A compression apparatus includes a compressor including an anode gas diffusion layer, an anode catalyst layer, an electrolyte membrane, a cathode catalyst layer, and a cathode gas diffusion layer that are stacked in this order, and a voltage applicator that applies a voltage between the catalyst layers, in which application of the voltage by the voltage applicator causes movement of, through the electrolyte membrane onto the cathode catalyst layer, a proton extracted from an anode fluid supplied onto the anode catalyst layer, to produce compressed hydrogen, and a remover that includes a water-permeable membrane, a first flow path through which a cathode gas from the compressor flows, and a second flow path through which a low-pressure gas flows. The remover removes water vapor and/or liquid water in the cathode gas flowing through the first flow path. The compressor and the remover are provided as a single body.

A modular structure for a mitigating evaporative fuel emissions, such as for an automobile, is described. The structure may include a plurality of frames and membranes for flowing fuel vapor and reducing the emission of hydrocarbon therefrom. The structure may include flow guides that provide a meandering flow path for both the fuel vapor and a permeate. A flow guide providing parallel flow paths is also described.

Hydrogen generation assemblies and methods of generating hydrogen are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may include receiving a feed stream in a fuel processing assembly of the hydrogen generation assembly; and generating a product hydrogen stream in the fuel processing assembly from the received feed stream. Generating a product hydrogen stream may, in some embodiments, include generating an output stream in a hydrogen generating region from the received feed stream, and generating the product hydrogen stream in a purification region from the output stream. The method may additionally include receiving the generated product hydrogen stream in a buffer tank of the hydrogen generation assembly; and detecting pressure in the buffer tank via a tank sensor assembly. The method may further include stopping generation of the product hydrogen stream in the fuel processing assembly when the detected pressure in the buffer tank is above a predetermined maximum pressure.

A humidifier, a device including a fuel cell, and a motor vehicle. The humidifier of the includes at least one humidifying duct and is designed in such a way that a first gas to be humidified can be conducted in the humidifying duct in a direction of flow and, separated by a water-permeable material, past a humidifying second gas so that water is transferred from the second gas to the first gas. The humidifier includes a cross-sectional area of the humidifying duct available to the first gas tapers in the direction of flow. The fact that the cross-sectional area tapers results in a drop in pressure along the humidifying duct, and the drop in pressure reduces, compensates or overcompensates an increase in pressure resulting from the increasing humidification, so the partial difference in pressure between the first gas and the second gas remains large over the distance of the humidifying duct in spite of the transfer of humidity.

A membrane device and separation process are presented to enable removal of water from water-containing mixtures at high throughput and high energy efficiency. The membrane device is made of thin H.sub.2O-selective molecular sieve membrane sheets with small feed channels and small permeate channels. The thin membrane sheet provides H.sub.2O-molecular specificity and allows H.sub.2O molecule to permeate through while blocking the other molecules. The membrane device provides large membrane area per unit volume and reduces mass transfer and flow resistance. Water is removed from the mixture by flowing the water-containing mixture through the feed channels of the device at a pressure above atmospheric pressure and removing the permeated water vapor from the permeate channels in the device under vacuum.

A gas separator includes a separation membrane complex in which a separation membrane with pores having a mean pore diameter less than or equal to 1 nm is formed on a porous support, and a gas supply part that supplies a mixed gas including CO.sub.2 and another gas from the side of the separation membrane to the separation membrane complex. Then, CO.sub.2 in the mixed gas is caused to permeate through the separation membrane and the support and is separated from the mixed gas in a state in which at least part of a permeation surface of the support, from which a gas having permeated through the separation membrane is exhausted, has a temperature lower by 10 C. or more than the temperature of the mixed gas before being supplied to the separation membrane complex.

Part of a zeolite membrane of a zeolite membrane complex is set in pores of a support over a boundary surface between the zeolite membrane and the support. With respect to a main element constituting the zeolite membrane, a distance in a depth direction perpendicular to the boundary surface between a position at which a ratio (B/C)/A is 0.8 and the boundary surface is preferably not smaller than 0.01 m and not larger than 5 m. B/C is a value obtained by dividing an atomic percentage B of the main element inside the support by a porosity C of the support. The ratio (B/C)/A is a ratio of the value to an atomic percentage A of the main element in the zeolite membrane.

A refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body, an air-conditioning membrane assembly and an air pump assembly. The refrigerator body defines a storage space and a compressor chamber therein, a storage container is arranged in the storage space, and a freshness-keeping space is defined inside the storage container. The air-conditioning membrane assembly is configured to allow more oxygen than nitrogen in airflow in a surrounding space of the air-conditioning membrane assembly to pass through the air-conditioning membrane and enter an oxygen-rich gas collection chamber. An inlet end of the air pump is communicated with the oxygen-rich gas collection chamber in a controlled manner via a pipeline and a pipeline switching mechanism, for pumping gas in the oxygen-rich gas collection chamber to the outside of the freshness-keeping space, such that the actual content of oxygen in the freshness-keeping space is in a range of 2% to 19%.

Hydrogen purification devices and their components are disclosed. In some embodiments, the devices may include at least one foil-microscreen assembly disposed between and secured to first and second end frames. The at least one foil-microscreen assembly may include at least one hydrogen-selective membrane and at least one microscreen structure including a non-porous planar sheet having a plurality of apertures forming a plurality of fluid passages. The planar sheet may include generally opposed planar surfaces configured to provide support to the permeate side. The plurality of fluid passages may extend between the opposed surfaces. The at least one hydrogen-selective membrane may be metallurgically bonded to the at least one microscreen structure. In some embodiments, the devices may include a permeate frame having at least one membrane support structure that spans at least a substantial portion of an open region and that is configured to support at least one foil-microscreen assembly.

Hydrogen generation assemblies, hydrogen purification devices, and their components are disclosed. In some embodiments, the devices may include a permeate frame with a membrane support structure having first and second membrane support plates that are free from perforations and that include a plurality of microgrooves configured to provide flow channels for at least part of the permeate stream. In some embodiments, the assemblies may include a return conduit fluidly connecting a buffer tank and a reformate conduit, a return valve assembly configured to manage flow in the return conduit, and a control assembly configured to operate a fuel processing assembly between run and standby modes based, at least in part, on detected pressure in the buffer tank and configured to direct the return valve assembly to allow product hydrogen stream to flow from the buffer tank to the reformate conduit when the fuel processing assembly is in the standby mode.