Vertical elecrolytic cells
AssigneeCommissariat a l'Energie Atomique
InventorsMichel Brochier, Maurice Pichon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vertical electrolytic cell has an anode separated from a cathode by a diaphragm. The cathode comprises continuous threads of mercury flowing down by gravity from evenly distributed apertures in the bottom wall of at least one channel fed with mercury.
Claims18
A vertical electrolytic cell having cathode means and anode means, wherein said cathode means comprises a substantially horizontal channel provided with a bottom wall having a plurality of apertures located above an unobstructed space, means for delivering mercury to said channel and means for collecting mercury flowing down by gravity from said apertures and directing said mercury out of said cell, the size of said apertures being such that mercury flows as continuous threads from said apertures throughout said space.
A vertical electrolytic cell for electrolytic reduction of uranium ions and the like, comprising:
- an electrically insulating casing,
- vertical diaphragm means separating an anode compartment and a cathode compartment in said casing;
- cathode means located in said cathode compartment and comprising a channel located in the upper zone of said cathode compartment and having a bottom wall formed with a plurality of regularly distributed apertures;
- anode means located in said anode compartment and having a vertical surface substantially parallel to said diaphragm means;
- means for causing an electrolysis current to flow from said anode means to said cathode means;
- means for circulating an aqueous acid solution of said uranium ions vertically across said cathode compartment;
- means for circulating a liquid anolyte vertically across said anode compartment;
- and
- means for delivering mercury to said channel and collecting mercury flowing out of said channel through the bottom apertures thereof, the cross-sectional area of said apertures, the head of mercury and the distance between said channel and the mercury collecting means being selected for mercury to flow down by gravity in the form of continuous threads from said channel to the collecting means.
A vertical electrolytic cell having cathode means and anode means, wherein said cathode means comprises a plurality of channels placed one above the other, the bottom wall of each of said channels being formed with at least one aperture, means for delivering mercury to the highest channel and collecting mercury flowing out of the lowest channel, each channel except the highest channel being located for receiving mercury from the channel above it in operation and the size of said apertures and the vertical distance between said channels being such that mercury flows out of each aperture into the channel under it as a continuous thread.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.