Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for the Electrolysis of Alkali Chloride Solutions.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1899--Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for the Electrolysis of
Alkali Chloride Solutions.
A communication from F. STÖRMER, Engineer, of Montwy, Inowrazlaw, Kingdom
of Prussia.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, in the County of London,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
In apparatus employed for the production of chlorine and soda, the chlorine
is so rapidly produced when strong currents are used, that the liquid (the
electrolyte) is strongly agitated, to such an extent that it appears like a white
foam, owing to the gas being evolved in an enormous number of extremely fine
bubbles in the liquid. In consequence of this violent agitation the gas is driven
towards the reducing pole, where it tends to reunite again with the iron already
evolved at this pole, thereby causing great loss in production.
The present invention relates to an arrangement of apparatus in which the
electrolysis is carried out with a mercury cathode so as to avoid the drawback
above described. According to this invention the numberless fine bubbles of
chlorine gas are subjected as they rise to the attraction of extensive gas surfaces,
with which they are repeatedly brought in contact. Owing to this contact they
collect together in large quantities, the gas, finally, leaving the apparatus in
large bubbles, thereby rendering it possible to obtain a large yield when strong
currents are applied.
The improved construction or arrangement is illustrated by way of example,
in the accompanying drawing; in which A represents the anode and B a mercury
cathode.
Above the anode A or oxidising pole, are arranged several cases or compart-
ments K, K', K², . in such a manner that they alternately communicate with
each other at opposite ends, by means of openings or passages 0 depending
flanges R being provided at the top of each compartment so as to form a kind of
inverted shallow tray or cup.
The fine bubbles evolved at the anode are partly collected at C under the top
of the first division K, the remainder passing through the opening O in the next
division K', where part of the gas evolved collects in the space C and part passes
through the opening O', and similarly with the next division K2, and so on, the
small bubbles being thus united in comparatively large masses of gas, which as
the evolution of gas goes on leave the apparatus through the opening P in the
form of large bubbles, whereby undue agitation of the liquid and a consequent
reaction owing to gas remaining in the liquid is avoided.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular con-
struction of apparatus described as it is evident that it may be varied in many
ways in order to obtain the result sought, i.e., the collection and consolidation

page_text: of the gas bubbles as they are evolved in order to avoid undue agitation of the
electrolyte.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. Apparatus for use in the electrolysis of alkali-chloride solutions in com-
bination with a mercury cathode, characterized by a series of superposed chambers
or divisions communicating alternately at opposite ends, arranged over the anode
of the apparatus for the purpose of collecting and consolidating the fine gas
bubbles evolved substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. Apparatus for use in the electrolysis of alkali chloride solutions substan-
tially as described or illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 18th day of November 1899.
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.