An Improved Electrolytic Apparatus.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Electrolytic Apparatus.
I, THOMAS CRANEY, of 624 Harrison Street Bay City, County of Bay State of
Michigan, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates more specifically to electrolytic apparatus, principally
designed for the commercial manufacture of sodic hydrate, from common salt, and
the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the vessel or
receptacle in which the decomposition takes place, and has for its object primarily
to render the construction more economical and in a form more adapted for the
commercial exploitation of the process of electro been devised heretofore.
To this end I construct and combine in a simple and economical manner a
plurality of cells communicating with each other and enclosed in a single vessel or
vat, whereby the liquid to be treated circulates from one cell to the next one, and
so on, until the electrolytic action has reached its limit.
My invention also consists in the peculiar provision made for mechanically
separating and collecting the products of electrolysis, all as more fully hereinafter
described and shown in the drawings, in which,
Fig. 1 is a diagram plan view of my improved apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a vertical, central, longitudinal section thereof.
Fig. 3 is a cross section on line - in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of an apparatus somewhat modified.
Fig. 5 is a cross section of this modified form.
Fig. 6 is a plan similar to Fig. 4 with the exception that the cathodes are
separated from the partitions, as referred to in the modification described in the
Specification.
Fig. 7 is a detached elevation of one of the bells.
Fig. 8 is a vertical, longitudinal section on lines - Fig. 6.
A is a vat which may be of stone ware, glass, cement, slate or any other
material of like indestructible character, but preferably of wood provided with an
indestructible lining where necessary.
This vat is provided with a hermetically closing cover B to prevent the escape
of gaseous products, and with a suitable inlet opening C for the admission of
the brine, and an outlet opening D for the discharge of the liquid product of
decomposition.
The entire bottom of this vat is covered with an indestructible porous medium
such as ground slate, glass, sand, asbestos, etc., which when packed is of the nature
of a so-called electrolytic diaphragm, which permits electrolysis to take place
through it, while at the same time prevents the intermingling of the products of
decomposition, so as to prevent their reuniting.
Partitions É E' divide the vat into compartments or cells, in such a manner that
they partially intercept the free flow of the liquid and compel it to flow alternately
over the top of one partition and then under the lower edge of the next partition
in its passage from one end of the vat to the other.
These partitions may be built of material like the rest of the vat or they may be
wholly or partially of metal, as in the drawings, so as to form the cathodes for the
cells into which they divide the vat, if not so formed separate cathodes are provided
for each cell, as shown in Fig. 8, in which U are such separate cathodes consisting
of sheet metal hent or rolled up.
An anode is contained in each cell and this I enclose in a bell F, of a stone ware
or other non-destructive material, preferably non-porous and provided with an open

page_text: bottom projecting into the porous medium and suitably supported above the bottom
of the vat by providing it with a scalloped lower edge, or in any other desired
manner. Each bell has a discharge pipe G for the escape of the chlorine gas and
this is preferably made at the height of the surface of the liquid in the vat so as to
serve as an overflow through which a small portion of the liquid may be allowed
to escape with the gas to carry off impurities and facilitate the escape of the
chlorine gas, which by its specific gravity collects on the surface of the liquid.
The discharge pipes of all the bells pass through the side of the tank and connect
into a common overflow pipe H through which the chlorine gas is conducted off to
a place where it is collected for further use.
The anode enclosed within the cells may be of any desired construction, those
shown in the drawings are composed of carbon partly contained within an outer
protective substance to prevent this disintegration by the combined action of the
current and of the chlorine gas.
The parts being constructed and arranged as described and shown, it will be seen
that I obtain all the objects set forth in a very simple and economical way.
The brine flows into the first cell preferably in a continuous feed commensurate
with the capacity of the apparatus and the strength of the current, whereby the
flow from the discharge pipe D is correspondingly regulated so as to obtain a
solution of caustic soda to the full limit of decomposition.
However, I do not confine myself to the complete carrying out of the process in
one vat but may connect several like vats if necessary to carry the decomposition
to its full limit.
The liquid being acted on in the first cell is conducted into the next cell by
overflowing over the first partition and then from the second cell into the next
adjoining by flowing under the partition and so on to the last cell. By thus
directing the circulation the liquid is more uniformly decomposed, the process is
kept under control, and the gaseous products separate more readily.
In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the vat is longitudinally divided by a
partition I into a large compartment which is common to all the anodes and the
other half is subdivided by partitions E E' in like manner, as shown for the vat in
Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and these partitions may also constitute the cathodes of the
apparatus.
The partition I extends into the porous medium in the bottom of the vat but
does not extend entirely to the bottom, or, in lieu thereof has openings near the
bottom communicating with the compartments containing the cathodes.
The bell over the anode can be dispensed with in this construction and a single
overflow pipe serves for the whole anode compartment.
The inlet and outlet openings are again arranged to cause the liquid to flow from
one cathode compartment into the next in the same manner as above described and
several vats are shown united into a system.
My apparatus is equally applicable to the electrolytic decomposition of other
metallic salts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination and arrangement in an electrolytic apparatus, of a vessel
provided with inlet and discharge connections for the liquid, a porous medium
contained in the bottom of the vessel, anodes and cathodes contained in chambers
formed in said vessel, and partitions extending alternately above and below the
liquid and separating the cathode chambers.
2. The combination and arrangement in an electrolytic apparatus, of a vessel
containing the liquid to be electrolized and provided with inlet and outlet con-
nections, a porous medium contained in the bottom of the vessel,-partitions
dividing the vessel above the porous medium into separate chambers containing the
cathodes and communicating with each other alternately at the top and bottom,

page_text: and anodes contained in separate chambers communicating with the cathodes
through the porous medium.
3. The combination and arrangement in an electrolytic apparatus, of a vessel
containing a porous medium at the bottom thereof, anodes and cathodes enclosed
in separate chambers communicating with each other through the porous medium,
and partitions separating the cathode chambers, said cathode-chambers com-
municating alternately at the top and bottom.
333
THOMAS CRANEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.