TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CHEMICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Component: Solid catalyst, solid filtrate, solid absorbent/adsorbent, solid reactant, liquid catalyst, and/or gaseous catalyst are placed in the upstream storage area, elastic permeable barrier, and/or downstream storage area.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Component: The elastic permeable barrier is constructed from rigid membrane or packed particulate bed, where its permeability does not change with increasing or decreasing driving force, where membrane is porous and permeable membrane or permeable membrane; rigid membrane or packed particulate bed, where its permeability changes with increasing or decreasing driving force; particulate material placed in a horizontal, vertical, or inclined conduit or vessel, where porosity of particulate material can be expanded and its permeability is increased by increasing the driving force across the elastic permeable barrier, and decreasing the driving force results in the permeability of the elastic permeable barrier decreasing and the porosity of the particulate material contracting; particulate material placed in a horizontal, vertical, or inclined conduit or vessel, where porosity of the particulate material cannot be expanded transferred from 1 type of porosity to another; particulate material placed in a horizontal, vertical, or inclined conduit or vessel, where porosity of the particulate material cannot be expanded and can be transferred from 1 type of porosity to another; particulate material placed in a horizontal, vertical, or inclined conduit or vessel, where porosity of the particulate material can be expanded or contracted, but cannot be transferred from 1 type of porosity to another; particulate material placed in a horizontal, vertical, or inclined conduit or vessel, where porosity of the particulate material can be expanded or contracted, and can be transferred from 1 type of porosity to another; membrane having permeability that changes as driving force across the elastic permeable barrier changes; displaceable fluid, displaceable solid, or displaceable gel column placed in 2 vertical or inclined vessels connected by a connecting conduit or vessel, where displaceable fluid column can be displaced by pressurized or compressed lighter fluid from the upstream conduit or vessel, through the connecting conduit or vessel into the downstream conduit or vessel, to allow the less dense fluid to flow from an upstream location to a downstream location when the driving force exceeds a critical value, and decreasing the driving force results in fluid barrier reforming; and/or displaceable fluid, displaceable solid, or displaceable gel column placed in 2 vertical or inclined vessels connected by a connecting conduit or vessel, where displaceable fluid column can be displaced by a heavier fluid from the upstream conduit or vessel, through the connecting conduit or vessel into the downstream conduit or vessel, to allow the more dense fluid to flow from an upstream location to a downstream location when the driving force exceeds a critical value, and decreasing the driving force results in fluid barrier reforming.