Patent ID: 8790506

Claim:
A method of purifying a hydrogen stream using an electrochemical cell comprising: providing a cylindrical shaped outer metal electrode member having a longitudinal axis for containment of said electrochemical cell; locating at least one hollow wet polymeric membrane having a longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical outer metal electrode member to provide an inner compartment and an outer compartment; locating at least one porous sintered metal electrode in a form of tubular sintered metal filter having a longitudinal axis within said hollow wet polymeric membrane; providing at least one gas inlet for feeding a hydrogen stream that is to be purified to the inner compartment; and providing a gas outlet for passing purified hydrogen gas thru the outer shell of the cylindrical shaped member; wherein said porous sintered metal electrode is adapted to be connected to an anode terminal of a dc supply with an electrical conductor to work as an anode and said cylindrical outer metal electrode member is adapted to be connected to a cathode terminal of the dc supply with another electrical conductor to work as a cathode; wherein said porous sintered metal electrode acts as an anode and a porous qas conduit which allows qas flows from said qas inlet into pores of said porous sintered metal electrode where the qas reacts to form protons which then migrate across the polymeric membrane, one said porous sintered metal electrode combined with one said polymeric membrane to form one electrochemical tube assembly.