JP5824256B2 - Electrolyzer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrolysis apparatus provided with an electrolytic cell.

Conventionally, fluorine gas has been used in various applications such as material cleaning and surface modification in semiconductor manufacturing processes and the like. In this case, the fluorine gas itself may be used. Various gases such as NF ₃ (nitrogen trifluoride) gas, NeF (neon fluoride) gas, and ArF (argon fluoride) gas synthesized based on the fluorine gas may be used. Fluorine-based gas may be used.

  In order to stably supply the fluorine gas, an electrolysis apparatus that normally generates fluorine gas by electrolyzing HF (hydrogen fluoride) is used. In such an electrolytic device, for example, an electrolytic bath made of a mixed molten salt of KF-HF (potassium-hydrogen fluoride) is formed in an electrolytic cell. Fluorine gas is generated by electrolysis of the electrolytic bath in the electrolytic cell.

  For example, the molten salt electrolysis apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has an electrolytic cell composed of an electrolytic cell main body and an upper lid. The interior of the electrolytic cell is separated by a partition into an anode chamber located at the center of the electrolytic cell and a cathode chamber surrounding the anode chamber. An anode is disposed in the anode chamber, and a cathode is provided in the cathode chamber. An opening for inserting the anode into the electrolytic cell main body is formed in a substantially central portion of the upper lid, and a lid is provided so as to cover the opening. A gas seal material is interposed between the lid and the upper lid. The lid is vertically provided with a connecting rod that holds the anode.

JP 2005-48290 A

  In the molten salt electrolysis apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the anode can be easily detached from the electrolytic cell body together with the upper lid by removing the lid from the upper lid. Thereby, even when the anode is consumed, the anode can be easily replaced.

  However, in the molten salt electrolysis apparatus, the gas seal material interposed between the lid and the upper lid is required to have corrosion resistance against fluorine gas. Further, even a gas seal material having corrosion resistance to fluorine gas is corroded by being in contact with fluorine gas for a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to frequently replace the gas seal material. As a result, maintenance costs increase. Further, since the frequency of replacing the gas seal material is higher than the frequency of replacing the anode, the maintenance work efficiency is poor.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electrolyzer capable of reducing maintenance costs and improving maintenance work efficiency.

(1) An electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention is an electrolysis apparatus for generating fluorine and other gases by electrolyzing an electrolysis bath, and includes an electrolysis tank that houses the electrolysis bath. An electrolytic cell main body having one opening at the top, a first lid having a second opening smaller than the first opening, and being provided in the electrolytic cell main body so as to close the first opening; A first seal member provided on the first lid so as to surround the two openings, and a second seal provided on the first lid with the first seal member interposed therebetween so as to close the second opening. A first electrode attached to the second lid, a partition that separates the inside of the electrolytic cell body into a first chamber in which fluorine is generated and a second chamber in which another gas is generated , and a second electrode disposed on the second chamber, septum, the first chamber is located inside the region of the first seal member It is formed as a partition wall is provided integrally with the second lid member so as to surround the first electrode, by removing the second cover member from the first lid member, the anode first with 2 of the lid, and septum, it is shall be configured so that it can be taken out from the electrolysis cell main body.

  In this electrolysis apparatus, the first opening at the top of the electrolytic cell body is closed by the first lid. The second opening of the first lid is closed by the second lid with the first seal member interposed therebetween. The first electrode is attached to the second lid. Since the second opening is smaller than the first opening, the second lid body is smaller and lighter than the first lid body. Therefore, even when the first electrode is consumed, the first electrode can be easily replaced by removing the second lid from the first lid.

  The first chamber is disposed in a region inside the first seal member by a partition wall. In this case, since fluorine generated in the first chamber does not contact the first seal member, corrosion of the first seal member is prevented. This reduces the frequency of replacing the first seal member.

  As a result, the maintenance cost of the electrolyzer is reduced and the work efficiency of the maintenance is improved.

Furthermore , the partition can be easily inspected by removing the second lid from the first lid. Thereby, the maintenance cost of the electrolyzer is further reduced, and the maintenance work efficiency is further improved.

( 2 ) The electrolytic cell main body may function as the second electrode. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the second electrode separately. Thereby, the structure of the electrolyzer can be simplified.

( 3 ) The electrolysis apparatus further includes a second seal member provided in the electrolytic cell main body so as to surround the first opening, and the first lid body is disposed on the electrolytic cell main body with the second seal member interposed therebetween. It may be provided.

  In this case, the first lid can be removed from the electrolytic cell main body. Therefore, the inside of the electrolysis apparatus can be inspected by removing the first lid from the electrolytic cell main body.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the maintenance cost of the electrolyzer and improve the work efficiency of the maintenance.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrolysis apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the electrolytic cell of FIG. It is a bottom view of the 2nd lid.

  Hereinafter, an electrolysis apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrolysis apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electrolyzer 10 of FIG. 1 is a gas generator that generates fluorine gas. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrolysis apparatus 10 includes an electrolytic cell 11. The electrolytic cell 11 includes an electrolytic cell main body 11a, a first lid 11b, a seal member 11c, a second lid 11d, and a seal member 11e. A partition wall 13 is integrally provided on the lower surface of the second lid 11d so as to surround the central space in the electrolytic cell main body 11a. The electrolytic cell main body 11a, the first and second lid bodies 11b and 11d, and the partition wall 13 are made of, for example, a metal or alloy such as Ni (nickel), monel, pure iron, or stainless steel.

  In the electrolytic cell 11, high current power is handled. When a gas such as hydrogen is present in the cathode chamber 14b, it is necessary to prevent discharge in the cathode chamber 14b due to static electricity or discharge. Therefore, the first lid 11b of the cathode chamber 14b is grounded by the ground wire L1. Thereby, an electric shock or the like due to electric leakage from the electrolytic cell 11 can be prevented and a gas such as hydrogen can be prevented from exploding.

  In the electrolytic cell 11, an electrolytic bath 12 made of a KF-HF (potassium-hydrogen fluoride) mixed molten salt is formed. In the electrolytic cell 11, an anode chamber 14 a is formed inside the partition wall 13, and a cathode chamber 14 b is formed outside the partition wall 13.

  An anode 15a is disposed in the anode chamber 14a. A part of the partition wall 13 and the anode 15 a are immersed in the electrolytic bath 12. A cathode 15b is formed on the inner surface of the electrolytic cell main body 11a. For example, Ni is preferably used as the material of the cathode 15b.

  An HF supply line 18a for supplying HF is connected to the first lid 11b. The HF supply line 18a is covered with a temperature adjusting heater 18b. This prevents HF from being liquefied in the HF supply line 18a. The height of the electrolytic bath 12 is detected by a liquid level detector (not shown). When the height of the liquid level detected by the liquid level detection device becomes lower than a predetermined value, HF is supplied into the electrolytic cell 11 through the HF supply line 18a.

  The electrolysis device 10 includes a control unit 23. The electrolytic bath 12 in the electrolytic cell 11 is in a solid state at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Therefore, in order to electrolyze the electrolytic bath 12, it is necessary to heat the electrolytic bath 12 to 80 to 90 ° C. and dissolve it in a liquid state. The controller 23 controls the temperature controller (not shown) based on the temperature of the electrolytic bath 12 detected by a temperature sensor (not shown), and maintains the temperature of the electrolytic bath 12 at 80 to 90 ° C.

  The controller 23 applies a voltage between the anode 15a and the cathode 15b. Thereby, the electrolytic bath 12 in the electrolytic cell 11 is electrolyzed. As a result, fluorine gas is mainly generated in the anode chamber 14a. Further, hydrogen gas is mainly generated in the cathode chamber 14b.

  The second lid 11d is provided with a gas outlet 16a, and the first lid 11b is provided with a gas outlet 16b. An exhaust pipe 17a is connected to the gas exhaust port 16a, and an exhaust pipe 17b is connected to the gas exhaust port 16b. The gas discharge port 16a communicates with the anode chamber 14a, and the gas discharge port 16b communicates with the cathode chamber 14b. The gas generated in the anode chamber 14a is discharged from the gas discharge port 16a through the exhaust pipe 17a, and the gas generated in the cathode chamber 14b is discharged from the gas discharge port 16b through the exhaust pipe 17b.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electrolytic cell 11 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the second lid 11d.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electrolytic cell main body 11a has a bottom face part and four side face parts, and has a rectangular opening H1 in the upper part. The seal member 11c is provided on the upper end surfaces of the four side surfaces so as to surround the opening H1. The seal member 11c is an O-ring made of, for example, fluorine rubber. The first lid 11b has a rectangular shape and a size larger than the opening H1. The first lid 11b is disposed on the seal member 11c so as to close the opening H1 of the electrolytic cell main body 11a. Thereby, the electrolytic cell main body 11a and the first lid 11b are sealed while being electrically insulated from each other by the seal member 11c.

  The first lid 11b has a rectangular opening H2 at a substantially central portion. The seal member 11e is provided on the upper surface of the first lid body 11b so as to surround the opening H2 along the edge of the first lid body 11b in the opening H2. The seal member 11e is an O-ring made of, for example, fluorine rubber. The second lid 11d has a rectangular shape and a size larger than the opening H2. The second lid 11d is disposed on the seal member 11e so as to close the opening H2 of the first lid 11b. Thereby, the first lid body 11b and the second lid body 11d are sealed while being electrically insulated from each other by the seal member 11e. The first lid 11b is provided with an HF supply hole 18c into which the HF supply line 18a is inserted.

  The partition wall 13 includes four side walls 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d. As shown in FIG. 3, the partition wall 13 is provided integrally with the second lid body 11d on the lower surface of the second lid body 11d. The four side walls 13a to 13d of the partition wall 13 are made of, for example, Ni or Monel. A rectangular plate-shaped anode 15a is attached via a mounting member 19 in FIG. 2 in a space surrounded by the four side walls 13a to 13d of the partition wall 13 on the lower surface side of the second lid 11d. As a material of the anode 15a, for example, a low polarizable carbon electrode is used.

  In electrolysis apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 according to the present embodiment, seal members 11c and 11e are arranged outside anode chamber 14a. Therefore, the fluorine gas generated in the anode chamber 14a does not come into contact with the seal members 11c and 11e. Thereby, corrosion of the sealing members 11c and 11e can be prevented. As a result, the frequency with which the seal members 11c and 11e are inspected and replaced is reduced.

  Moreover, the anode 15a can be easily removed from the electrolytic cell main body 11a together with the second lid 11d by removing the second lid 11d from the first lid 11b. Thereby, even when the anode 15a is consumed, the anode 15a can be easily replaced. In particular, when the electrolytic cell 11 is increased in size, the electrolytic cell main body 11a and the first lid 11b are increased in size and weight. Even in such a case, since it is not necessary to increase the size of the second lid 11d, the second lid 11d can be easily detached from the first lid 11b.

  Furthermore, when the electrolyzer 10 is used for a long time, it is necessary to check whether the partition wall 13 is consumed. Even in such a case, the partition 13 can be removed from the first lid 11b by removing the second lid 11d from the first lid 11b. Thereby, the partition wall 13 can be easily inspected.

  As a result, the maintenance cost of the electrolyzer 10 can be reduced and the work efficiency of the maintenance can be improved.

  In the above embodiment, the electrolytic cell main body 11a has a bottom surface portion and four side surface portions and a rectangular opening H1 in the upper portion, but is not limited thereto. For example, the electrolytic cell main body 11a may have a bottom surface portion and a cylindrical side surface portion, and may have a circular opening at the top. In this case, the opening of the electrolytic cell main body 11a is closed by the first lid body 11b having a circular shape.

  Although the 1st cover body 11b has the rectangular opening H2, it is not limited to this. For example, the first lid 11b may have a circular opening. In this case, the opening of the first lid 11b is closed by the second lid 11d having a circular shape.

  The partition wall 13 includes four side walls 13a to 13d, but is not limited thereto. For example, the partition wall 13 may be constituted by a cylindrical side wall. In addition, the partition wall 13 and the second lid body 11d are preferably provided integrally, and the partition wall 13 and the second lid body 11d formed of separate metal materials are integrally provided by welding. Although it is more preferable, it is not limited to this. The partition wall 13 and the second lid body 11d may be integrally provided by casting.

  The partition wall 13 may be provided separately from the second lid body 11d as long as adhesion between the second lid body 11d and the airtightness of the anode chamber 14a is maintained. In this case, it is preferable to ensure adhesion by providing a highly corrosion-resistant sealing material such as a metal seal between the partition wall 13 and the second lid 11d.

  Hereinafter, although the example of a response | compatibility with each component of a claim and each part of embodiment is demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the following example.

  In the above embodiment, the electrolytic bath 12 is an example of an electrolytic bath, the electrolytic device 10 is an electrolytic device, hydrogen is an example of another gas, the electrolytic cell 11 is an example of an electrolytic cell, and the electrolytic cell The main body 11a is an example of an electrolytic cell main body. The opening H1 is an example of the first opening, the opening H2 is an example of the second opening, the first lid 11b is an example of the first lid, and the second lid 11d is the second. The sealing member 11e is an example of a first sealing member, and the sealing member 11c is an example of a second sealing member. The anode 15a is an example of the first electrode, the cathode 15b is an example of the second electrode, the anode chamber 14a is an example of the first chamber, the cathode chamber 14b is an example of the second chamber, and the partition wall 13 Is an example of a partition wall.

  As each constituent element in the claims, various other elements having configurations or functions described in the claims can be used.

  The present invention can be effectively used for an electrolysis device such as a gas generator.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electrolytic apparatus 11 Electrolytic tank 11a Electrolytic tank main body 11b, 11d Lid 11c, 11e Seal member 12 Electrolytic bath 13 Partition wall 13a-13d Side wall 14a Anode chamber 14b Cathode chamber 15a Anode 15b Cathode 16a, 16b Gas exhaust port 17a, 17b Exhaust pipe 18a HF supply line 18b heater for temperature adjustment 18c HF supply hole 19 mounting member 23 control unit H1, H2 opening L1 ground wire

Claims (3)

An electrolyzer for generating fluorine and other gases by electrolyzing an electrolytic bath, comprising:
It has an electrolytic cell that houses an electrolytic bath,
The electrolytic cell is
An electrolytic cell body having a first opening at the top;
A first lid provided on the electrolytic cell body so as to have a second opening smaller than the first opening and close the first opening;
A first seal member provided on the first lid so as to surround the second opening;
A second lid provided on the first lid with the first seal member sandwiched so as to close the second opening;
A first electrode attached to the second lid;
A partition that separates the inside of the electrolytic cell main body into a first chamber in which fluorine is generated and a second chamber in which other gas is generated ;
A second electrode disposed in the second chamber ,
The partition is formed such that the first chamber is disposed in a region inside the first seal member ,
The partition is provided integrally with the second lid so as to surround the first electrode.
Wherein by removing the second cover member from said first lid, said anode with said second lid and said partition wall, characterized that you have been configured so that it can be taken out from the electrolytic cell body Electrolytic device. Electrolysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrolytic cell main body functions as the second electrode. A second seal member provided on the electrolytic cell main body so as to surround the first opening;
3. The electrolysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first lid is provided on the electrolytic cell main body with the second seal member interposed therebetween.

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