Rapid vapour transport through unwetted porous barriers

Abstract From the Canadian patent

A method of increasing the rate of transport of volatiles through porous barriers such as membranes consists of subjecting the porous barrier to a vacuum for sufficient time to remove any permanent gas from the pores admitting a, non-wetting liquid to the barrier either before or during the application of the vacuum and then releasing the vacuum whereby the non-wetting liquid forms films or bubbles which seal the pores to create a low pressure region within each pore which is filled with vapour of the non-wetting liquid. The invention may be used to transport volatiles such as ethanol across a membrane and to transfer heat across a membrane.