US937918A

US937918A - Electrolytic apparatus.

Info

Publication number: US937918A
Application number: US69258598A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur Brichaux
Original assignee: Solvay Process Co
Current assignee: Solvay Process Co
Priority date: 1898-10-04
Filing date: 1898-10-04
Publication date: 1909-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1926-10-26

Description

WITNESSES:

A. BRIGHAUX.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 0014, 1898.

Patented Oct. 26, '1909.

- i :NYENZOR I BY v @sfl m ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR BRICHAUX, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, ASSIGNOR TO THE SOLVAY PROCESS COMPANY, or SYRACUSE, NEW

YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELEGTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Pat-ented Oct. 26, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR BRIOHAUX, a subject of Belgium, residing at Brussels, Belgium, have invented a new and useful Electrolytic Apparatus, (for which I have filed applications for foreign Letters Patents as follows: Belgium, No. 134,176, March 5, 1898; Germany, No. S. 11,224/7 5, March 18, 1898; Great Britain, No. 7,471, March 28, 1898; Russia, No. 4,603, May 4/16, 1898; France, No. 266,675, June 14, 1898; Switzerland, No. 18,984, July 29, 1898; Austria, August 19, 1898, and Hungary, No. 12,055, August 25, 1898,) and of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object the production of an electrolytic apparatus of such construction as to reduce to a minimum the liability of recombination of the products separated by the current; and to this end, it consists in the combinations and constructions hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In. describing this invention, reference is bad to the accompanying drawing, which is a vertical sectional view of my electrolytic apparatus.

This electrolytic apparatus comprises in its organization a receptacle A for receiving the electrolyte, and means for maintaining within the receptacle layers of the electrolyte a a. arranged one above the other in direct contact with each other, and formed of unequal density and of substantially uniform thickness from end to end. Said receptacle A is of any desirable form, size, and construction, being usually rectangular and of greater length than height. A suitable cathode 0. as mercury, is supported upon the bottom of the receptacle A beneath the layer a of greater density, and an anode, as conductors a is arranged within the layer a of less density, said cathode and anode being connected to theconductors a a of an electric circuit.

The means for maintaining the layers a a of the electrolyte of unequal density within the receptacle A preferably comprises a partition B, chambers C C, and a regulator G The partition B is arranged within the receptacle A between one of its side walls a. and the anode a and above the bottom of said receptacle and the lower layer a of the electrolyte. Said partition may obviously be fixed in position, but is generally connected to a suitable adjuster, as a nut b, for

raising and lowering the partition, in order to regulate the depth of the lower layer a of the electrolyte, which layer usually fills the portion of the receptacle A arranged beneath the partition B and above the oathode a.

The chambers C C, which contain the material to be electrolyzed, are preferably so connected to said receptacle that unequal areas thereof communicate respectively with the portions of the receptacle inclosing the layers a a of the electrolyte for supplying to the respective layers unequal amounts of the material to be electrolyzed. Said chamber C is generally arranged in proximity to the side a of the receptacle A adjacent to the partition B and communicates with said receptacle by suitable conduits 0 c 0 opening into the receptacle A at one side of the partition B and at points above and below the lower edge of said partition. The chamber C is arranged in proximity to the opposite side of the receptacle A, is generally of less size than the chamber C, and preferably communicates with the receptacle A by a single conduit 0 opening into the receptacle A at the opposite side of the partition B and at a point above the lower edge of said partition. The regulator C usually consists of a plate, which is movable across the conduit 0 for controlling the passage therethrough of the material to be electrolyzed, and may be raised and lowered by a suitable adjuster, as a nut 0 The means for maintaining the layers a a of the electrolyte of unequal density within the receptacle A constitutes feeding means in direct communication with the electrolyte on opposite sides of the partition B, to supply sufiicient quantity of fresh material to maintain the dense layer in a saturated condition, and to supply suflicient quantity of material to the less dense layer to compensate for decomposition therein less the material introduced to said less dense layer by diffusion from the dense layer.

The passage through the conduits c 0 of the material to be electrolyzed takes place without circulation of the layers, except by diffusion, although it is obvious that the layers may be positively circulated, as in my patent, No. 774,230, issued Nov. 8, 1904. The described means for maintaining layers of the electrolyte of .unequal density within the receptacle A is particularly simple in construction, and practical in operation, but it is obvious that any other suitable means may be used for this purpose if desired.

The operation of my electrolytic apparatus is as follows :The electrolyte is divided into upper and. lower layers arranged one above the other in direct contact with each other and formed of unequal density and of substantially uniform thickness from end to end, the lower layer being in contact with the mercury or other cathode and almost or entirely saturated with the material to be electrolyzed, as an alkaline chlorid, and the upper layer being in direct contact with the lower layer and the anode and impregnated with a less amount of said material. The dense lower layer serves the purpose of a diaphragm without occasioning the inconvenience attending the use of an ordinary mechanical diaphragm, and during the passage of the current remains practically free from the material, as chlorid, being liberated at the anode, since said lower layer in contact with the mercury or other cathode is saturated with the material to be electrolyzed as an alkaline chlorid, and cannot readily absorb any liberated chlorin, and since said lower layer, being maintained as a distinctlayer by the partition B and the chamber 0, does not perceptibly mix with the upper layer of less density which surrounds the anode and readily absorbs the liberated chlorin, owing to the comparatively small amount of the material to be electrolyzed, as an alkaline chlorid, in solution therewith, and which is maintained as a dist nct layer by said partition 13, and the chamber O. Recombination of the material, as chlorin, liberated at the anode with the material, as sodium or potassium, liberated at the cathode is thus prevented.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An electrolytic apparatus comprising two communicating chambers, a' layer of electrolyte of comparatively greater density arranged in one of the chambers, a second layer of electrolyte of comparatively less density arranged in the other chamber above, and in direct contact with, and positive and negative electrodes arranged respectively in contact with such layers on opposite sides of the horizontal line of division of said layers, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle, a partition therein to provide chambers in the receptacle, said chambers being in open communication with each other, a layer of electrolyte of comparatively greater density arranged in one of the tively less chambers, a layer of electrolyte of comparadenslty arranged in a second chamber above, and in direct contact with,

the first layer,

the first layer, a cathode arranged in contact with the denser electrolytic layer, and an anode arranged in the electrolytic layer of less density, said anode being airanged above the cathode, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle for receiving the electrolyte and electrodes, the electrodes being arranged one above the other, means for maintaining within the receptacle layers of the electrolyte arranged one above the other in direct contact with each other, and means for supplying to the respective layers of the electrolyteunequal amounts of the material to be electrolyzed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

, 4. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle for receiving the electrolyte and electrodes, the electrodes being arranged one above the other, means for maintaining within the receptacle layers of the electrolyte of unequal density arrangedone abovethe other in direct contact with each other, each layer being of substantially uniform thick ness from end to end, and means for supplying to the respective layers of the electrolyte unequal amounts of the material to be electrolyzed, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle for receiving the electrolyte and electrodes, means for maintaining layers of the electrolyte of unequal density within the receptacle, and separate chambers for containing the material to be electrolyzed, said chambers having unequal areas thereof communicating respectively with the portions of the receptacle inclosing the layers of the electrolyte, substantially as and for the purpose specified. I

6. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle for receiving the electrolyte and electrodes, a partition arranged within the receptacle between opposite walls thereof and having its lower edge arranged above the bottom of the receptacle and spaced apart therefrom, and means for supplying layers of the electrolyte of unequal density at opposite sides of the partition, said layers being in direct contact with each other, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle for receiving the electrolyte and electrodes, means arranged in the receptacle to provide therein two communicating chambers, a layer of electrolyte of compara tively greater density arranged in one of the chambers, a second layer of electrolyte of comparatively less density arranged in the other chamber above, and in direct contact with, the first layer, and means for supplying to said layers respectively the material to be electrolyzed, substantially as and for I the purpose described.

' material communicating :receptacle between opposite walls thereof a and having its sup 8. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle for receiving the electrolyte and electrodes, a partition arranged within the lower edge arranged above the bottom of the receptacle, an adjuster for raising and lowering the partition, an means for supplying layers of the electrolyte of unequal density at opposite sides 0 the partition, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. An electrolytic apparatus comprising two communicating chambers, a layer of electrolyte of comparatively greater density arranged in one of the chambers, a second layer of electrolyte of comparatively less density arranged in the second chamber above, and in direct contact with, the first layer, electrodes arranged respectively in contact with said layers of electrolyte, means for supplying to said layers respectively the to be electrolyzed, and means for regulating the amount of such material fed to said layers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

'10. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle for receiving the electrolyte and electrodes, a partition arranged within the receptacle between opposite walls thereof andhaving its lower edge arranged above the bottom of the receptacle, a chamber with the receptacle atone side of the partition for, maintaining a layer of the electrolyte of greater density beneath the lower edge of the partition, and a secondchamber communicating with thereceptacle at the other side of the part'tion for maintaining a layer of electrolyte of less density above the lower edge of the partition and in contact with the former layer of electrolyte, substantially as and for the purpose de scribed.

11. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle and electrolyte therein, a separating partition in said receptacle, feeding means in direct communication with the electrolyte at one side of the partition to ply a sufficient quantity of fresh material to be electrolyzed to maintain a portion of the electrolyte in a saturated condition,'and thereby provide a comparatively dense layer of electrolyte, feeding means in direct com-' munication with the electrolyte on the other side of said partition to supply a suflicient' quantity of material to be electrolyzed to compensate for the decomposition therein less the material introduced from the denser layer by diffusion, a cathode located in contact with' the denser layer of electrolyte, and an anode superimposed above the cathode and located in the layer of less density, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

12. In an electrolytic apparatus, the combination with a receptacle, positive and negelectrolyzed directly to the electrolyte on ,a receptacle for the partition ative electrodes located therein, one above the other without the interposition of a mechanical diaphragm, and an electrolyte in said receptacle submerging the electrodes, of a separating partition arranged in the receptacle and separating the electrolyte into two layers, means for supplying a sufficient quantity of fresh material to be electrolyzed directly to the electrolyte on one side of the partition to saturate one layer of the electrolyte and provide a comparatively dense layer of the same about the cathode, and means for feeding a supply of material to be the other side of the partition to provide a layer of electrolyte about the anode of comparatively less density, the second-mentioned layer being supported upon the first-mentioned layer and in direct contact therewith, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

13. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a' receptacle, a cathode arranged in the bottom portion thereof, an anode superimposed above the cathode, means for maintaining a substantially saturated layer of electrolyte in the receptacle about the cathode including means for feeding a constant supply of material to be electrolyzed proportioned in reference to the decomposition of said layer, and means for maintaining a second layer of electrolyte in the receptacle, surrounding the anode, in direct contact withthe first layer, of less density than the same and supported thereon, the latter meansincluding a supply in direct communication with the second layer for constantly feedin thereto an amount of material to be eleetrolyzed proportioned in reference to the electrolytic decomposition of the second layer and the supply introduced-thereinto by diffusion, substantially asand for the purpose described.

14; An electrolytic apparatus comprising receiving the electrolyte and electrodes, a partition arranged in the receptacle between opposite walls thereof and having its lower edge disposed above the bottom of the receptacle, a chamber communicating with the receptacle at one side of the partition above the lower edge .of the partition for maintaining a layer of electrolyte of greater density beneath the lower edge of the partition, a second chamber communicating with the receptacle at the other side of for maintaining a layer of electrolyte of less density above the lower edge of the partition and in contact with the former layer of electrolyte, and a regulator for controlling the passage of said material from one of the chambers, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

1.5. An electrolytic apparatus comprising a receptacle for receiving the electrolyte and electrodes, a partition arranged withinthe receptacle between opposite walls thereof and havin its lower edge disposed above the chambers, substantially as and for'the purbottom oi' 'the receptacle, an adjuster for pose set-forth. moving the partition vertically, a chamber In testimony whereof, I have-hereunto communicating with the receptacle -at one signed my name in the presence of two at- 5 side of the partition above the ower edge of testing witnessesv at. Brussels Belgium this the partition, a second chamber communicatfirst day of September 1898. ing with the receptacle at the other side of ARTHUR BRICHAUX. the partition above the lower edge of said. Witnesses: a partition, and a regulator for controllingthe J. O. .Fl'insrnnnorr, 10 passage of such material from one o the GREGORY v