Electrolytic method of gas separation

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR THE SEPARATION AND RECOVERY OF A GAS HAVING ELECTROLYTIC GRADE PURITY SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN FROM A GAS STREAM WHICH ALSO CONTAINS LESS THAN ABOUT 90% BY VOLUME OF GASEOUS CONTAMINANTS AND IN WHICH THE GASEOUS CONTAMINANTS THEREIN ARE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBON DIOXIDE, NITROGEN, HELIUM, C1 TO C4 ALKANES AND C2 TO C4 ALKENES, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: (A) TRANSMITTING SUCH A CONTAMINANT-CONTAINING GAS STREAM INTO CONTACT WITH A FIRST ELECTRODE OF AN ENCLOSED ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL, SAID CELL CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO CATALYTIC ELECTRODES, INCLUDING A SECOND COUNTER ELECTRODE OF OPPOSITE SIGN FROM SAID FIRST ELECTRODE, AND A HOMOGENEOUS ELECTROLYTE CAPABLE OF TRANSFERRING IONS IN CONTACT WITH SAID ELECTRODES, AND WHEREIN SID ELECTRODES OF OPPOSITE SIGN ARE SEPARATED BY A GAS-IMPERMEABLE, ION PERMEABLE MEMBRANE, (B) SUPPLYING AN ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE FROM A D.C . POWER SOURCE AT A FULL CELL POTENTIAL OF ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 0.7 VOLT ACROSS THE ELECTRODES OF OPPOSITE SIGN, SAID VOLTAGE BEING LESS THAN THE VOLTAGE REQUIRED TO ELECTROLYTICALLY DECOMPOSE WATER INTO ITS ELEMENTS, (C) EFFECTING BY SAID CONTACT AT SAID FIRST ELECTRODE SELECTIVE DISSOCIATION AND IONIZATION OF SUBSTANTIALLY ONLY THE COMPONENT OF THE GAS STREAM TO BE RECOVERED IN ELECTROLYTIC GRADE PURITY, SAID IONIZATION BEING EFFECTED WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN THE HOMOGENEITY OF THE ELECTROLYTE. (D) MOVING THE OBTAINED IONS IN SAID ELECTROLYTE THROUGH SAID GAS-IMPERMEABLE, ION PERMEABLE MEMBRANE BY THE AFORESAID ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE OF (B) AND EFFECTING THEREBY SEPARATION OF IONIZED FROM NON-IONIZED COMPONENTS OF THE GAS STREAM; (E) DEIONIZING SAID SEPARATED IONS BY CONTACT WITH THE SECOND COUNTER ELECTRODE IN SAID ELECTROLYTE AND REFORMING GAS PRODUCT OF ELECTROLYTIC GRADE PURITY, (F) REMOVING SAID NON-IONIZED GASEOUS CONTAMINANTS FROM CONTACT WITH SAID FIRST ELECTRODE, AND (G) RECOVERING THE RE-FORMED GAS PRODUCT, SUCH IONIZATION, SEPARATION, RE-FORMING AND RECOVERING BEING THUS EFFECTED WITHOUT CONSUMPTION OR CHEMICAL ALTERATION OF SAID ELECTRODES OR OF SAID ELECTROLYTE AND WITH CONSUMPTION OF ONLY THE ELECTRICAL ENERGY SUPPLIED.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR THE SEPARATION AND RECOVERY OF A GAS HAVING ELECTROLYTIC GRADE PURITY SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN FROM A GAS STREAM WHICH ALSO CONTAINS LESS THAN ABOUT 90% BY VOLUME OF GASEOUS CONTAMINANTS AND IN WHICH THE GASEOUS CONTAMINANTS THEREIN ARE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBON DIOXIDE, NITROGEN, HELIUM, C1 TO C4 ALKANES AND C2 TO C4 ALKENES, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: (A) TRANSMITTING SUCH A CONTAMINANT-CONTAINING GAS STREAM INTO CONTACT WITH A FIRST ELECTRODE OF AN ENCLOSED ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL, SAID CELL CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO CATALYTIC ELECTRODES, INCLUDING A SECOND COUNTER ELECTRODE OF OPPOSITE SIGN FROM SAID FIRST ELECTRODE, AND A HOMOGENEOUS ELECTROLYTE CAPABLE OF TRANSFERRING IONS IN CONTACT WITH SAID ELECTRODES, AND WHEREIN SID ELECTRODES OF OPPOSITE SIGN ARE SEPARATED BY A GAS-IMPERMEABLE, ION PERMEABLE MEMBRANE, (B) SUPPLYING AN ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE FROM A D.C . POWER SOURCE AT A FULL CELL POTENTIAL OF ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 0.7 VOLT ACROSS THE ELECTRODES OF OPPOSITE SIGN, SAID VOLTAGE BEING LESS THAN THE VOLTAGE REQUIRED TO ELECTROLYTICALLY DECOMPOSE WATER INTO ITS ELEMENTS, (C) EFFECTING BY SAID CONTACT AT SAID FIRST ELECTRODE SELECTIVE DISSOCIATION AND IONIZATION OF SUBSTANTIALLY ONLY THE COMPONENT OF THE GAS STREAM TO BE RECOVERED IN ELECTROLYTIC GRADE PURITY, SAID IONIZATION BEING EFFECTED WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN THE HOMOGENEITY OF THE ELECTROLYTE. (D) MOVING THE OBTAINED IONS IN SAID ELECTROLYTE THROUGH SAID GAS-IMPERMEABLE, ION PERMEABLE MEMBRANE BY THE AFORESAID ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE OF (B) AND EFFECTING THEREBY SEPARATION OF IONIZED FROM NON-IONIZED COMPONENTS OF THE GAS STREAM; (E) DEIONIZING SAID SEPARATED IONS BY CONTACT WITH THE SECOND COUNTER ELECTRODE IN SAID ELECTROLYTE AND REFORMING GAS PRODUCT OF ELECTROLYTIC GRADE PURITY, (F) REMOVING SAID NON-IONIZED GASEOUS CONTAMINANTS FROM CONTACT WITH SAID FIRST ELECTRODE, AND (G) RECOVERING THE RE-FORMED GAS PRODUCT, SUCH IONIZATION, SEPARATION, RE-FORMING AND RECOVERING BEING THUS EFFECTED WITHOUT CONSUMPTION OR CHEMICAL ALTERATION OF SAID ELECTRODES OR OF SAID ELECTROLYTE AND WITH CONSUMPTION OF ONLY THE ELECTRICAL ENERGY SUPPLIED.