US1368010A

US1368010A - allen

Info

Publication number: US1368010A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1921-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 1938-02-08

Description

H. l. ALLEN. ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29. 1920. 1,368,010. e Patented Feb. 8,1921.

H. I. ALLEN.

ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

APrLlCATlON FILED APR.29, I920.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT I. ALLEN, 0F PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR T0 ELECTRON CHEMICAL COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATIOI OF MAINE. I

ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

Application filed April 29,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT I. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electrolytic Cells, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to electrolytic cells such as employed in the electrolytlc decomposition of saline solutions for the production of chlorin and caustic soda,

The object of the invention is to provlde a cell of simple construction in which there is a maximum active anode and cathode area, and in which the voltage may be low and the current efiiciency high. The object of the invention is attained by a construction in which the cathode is formed with a plurality of vertical grooves or corrugations, to register with spaced vertical anodes.

On the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 illustrates in side elevation a cell embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section through the same.

Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 represents an end elevation of the cathode.

Fig. 5 represents a side elevation of the same, a part being broken away.

Fig. 6 represents an isometric perspective of a portion of the cathode.

Before proceeding to describe the particular embodiment of the invention'which is illustrated in the drawings thus briefly re ferred to, I desire to have it understood that the improvements to be described may be embodied in cells of other constructions.

In the cell as illustrated, I employ a rectangular tank or container 10, which may be made of sheet metal andwhich isrelatively long and narrow. .From the bottom of this tank leads an eduction pipe 11, by which efliuent from the cell may be conducted :to a suitable receptacle and finally treated for the removal of the contained salt.

Resting on the upper end of the tank, there is what may be termed a freeboard section in which the liberated chlorin is collected. This freeboard section is formed of some inert material, such as slate or the like, and it comprises side walls 12 and end walls 13. It is closed by a cover 14 of inert material, the cover being perforated to re- Specification of Letters Patent.

proximately 180.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921. 1920. Serial No. 377,536.

ce ive the anodes as will be explained It will be understood, of course, that the cover is provided with a dome or outlet through which the chlorin may be drawn for storage or use. As illustrated, the anode, considered as a whole, consists of a plurality of bars 15 of suitable material such as carbon, and, although these bars are'illustrated as cylindrical or round in cross-section, they may be rectangular or prismatic if desired. As shown, these bars are arranged in two rows, those at the endsof the respective rows being a little closer together than the remainder.

The cathode in the'presentcase is illustrated as being formed somewhat like a basket or in approximately rectangular form so that ,it will fit within the tank and be spaced from the walls thereof. The cathode is made of sheet metal and it comprises side and

end walls

16, 17, at the upper ends of -which is a continuous lateral flange 18 which is of such diameter that it may rest upon the end and side walls of thetank 10. The bottom of the cathode is formed of a plate 19. The flange 18 is imperforate, but the side, end and bottom walls of the cathode are provided with apertures or slots which are closely spaced together to permit the passage of the effluent of the cell therethrough.

If desired, these slots may take the form of what are known as herringbone slots, as illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6.

I have stated that the anode as a whole consists of spaced vertical bars, and it will be observed, from an examination of Fig. 3,

that the side and end walls of the basket or cathode are provided with grooves or the anode are practically inclosed throughv out an arcof 2709, whereas the remaining bars are inclosed throughout an arc of ap- The inclosing curved walls of the cathode are approximately concentric with the respective anode bars but are spaced therefrom a short distance so that there is no contact between them.

In the space between the anode bars and the cathode, I place a diaphragm of asbestos paper or equivalent porous material which will permit a relatively free percolation of the electrolyte. This diaphragm is indicated at 21. In placing it within the basket, I

take a long strip of asbestos paper and lay it against the side and end walls of the oathode and against the interior faces thereof, and fold the upper projecting edge of the paper outwardly so that it will overlie the flange 18. A second piece of the paper is died or cut out so that it will fit within the cathode and rest upon the bottom wall thereof, and then a narrow Strip of the asbestos paper, which is coated with sodium silicate, is fitted within the reentrant angle formed by the side and bottom walls of the cathode so as to prevent the escape of the electrolyte at the juncture of the bottom and side walls of the diaphragin.

It will be understood, of course, that if the anode bars are square or otherwise of angular formation, viewed in cross-section, the corrugations or grooves in the side and end walls of the basket cathode will becomplementally shaped to receive them.

The basket cathode is clamped to the freeboard section so that it will depend or hang within the tank 10. For this purpose, I use a rectangular frame 23, between which and the lower end of, the freeboard section are located theflange=18 of the cathode and the out-turned edge of the diaphragm. Suitable bolts, as indicated at 24, are employed to clamp the cover 14, the freeboard section, the rectangular hollow frame 23, the flange 18 and the out-turned edge of the diaphragm all tightly together. As a result of this construction and arrangement of parts,

the freeboard section, the anodes and the cathode may be bodily lifted from the tank, the frame 23 resting loosely on top of the tank as shown.

The anode bars are supported upon the bottom wall of the cathode, but are spaced therefrom by upright glass or porcelain studs 25, the heads of which rest upon the bottom of the cathode and the shanks of WhlCll fit in recesses 26 formed in the .bottoms of the anode bars 15.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that, in a cell of given dimensions, I have secured a maximum active area of the cathode and the anodes, this area bein greatly increased by the formation of the catho e with its vertical corrugations by which the anode bars are partially inclosed by the cathode walls. The lower ends of the anode bars and the bottom of the cathode are likewise active. In the operation of the cell, the faces of the the active faces of the cathode, become worn or disintegrated after some time, and the space between the anode bars and the oathode gradually. increases in width. With the construction illustrated, however, it is possible to rotate each of the anode bars through an angle of approximately 180 so as to bring an unworn or new face of the ar in proximity to the cathode, and thus anode, which confront restore the original space between these parts. It is furthermore easy to remove any one of the bars since it may be lifted vertically from the freeboard section and the cathode, and replace it with a fresh bar. Of course, it will be understood that a suitable bus-bar connection is employed for leading current to the anodes and that an electrical connection is made with the cathode for carrying away current.

It will be further seen from the construction described that the voltage of the cell is reduced since the distance which the current must traverse through the electrolyte from any point on one of the anode bars to the cathode is very small. Of course, care must be taken to see that the electrolyte is substantially saturated with salt and that the current is not wasted in decomposing the water of the solution.

With a cell of this construction in a given floor space in a cell plant, it is possible to either run an ordinary electrolytic cell load at a greatly reduced voltage or else to run a greatly increased load at a voltage which would be no higher than that of cells without the features as herein described.

I do not herein specifically claim the struc ture disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 29, 1920.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention and described away of making and using the same, although without attempting 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. In an electrolytic cell, an anode consisting of one or more rows of vertical bars, and a cathode having a vertical wall spaced from said bars, said wall being formed with vertical perforated corrugations registering with said bars.

2. In an electrolytic cell, a basket-shaped cathode having corrugations in its side walls.

3. In an electrolytic cell, a basket-shaped cathode having vertical corrugations in its side walls.

4:. In an electrolytic cell, a basket-shaped cathode having corrugations in its side and end walls.

5. In an electrolytic cell, a basket-shaped cathode having an out-turned flange at its upper end, and having perforated corrugations in its side walls.

6. In an electrolytic cell, a basket-shaped cathode having at its upper end an imperforate flange projecting outwardly from its end and side walls, the side walls of said cathode being formed with perforated corru ations.

In an electrolytic cell, an anode consisting of parallel spaced bars, and a basketshaped cathode inclosing. said bars, said cathode being formed with perforated cor- 377,537, filed April rugations registering with said bars, and a porous diaphragm located between the anode and the cathode and-bearing against the inner faces of said corrugations.

8. In an electrolytic cell, a tank, a freeboard section supported on said tank, a basket-like cathode secured to said freeboard section and hanging into the tank, and an anode in said cathode and consisting of a plurality of spaced bars, said cathode having corrugations inits side walls registering with said bars.

9. In an electrolytic cell, a tank, a freeboard section supported on said tank, a basket-like cathode secured to said freeboard section and hanging into the tank, and an anode in said cathode and consisting of a plurality of vertical spaced; bars, said cathode having vertical perforated corrugations in its side walls, and having an outturned flange at its upper end by which it is secured as aforesaid to said freeboard section.

in testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HERBERT I. ALLEN.