JP3041794B1 - Electrolytic cell - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniformly supply and discharge oxygen gas to a gas chamber of a gas diffusion electrode by providing a cathode current collecting frame with a gas chamber having a large number of holes for supplying and discharging oxygen gas. Provided is an electrolytic cell capable of performing SOLUTION: An upper portion for introducing oxygen gas is provided along a surface of a cathode current collecting frame 3 inside a cathode element 4 by contacting a number of gas inlets and outlets 5 and 6 at both upper and lower ends of a gas chamber 2 of a gas diffusion electrode 1. By providing the gas chamber 9 and the lower gas chamber 10 for discharging oxygen gas, an extremely good oxygen reduction reaction occurs on the gas diffusion electrode 1, and an electrolytic cell in which the electrolytic pressure is significantly reduced is obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrolytic cell using a gas diffusion electrode used for ion exchange membrane method salt electrolysis and the like. The present invention also relates to a structure of an electrolytic cell suitable for a method of uniformly discharging oxygen gas from a gas chamber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It has been known that the linear velocity of oxygen in contact with an oxygen gas diffusion electrode is related to the diffusion of oxygen into the electrode as the velocity increases. . Therefore, a thin nickel plate is press-formed, and a recess having the same size as the gas diffusion electrode is provided in the center thereof, and as a spacer for securing an oxygen passage in a gas chamber formed by the recess and the gas diffusion electrode. A gas chamber of the gas diffusion electrode is formed by inserting a nickel mesh body into the gas diffusion electrode, so that a dedicated gas chamber is provided, and the gas chamber generates a linear velocity necessary for oxygen to sufficiently diffuse into the electrode. Providing a gap, furthermore, a technique for providing a gas chamber having a structure such that oxygen can uniformly contact the gas diffusion electrode, or a convex surface where silver exists in a metal plate with uneven grooves and a gas supply layer of the gas diffusion electrode. A gas chamber has been studied in which the formed gas chamber is formed by joining silver present on the convex surface of the grooved metal plate and the gas diffusion electrode by hot pressing and forming a concave groove of the metal plate as a gas passage.

[0003]

However, the gas chambers of these diffusion electrodes are both related to speeding up the diffusion rate of oxygen in the gas chamber and making the diffusion uniform, and oxygen gas is supplied to the gas chamber. The problem remained that no consideration was given to uniform supply and discharge.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and is provided with a chamber provided with a large number of holes for supplying and discharging oxygen gas to a cathode current collecting frame. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrolytic cell capable of uniformly supplying and discharging oxygen gas to a gas chamber of a diffusion electrode. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a configuration capable of uniformly supplying and discharging oxygen gas to and from a gas chamber of a gas diffusion electrode without changing the structure of a conventional electrolytic cell.

[0005]

According to the present invention, an electrolytic cell using the following gas diffusion electrode is provided, and the above object of the present invention is achieved. (1) In an electrolytic cell using a gas diffusion electrode, an upper gas for introducing oxygen gas by contacting gas inlets and outlets at both upper and lower ends of a gas chamber of a gas diffusion electrode inside a cathode element along a surface of a cathode current collecting frame. An electrolytic cell using a gas diffusion electrode, comprising a chamber and a lower gas chamber for discharging oxygen gas.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an electrolytic cell using the gas diffusion electrode of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of a cathode frame equipped with upper and lower gas chambers provided with a number of supply holes and discharge holes for oxygen. .

Referring to FIG. 1, a cathode current collecting frame 3 of a gas chamber composed of a gas diffusion electrode 1, a corrugated mesh 2, and a cathode current collecting frame 3 is connected to a cathode element 4 of an outlet type or a welding type. Attach to conductive ribs. Cathode current collecting frame 3
An oxygen inlet hole 5 and an outlet hole 6 for supplying and distributing oxygen gas are provided in the upper and lower portions. In contact with the inlet hole 5 and the outlet hole 6, the cathode element 4 extends along the surface of the cathode current collecting frame 3.
Inside, an upper gas chamber 9 provided with an oxygen supply hole 7 for supplying oxygen gas and a lower gas chamber 10 provided with an oxygen discharge hole 8 are attached. Further, gaskets 12 and 13 for preventing gas leakage are inserted between the upper and lower gas chambers 9 and 10 and the upper and lower ends of the cathode current collecting frame 3 for sealing. As a gasket material for preventing leakage of oxygen gas, rubber,
Gasket materials for low-pressure sealing, such as leather, asbestos, paper, and plastic, can be used without any particular limitation. Among them, synthetic rubber or plastic having an excellent elastic recovery can be suitably used.

FIG. 2 shows that the upper and lower gas chambers of the cathode current collecting frame 11 are provided, and supply holes and discharge holes for uniformly supplying and discharging oxygen gas in the lateral direction of the gas diffusion electrode are arranged. A-A of FIG. 1 for explaining the installed state.
It is sectional drawing in the A line.

In the electrolytic cell using the gas diffusion electrode of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of oxygen supply holes 7 provided in the upper gas chamber 9 are provided above the cathode current collecting frame 3. The gas is supplied to the gas chamber through the oxygen inlet hole 5, and descends from the gas chamber to a plurality of oxygen outlet holes 6 provided in the lower part of the cathode current collecting frame 3 to a plurality of oxygen discharge holes provided in the lower chamber 10. Exhausted through 9.

As a result, the oxygen gas entering from the plurality of oxygen inlet holes 5 is discharged from the plurality of oxygen outlet holes 6,
Oxygen is supplied more uniformly throughout the gas chamber of the gas diffusion electrode than in conventional gas chambers, and oxygen is diffused more evenly into the electrode. If the upper and lower gas chambers 9 and 10 are configured to be in contact with the cathode element 4, it is not necessary to provide a particularly complicated power discharging mechanism. For that purpose, the material of the gas chambers 9 and 10 is preferably the same as the material of the cathode element 4.

[0011]

According to the electrolytic cell using the gas diffusion electrode of the present invention, a large number of supply holes and discharge ports for oxygen gas are provided in contact with the gas inlets and outlets at the upper and lower ends of the gas chamber of the gas diffusion electrode. Since the chamber is provided inside along the surface of the cathode current collecting frame of the cathode element, oxygen is more evenly distributed in gas than in the conventional gas diffusion electrode-only gas chamber structure. The contact with the diffusion electrode causes an extremely good oxygen reduction reaction on the gas diffusion electrode, and the cathode potential is reduced, so that the electrolysis voltage is significantly reduced. Further, the present invention can provide a configuration capable of uniformly supplying and discharging oxygen gas to and from a gas chamber of a gas diffusion electrode without changing the structure of a conventional electrolytic cell.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an electrolytic cell using a gas diffusion electrode of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a cathode frame provided with upper and lower chambers provided with a number of supply holes and discharge holes for oxygen gas.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gas diffusion electrode 2 Corrugated mesh 3 Cathode current collecting frame 4 Cathode element 5 Oxygen inlet hole 6 Oxygen outlet hole 7 Oxygen supply hole 8 Oxygen discharging hole 9 Upper gas chamber 10 Lower gas chamber 11 Cathode current collecting frame 12, 13 Gasket 14 Gas Room

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Akihiro Sakata 1-14-1 Nishishinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Toagosei Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koji Saiki 3-4-2 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No. Kanebuchi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroaki Aikawa 3-5-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsui Chemicals Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinji Katayama 24-6 Higashi-Takasaki, Tamano-shi, Okayama Engineers Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenzo Yamaguchi 5-6-4 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Concept Engineers Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-10-219488 (JP, A) JP-A-8 -266852 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) C25B 1/00-15/08

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An electrolytic cell using a gas diffusion electrode,
Inside the cathode element along the surface of the cathode current collector frame, an upper gas chamber for introducing oxygen gas and a lower gas chamber for discharging oxygen gas in contact with the gas ports at both upper and lower ends of the gas chamber of the gas diffusion electrode. An electrolytic cell using a gas diffusion electrode, which is provided.