US1035133A - Electrolytic cell. - Google Patents

Description

E. A. ALLEN.

ELEGTROLYTIG CELL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1907.

1,035,133. Patented Aug. 13,1912. 1

wummag #wat www. [176g Z www the cathode and the anode.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

EDWARD A. ALLEN.; OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES F. PRESTON, 0F

' LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

To all whom 'it may concern;

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. ALLEN, of

,Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements `in Electrolytic Cells, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to electrolytic cells such as are employed in the electrolysis of saline. solutions, and more particularly to cells of the type in which the anode and the cathode are separated by a diaphragm. In such cells, it has universally been the practice to ilnmerse the anode in the electrolyte and to place the cathode on the opposite side of the diaphragm from the anode. In such a cell, when a solution of sodium chlorid is being electrolyzed, the chlorin which is liberated at the anode bubblesup through the electrolyte, and the latter becomes charged with the gas. It has been universally recognized that this presence of the chlorin in the electrolyte is one of the most disadvantageous features of such cells and has proved the source of great annoyance, and unnecessary cost and labor, and has prevented the cells from being operated with the greatest etliciency.

I propose, in accordance with my invention, to eliminate the possibility of chlorin being liberated Within the chamber which contains the electrolyte, or solution to be electrolyzed, by causing the chlorin to be liberated at an anodewhich is exterior to said chamber. This may be accomplished in different ways, although the best embodiment of the invention known to me consists in confining the electrolyte between two diaphragms and locating the cathode on the outer face of one diaphragm and the anode on the outer face of the other diaphragm. I preferably employ diaphragms of some relatively porous material which will permit a comparatively free percolation of the electrolyte therethrough into Contact with I prefer to employ a. foraminous cathode, which is capable rof retaining in its meshes a sufficient quantity of the electrolyte to permit the passage of the electric current therethrough. The anode I preferably form of carbon, such as vAtchison graphite, the face of which is placed in close proximity with the face of one of the diaphragms. The cathode and the anode are preferably unimmersed in any liquor, although I may employ a suitable oil or other liquid, immiscible with water,

in the cathode and anode compartments of the cell, without departing from the present invention. When the current is passed through the cell, the electrolysis takes place, as ordinarily, except that cations and anions are both liberated exteriorly to the chamber which contains the electrolyte.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,-Figure l represents a transverse vertical section'of an electrolytic cell embodying the invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and illustrates the grooves in the face of the anode.

Before proceeding to describe in detail the cell which I have illustrated upon the drawings, I desire to have it understood that the invention is not limited to that particular embodiment thereof, that a Wide range of equivalents may be employed for parts shown, and that the phraseology which I have adopted in the specification and in the appended claims is for the purpose of .description and not of limitation.

The cell illustrated is duplex, in that it is provided with two chambers for the electrolyte and a cathode and an anode for each body of electrolyte.

10 indicates the base or bottom plate of the cell, to which are attached end Walls of which one is shown at 11. Connecting the upper ends of the end Walls are the side walls 12 12. These parts may be formed of any suitable material such as slate.

To the sides of the structure are secured rectangular frames 13 13, which for convenience may be made of Wood, hard rubber, slate or any other suitable material. On the exterior faces of the frame are the diaphragms 14 15, which may be made of asbestos paper, asbestos cloth, or other material suitable for the purpose. I prefer to have the diaphragms sutliciently porous to permitl a comparatively free flow of the electrolyte therethrough. The diaphragms, however, may be substantially impermeable, as in the cells of the Hargreaves type, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Placed against the margins of the diaphragms 15 are metallic frames 16, and these frames, together with the frame 13, are clamped against the bottom, side and end walls by suitable clamps, such as are illustrated and described in the application of myself and Herbert I. Allen, Serial No. 389,824, tiled Aug. 23, 1907. The bottom clamps are indicated `at 17 and the upper clamps at 18. The cathodes, whic are indicated at -19,fare placed agains t e outer faces ofthe diaphragme and f he` margins or edges of said cathodes are bent outwardly and are clampedv against outwardly rojectframes 16 by lc amping bars '20 and screws 21. To the flanges of 'between the' diaphragms 14, the end walls 11,

the frame are secured plates 22, which, to-

which are grooved as at 26, to permit the? 4 easy escape of chlorin. These grooved facesl are 'placed against the outer faces of the dia-I phragme 14 and they rest upon suitable blocks or suppo-rts 27 resting on the base 10.

These anodes may, with convenience, be

constructed substantially as shown and described in the said co-pending application of myself and Herbert I. Allen, hereinbefor'e referred to, although I prefer that the faces -be practically continuous from top to bottom. These anodes are connected with a central stem 28 by connections 29, said con- -nections and said stem being preferably made of carbon or othermateral which will not be attacked by the chlorin. The space and the base 10 constitute what I may term an anode compartment. This compartment isclosed `at thertop by a cover 30, the edges of'which areinserted in alute 30a. Through the cover extends a conduit 31, as shown in Adotted lines, to carry away the chlorin. The

stem 28 is illustrated as being provided with the mercury cup 32fto receive one terminal of the electric circuit, and the metallic frames 16 are provided with similar cups 33 -to receive the other terminals.

It will be understood, that near the bottom of the cathode compartments, there are ports for discharging the cationic product and ports near the top to carry away the hydrogen which is liberated therein. 55

The compartments 24 for the electrolyte are provided with inlet and outlet ducts which are indicated at 34 and 3-5, so that I am enabled to keep a constant circulation of saturated solution in said compartments.

{By any suitable means I `provide for increasing the hydrostatic pressure of the electrolyte in the compartment 24 so that I am able to secure the proper passage of the electrolyte ythrough ,thefdiaphragms where yI employ-a permeabl'di'apuhragm. 65 Assuming that the,A electro yte comparte .ment 24 has its proper suppl of saturatedsolution of sodium chlorid, t e assage of.v

thecurrent from the anode-to At ecathode electrolyzes said solution, caustic soda being `7.0 formed at the cathode, and chlorirr being lib- Y, erated on the surface ofthe anode. The anions and the cations.I are both liberated ,ex-i. teriorly of the compartment 24,- sothgttliere" is always a body "of neut-ralliqurin the compartment 24 whichy is free from chlorin and from the caustic solution, thus preventing the formation of hypochlorites. 'The caustic" solution iows down the face of the cathode'. and is discharged, and the chlorin i'sK'convso ducted from the anode compartment [as usual. The electrolyte, -which percolates through the diaphragm 14, flows down the .faces thereof and down the faces of the -anodes to the bottom of the anode compart- .ment and-is, discharged throughV a port 36'.y This liquor may be 'treated to remove whatf ever chlorin remains in it and maybe reused. v l

Having/thus explained the nature of my said invention, and described a way of con- I structing and using the same, although without havlng attempted to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the modes of its use, what I claim is 1. An electrolytic cell comprising an open sided main body having vend walls, a base and upper side walls, and constituting van anode chamber, frames having spaced opposing porous diaphragms aiiixed 'to the 101 open sides of said body,.the walls of each said frame and the diaphragms thereon constituting an electrolyte compartment, a casing outside the outer diaphragm on each frame forming a cathode compartment, a 10i cathode in each cathode compartment confronting the outer diaphragm, and an anode in said cathode chamber having active surfaces confronting and in contact with the inner diaphragms.

2. A Vduplex electrolytic cell, comprising a cell structure having on each, side two confronting diaphragms forming compartments for the electrolyte, an intermediate anode compartment, a cathode outside of the 11! outer diaphragm on each side, an anode outside of the inner diaphragm oneach side L in said anode compartment, and a stem connecting said anodes, substantially as set forth. 1

In testimony whereof I have atxedmy signature, in the 'presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD A. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

MARCUS B. vMAY, ARTHUR H. BROWN.

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