Patent ID: 7353689

Claim:
A liquid separator for removing liquid from a gas to be analyzed in a gas analyzer, said liquid separator comprising: an input passage having an input end to which a gas sample containing liquid is supplied, the input passage having an output end; an output passage having a first end and a second, output end; and a wall formed of a gas permeable and liquid impermeable material separating the input passage and the output passage in a region lying between the ends of the passages and along which region the passages lie on opposite sides of said wall, a first portion of the gas passing, in said region, through said wall from the input passage to the output passage for discharge from the output end of the output passage as the gas to be analyzed, a second portion of the gas sample and the liquid remaining in the input passage for discharge from the output end of the input passage; the output passage being formed such that the cross sectional area of the output passage taken generally transverse to a flow direction in the output passage increases in a tapered manner along the flow direction toward the output end of the output passage in at least a portion of the region along the passages in which the passages lie on opposite sides of said wall, the tapering being in an amount that causes the flow of gas along the passages to generate similar gas velocity profiles along the input and output passages.