Unipolar-bipolar electrolytic cell to make mix of hydrogen with oxygen

FIELD: process engineering.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to gas-flame processing of materials with hydrogen-oxygen mix, particularly, to electrolytic cells to this end. Electrolytic cell may be filter-press or box-type device. Note here that some electrodes of the cell are unipolar while some of them are bipolar electrodes. It consists of flat or shaped parallel electrodes with holes of slots making gas and electrolyte passages. Space between electrodes is filled with electrolyte while electric current is supplied to extreme electrodes. Said electrodes are interconnected by current conducting buses to make sets, two extreme of which comprise n+1 electrodes while other include 2n+1 electrodes, where n is natural number. Note here that central electrodes of every said set with 2n+1 electrodes are located between two adjacent sets while other 2n electrodes of this set are arranged at the center of gap between electrodes of adjacent sets with contact with said buses.

EFFECT: multifold reduction in area (diameter) of electrodes rated at 100 A and higher.

1 dwg

The invention relates to a gas-flame processing of materials hydrogen-oxygen flame with obtaining a hydrogen-oxygen mixture by electrolysis of water directly at the welding place.

Modern cells are divided into monopolar and bipolar scheme of connecting the electrodes to a power source (Yakimenko L.M., Mogilevskaya I.A., Tkachuk Z.A. Electrolysis of water. M.: Chemistry, 1970, 263 C.). In monopolar electrolyzers all electrodes-an anode connected to one common conductive bus, and all electrodes-a cathode to the other. Therefore, this cell represents, in essence, one electrolysis cell, each of the electrodes which consists of several elements, connected in parallel in the circuit. Bipolar electrolyzers consist of a large number of cells connected in series in a circuit, one side of each electrode, except for the two extreme connected to the power source is a cathode of one cell, the other of the anode adjacent cells.

The electrolysis cells intended for General application, shall give not less than 1.5 cubic meters of mixture per hour. Monopolar electrolyzer consumes about 1600 And on every cubic meter of hydrogen-oxygen mixture per hour. Therefore, monopolar electrolyzer designed for General industrial use, the types is not less than 2400 A. When this current electrolysis required massive leads and heavy power source, making it unacceptably cumbersome for use in electrolysis water generator (the term "electrolysis water generator" - according to GOST 2601-84, term No. 160). Bipolar electrolyzers consume a relatively small current but high voltage. Hence the increased demands isolation of the electrodes and the leakage current in the bypass electrodes (through the holes in them and looseness between the electrode and the body of the cell). The energy of the leakage current is consumed only for heating of the electrolyte, and not on education vodorodokislorodnye mixture.

In large electrochemical plants, for example, in the production of copper, where there are many cells, use a parallel-series connection monopolar electrodes, when multiple monopolar electrolytic cells (electrolysis baths) connected in series (Applied electrochemistry / University Textbook edited Apemille. M.: Chemistry, 1984. P.38-39). Each cell is installed in a separate housing or separated from other cell the dielectric wall. In relation to water electrolysis generators implementation of this scheme connection makes the cell unacceptably bulky.

Features electrolyzer for receiving water is one-oxygen mixture, the majority in which the electrode is monopolar, and the other is bipolar. The electrolyzer can be filter-prasnam or box and contains flat or embossed parallel electrodes with holes or slots for the passage of gas and electrolyte. The gaps between the electrodes are the same and filled with electrolyte, and by far the electrodes supplied with the electrical current. The electrodes are connected between a power busbar blocks, two extreme of which contain n+1, and the rest - 2n+1 electrodes, where n is a natural number. The average electrode of each block with 2n+1 electrodes placed between two adjacent blocks of the electrodes, and the remaining 2n this block in the middle of the gap between the electrodes of the adjacent blocks, without any contact with their power busbars.

In the middle electrodes of blocks with 2n+1 electrodes are bipolar, the rest of monopolar and the cell as a whole is a consistently United monopolar electrolytic cells, each of which 2n+1 electrolysis cell. Partitions separating each monopolar electrolyzer from adjacent, are bipolar electrodes.

The number of blocks of the electrodes is chosen according to the power source voltage of the electrolyzer, and the number of electrodes in the unit - current, on which count the cell.

Schematic illustration of the op is shivamoga cell for n=2 and seven blocks with 2n+1 electrodes shown in the drawing.

As can be seen from the drawing, the cell contains a set of electrodes 1 with the electrolyte 2 between them. Extreme electrodes connected to the current leads 3 and 4. The electrolyzer can be filter-prasnam or box. The electrodes have apertures or slots for the passage of gas and electrolyte (not shown). The electrodes in the package can be flat or embossed in them. The electrodes are connected to power busbar 5 in blocks I-IX. Two extreme block (I and IX) contain 3 of the electrode, the rest 5 of the electrodes. The average electrode blocks II to VIII are bipolar and divide the package electrodes eight series-connected monopolar electrolytic cells 5 cells in each (border monopolar electrolytic cells shown in the drawing by the dotted line).

The technical effect of the proposed invention is a repeated reduction of the area (diameter) of each individual electrode in the electrolytic cells designed for currents of the order of 100 a or more, which, in turn,

1) facilitates securing electrolyzers for hydrogen-oxygen mixture, as the vessels working under pressure,

2) you can make the pots with a capacity of 1500 liters/hour or more hydrogen-oxygen mixture is so compact that the "rules of the design and operation of vessels working under pressure" does not apply to them,

3) the value is positive reduces heat compared to bipolar cells with the same number of cells, since the loss of current leakage in the bypass electrodes ceteris paribus decline in 2n+1 times,

4) allows to facilitate the circulation of the electrolyte through the cell, as in monopolar electrodes to increase the area of the holes for the flow of electrolyte does not increase loss of current and heat dissipation due to leakage current in the bypass electrodes.

In accordance with the suggested were made electrolyzers for hydrogen-oxygen mixture with a capacity of 3.0 and 7.5 and 15.0 kVA. Tests of these cells confirmed the efficiency of the power supply electrodes on the proposed scheme and all the above advantages of such power. In particular, the dissipation was reduced several times compared with the dissipation of the bipolar cells of the same performance on hydrogen-oxygen mixture.

Electrolyzer for hydrogen-oxygen mixture filter presnogo or box-type package containing parallel electrodes made of flat or embossed with holes or slots for the passage of gas and electrolyte, the electrolyte in the interelectrode space and leads to extreme electrodes, wherein the electrodes are interconnected power busbars in blocks, two extreme of which contain n+1 electrodes, and the others at the 2n+1 electrodes, where n is a natural number, p and average the electrodes of each block with 2n+1 electrodes placed in the gap between adjacent blocks, and the remaining 2n electrodes of the block in the middle of the gap between the electrodes of two adjacent blocks, without contact with their power busbars, and the average electrode blocks c 2n+1 electrodes are bipolar, and the other electrode is monopolar.