Patent ID: 7553459

Claim:
A method for generating and feeding moisture in an apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an apparatus for generating and feeding moisture, the apparatus comprising i. a reactor having an upstream gas inlet side, a downstream moisture outlet side and a catalyst for generating moisture for hydrogen and oxygen, wherein the reactor is capable of generating moisture from hydrogen and oxygen by catalytic reaction; ii. pressure reducing means provided on a downstream side of the reactor, wherein the pressure reducing means comprises one or more components selected from the group consisting of an orifice, a valve, a capillary and a filter; iii. a first reactor structural component having a material gas supply joint defining a material gas supply passage; iv. a second reactor structural component having a moisture take-out joint defining a moisture outlet passage, wherein the first reactor structural component and the second reactor structural component are mated to form a reactor shell having an interior space, and wherein the second reactor structural component defines an inside wall surface; v. a first reflector disposed in the interior space to face the moisture outlet passage, wherein the catalyst comprises a platinum coated catalyst layer provided on the inside wall surface of the second reactor structural component; and vi. a process chamber, wherein the reactor is connected to feed moisture gas to the process chamber; (b) feeding oxygen and hydrogen gas through the material gas supply passage and into the interior space of the reactor shell; (c) generating moisture from hydrogen and oxygen by catalytic reaction with the catalyst; (d) reducing pressure in the process chamber by pumping; and (e) reducing pressure of moisture leaving and fed from the reactor using the pressure reducing means while the pressure reducing means maintains an internal high pressure in the reactor against negative pressure from the process chamber by pumping.