US1547362A - Apparatus for the electrolysis of water - Google Patents

Description

July 28, 1925.

L. CASALE APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTROLYSIS OF WATER Filed July 19 1922 Patented July 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,547,362 PATENT OFFICE. I

LUIGI ROME, ITALY, ASSIGNOB TQ CASALE AMMONIA COMPANY, OF

- LUGANO, SWITZERLAND.

APPARATUS'FOB THE ELECTROLYSIS OF WATER.

, Application filed m 19, 1922. 'Seria11io.576,104.

ments in or Relating to Apparatus for the Electrolysis of Water, of which the following'is a specification.

The electrolysis of water in the produc-- tion of hydrogen and oxygen is continually increasing in industrial importance. The decomposition is usually effected by passing the current between metallic electrodes im-* mersed in an alkaline electrolyte and separated by a diaphragm of asbestos clot The employment of this diaphragm, the 0bject of which is to separate the two gases,

The object of the present invention is to.

provide an apparatus for the electrolysis 'of water, in which no diaphragm is interposed between the electrodes, the two gases being separately guided'by the currents set up in the electrolyte by the ascensional force exerted'by' the gases liberated, at the electrodes, inp-the interior of the liquid.

lyte is not. diluted, between the electrodes,

by the tiny bubbles of escaping gas, and

consequently, the conductivity of the liquid is uniform throughout its entire mass.

A typical electrolyzer according .to the present invention is' illustrated' diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the electrolyzer, that is to say parallel with the electrodes, and Fig. 2 1s also a section-of the. a paratus, but in the transverse direction. 1g. 3 is a vertical section of-a modified. form of the device and In this apparatus the current efliciency is therefore greater, not only because there is no diaphragm, but also because the electro-' Fig.4 is a horizontal-section of the Sill-11G! ture shown in Fig. 3.

The electrolyte is contained in a parallelopiped vessel 1, resting on insulating feet 2 and closed by a tight cover 3 having a gas tight connection 4 with the vessel 1. Below the joint the cover telescopes into the interior of the vessel for such a distance that it dips slightly below the level of the liquid.

Each electrode consists of a. pile of a certain number of elements 5, each of which is composed of a strip of sheet iron slanting as s horizontal plane so as to form a rectangular frame, the section of which, in the direction of the longest side, is shown in Fig. 1, and extending substantially the full length of the containing vessel 1. The section alon the shorter side is represented. in Fig. 2 an shows eachframe extending but a small own in the drawing and bent in the fraction of the total width of the containing vessel 1.- Above the pile of elements 5 is aterminal element '6, exactly the same as the others except that it is of much. greater height. Its upper surface projects above the level of the liquid. All the elements 5 and the corresponding element 6 of the same electrode are connected together by small plates, .as indicated by 7 and 8, terminatin m two-rods 9 and- 10, whichpass throng the stufiin glands 11 in the cover of t e vessel, sai rods being insulated and serving atthe same time,-as current leads and as supports for the electrodes. Each electrode thus resembles a parallelopiped bell, with walls formed with fgaps like jalousieand di-.

rected upwardly om the outside of the bell towards; the interior. The electrodes areidentical except for the two end electrodes, which may be regarded as. formed by dividing on a central longitudinal plane, an electrode builtup in the manner described, and by facing the sectional plane in each of the two halves thus obtained with a sheet ofmetal as shown.

The cover of the vessel 1s provided with partitions 12 extending as far as the level of the liquid between. the electrodes, so as.

to form in relation to each electrode a closed cell 13 over the liquid. Each cell is provided, in its upper part with a delivery tube 14. Of these tubes 14, assuming them to be numbered progressively, the even numbers terminate n a collector 15, and the odd numbers in another collector 16. The curupper part being solid. The gapped portion.

may bereplaced by a simple metal gauze.

rent leads are arranged in such a manner that the electrodes are alternately anodes and cathodes.

The apparatus operates in the following manner:

During the passage of the current, the tiny bubbles of gas liberate-d at the facing outer surfaces of two contiguous electrodes are collected in the interior of the respective electrodes, in consequence of the specified special arrangement of said surfaces themselves. Hence, whilst the space between one electrode and the other is occupied solely by the electrolyte, the interior of each electrode is occupied solely by the electrolyte, emulsified by the tiny bubbles of gas. In this 'way, two communicating columns of liquid are formed, of equal height but of different specific gravity, consequently the system cannot be in equilibrirun, and there is an ascending movement set up insidethe electrodes and a descending movement between one electrode and the other.

The level of the liquid is regulated in such a way that the ascending interior column passes beyond the element 6 and discharges outside said element thus separating the gas from the liquid which sinks to the lower level and serves to feed the descendclose fitting cover 20; a cathode formed by a cylindrical surface of sheet metal 21 and by another surface 22, also cylindrical, placed inside the former" and provided with horizontal or sloping "gaps, these two surfaces being connected at the bottom by an annular base 23. The gapped portion does not extend as far as the surface of the liquid the The anode, which is arranged inside the cathode, is formed in exactly the same way,

except that in this case the exterior surface is pierced whilst the interior surface is solid. In the upper part of the apparatus a median cylindrical partition 24, secured to the inside of the cover, projects between the electrodes and divides the bell formed by the cover into two chambers, to each of which corresponds the upper extremity of an electrode and each 1s provided with a tube 25, 26 for collecting the gases.

Each electrode is provided with a support and current lead as in the previous case.

The apparatus works in the same manner, as that already described, except that the ascending currents pass into the interior of the electrodes and into the space situated between the confronting surfaces, whilst the descending currents pass on the outerside of the cathode and the inner side of the anode.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner thesame is to be performed I declare that what I claim is 1. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, electrodes having passages therein for the gases liberated at said electrodes adapted to separate said gases and to provide a path of uniform conductivity between said electrodes.

2. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, an electrode comprising a column of spaced outwardly flared members.

3. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, electrodes comprising the columns of spaced members adapted to direct the liberated gases into the interior of the columns and provide a circulation of the elec trolyte between opposing electrodes.

4. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, electrodes comprising columns of spaced outwardly flared members adapted to direct the liberated gases away from the spaces between opposing electrodes.

5. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, cooperating electrodes adapted to direct the liberated gases away from the current path between said electrodes.

6. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a cover for said container having partitions dividing the. space above the electrolyte into chambers, electrodes adapted to direct the liberated gases away from thespace between opposing electrodes to said chambers and conduits connected to said chambers.

7. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water; a container, a cover for said con tainer, conductin supports carried by said cover and electro es comprising a lurality of spaced outwardly flared rectangu ar members carried by said supports.

8. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a cover for said container, conducting supports carried by said cover, means carried by said cover dividing the space above the electrolyte into chambers and electrodes carried by said supports having passages therein for directing liberated gases away from each other and to said chambers.

9. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a cover for said container, conducting supports carried by said cover and electrodes carried'by said supports having passages adapted to direct the liberated gases from the current path between the electrodes. a

10. In an apparatus for the electrolysis water, cooperating of water, coo erating electrodes providing paths within t e electrodes for the liberated gases such that a flow of electrolyte of uni-,

form density is set up across the paths between the opposing electrodes.

11. In an apparatus for the water, cooperating electrodes havin passages for the discharge of the liberate gases and electrolyte, said gases being separated from said electrolyte upon the ischarge of said electrolyte over said electrodes.

12. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of electrodes adapted to cause a flow of the electrolyte over said electrodes to separate the liberated gases from the electrolyte.

13. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a cover. for said container, conducting supports carried by said cover and electrodes carried by said support adapted to cause a flow of the electrolyte to separate the gases liberated at electrolysis of the electrodes.

14. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, a container, a cover for said container, conducting supports carried by said cover and an electrode carried by said supin the separation of the sages which direct orts comprisin a column of spaced strips inclined upwar y and inwardl 15. In an apparatus for the e ectrol sis of water, a container, a cover for sai container, conducting supports carried by said cover and electrodes comprising a plurality of spaced hollow rectangular members having outwardly flared lower edges carried by said support.

16. In an apparatus for the electrolysis of water, cooperating electrodes having passages WhlCh direct the liberated gases away ses an 10h aids from each other.

In testimony signed my name in witnesses.

whereof I have hereunto the presence of two LUIGI CASALE. Witnesses:

J. J. Harmer,

Vam-zmoo RULLI.

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