Patent ID: 8608914

Claim:
A molten salt electrolysis apparatus comprising: an electrolysis vessel accommodating a melt electrolyte including a melt metal. chloride; and an electrode unit provided with electrically conductive electrodes having anode surface portions and cathode surface portions associated with the anode surface portions, first insulation members fixedly attached to upper end surfaces of the electrodes to correspondingly cover the upper end surfaces while extending upward from the upper end surfaces, second insulation members fixedly attached to lower end surfaces of the electrodes to correspondingly cover the lower end surfaces while extending downward from the lower end surfaces, and an electrode frame provided with a sidewall composed of an insulating body surrounding the electrodes to fix the electrodes, the electrode unit being immersed in the melt electrolyte while the melt electrolyte is present around the electrode frame and between the electrodes, and the second insulation members have a surface lying on the anode surface portions, which are set to be coplanar to the anode surface portions, respectively, wherein the second insulation members have a wall structure to provide flow regions allowing electrolysis product melt metal, generated at the cathode surface portions and having a specific gravity higher than that of the melt electrolyte, to flow downward, between opposed ones of the second insulation members, in parallel with or away front surfaces, at a side of the anode surface portions, of the second insulation members.