JP2014221930A - Ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material is simply and firmly fixed to a current collecting plate.SOLUTION: There is provided an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material 4 obtained by winding a metal elastic body 11 around a corrosion-resistant frame 10 is disposed between a flexible electrode 5 and a porous current collecting plate 6. The elastic cushion material 4 is fixed to the porous current collecting plate 6 in a state where a corrosion-resistant frame 9 is sandwiched by substantially U-shaped pins 8.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell (hereinafter also simply referred to as “electrolytic cell”), and more particularly, to an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material is fixed to a current collector plate simply and firmly.

  In an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell used for chloralkali electrolysis, usually, an anode, an ion exchange membrane, and a hydrogen generation cathode are arranged in close contact with each other in order to lower the electrolysis voltage. However, in a large electrolytic cell with an electrolysis area of several square meters, when the anode and cathode of the rigid member are accommodated in the electrode chamber, the electrodes are kept in close contact with the ion exchange membrane to maintain the electrode spacing at a predetermined value. Was difficult.

  As a means for reducing the distance between the electrodes or the distance between the electrode and the electrode current collector plate or maintaining it at a substantially constant value, an electrolytic cell using an elastic material as a material is known. In order to prevent the ion exchange membrane from being damaged by uniformly bringing the electrode into close contact with the ion exchange membrane, and to keep the distance between the positive and negative electrodes to a minimum, such an electrolytic cell is provided in the interelectrode distance direction. The electrode is pressed by an elastic member to adjust the holding pressure. As this elastic material, non-rigid materials such as metal fine wire woven fabric, non-woven fabric and net, and rigid materials such as leaf springs are known.

  However, conventional non-rigid materials are partially deformed when the electrode is excessively pressed from the anode side after being attached to the electrolytic cell, resulting in non-uniform distance between the electrodes, or fine wires in the ion exchange membrane. It had the disadvantage of being pierced. Further, rigid materials such as leaf springs have the drawback that the ion exchange membrane is damaged or the rigid material itself is plastically deformed, making it impossible to reuse. Under such circumstances, in ion exchange membrane electrolysis such as a salt electrolytic cell, the electrode is pressed toward the ion exchange membrane so that the anode and the cathode are brought into close contact with the ion exchange membrane and continuous operation at a low voltage is possible. Various methods for this have been proposed.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a metal coil body is mounted between a flexible cathode and a cathode current collector plate instead of a conventionally used leaf spring or metal mesh body, and the cathode is uniformly pressed in the direction of the diaphragm. An electrolytic cell in which members are closely attached has been proposed. However, since the metal coil body has a high deformation rate, it is difficult to handle and it is often difficult to install the coil body at a predetermined location of the electrolytic cell as intended by the operator. Moreover, since it deforms easily (the strength is insufficient), even if it is once installed at a predetermined location of the electrolytic cell, it is displaced by the electrolytic solution or generated gas in the electrolytic cell, making it difficult to uniformly contact each member. Sometimes.

  With respect to such a problem, in Patent Document 2, an elastic cushion material is produced by winding a metallic coil body around a corrosion resistant frame so that the density is substantially uniform with respect to a rectangular corrosion resistant frame. Instead of the coil body, an ion exchange electrolytic cell is proposed in which it is mounted between a flexible cathode and a cathode current collector plate, and the flexible cathode is uniformly pressed against the ion exchange membrane. Further, in Patent Document 3, a flexible electrode and an elastic mat member are pins that penetrate the flexible electrode and the elastic mat and engage with holes of a porous current collector plate installed on the back surface of the elastic mat. A fixed electrolytic cell has been proposed.

  In the fixing method described in Patent Document 3, as shown in FIG. 11, when the pin 101 is pushed toward the cathode current collector plate 102, the pin 101 is pressed against the cathode current collector plate 102 while compressing the metal coil body 103. It will be pushed toward the side. However, when the pin 101 is fitted into the hole 102a of the cathode current collector plate 102, if an excessive force is applied to the pin 101, the pin 101 is deformed, or the flexible cathode 104 is excessively deformed or damaged. There is a risk.

  Further, when assembling the zero gap electrolytic cell, the flexible cathode 104 contacts the ion exchange membrane 105 and is pushed to the anode side. At this time, since the anode is rigid, the ion exchange membrane 105 does not move, the distance between the flexible cathode 104 and the current collector plate is reduced, and the metal coil body 103 is compressed. As a result, the flexible cathode 104 comes into close contact with the ion exchange membrane 105 due to the elastic repulsion of the metal coil body 103, and the distance between the anode and the flexible cathode 104 becomes as short as possible. In the fixing method of the elastic cushion described in Patent Document 3, when the pin 101 is fitted into the hole 102a of the cathode current collector plate, a dent is generated in a portion in contact with the pin 101 of the flexible cathode 104. Therefore, when the flexible cathode 104 pushed by the ion exchange membrane 105 during the assembly of the electrolytic cell moves to the cathode current collector plate 102, the flexible cathode 104 near the pin 101 does not move. The flexible cathode is deformed, and the deformed portion 104a of the flexible cathode locally protrudes from the ion exchange membrane 103. As a result, there is a possibility that the ion exchange membrane 105 is likely to be damaged by contact with the deformed portion 104a of the flexible cathode and the ion exchange membrane 105 during operation of the electrolytic cell.

  In order to solve such problems, Patent Documents 4 and 5 propose electrolytic cells that are easy to manufacture and that can be stably operated for a long period of time without damaging the ion exchange membrane. Patent Document 4 proposes an electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material in which a metal coil body is wound around a corrosion-resistant frame is fixed to a current collector plate by welding or the like, and a flexible electrode is fixed with a pin. In this electrolytic cell, the pin penetrates the flexible electrode and the current collector plate, but the metal coil body does not penetrate. Patent Document 5 proposes an electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material in which a metal coil body is wound around a corrosion-resistant frame and a flexible electrode are fixed to a current collector plate by pins. The electrolytic cell proposed in Patent Document 5 also has a structure in which a metal coil body of an elastic cushion material is not penetrated by a pin.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 63-53272 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-300547 JP 2000-178781 A JP 2011-1117047 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-140652

  However, in the electrolytic cell proposed in Patent Document 4, the corrosion-resistant frame itself is attached to the current collector by welding, but some current collectors have a nickel-coated frame made of iron or copper. When the corrosion-resistant frame is welded to the current collector plate as in the electrolytic cell proposed in Patent Document 4, the copper or iron of the base material is contained in the electrolytic solution when the electrolytic cell is activated or stopped, or during storage. Elution may lead to degradation of electrolytic performance. On the other hand, in the electrolytic cell described in Patent Document 5, since the elastic cushion material is fixed to the current collector plate with a pin instead of welding, the copper or iron of the base material does not elute into the electrolytic solution. . However, skill is required to fix the elastic cushion material to the current collector plate with pins, and workability is not always good.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material is fixed to a current collector plate simply and firmly.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have found that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by forming the corrosion-resistant frame of the pin or the elastic cushion material in a predetermined shape, and the present invention is completed. It came to.

That is, the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention is an ion exchange membrane in which an elastic cushion material in which a metal elastic body is wound around a corrosion-resistant frame is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector. In the electrolytic cell,
The corrosion-resistant frame constituting the elastic cushion material is fixed to the porous current collector plate with the corrosion-resistant frame sandwiched between substantially U-shaped pins.

Another ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the present invention is an ion in which an elastic cushion material in which a metal elastic body is wound around a corrosion-resistant frame is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector. In the exchange membrane electrolytic cell,
The corrosion-resistant frame is made of a corrosion-resistant metal thin plate having a through-hole through which a fixing member can penetrate, and the fixing member penetrates the through-hole and engages with a hole of the porous current collector plate, thereby A cushion material is fixed to the porous current collector plate.

Furthermore, in another ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, an elastic cushion material in which a metal elastic body is wound around a corrosion-resistant frame is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector plate. In ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell,
The corrosion-resistant frame has a fixing portion having a through-hole through which the fixing member can penetrate, and the fixing member penetrates the through-hole and engages with the hole of the porous current collector plate, thereby A cushion material is fixed to the porous current collector plate.

Furthermore, in another ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, an elastic cushion material obtained by winding a metal elastic body around a corrosion-resistant frame is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector plate. In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell
The corrosion-resistant frame constituting the elastic cushion material has a fixing portion that engages with the porous current collector plate, and is fixed to the porous current collector plate by the fixing portion.

  In still another ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, the fixed portion is a pin-shaped convex portion that can penetrate the hole of the porous current collector plate, and the convex portion is formed on the porous current collector plate. The elastic cushion material may be fixed to the porous current collector plate by caulking the tip of the convex portion after penetrating through the hole, and the fixed portion may be formed on the porous current collector plate. A long thin metal plate that can penetrate the hole, and the elastic cushion material is fixed to the porous current collector plate by bending the metal thin plate after passing through the hole of the porous current collector plate. It may be.

  In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, the metal elastic body is preferably a metal coil body.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material is fixed to a current collector plate easily and firmly.

It is a schematic sectional drawing of the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell which concerns on one suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows one suitable example of the elastic cushion material which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the fixing method with respect to the porous collector plate of the elastic cushion material in the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the example of the substantially U-shaped pin which concerns on this invention, (a) is a thing in which both front-end | tip parts are linear, (b) is a thing of the shape by which both front-end | tips were turned back. (A) is the fragmentary perspective view of the fixing | fixed part vicinity in the case of fixing the corrosion-resistant flame | frame produced with the corrosion-resistant metal thin plate with the linear pin, (b) is substantially U-shaped with the corrosion-resistant flame | frame produced with the corrosion-resistant metal thin plate. FIG. (A) is a partial perspective view in the vicinity of a fixed portion when a flat plate-shaped fixing portion is provided on a corrosion-resistant metal round bar and a linear pin is passed through the fixing portion, and (b) is a corrosion-resistant metal. FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the vicinity of a fixed portion when a round bar is provided with a flat fixed portion and a substantially U-shaped pin is passed through the fixed portion and fixed. It is a perspective view showing a suitable example of a pin concerning the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the other suitable example of the pin which concerns on this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the relationship between the front-end | tip part of a pin and the hole of a cathode current collector plate before fixation, (b) is the relationship between the front-end | tip part of a pin and the hole of a cathode current collector plate after fixation. FIG. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the corrosion-resistant frame which comprises the elastic cushion material which concerns on the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of 4th and 5th embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the vicinity of the pin for fixing the cathode of the conventional electrolytic cell.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, an elastic cushion material in which a metal elastic body is wound around a corrosion-resistant frame is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated example, an anode chamber 1 and a cathode chamber 2 are partitioned by an ion exchange membrane 3, and an elastic cushion material 4 in which a metal elastic body is wound around a corrosion-resistant frame is a flexible cathode 5 and a cathode collector. The flexible cathode 5, the ion exchange membrane 3, and the rigid anode 7 are brought into close contact with each other by the elastic repulsive force of the elastic cushion material 4. In FIG. 1, a flexible cathode 5 and a rigid anode 7 are given as examples as electrodes, and the following description will be made based on this. However, in the electrolytic cell of the present invention, the polarity of the electrodes may be reversed. , A flexible anode and a rigid cathode. In the present invention, the flexible cathode and the flexible anode are collectively referred to as a flexible electrode.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a preferred example of the elastic cushion material 4 according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, one or a plurality of elastic cushion members 4 are usually provided so as to have a substantially uniform density between a pair of opposing corrosion resistant frames 10 out of four frame rods of a rectangular corrosion resistant frame 10. A metal elastic body (a metal coil body 11 in the illustrated example) is wound. In FIG. 2, the corrosion-resistant frame 10 is made of a corrosion-resistant metal round bar. In the illustrated example, the reinforcing rod 12 is bridged between a pair of round bars in the longitudinal direction of a rectangular frame. In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, a corrosion-resistant metal square or a metal thin plate may be used instead of the metal round bar. As the material of the corrosion-resistant frame 10, a material in which corrosion resistance is improved by coating nickel on the surface of a metal having excellent conductivity such as nickel, stainless steel, or copper can be used.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of fixing the elastic cushion material to the porous current collector plate in the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the first embodiment. In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the first embodiment, the flexible electrode (flexible cathode 5 in the illustrated example) and the corrosion-resistant frame 10 constituting the elastic cushion material 4 are substantially U-shaped. The pin 8 is fixed to a porous current collector (cathode current collector 6 in the illustrated example). In the example shown in FIG. 3, the corrosion-resistant frame 10 constituting the elastic cushion material 4 is sandwiched from above the flexible cathode 5, and the tip of the substantially U-shaped pin 8 is fitted into the hole of the porous cathode current collector plate 6. By letting it pass, the flexible cathode 5 and the elastic cushion material 4 are fixed to the cathode current collector plate 6. The conventionally proposed fixing of the elastic cushion material with a pin is performed with a linear pin, whereas the pin according to the present embodiment is substantially U-shaped. Since the two leg portions 8a of the pin engage with the holes of the cathode current collector plate 6, the elastic cushion material can be more firmly fixed.

  FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of a substantially U-shaped pin according to the present invention. The shape of the substantially U-shaped pin is, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4B, it may have a shape in which both tip portions are folded back. If a substantially U-shaped pin 8 of the type shown in FIG. 4 (a) is used, the elastic cushion material can be fixed by fitting the tip of the pin 8 into the hole of the porous current collector plate. In order to more securely fix the elastic cushion material to the porous current collector plate, the tips of the pins 8 are fitted into the holes of the porous current collector plate, and then both ends of the pins 8 are bent inward or outward. May be fixed. If a pin 18 having a substantially U-shaped tip portion folded back as shown in FIG. 4B is used, the folded portions of both tip portions of the pin 18 are caught in the holes of the porous current collector plate, and the pin 18 is It becomes difficult to come off.

Next, an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to a second embodiment will be described.
In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the second embodiment, the corrosion-resistant frame constituting the elastic cushion material 4 is made of a corrosion-resistant metal thin plate having a through-hole through which the fixing member can penetrate. FIG. 5A is a partial perspective view in the vicinity of a fixing portion when a corrosion-resistant frame made of a corrosion-resistant metal thin plate is fixed with a linear pin, and FIG. 5B is a schematic view of the corrosion-resistant frame made of a corrosion-resistant metal thin plate. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the fixing | fixed part vicinity in the case of fixing with a U-shaped pin. As in the example shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the second embodiment includes a pin 28 as a fixing member on a corrosion resistant frame 20, 30 made of a corrosion resistant metal thin plate, By providing through holes 20a and 30a through which 38 penetrates, the pins 28 and 38 are passed through the through holes 20a and 30a, and the tips of the pins are fitted into the holes of the porous current collector plate. The cathode current collector plate 6 is fixed.

Next, an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to a third embodiment will be described.
In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the third embodiment, the corrosion-resistant frame constituting the elastic cushion material 4 has a fixing portion having a through-hole through which the fixing member can penetrate. FIG. 6A is a partial perspective view of the vicinity of the fixing portion when a flat fixing portion is provided on the corrosion-resistant metal round bar and a linear pin is passed through the fixing portion and fixed. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the vicinity of the fixing part when a flat plate-like fixing part is provided on the corrosion-resistant metal round bar and a substantially U-shaped pin is passed through the fixing part and fixed. In the example shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the third embodiment has through holes 40a and 50a that allow the pins 48 and 58 to pass through the corrosion-resistant frames 40 and 50, respectively. Flat elastic fixing members 40b and 50b are provided, the pins 48 and 58 are passed through the through holes 40a and 50a, and the tips of the pins are fitted into the porous current collector plate, so that the elastic cushion material 4 is connected to the cathode current collector plate. Fix to 6.

  In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the second and third embodiments of the present invention, when a linear pin is used as the fixing member, a pin 88 having a notch at the tip 88a as shown in FIG. 7 is preferably used. Can be used. In the pin shown in the figure, the notch of the tip 88a is open when no force is applied from the outside, and the size of the tip 88a in this state is made larger than the inner diameter of the hole of the porous collector plate, The size of the tip end portion 88a in a state where the force is applied to the slit and the cut is narrowed is designed to be smaller than the inner diameter of the hole of the porous collector plate. If it is such a pin, the front-end | tip part 88a can be easily inserted in the hole of a porous collector plate, and after inserting a pin in the hole of a porous collector plate, if the force from the outside is removed, It is possible to prevent the notches from spreading again and the pins from falling out of the holes.

  Moreover, you may use the pin 98 in which the front-end | tip part 98a has a prismatic shape as shown in FIG. 9A and 9B are plan views showing the relationship between the holes of the porous current collector plate and the tip portions of the pins. As shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b), the cathode current collector plate 6 is usually composed of a perforated plate having a large number of approximately rhombus-shaped holes 6a. By positioning the hole 6a of the plate 6 in the relationship shown in FIG. 9A, the tip end portion 98a can be easily inserted into or extracted from the hole 6a of the cathode current collector plate 6. On the other hand, after the tip end portion 58a of the pin is inserted into the hole 6a of the cathode current collector plate 6, the pin is easily dropped by being rotated by about 90 ° and positioned in the relationship shown in FIG. 9B. This can be prevented. Note that the shape of the tip of the pin is not limited to the illustrated prismatic shape. Also in the electrolytic cells of the second and third embodiments, a substantially U-shaped pin with both ends folded back as shown in FIG. 4B may be used.

  In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, the material of the pin as the fixing member is not particularly limited as long as it has corrosion resistance and can fix the elastic cushion material 4 to the cathode current collector plate 6. Absent. For example, a corrosion-resistant material such as nickel, stainless steel, or fluororesin can be used. In particular, a fluororesin pin that is less likely to damage the flexible cathode is preferred.

  Next, the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the 4th and 5th embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. The ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention is made of a metal-elastic material with a corrosion-resistant frame, similar to the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention. An elastic cushion material formed by winding a body is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector.

  Fig.10 (a) is a fragmentary perspective view of the corrosion-resistant flame | frame which comprises the elastic cushion material of the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell which concerns on 4th Embodiment. A corrosion-resistant frame 60 shown in FIG. 10A has a pin-like convex portion 60a that can be fitted into a hole of a porous current collector plate as a fixing portion. In the electrolytic cell according to the fourth embodiment, the elastic cushion material is made of a porous current collector plate by caulking the tip of the convex portion 60a after fitting the convex portion 60a into the hole of the porous current collector plate. It is fixed to. By setting it as such a structure, an elastic cushion material can be fixed to a current collection board simply and firmly.

  FIG.10 (b) is a fragmentary perspective view of the corrosion-resistant flame | frame which comprises the elastic cushion material which concerns on the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell which concerns on 5th Embodiment. A corrosion-resistant frame 70 shown in FIG. 10B has a long metal thin plate 70a as a fixing portion. In the electrolytic cell according to the fifth embodiment, the long metal thin plate 70a is penetrated through the hole of the porous current collector plate, and then the long metal thin plate 70a is bent to make the corrosion resistant frame 70 porous. It is formed by fixing to the sex current collector plate. By setting it as such a structure, an elastic cushion material can be fixed to a current collection board simply and firmly.

Next, the elastic cushion material which concerns on the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of this invention is demonstrated.
As described above, as a preferred example of the elastic cushion material according to the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, a pair of opposing corrosion resistances among the four frame rods of the rectangular corrosion resistance frame 10 as shown in FIG. An example is one in which one or a plurality of metal coil bodies 11 as metal elastic bodies are wound between the frames 10 so as to have a substantially uniform density.

  In the elastic cushion material 4 according to the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, the metal elastic body is made of a conductive material and has an elastic property, and a flexible electrode is used as an ion exchange membrane. The metal coil body 11 can be suitably used as the metal elastic body, although there is no particular limitation as long as the power can be supplied by pressing against the metal elastic body. In addition to the metal coil body 11, for example, a corrugated metal thin wire may be used, and a metal nonwoven fabric, a knitted fabric made of metal wires, a woven fabric and a laminate thereof, or a three-dimensional one. Alternatively, a knitted product having a shape obtained by knitting three-dimensionally and then swelling or the like may be used.

  When the metal coil body 11 is used as the metal elastic body, for example, nickel, nickel alloy, stainless steel, or copper having good resistance to corrosion such as nickel having good resistance to corrosion is plated. It is obtained by processing the wire manufactured by coating with a spiral coil by roll processing. The cross-sectional shape of the obtained wire is preferably a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle with rounded corners, or the like from the viewpoint of preventing damage to the ion exchange membrane. Specifically, when a nickel wire (NW2201) having a diameter of 0.17 mm is rolled, a coil wire having a cross-sectional shape of about 0.05 mm × 0.5 mm with rounded corners and a winding diameter of about 6 mm is obtained. be able to.

  The assembly of the elastic cushion material 4 using a metal elastic body is an operation outside the electrolytic cell, so that it can be easily performed. The obtained elastic cushion material 4 is stored in the electrolytic cell at the time of assembling the electrolytic cell. What is necessary is just to mount | wear so that the object electrode and mounting | wearing current collector plate may be electrically connected.

  In the elastic cushion material 4 according to the electrolytic cell of the present invention, when the metal coil body 11 is used as the metal elastic body, the diameter of the metal coil body 11 (the apparent diameter of the coil) is mounted in the electrolytic cell. As a result, the elasticity is usually reduced to 10 to 70%, and this elasticity makes it possible to elastically connect the flexible cathode 5 and the cathode current collector plate 6 to facilitate power feeding to the electrodes. In addition, since the elastic cushion material 4 after mounting | wearing with an electrolytic cell keeps a shape, it hardly receives plastic deformation and can be reused also at the time of the disassembly-reassembly of an electrolytic cell.

  When assembling the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention of the type shown in FIG. 1, an elastic cushion material 4 and a flexible cathode 5 are sequentially arranged on a cathode current collector plate 6 as shown in FIG. From above, the flexible cathode 5 and the elastic cushion material 4 may be simultaneously fixed to the cathode current collector plate 6 with a fixing member such as a pin. In addition, the elastic cushion material 4 may be fixed to a fixing member such as a pin. After fixing to the cathode current collector plate 6, the flexible cathode 5 may be disposed on the elastic cushion material 4, and the flexible cathode 5 may be fixed by a known method, for example, a pin. Thereafter, when assembled as usual, an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which the elastic cushion material 4 is held at a predetermined position can be obtained.

  The ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to the present invention comprises an elastic cushion material formed by winding a metal elastic body around a corrosion-resistant frame between a flexible electrode and a current collector plate. It is only important that the corrosion-resistant frame is fixed to the porous current collector plate by a fixing member such as a pin, and other known structures can be appropriately adopted. So far, the electrolytic cell comprising a flexible cathode and a rigid anode as an electrode has been described with reference to FIG. 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and ion exchange employing a flexible anode and a rigid cathode as an electrode is described. It can also be applied to a membrane electrolytic cell.

  In the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, when a rigid anode is used as an electrode as shown in FIG. 1, a conventional porous substrate made of titanium, such as iridium oxide and / or ruthenium oxide, is used. A chlorine generating electrode carrying a chlorine generating electrode catalyst can be used.

  Moreover, there is no restriction | limiting in particular also about an ion exchange membrane, What was used conventionally can be used. For example, an ion exchange membrane made of a fluororesin film having a cation exchange group such as a sulfonic acid group or a carboxylic acid group can be used.

  Furthermore, what has been used conventionally can be used also about a flexible cathode. For example, as a flexible cathode for salt electrolysis, a hydrogen generation cathode that generates hydrogen during electrolysis and an oxygen gas diffusion electrode are widely known, and these can also be used in the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention. it can. In particular, a hydrogen generating cathode that generates hydrogen during electrolysis is preferable. The hydrogen generating cathode is preferably a so-called active cathode in which a hydrogen generating electrode catalyst is supported on a nickel base material. At present, various active cathodes have been developed and put to practical use, and any of these active cathodes can be used in the present invention.

  Furthermore, the nickel base used for the active cathode is not particularly limited, but a porous plate such as an expanded metal made of nickel is generally used. The thickness of the nickel substrate is preferably 1 mm or less, more preferably 0.3 mm or less. If the nickel base is too thick, the flexibility is insufficient and it is difficult to ensure a uniform zero gap. For this reason, the energy saving effect may not be obtained, and in some cases, the ion exchange membrane is excessively pressed, causing damage. On the other hand, the lower limit of the thickness of the nickel substrate is not particularly limited as long as the nickel substrate can be handled, but is usually 0.01 mm or more considering durability and the like.

  The hydrogen generation catalyst supported on the nickel base of the active cathode is not particularly limited, but a noble metal catalyst such as platinum, a platinum alloy, or ruthenium oxide is preferable. By using a noble metal catalyst, the hydrogen overvoltage can be kept low over a long period of time with a small amount of catalyst, so that the stable operation time of the electrolytic cell can be extended.

  Furthermore, there is no restriction | limiting in particular also about a current collection plate, It is an electroconductive metal plate excellent in corrosion resistance, Comprising: What is necessary is just to have the hole which can fit the fixing member for fixing. For example, a perforated plate having a diamond-shaped hole, such as expanded metal, can be suitably used.

  In order to perform salt electrolysis using the ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell of the present invention, current is passed between both electrodes while supplying an electrolyte such as a saline solution to the anode chamber and a dilute caustic soda solution to the cathode chamber. In an electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material or the like functions as a power supply material, this state is maintained for a long time due to the high strength and toughness of the elastic cushion material or the like, so that the ion exchange membrane or the like is not mechanically damaged, In addition, the caustic soda and the like can be manufactured with high efficiency without excessive deformation and insufficient power supply.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Anode chamber 2 Cathode chamber 3 Ion exchange membrane 4 Elastic cushion material 5 Flexible cathode 6 Cathode collector plate 6a Hole of cathode collector plate 7 Rigid anode 8, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 88, 98 Pin 8a, 48a, 58a Tip portion 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 Corrosion resistant frame 11 Metal coil body 12 Reinforcement rod 20a, 30a, 40a, 50a Through hole 40b, 50b Fixed portion 60a Protruding portion 70a Long Metal thin plate 101 pin 102 cathode current collector plate 102a hole in cathode current collector plate 103 coil body made of metal 104 flexible cathode 104a deformed portion 105 ion exchange membrane

Claims (7)

In an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material formed by winding a metal elastic body around a corrosion-resistant frame is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector plate,
The ion-exchange membrane electrolytic cell, wherein the elastic cushion material is fixed to the porous current collector plate with the corrosion-resistant frame sandwiched between substantially U-shaped pins. In an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material formed by winding a metal elastic body around a corrosion-resistant frame is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector plate,
The corrosion-resistant frame is made of a corrosion-resistant metal thin plate having a through-hole through which a fixing member can penetrate, and the fixing member penetrates the through-hole and engages with a hole of the porous current collector plate, thereby An ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell characterized in that a cushion material is fixed to the porous current collector plate. In an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material formed by winding a metal elastic body around a corrosion-resistant frame is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector plate,
The corrosion-resistant frame has a fixing portion having a through-hole through which the fixing member can penetrate, and the fixing member penetrates the through-hole and engages with the hole of the porous current collector plate, thereby An ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell characterized in that a cushion material is fixed to the porous current collector plate. In an ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell in which an elastic cushion material formed by winding a metal elastic body around a corrosion-resistant frame is disposed between a flexible electrode and a porous current collector plate,
An ion exchange membrane characterized in that a corrosion-resistant frame constituting the elastic cushion material has a fixing portion that engages with the porous current collector plate, and is fixed to the porous current collector plate by the fixing portion. Electrolytic tank.   The fixing portion is a pin-like convex portion that can penetrate the hole of the porous current collector plate, and after the convex portion is penetrated into the hole of the porous current collector plate, the tip of the convex portion is The ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to claim 4, wherein the elastic cushion material is fixed to the porous current collector plate by crimping.   The elastic cushion is formed by bending the metal thin plate after passing through the hole of the porous current collector plate, and the fixing portion is a long metal thin plate that can penetrate the hole of the porous current collector plate. The ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to claim 4, wherein a material is fixed to the porous current collector plate.   The ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the metal elastic body is a metal coil body.

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