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US 3,974,049 AGranted
Electrochemical process
AssigneeParel Societe Anonyme
InventorsGeorge Stephen James, Bruce Ian Dewar, Walter Rudolf Moergeli
Life of this patent
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AssigneeParel Societe Anonyme
InventorsGeorge Stephen James, Bruce Ian Dewar, Walter Rudolf Moergeli
Estimating the term…
There is disclosed an electrochemical process wherein an electrolyte is passed through one electrode compartment of an electrochemical cell, said one electrode compartment comprising a particulate electrode and being separated from a second electrode compartment of said electrochemical cell containing a counter-electrode by a separator having an ion-permeable wall inclined away from the vertical and towards the particulate electrode. The distribution of the particles of said particulate electrode in the electrolyte during the process is controlled in a manner such that there is formed within said one electrode compartment a first region which is adjacent to the ion-permeable wall and within which first region substantially all the particles are, for a large proportion of the time they spend in said first region, separated from each other, and a second region which is spaced from the ion-permeable wall and within which second region substantially all the particles are, for a large proportion of the time they spend in said second region, in contact with other particles, and substantially all the particles are circulated between said first and second regions.
In an electrochemical process wherein an electrolyte is passed through one electrode compartment of an electrochemical cell, said one electrode compartment containing a particulate electrode which comprises a mass of discrete electroconductive particles and being separated from a second electrode compartment of said electrochemical cell containing a counter-electrode by a separator having an ion-permeable wall, the improvement which comprises (a) controlling the distribution of the particles of said particulate electrode in the electrolyte during the process in a manner such that there are present within said mass a first region which is adjacent to the ion-permeable wall and within which first region the average number of particles per unit volume is relatively small so that at any given time substantially all of the particles are separated from each other, and a second region which is spaced from the ion-permeable wall and within which second region the average number of particles per unit volume is relatively great so that at any given time substantially all the particles are in contact with other particles, and (b) establishing a circulation pattern in said one electrode compartment such that particles circulate along paths passing through said first and second regions.
In a process for electrowinning a metal wherein an electrolyte comprising an aqueous solution of one or more salts of said metal is passed through a cathode compartment of an electrochemical cell, said cathode compartment contains a particulate cathode which comprises a mass of discrete, electroconductive particles and being separated from an anode compartment by a separator having an ion-permeable wall, the improvement which comprises (a) introducing small particles into said cathode compartment wherein they form part of the particulate cathode (b) extracting particles on which metal has been electro-deposited from said cathode compartment, (c) controlling the distribution of the particles of said particulate cathode in the electrolyte during the process in a manner such that there are present within said mass a first region which is adjacent to the ion-permeable wall and within which first region the average number of particles per unit volume is relatively small so that at any given time substantially all of the particles are separated from each other, and a second region which is spaced from the ion-permeable wall and within which second region the average number of particles per unit volume is relatively great so that at any given time substantilly all the particles are in contact with other particles, and (b) establishing a circulation pattern in said one electrode compartment such that particles circulate along paths passing through said first and second regions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.