US3332868A - Electrolytic cell having bipolarly connected porous electrodes - Google Patents

Electrolytic cell having bipolarly connected porous electrodes Download PDF

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Publication number
US3332868A
US3332868A US301539A US30152963A US3332868A US 3332868 A US3332868 A US 3332868A US 301539 A US301539 A US 301539A US 30152963 A US30152963 A US 30152963A US 3332868 A US3332868 A US 3332868A
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United States
Prior art keywords
mercury
electrodes
porous
cell
electrode plates
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US301539A
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English (en)
Inventor
Friese Gunter
Richter Herbert
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GEA Group AG
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Metallgesellschaft AG
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Publication date
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B9/00—Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features
    • C25B9/30—Cells comprising movable electrodes, e.g. rotary electrodes; Assemblies of constructional parts thereof
    • C25B9/305—Cells comprising movable electrodes, e.g. rotary electrodes; Assemblies of constructional parts thereof comprising vertical-type liquid electrode
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B1/00—Electrolytic production of inorganic compounds or non-metals
    • C25B1/01—Products
    • C25B1/34—Simultaneous production of alkali metal hydroxides and chlorine, oxyacids or salts of chlorine, e.g. by chlor-alkali electrolysis
    • C25B1/36—Simultaneous production of alkali metal hydroxides and chlorine, oxyacids or salts of chlorine, e.g. by chlor-alkali electrolysis in mercury cathode cells
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B11/00—Electrodes; Manufacture thereof not otherwise provided for
    • C25B11/02—Electrodes; Manufacture thereof not otherwise provided for characterised by shape or form
    • C25B11/033—Liquid electrodes
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B11/00—Electrodes; Manufacture thereof not otherwise provided for
    • C25B11/04—Electrodes; Manufacture thereof not otherwise provided for characterised by the material
    • C25B11/042—Electrodes formed of a single material
    • C25B11/045—Mercury or amalgam
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B9/00—Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features
    • C25B9/70—Assemblies comprising two or more cells

Definitions

  • the electrolytic cell has porous electrode plates through which mercury seeps to react with aqueous alkali metal chloride solutions.
  • This invention relates to electrolytic cells useful for the electrolysis of brine having improved structure and particularly improved vertical mercury cathodes.
  • Electrolytic apparatus having mercury cathodes in general have rather large space requirements because the mercury serving as the cathode, as all liquids, forms a horizontal upper surface. Electrolytic cells are therefor mostly fiat, horizontal apparatus providing poor utilization of space.
  • Cathodes are also known having a liquid mercury layer which is renewed constantly by trickling mercury onto an amalgamated stationary inclined or vertical metal surface.
  • these have found no acceptance in practice, above all, because in order to obtain sufiicient coverage with the mercury, it must flow at such a great rate that no technically efficient or sufficient sodium concentration can be achieved in the amalgam.
  • Electrolytic cells are also known which have anodes and cathodes formed of hollow plates. filled with mercury whose walls consist of fine meshed wire sieve or glass or synthetic fiber fabric through which the mercury trickles.
  • electrolytic cells are known which have a large number of vertical porous electrodes filled with mercury amalgam, the electrodes being arranged in the form of known very compact filter press cells. These latter electrolytic cells, disregarding temporary use in very small apparatus, have found no acceptance in practice because they are not suitable for large technically efiicient apparatus. That is, it is not possible to connect the known vertical porous mercury or mercury amalgam electrodes bipolarly, which is an indispensable prerequisite for efficient use in large scale operations.
  • the electrolytic cell according to the invention has as an object the elimination of these disadvantages and the provision of alkali metal chloride electrolysis in a large cell having as many electrodes as desired connected bip-olarly and a single current inlet and outlet for the entire cell, while still retaining the advantages of the vertical porous mercury of mercury amalgam electrodes, which have an effective outer surface formed by a mercury or mercury amalgam film fiowing down the side of the porous outer surface.
  • the invention accordingly concerns a cell which has a plurality of bipolarly connected electrodes in the form of vertical hollow plates filled with mercury or mercury amalgam, only having the wall which is connected cathodically formed of a metallic or nonmetallic porous material which allows the passage of mercury therethrough, while the wall connected anodically consists of an impermeable conductive material which is chemically resistant in chlorine.
  • a metallic or nonmetallic porous material which allows the passage of mercury therethrough
  • the wall connected anodically consists of an impermeable conductive material which is chemically resistant in chlorine.
  • platinized titanium sheets are used for this purpose.
  • any chlorine resistant material is suitable as the material for the porous electrode wall.
  • 'Porous ceramic or plastic materials are advantageously used for this purpose. It is possible, however, to use specific metals, especially titanium. -It has been found that it is possible to produce sintered metal plates with any desired sizes of pores, especially with titanium without difficulty.
  • the faces of the vertical electrode plates are spaced horizontally from each other
  • the characteristic differences in the discharge rate of mercury resulting from the prevailing different hydrostatic pressures at the different heights of the electrode are compensated by progressively diminishing the porosity of the electrode wall from top to bottom. This can be accomplished, for example, by progressively diminishing the pore size or increasing the wall thickness in the same direction.
  • Formation of a cohesive mercury film can be favored by a relatively small inclination of the electrodes according to the invention.
  • An angle of ll0, preferably 3, is desirable.
  • Each electrode consists of an impermeable electrode plate 1 consisting of platinised titanium sheet and a porous ceramic plate 3.
  • inlet 5 mercury is introduced into the chamber 2 between the electrode plate 1 and the electrode plate 3.
  • inlet 6 the sole is introduced into chamber 4.
  • the mercury trickles through the ceramic electrode plate 3 and reacts with the sodium of the sole.
  • the chlorine formed by this process is drawn off from the cell by the outlet 7.
  • the current supply is performed by the connections 8, 9 respectively.
  • the sole is released by outlet 12.
  • the electrode plates 1 and 3 have an inclination of 10 with respect to the vertical.
  • the size of the pores of the ceramic plate 3 diminishes progressively from top to bottom, the wall thickness increasing in the same direction.
  • an electrolytic cell consisting of 30 hollow bipolarly connected electrodes filled with mercury one wall of which consists of platinised titanium sheet and the other wall of a porous ceramic plate each of which having an area of 1 square meter
  • a saturated solution of so dium chloride (sole) having a concentration of 315 gr./ liter NaCl and a temperature of 70 C. is introduced.
  • a single current of 125 v. is applied to the outer plates of the electrolytic cell.
  • the strength of the current is 15,000 a.
  • the solution of the sodium chloride is decomposed, the chlorine formed thereby rises to the surface of the solution and is drawn oil from the cell, whereas the sodium forms a 0.4% amalgam by reacting with the mercury trickling through the porous ceramic plate.
  • This amalgam is decomposed in a decomposing device by means of carbon plates and water into mercury, sodium hydroxide and hydrogen.
  • the recovered mercury is then recycled into the hollow electrodes.
  • the temperature of the sole in the cell reaches 80 C. It is drawn off in the lower part of the cell above the level of the amalgam.
  • the supply of the sole is controlled in such a way that the concentration of the effiuent is 265 g. NaCl/liter.
  • an electrolytic cell for the electrolysis of aqueous alkali metal chloride solutions having a plurality of vertically disposed hollow electrode plates filled with mercury and having porous walls through which the mercury escapes to the exterior of such electrode plates, the faces of which are spaced horizontally, the combinaton therewith of only one current inlet and only one current outlet for said cell, bipolar connections to all of the electrode plates in such cell excepting both end electrode plates, said electrode plates being provided with a porous face only on the cathodically connected side of sufficient porosity to permit escape of the mercury within the electrodes to the exterior of said porous wall and with a chlorine resistant impermeable conductive face on the anodically connected side.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Electrodes For Compound Or Non-Metal Manufacture (AREA)
  • Electrolytic Production Of Metals (AREA)
  • Electrolytic Production Of Non-Metals, Compounds, Apparatuses Therefor (AREA)
US301539A 1962-08-11 1963-08-12 Electrolytic cell having bipolarly connected porous electrodes Expired - Lifetime US3332868A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DEM53866A DE1172239B (de) 1962-08-11 1962-08-11 Elektrolyseur

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3332868A true US3332868A (en) 1967-07-25

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ID=7307836

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US301539A Expired - Lifetime US3332868A (en) 1962-08-11 1963-08-12 Electrolytic cell having bipolarly connected porous electrodes

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US3332868A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE636061A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE1172239B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR1365833A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB996786A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
NL (1) NL296456A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
SE (1) SE308300B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4040932A (en) * 1975-10-28 1977-08-09 Cotton Donald J Vertical liquid electrode employed in electrolytic cells
US4226695A (en) * 1978-10-20 1980-10-07 Environmental Sciences Associates, Inc. Electrochemical processing system
US4728409A (en) * 1985-01-25 1988-03-01 Canadian Patents And Development Limited Perforated bipole electrochemical reactor

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US651849A (en) * 1899-05-26 1900-06-19 Max Haas Electrolytic apparatus.
US2762765A (en) * 1951-06-06 1956-09-11 Hooker Electrochemical Co Methods and apparatus for electrolytic decomposition

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2669542A (en) * 1950-03-30 1954-02-16 American Viscose Corp Electrolysis of sodium sulfate
BE548036A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) * 1955-05-23

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US651849A (en) * 1899-05-26 1900-06-19 Max Haas Electrolytic apparatus.
US2762765A (en) * 1951-06-06 1956-09-11 Hooker Electrochemical Co Methods and apparatus for electrolytic decomposition

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4040932A (en) * 1975-10-28 1977-08-09 Cotton Donald J Vertical liquid electrode employed in electrolytic cells
US4091829A (en) * 1975-10-28 1978-05-30 Cotton Donald J Vertical liquid electrode employed in electrolytic cells
US4226695A (en) * 1978-10-20 1980-10-07 Environmental Sciences Associates, Inc. Electrochemical processing system
US4728409A (en) * 1985-01-25 1988-03-01 Canadian Patents And Development Limited Perforated bipole electrochemical reactor

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NL296456A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1963-08-06
GB996786A (en) 1965-06-30
SE308300B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1969-02-10
DE1172239B (de) 1964-06-18
BE636061A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR1365833A (fr) 1964-07-03

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