US 4,726,891 AGranted

Flat plate bipolar cell

AssigneeThe Dow Chemical Company

InventorsRichard N. Beaver, Hiep D. Dang

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Abstract

A flat plate bipolar electrolytic cell frame unit has a plurality of connectors removably attachable to the centerboard. Anode and cathode plate supports or ribs have outer plate supporting edges and are cooperable with the connectors, when the latter are secured to the centerboard, to enable adjustment of the ribs to preselected positions whereat their edges define preselected planes, such that when the anode and cathode plates are subsequently welded to said edges and assembled with the connectors to the centerboard, the anode and cathode plates of adjacent bipolar cell units are parallel and closely spaced by a predetermined distance. The connectors are removably secured to the centerboard and the ribs are welded at their adjusted positions to their respective connectors. Thereafter the welded together connectors and ribs are removed from the centerboard to enable unencumbered welding of the anode and cathode plates to said edges of the anode and cathode ribs respectively. The connectors, with the ribs welded thereto and with the anode and cathode plates welded to their respective anode and cathode ribs, are then reassembled to the centerboard.

Claims17

Dependent claims

The combination in a bipolar electrolytic cell having a series of side-by-side cell units, each unit comprising a peripheral flange, a partition secured to the peripheral flange and comprising a composite structure of parallel anode and cathode side sheets, an anode plate spaced from the anode side of the partition, and a cathode plate spaced from the cathode side of the partition, said combination comprising means associated with each cell unit for supporting the cathode and anode plates of adjacent units at predetermined locations in closely spaced parallelism and for effecting an electrical connection between the anode and cathode plates of the associated cell unit comprising a plurality of anode and cathode connector means, means for removably securing said anode and cathode connector means at spaced locations on the anode side and cathode side respectively of the partition of the associated cell unit, the first named means also including means for accommodating variations in the surface contours of said partition and for supporting the anode and cathode plates of the associated cell unit in parallelism at predetermined spaced locations comprising a plurality of anode and cathode plate supports having anode and cathode plate supporting edges respectively and being individually adjusted relative to said anode and cathode connector means respectively to adjusted positions whereat their anode and cathode plate supporting edges at each anode and cathode side define a predetermined plane parallel to the other such plane independently of variations in the distances between each said plane and said partition, said anode and cathode plate supports being welded at said adjusted positions to said anode and cathode connector means respectively, and said anode and cathode plate supporting edges being welded to said anode and cathode plates respectively of the associated cell unit.

The method of fabricating a unit of a flat plate bipolar electrolytic cell having a centerboard spacing parallel anode and cathode plates;

comprising the steps of
(a) providing a plurality of anode and cathode ribs having anode and cathode plate supporting edges respectively adapted to be arranged in parallel planes and welded to said anode and cathode plates respectively for supporting the same in preselected planes;
(b) providing for each rib an associated plurality of connectors and securing means for removably securing said connectors to said centerboard at spaced locations;
(c) utilizing said securing means for removably securing said connectors to said centerboard at said locations and while thus secured,
(d) arranging said ribs at adjusted positions relative to said connectors to compensate for deviations of said centerboard from a plane surface parallel to said plates and to locate said edges in said preselected planes;
(e) welding said ribs in said adjusted positions to the associated connectors;
(f) utilizing said securing means for removing the welded together connectors and ribs from the centerboard;
(g) while thus removed from said partition, welding said anode and cathode plates to said edges;
and
(h) thereafter assembling the welded together plates, ribs, and connectors to said centerboard by utilizing said securing means for securing said connectors to said centerboard.

7 more elements

In a bipolar electrolytic cell having a series of adjacent cell units, each unit comprising parallel anode and cathode plates spaced by a partition supported within a peripheral flange, said partition comprising a composite structure of anode and cathode sheets defining anode and cathode sides respectively of said partition and confronting said anode and cathode plates respectively and having a plurality of surface locations variously spaced from their confronting plates, the combination of means associated with each cell unit for supporting the cathode and anode plates of adjacent units in predetermined closely spaced parallelism and for effecting an electrical connection between the anode and cathode plates of the associated cell unit comprising a plurality of anode and cathode connector means, means for removably securing said anode and cathode connector means at said locations to the anode and cathode sides respectively of the partition of the associated cell unit, and means for supporting the anode and cathode plates of the associated cell unit in parallelism at predetermined spaced positions independently of variations in the distances between said plates and said surface locations including a plurality of anode and cathode plate supports having anode and cathode plate supporting edges respectively and being individually arranged at adjusted positions relative to said removably secured anode and cathode connector means respectively, with their anode and cathode plate supporting edges at each side of said partition in a predetermined plane parallel to the other such plane at the opposite side of said partition, said anode and cathode plate supports being secured at said adjusted positions to said anode and cathode connector means respectively, and said anode and cathode plate supporting edges being welded to said anode and cathode plates respectively of the associated cell unit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.