JPH071069U - Electrolysis chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Objective] To provide an electrolyte used for electrolysis of an aqueous solution of an alkali metal salt, which incorporates a structure capable of preventing the deflection of a porous electrode during electrolysis. [Constitution] One opening surface of a chamber frame is shielded by a partition wall, a porous electrode is provided on the other opening surface, and a conductive rib having an electrolyte solution flow hole and vertically contacting the porous electrode. In the electrolysis chamber having a structure in which a plurality of partition walls are provided at appropriate intervals in the partition wall, horizontal auxiliary ribs that horizontally connect adjacent conductive ribs and have a gap with the porous electrode are provided between the adjacent conductive ribs. And a vertical auxiliary rib vertically contacting the porous electrode and having a gap between the partition and the horizontal auxiliary rib.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an electrolysis chamber. More specifically, the present invention does not hinder the horizontal or vertical flow of the electrolytic solution in the electrolysis chamber. Therefore, the deflection of the porous electrode during electrolysis is prevented. The present invention relates to an electrolysis chamber used for electrolysis of an alkali metal salt aqueous solution that can be prevented.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 As shown in FIG. 3 which is a perspective view of the basic structure of the electrolysis chamber, one opening surface of the chamber frame 1 is usually shielded by a partition wall 2, and the other opening surface is provided with a porous electrode (anode or cathode). Is provided, and the partition wall has a structure in which a plurality of conductive ribs 5 having an electrolyte flow hole 4 and contacting the porous electrode 3 in the vertical direction are provided at appropriate intervals. Then, in the electrolytic cell, one of these electrolysis chambers in which electrodes with different charges of the anode and the cathode are provided faces each other through a diaphragm such as a cation exchange membrane at the opening face where the electrodes are provided, One electrolysis unit is formed. The porous electrode is supported by the conductive ribs and adheres to the diaphragm in a state as smooth as possible so that the solution resistance of the electrolytic solution is reduced as much as possible and the electrolytic voltage is lowered. There is.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 By the way, in such an electrolytic cell, the porous electrode has an extremely high pore opening ratio and a thin thickness so that the electrolytic solution can easily flow to the membrane surface of the diaphragm to which it adheres. It is in. As a result, when the electrolysis operation is performed under pressure, such a porous electrode does not maintain the smoothness only by the support of the conductive ribs and partially bends to increase the electrolysis voltage or current efficiency. May be aggravated. In order to prevent this, it is possible to provide a large number of conductive ribs at short intervals. However, the conductive ribs are fixed to the partition wall in the electrolysis chamber, and the flow of the electrolytic solution on the left and right sides of the rib perforates the rib. Providing such a large number of conductive ribs that can be performed only in the sloping flow holes leads to a drawback that the concentration distribution of the electrolytic solution is deteriorated.

[0004]

[The purpose of the device]

 Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a structure of an electrolytic chamber in which the porous electrode is prevented from bending with a simple structure and the flow of the electrolytic solution in the chamber is good.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The inventors of the present invention have continued diligent research in view of the above problems. As a result, in the electrolysis chamber of the above structure, horizontal auxiliary ribs that horizontally connect the adjacent conductive ribs and have a gap between the conductive electrodes are provided between the adjacent conductive ribs and the upper and lower sides of the porous electrode. It has been found that the above problems can be solved by vertically arranging vertical auxiliary ribs which are in contact with each other and have a gap between them and the partition wall, and have proposed the present invention.

That is, according to the present invention, one opening surface of the chamber frame is shielded by a partition wall, and the other opening surface is provided with a multi-pore electrode, which has a through hole for an electrolytic solution and is a porous electrode. In the electrolysis chamber with a structure in which a plurality of conductive ribs contacting each other in the vertical direction are provided on the above-mentioned partition wall at appropriate intervals, the horizontal direction that horizontally connects adjacent conductive ribs and has a gap with the porous electrode An electrolysis chamber, characterized in that auxiliary ribs are provided between the adjacent conductive ribs, and vertical auxiliary ribs vertically contacting the porous electrode and having a gap between the partition wall and the lateral auxiliary ribs. Is.

The present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a typical embodiment thereof. That is, FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the anode chamber side of an electrolytic cell that employs the electrolytic chamber of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view taken along the line aa 'of the electrolytic cell of FIG. In FIGS. 1 and 2, one opening surface of the chamber frame 1 is shielded by a partition wall 2, and the other opening surface is provided with a porous electrode 3 (anode 3a, cathode 3b). Is provided with a plurality of conductive ribs 5 each having an electrolyte flow hole 4 and contacting the porous electrode 3 in the vertical direction at appropriate intervals. Here, in the present invention, as the porous electrode, known materials such as a mesh, an expanded metal, and a perforated flat plate are used without any limitation. Reference numeral 6 denotes a supply port for the aqueous solution of alkali metal salt, and the aqueous solution of alkali metal salt supplied from the supply port is subjected to electrolysis and then discharged from a discharge port 7 for the aqueous solution of alkali metal salt.

The greatest feature of the present invention is that, in the electrolysis chamber having such a structure, the lateral auxiliary ribs 9 are horizontally connected between the adjacent conductive ribs 5 and have a gap 8 between the conductive ribs 5 and the porous electrode 3. The vertical auxiliary ribs 11 are provided between the conductive ribs and vertically contact the porous electrode 3 and have a gap 10 between the partition walls 2 and the vertical auxiliary ribs 11 are vertically provided on the horizontal auxiliary ribs 9. By doing so, in the electrolytic chamber of the present invention, since the porous electrode 3 is supported by the vertical auxiliary ribs 11 also in the vicinity of the intermediate portion between the ribs where the supporting force of the conductive rib 5 is weak. It is possible to adhere to a nearby diaphragm in a smooth state without causing partial bending or the like. In this case, the vertical auxiliary ribs 11 need to have the gap 10 between them and the partition wall 2 so that the ribs do not hinder the flow of the electrolytic solution in the horizontal direction. The gap is not particularly limited and may be appropriately determined in consideration of the desired flow rate of the electrolytic solution, the strength of the vertical auxiliary ribs, etc., but is usually 1 to 5 cm, preferably 2 to 5 cm. It is preferably 4 cm.

The length of the vertical auxiliary ribs in the vertical direction is not particularly limited, but it is usually preferable that the length of the vertical auxiliary rib reaches from the upper end to the lower end of the porous electrode in contact therewith. Furthermore, this vertical auxiliary rib does not necessarily have to be provided between all the conductive ribs provided in the electrolysis chamber, and may be provided only at a portion where the distance between the conductive ribs is large and the electrode is easily bent. In addition, not only one vertical auxiliary rib is provided near the intermediate portion between the conductive ribs as shown in FIG. Plural sheets may be provided at various intervals. Usually, it is preferable that the distance between the vertical auxiliary ribs and the conductive ribs or other vertical auxiliary ribs is 5 to 10 cm.

In the present invention, the vertical auxiliary ribs 11 are vertically provided from the horizontal auxiliary ribs 9 that horizontally connect adjacent conductive ribs. In this case, the lateral auxiliary ribs 9 are required to have a gap 10 between them and the porous electrode 3 so as not to impede the flow of the electrolytic solution containing chlorine gas that is subjected to electrolysis and rises. . This gap is not particularly limited and may be appropriately determined in consideration of the desired flow rate of the electrolytic solution, the strength of the lateral auxiliary ribs, etc., but is usually 0.2 to 3 cm, particularly 0. It is preferably 0.5 to 2 cm. Further, it is preferable that the lateral auxiliary ribs also have a gap 12 of about 1 to 5 cm between the partition walls 2 as well.

Further, the horizontal auxiliary ribs are generally provided so as to be linked to all the conductive ribs in the electrolysis chamber, but the vertical auxiliary ribs are provided only in a part between the conductive ribs. If not provided, it may be provided only in the space between the vertical auxiliary ribs. Further, it is preferable that the lateral auxiliary ribs are provided at a plurality of positions at appropriate intervals in the vertical direction between a pair of adjacent conductive ribs, and the vertical auxiliary ribs are firmly fixed. In this case, the distance between the lateral auxiliary ribs provided between the pair of conductive ribs is not particularly limited, but is usually preferably 20 to 60 cm.

In the present invention, the fixing of the vertical auxiliary ribs to the horizontal auxiliary ribs is not particularly limited, and they may be integrally formed, for example, but the vertical auxiliary ribs are preferably It is preferable to form a recess in at least one of the direction auxiliary ribs or the lateral direction auxiliary ribs, and use the recesses as engaging portions to fit both. Similarly, the lateral auxiliary ribs may be installed on the conductive ribs by fitting or penetrating the lateral auxiliary ribs into the recesses or holes formed in the conductive ribs. The material for the vertical auxiliary ribs and the horizontal auxiliary ribs is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use titanium, titanium alloy, or the like, which has corrosion resistance to chlorine or an aqueous solution of an alkali metal salt.

In the electrolysis chamber of the present invention, one opening surface of the chamber frame having the structure described above is shielded by a partition wall, and the other opening surface is provided with a porous electrode, and the partition wall is provided with the porous electrode. If there is a structure in which a plurality of conductive ribs having an electrolyte flow hole and the extreme end of which is in contact with the porous electrode in the vertical direction are provided at appropriate intervals, it will be in either the anode chamber or the cathode chamber. However, it can be adopted without any limitation. It is preferably used as an electrolytic chamber of a filter press type electrolytic cell. Further, the diaphragm interposed between the anode chamber and the cathode chamber is not particularly limited and may be an asbestos film or the like, but it is usually preferable to use a cation exchange film. In this case, as the cation exchange membrane, for example, a perfluorocarbon type membrane is used. In the present invention, the alkali metal salt aqueous solution used for electrolysis is not particularly limited, but sodium chloride or potassium chloride is preferably used.

[0014]

[Effect of device]

 In the electrolysis chamber of the present invention, a vertical auxiliary rib that vertically contacts the porous electrode between the adjacent conductive ribs as described above is simply installed on the horizontal auxiliary rib that horizontally connects the conductive ribs. The structure can prevent bending of the porous electrode during electrolysis. At that time, since the vertical auxiliary ribs are provided with a gap between them and the lateral auxiliary ribs are provided with a gap between them and the porous electrode, By installing the direction auxiliary ribs and the lateral auxiliary ribs, the flow of the electrolytic solution in the electrolysis chamber in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction is not obstructed. Therefore, according to the electrolysis chamber of the present invention, it is possible to carry out electrolysis in a stable state without causing an increase in electrolysis voltage or a decrease in current efficiency due to partial bending of the porous electrode.

[0015]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1 Electrolysis of a sodium chloride aqueous solution was performed using an electrolytic cell having an electrode chamber having a structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The hollow portion of the chamber frame serving as the current-carrying portion was 116 cm in length and 238 cm in width, and the thickness of the electrode chamber formed between the porous electrode and the partition wall was 4.4 cm 2. The anode used was a titanium mesh coated with the active substance, and the cathode was a nickel mesh coated with the active substance. As the diaphragm interposed between the anode chamber and the cathode chamber, Nafion N-954 (trade name, manufactured by DuPont), which is a perfluorocarbon-based cation exchange membrane, was used.

Further, in the anode chamber and the cathode chamber of the electrolytic cell, 18 conductive ribs were installed at intervals of 15 cm. Then, four lateral auxiliary ribs, which connect all of the above-mentioned conductive ribs, were installed at intervals of 29 cm in the vertical direction of the conductive ribs. The gap formed between the lateral auxiliary rib and the electrode was 0.5 cm. Moreover, the gap formed between the lateral auxiliary ribs and the partition wall was 3 cm. On the other hand, one vertical auxiliary rib was provided at each intermediate portion of the adjacent conductive ribs. Here, the gap formed between the vertical auxiliary rib and the partition wall was 3.5 cm. The vertical auxiliary ribs, the horizontal auxiliary ribs, and the conductive ribs were all made of a titanium plate having a thickness of 3 mm. Electrolytic according electrolytic cell above structure, electrolysis temperature 85 ° C., a current density of 40A / dm ^2, anode chamber pressure 0.06 kg / cm ² G, the cathode chamber pressure 0.1 kg / cm ² G, was performed 7 20 days . The electrolysis voltage during the electrolysis for 720 days was 3.15 mV. The current efficiency in this electrolysis was 96%.

Comparative Example 1 Electrolysis was carried out for 720 days in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the electrolysis chamber was not provided with the lateral auxiliary ribs and the vertical auxiliary ribs. The electrolytic voltage at the time of electrolysis for 720 days was 3.25 mV. The current efficiency in this electrolysis was 93%.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the anode chamber side of an electrolytic cell that employs the electrolytic chamber of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line aa ′ of the electrolytic cell of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a basic structure of an electrolysis chamber.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrolysis chamber chamber frame 2 Partition wall 3 Porous electrode 3a Anode 3b Cathode 4 Electrolyte flow hole 5 Conductive rib 6 Alkali metal salt aqueous solution supply port 7 Alkali metal salt aqueous solution discharge port 8 Gap between conductive rib and porous electrode 9 Horizontal Directional auxiliary rib 10 Gap between partition wall and vertical auxiliary rib 11 Vertical auxiliary rib 12 Gap between partition wall and horizontal auxiliary rib

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A partition wall shields one opening surface of the chamber frame,
A porous electrode is provided on the other opening surface, and an electrolysis rib having a structure in which a plurality of conductive ribs having an electrolyte flow hole and contacting the porous electrode in the vertical direction are provided at appropriate intervals on the partition wall. In the chamber, lateral auxiliary ribs that horizontally connect adjacent conductive ribs and have a gap with the porous electrode are provided between the adjacent conductive ribs, and are in contact with the porous electrode in the vertical direction and between the partition walls. An electrolysis chamber characterized in that a vertical auxiliary rib having a gap is vertically provided on the horizontal auxiliary rib.