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US 4,118,292 AGranted
Packed bed electrorefining and electrolysis
AssigneeNational Research Development Corporation
InventorsDerek John Fray, James Henry Cleland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A molten metal, such as aluminium, is refined by passing a stream thereof into an anode comprising a bed of conductive particles, such as carbon, in a molten or conductive-solution salt. A diaphragm, pervious to the salt but impervious to the molten metal, separates the anode from a cathode comprising a bed of conductive particles in a salt which is molten or in conductive solution.
Claims9
A method of refining a molten metal comprising the steps of:
- providing an anode assembly comprising a bed of conductive particles in a salt which is in a molten condition,
- separating the anode assembly from a cathode assembly by a diaphragm pervious to the salt and impervious to the molten metal,
- providing the cathode assembly, which comprises a bed of conductive particles in a salt which is in a molten condition,
- passing a stream of the molten metal to be refined into the anode assembly,
- applying a voltage between the bed of the anode assembly and the bed of the cathode assembly, and
- withdrawing refined molten metal from a sump region of the cathode assembly.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.