAID BODY PORTION AND SAID FIRST END PIECE, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID SECOND ELECTRODE BETWEEN SAID BODY PORTION AND SAID SECOND END PIECES, MEANS FOR CONNECTING A FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL TO SAID FIRST ELECTRODE, MEANS FOR CONNECTING A SECOND OUTPUT TERMINAL TO SAID SECOND ELECTRODE, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A FUEL THROUGH SAID FIRST END PIECE TO SAID FIRST ELECTRODE, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING AN OXIDANT GAS THROUGH SAID SECOND END PIECE TO SAID SECOND ELECTRODE, A GELLED ELECTROLYTE POSITIONED WITHIN SAID BODY PORTION IN CONTACT WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES AS THE SOLE MATERIAL BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES, SAID GELLED ELECTROLYTE COMPRISING AQUEOUS SULFURIC ACID AND A FINELY DIVIDED SILLICA HAVING A VOID SPACE IN A SETTLED BED IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 75 TO ABOUT 99.5 VOLUME PERCENT, THE AMOUNT OF SAID SILLICA BEING IN THE RANGE OF 1 TO 10 WEIGHT PERCENT OF SAID SULFURIC ACID, CONDUIT MEANS IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH THE UPPER PORTION OF THE REGION BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES CONTAINING SAID GELLED ELECTROLYTE FOR THE REMOVAL OF STEAM THEREFROM, A RESERVOIR, MEANS FOR CONDENSING THE THUS WITHDRAWN STEAM AND PASSING THE CONDENSATE INTO SAID RESERVOIR, AN OVERFLOW CONDUIT IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID RESERVOIR AT THE LEVEL AT WHICH IT IS DESIRED TO MAINTAIN THE ELECTROLYTE IN SAID REGION, SAID OVERFLOW CONDUIT SERVING TO WITHDRAW EXCESS WATER FROM SAID RESERVOIR TO MAINTAIN SAID LEVEL CONSTANT, CONDUIT MEANS IN FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A LOWER PORTION OF SAID RESERVOIR BELOW SAID LEVEL AND A LOWER PORTION OF SAID REGION FOR THE PASSAGE OF WATER FROM SAID RESERVOIR TO SAID REGION, AND CHECK VALVE MEANS OPERATIVELY POSITIONED IN THE LAST-MENTIONED CONDUIT MEANS TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF WATER THERETHROUGH ONLY IN THE DIRECTION FROM SAID RESERVOIR TO SAID REGION.