Flexible electrical connectors for electrolytic cells
AssigneeHatch Ltd.
InventorsDale Mackenzie Pearen, Maciej Jastrzebski, Bijan Shahriari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flexible electrical connector assembly is adapted to connect a bus bar of an electrolytic cell to a collector bar of the electrolytic cell. The assembly includes an electrical connector including a plurality of conductive metal sheets, the electrical connector having a collector bar end and a bus bar end. The electrical connector may be adapted for being joined, at the collector bar end, to the collector bar and, at the bus bar end, to the bus bar. The electrical connector may be adapted to implement a change in direction, at a bend along a current-carrying path between the bus bar end and the collector bar end, the bend assisting to define the change in direction as greater than 90 degrees.
Claims18
A flexible electrical connector assembly adapted to connect a bus bar of an electrolytic cell to a collector bar of the electrolytic cell, the assembly comprising:
- an electrical connector including a plurality of conductive metal sheets, the electrical connector defining a current-carrying path and having a collector bar end and a bus bar end, the electrical connector adapted for being joined:
- at the collector bar end, to the collector bar;
- and
- at the bus bar end, to the bus bar;
- and
- a bend restrictor for maintaining a change in direction defined by a bend in the current-carrying path between the bus bar end and the collector bar end of the electrical connector;
- wherein:
- the electrical connector is configured to implement a change in direction in the current-carrying path defined by the plurality of conductive sheets at a bend defined between the bus bar end and the collector bar end,
- and
- the bend restrictor and the electrical connector are cooperatively configured such that:
- the bend restrictor restricts the bend such that the change in direction defined by the current-carrying path between the bus bar end and the collector bar end is greater than 90 degrees.
A flexible electrical connector assembly suitable for connecting a bus bar of an electrolytic cell to a collector bar of the electrolytic cell, the assembly comprising:
- a flexible element;
- a connector for connecting the flexible element to the bus bar, either directly;
- or through an intermediate element such that a connection between the flexible element and the bus bar is established;
- wherein:
- the collector bar includes a pair of edges that extend between the collector bar ends, the pair of edges of the collector bar defining limits of the collector bar;
- the bus bar includes an inner bus bar surface, the inner bus bar surface defining a fundamental plane which includes the portion of the inner surface of the bus bar that faces the electrolytic cell;
- and
- while the flexible electrical connector assembly is viewed vertically from above, the connection between the flexible element and the bus bar, made via the connector, is substantially made at least 5 mm outside of both:
- (i) the limits of the collector bar;
- and
- (ii) an extension of the limits of the collector bare if the extension of the limits of the collector bar extend from the collector bar to the fundamental plane defined by the portion of the inner bus bar surface facing the electrolytic cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.