Hydrogen separator

摘要

A hydrogen separator includes a thin hydrogen permeable foil 16 of between 3 and 15 microns thick, bonded to and generally conforming to an undulating support structure 18 for example a wire mesh. The support structure is optionally coated with an inter-diffusion barrier prior to bonding. The disclosed method for bonding the foil to the support is by rolling. The support structure 18 has contact areas 20 and the foil only contacts the support at these points. This allows the foil to move in three dimensions in response to the thermal expansion of the support during use.