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P a t e n t e d
M a r . 6 ,
1 9 5 1
UNITED
STATES
PATENT
2 , 5 4 4 , 1 3 8
OFFICE
2 , 5 4 4 , 1 3 8
ELECTROLYTIC
E L L
WITH MOBILE
MERCURY
CATHODE
O r o n z i o
d c
N o r a , M i l a n o ,
I t a l y
A p p l i c a t i o n
A p r i l 1 7 , 1 9 4 7 , S e r i a l N o . 7 4 1 , 9 7 8
In I t a l y June
6 ,
1 9 4 1
Section ,
Public
Law
9 0 ,
August , 1946
Patent e x p i r e s
June
1 6 , 1 9 6 1
1
Claim.
1
This
i n v e n t i o n r e l a t e s t o
a
continuous c l o s e d
c y c l e e l e c t r o l y t i c
c e l l
with a
m o b i l e
m ercury
cathode.
E l e c t r o l y t i c
c e l l s
with mobile mercury cath
odes
have been
used i n
i n d u s t r y f o r
the
prepara
t i o n o f
h y d r a t e s
o r
s u l p h i d e s
o f a l k a l i
m e t a l s and
c h l o r i n e , and a r e
s u b s t a n t i a l l y
composed
o f t w o
compartments
arranged
s i d e
by s i d e , i n one
o f
which
t h e e l e c t r o l y t i c
p r e p a r a t i o n
o f t h e
a ma l ga m
s
e ? e c t e d
w h i l e
i n
t h e o t h e r
compart
m e n t t h e a ma l ga m i s decomposed by s u i t a b l e
r e a g e n t s . The mercury s removed fro m t h e , de
c o m p o s i t i o n compartment
a n d e l e v a t e d
i n o r d e r
t o
r e e n t e r
t h e
? r s t
compartment
and
r e g e n e r a t e
new amalgam
Th e
present invention
has a s
i t s
o b j e c t a par
t i c u l a r d i s p o s i t i o n o f
t h e
e l e c t r o l y t i c
c e l l
and
a s s o c i a t e d
apparatus
s o a s t o
c o n s i d e r a b l y
reduce
t h e q u a n t i t y o f mercury
employed, the
copper
necessary f o r the connection o f the c e l l s i n
c i r
c u i t
and t h e
s u r f a c e o c c u p i e d b y t h e c e l l
and
as s o c i a t e d
apparatus.
A c c o r d i n g
t o t h e p r e s e n t i n v e n t i o n , t h e
p l a n t
c o m p r i s e s an e l o n g a t e d e l e c t r o l y t i
c
c e l l
having t s
b o t t o m
i n c l i n e d s o
that the
mobile cathode w i l l
?ow
o n g i t u d i n a l l y thereof fr om
o n e
end toward
t h e o t h e r , and a disamalgamation apparatus
connected with t h e
c e l l
f o r
r e c e i v i n g
t h e mobile
cathode.
T h e
disamalgamating
apparatus
s co n
structed
in such a
manner s t o
e f f e c t
the
sub
d i v i s i o n o f t h e amalgam
?owing
through
t h e
sam e
and
i n c r e a s e
the duration
o f
contact with
the
disamalgamating
a g e n t .
Freed
mercury
i s
taken from t h e
disamalgamating a p p a r a t u s
and
returned t o
t h e
upper
end
o f
t h e
e l e c t r o l y t i c
c e l l
through a t u b e l y i n g p a r a l l e l t o t h e c e l l
but op
p o s i t e l y i n c l i n e d
s o
that the mercury introduced
i n t o the tube w i l l ? o w t o the upper i n l e t end
o f the
e l l .
In order t o f a c i l i t a t e
an
understanding
o f the
p r e s e n t i n v e n t i o n , r e f e r e n c e
i s
m a d e t o the
an
nexed d r a w i n gs i n which: 7
F i g u r e 1 i s t h e schematic
l o n g i t u d i n a l
s e c t i o n a l
view
o f
t h e p l a n t a c c o r d i n g
t o
t h e i n v e n t i o n ;
F i g . 2 i s a s i m i l a r view o f a s l i g h t l y m od
i?ed
form
o f
t h e
p l a n t ;
and
Figure
3
i s
a plan View
o f
t h e
p l a n t
o f F i g .
1 .
F i g u r e 1 shows t h e e l e c t r o l y t i c compartment
A
c o n n e c t e d w i t h
t h e d i s a m a l g a m a t i o n
a p p a r a t u s
B ,
fr om
which
the mercury, b y m e a n s
o f a pump ,
i s
r a i s e d
i n
t h e tube D,
which f e e d s
t h e
e l e c t r o
l y t i c
compartment
A .
The
c y c l e i s c l o s e d and
continuous
Figure 2
shows
a modi?ed
form
o f the plant i n
which t h e e l e c t r o l y t i c compartment A s c o n ,
1 0
1 5
20
25
8 0
40
45
5 0
204-220)
2
n e c t e d
t o t h e
pump
,
which f e e d s
t h e disamalga
m a t i o n
apparatus B ,
fro m
which
the mercury,
by
m e a n s o f the
tube
D eturns t o
the
e l e c t r o l y t i c
compartment A .
F i g u r e 3 r e p r e s e n t s t h e
c o u p l i n g
o f two e l e c t r o
l y t i c compartments a s t h o s e d e s c r i b e d i n
Figure
1
and connected
e l e c t r i c a l l y
in
s e r i e s .
According t o
F i g .
1 an e l e c t r o l y t i c compart
m e n t A having
a
l e n g t h e q u a l t o
a t
l e a s t ten
times i t s w i d t h ,
i s
f e d with an almost saturated
s o l u t i o n o f an
a l k a l i
metal c h l o r i d e , a nd there i s
o b t a i n e d
an
a ma l ga m o f sodium o r
potassium
t o g e t h e r with t h e formation
o f
c h l o r i n e . Th e
produced a l k a l i metal a m a lg a m
runs
due t o
g r a v i t y d ow n a l o n g
t h e
i n c l i n e d bo t t o m
o f
the
e l e c t r o l y t i c
compartment and
i s f e d by means o f
a
s h o r t c o n d u i t
t o
t h e
disamalgamation
compart
m e n t B , through
which
t h e a m a lg a m p a s s e s i n
a
downward v e r t i c a l
d i r e c t i o n .
The
apparatus
B comprises a tank
with
ade
quate
s e c t i o n
and
h e i g h t
with r e f e r e n c e t o the
c a p a c i t y o f t h e
e l e c t r o l y t i c
a p p a r a t u s , c o n t a i n
ing water o r a
s o l u t i o n o f
a l k a l i
metal hydrate,
i n which r e g u l a r o r i r r e g u l a r shaped p i e c e
s
o f
graphite o r
s i m i l a r
material
are i m m e rsed a n d
placed a s ? l l i n g .
These p i e c e s
o f graphite
can
be s u b s t i t u t e d b y p i e c e s o f o t h e r
conducting
ma
terial
The
amalgam
coming from t h e compartment
A , f a l l i n g v e r t i c a l l y o n t h e p i e c e s
o f
g r a p h i t e
o r
s i m i l a r m a t e r i a l ,
d i v i d e s i n t o
d r o p s , e f f e c t i n g an
i n t i m a t e c o n t a c t between t h e
amalgam,
g r a p h i t e
and water with t h e
formation o f a l k a l i
metal
hydra t e
and hydrogen.
W i t h t h e
o b j e c t
o f
producing
s o l u t i o n s
o f
s u l
p h i d e s
o f
a l k a l i m e t a l s
with
t h e amalgam, t h e
apparatus B
should
be s u i t a b l y b u i l t o r covered
with n on-conducting m a t e r i a l , and w i l l c o n t a i
n
a s o l u t i o n o f a l k a l i metal p o l y s u l p h i d e
and i n
stead
o f
the m e t a l l i c
? l l i n g , a
non-conducting
? l l i n g
such a s s t o n e ,
g l a s s
o r
s i m i l a r m a t e r i a l s .
The
r e g e n e r a t e d mercury f l o w s ,
due
t o g r a v i t y ,
i n t o the pump C from the
r e a c t i o n
apparatus
a n d .
i s
r a i s e d
b y
t h e
p u m p through t h e
v e r t i c a l
p o r t i o n o f t h e r e t u r n p i p e D
o
a h e i g h t e q u a l
t o
t h e h e i g h t
o f
t h e
disamalgamator
p l u s t w i c e
the
d i f f e r e n c e i n l e v e l between
t h e
two ends o f
t h e e l e c t r o l y t i c compartment where then i t
?ows by g r a v i t y do w n t h e o t h e r p o r t i o n o f t
h e
p i p e
D which has
a
s l o p e e q u a l
and
o p p o s i t e
t o t h a t
o f
t h e e l e c t r o l y t i c
compartment. The
s a i d o t h e r
p o r t i o n o f p i p e r e t u r n s
t h e
r e g e n e r a t e d
mercury
a t E above
an i n l e t
mercury s e a l F
o
f e e d t h e e l e c t r o l y t i c
compartment A n d
t o
gen
: e r a t e
f r e s h amalgam. The
c y c l e
i s c o n t i n u o u s .
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The working o f t h e apparatus i l l u s t r a t e d i n
F i g u r e 2 i s p e r f e c t l y a n a l o g o u s t o t h a
t o f F i g .
1 , t h e
v a r i a t i o n s d e r i v i n g
o n l y from
t h e r e l a t i v e
p o s i t i o n s
o f t h e
v a r i o u s
p a r t s .
Wha t
I
c l a i m i s :
A
ontinuous
c y c l e
e l e c t r o l y t i c c e l l with mobile
mercury
cathode, comprising
i n
c o m b i n a t i o n an
e l e c t r o l y t i c c o m p a r t m e n t having an
elongated
and
narrow
f o r m , t h e
l e n g t h
b e i n g a t
l e a s t
t e n
t i m e s t h e
W i d t h ,
with
a
s l i g h t l y
i n c l i n e d b o t t o m ,
the s l o p e being only that necessary
f o r
assur
ing the flow
o f
the
mer c ury a n d a
v e r t i c a l d i s
amalgamation
d e v i c e p o s i t i o n e d
f o r
v e r t i c a l
g r a v i t y f l o w o f
t h e a m a lg a m
from t h e e l e c t r o l y t i c
compartment t h e r e t h r o u g h ,
t h e
disamalgama
t i o n
d e v i c e
being d i s p o s e d near
t h e
o u t l e t end
o f
t h e
e l e c t r o l y t i c c e l l ,
two p o r t i o n s o f p i p e s
p r o v i d i n g connections
f o r
the return o f -mercury
t o
the
c e l l fro m
the
disamalgamator,
o n e
o f
s a i d , p i p e
p o r t i o n s b e i n g
v e r t i c a l a n d o f a l e n g t h
equal
t o
t h e h e i g h t o f t h e disamalgamator p l u s
t w i c e t h e d i ? e r e n c e i n l e v e l
between
t h e
two
ends
o f t h e c e l l f o r conveying mercury f r o m , the
1 0
1 5
20
b o t t o m
o f
t h e
disamalgamator t o a
p o i n t
a s .
high above the
lower
end o f
the
c e l l a s t w i c e the 2 5
d i f f e r e n c e i n l e v e l
o f
t h e two
ends
o f t h e e l e c
r t r o l y t i c c e l l , t h e o t h e r p o r t i o n
o f
p i p e
h a v i n g
a
4
s l o p e e q u a l and
o p p o s i t e
t o
t h a t o f
t h e e l e c t r o l y
t i c c e l l ,
and
being
a
continuation
o f
t h e
? r s t
r e c i t e d
p i p e p o r t i o n
f o r c o n v e y i n g mercury t o
the i n l e t
end
o f the c e l l , a mercury
s e a l
a t the
i n l e t end o f t h e c e l l , s a i d o t h e r p o r t i o
n o f p i p e
having i t s
d e l i v e r y
end
above the mercury i n
s a i d s e a l ,
a
s h o r t conduit
connecting
t h e
o u t l e t
o f the c e l l t o the i n l e t o f t h e
disamalgamator,
and
pump m e a n s
a t
the lowest e nd o f
the
ver
t i c a l
p o r t i o n o f p i p e .
ORONZIO
DE
NORA.
REFERENCES
CITED
The
following references are o f record i n the
f i l e
o f
t h i s p a t e n t :
UNITED
STATES
PATENTS
Number Name Date
501,783 Hermite _________
__
J u l y
1 8 , 1 8 9 3
9 5 1 , 2 2 9 Whiting ____ __l______ Mar.
, , 1 9 1 0
2 , 083,648
Gorke
___________ __ June 15, 1 9 3 7
2 ,31 6, 685
Gardiner ________
__ Apr. 1 3 , 1 9 4 3
FOREIGN
PATENTS
Num b er
Country Date
310,872 Italy ____________
__
Sept. 1 1 ,
1 9 3 3
