Abstract: An ionic liquid desiccant system utilizes an ionic liquid desiccant to draw moisture from a working fluid, such as air that flow into an enclosure, such as a home. The desiccant may be mixed with the working fluid or a separator that allows moisture transport therethrough may be configured between the ionic liquid desiccant and the working fluid. The ionic liquid desiccant system may be part of an air conditioning system and may remove the moisture from air that is cooled by flowing over an evaporator or heat exchanger coupled with the evaporator. The ionic liquid desiccant may be pumped from a desiccant chamber to a regenerator chamber to remove absorbed moisture. A dual-purpose chamber may act as a desiccant chamber and as a regenerator chamber. A refrigeration system may have an electrochemical compressor and may utilize metal hydride heat exchangers.

Abstract: A water purification system utilizes an ionomer membrane and mild vacuum to draw water from source water through the membrane. A water source may be salt water or a contaminated water source. The water drawn through the membrane passes across the condenser chamber to a condenser surface where it is condensed into purified water. The condenser surface may be metal or any other suitable surface and may be flat or pleated. In addition, the condenser surface may be maintained at a lower temperature than the water on the water source side of the membrane. The ionomer membrane may be configured in a cartridge, a pleated or flat plate configuration. A latent heat loop may be configured to carry the latent heat of vaporization from the condenser back to the water source side of the ionomer membrane. The source water may be heated by a solar water heater.

Abstract: An electrochemical compression system utilizes an electrolyzer to electrolyze an electrochemically active working fluid, at a first pressure, into decomposition products that are reformed back into said electrochemically active working fluid by a fuel cell, at a higher pressure. Water may be electrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen and stored in reservoir tanks at an elevated pressure and subsequently provided to a fuel cell for reforming. The hydrogen is provided to the anode side of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell and the oxygen is provided to the cathode side. Water is reformed on the cathode side of the fuel cell at a higher pressure than the inlet to the electrolyzer. This pressure differential enable flow of the electrochemically active working fluid through a conduit from the cathode to the electrolyzer. This flow of fluid may be used in a heat transfer system.

Abstract: An electrochemical compressor incorporates an electrochemical cell having an anode and a cathode that reacts a working on the anode side into an ionic component and a reactant. The ionic component is transported through an ion conducting media to the cathode. At least a portion of the reactant passes through a reactant conduit that extends from the anode to the cathode. A transfer device, such as a pump or venturi valve configured along the reactant conduit allows the reactant to flow from the anode to the cathode. The reactant and the ionic component are reacted on the cathode to reform the working fluid. A reactant separator may be configured to selectively allow reactant into the reactant conduit. A reactant separator may be a perm-selective layer or a fluid that has high reactant solubility. The working fluid may be water with the ionic component protons and the reactant oxygen.

Abstract: An electrochemical compressor type heat pump system is described. An electrochemical compressor compresses a mixed gas refrigerant whereby heat from the compression can be used to heat an object. The electrochemical compressor is capable of producing high pressure gas from a mixed fluid system including an electrochemically-active component, such as hydrogen, and at least one refrigerant fluid, for example water. Any suitable proton associable compound, such as any suitable ionic or polar solvent compound, may be used in the mixed gas refrigerant. The electrochemical compressor may be configured in a hot water heater along with a secondary type heating source to produce a hybrid hot water heater.

Abstract: A heat transfer system includes a working fluid and an electrochemical compressor. The working fluid is made up of a polar solvent that primarily acts as a condensable refrigerant and hydrogen that primarily acts as an electrochemically-active component. The electrochemical compressor includes an inlet fluidly coupled to an evaporator to receive the working fluid; an outlet fluidly coupled to a condenser; and one or more electrochemical cells electrically connected to each other through a power supply. Each electrochemical cell includes a gas pervious anode, a gas pervious cathode, and an electrolytic membrane disposed between and in intimate electrical contact with the cathode and the anode to pass the working fluid.

Abstract: A compound membrane for use in electrochemical devices is disclosed. The compound membrane has of proton-conducting polymer cast in a porous media having dispersed therein at least one active ingredients. It supplies considerably improved performance data in comparison to known membranes. The compound membrane electrode can be produced by treating proton-conducting polymers with acetone to obtain polymer pulp, then sulfonating the polymer pulp, combining one or more active ingredients with the polymer pulp and casting the polymer pulp to obtain the membrane.

Abstract: An electrochemical motive device is described having an electrochemical cell and at least one device configured produce motion as a function of electrochemical gas produced by the electrochemical cell. One example of an electrochemical motive device is a pump having one pump chamber, and pump member that forces a pumping fluid through the chamber. An electrochemical cell provides for a transfer of gas from the anode to the cathode. A control portion is described for taking input from the electrochemical pump and controlling the voltage and current to the electrochemical cell. In one embodiment, multiple pumping chambers are configured, and in one embodiment two pumping chambers are connected. It is further described that the control portion may automatically adjust parameters as a function of inputs, including user interface inputs.