Electrolytic process for the continuous drying of moist fluids

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR DESICCATING A FLUID STREAM HAVING A NON-AQUEOUS PORION AND CONTAINIG MOISTURE WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID FLUID STREAM THROUGH A MASS OF SOLID, PARTICULATE DESICCANT WHICH IS ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE WHEN WET AND WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY INERT TO THE NON-AQUEOUS PROTION OF SAID FLUID STREAM, MAINTAINING OPPOSITELY CHARGED, DIRECT CURRENT ELECTRODES IN SAID MASS OF DESICCANT IN ELECTROLYTIC CONTACT WITH THE DESICCANT CONTAINIG MOISTURE REMOVED FROM SAID FLUID STREAM, IMPRESSING A DIRECT CURRENT ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL ON SAID ELECTRODES AT SUFFICIENT ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE TO CAUSE ELECTRICAL ENERGY TO FLOW BETWEEN SAID ELECRODES AND SEPARATELY REMOVING FROM SAID MASS AND COLLECTING THE DESICCATED FLUID STREAM AND THE OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN FORMED BY THE RESULTING ELECTROLYSIS, SAID PROCESS BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT OXYGEN FORMED AT THE ANODE AND HYDROGEN FORMED AT THE CATHODE OF TYHE ELECTROLYTIC DRYING UNIT ARE MAINTAINED SEPARATE AND APART FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM SAID DESICCATED FLUID STREAM BY MEANS OF A PAIR OF SHEETS OF POLYMERIC MATERIAL WHICH PROVIDE A CHANNEL CONTAINING SAID DESICCANT THROUGH WHICH SAID FLUID STREAM FLOWS, ONE OF SAID SHEETS BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN THE ANODE AND SAID FLUID STREAM, AND THE OTHER SHEET BEING POSITIONED BETWEEN THE CATHODE AND SAID FLUID STREAM, SAID SHEETS BEING ION-PERMEABLE AND CAPABLE OF TRANSFERRING WTER ABSORBED BY THE DESICCANT IN THE CHANNEL BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF SHEETS.