Electrolysis process using concentric tube membrane electrolytic cell

Abstract

The invention is a method for operating a vertically disposed, electrolytic cell of the type having: a hydraulically permeable, hollow, cylindrically shaped cathode; a hydraulically permeable, hollow, cylindrically shaped anode concentric with and surrounding said cathode to define an annular space therebetween; and a hollow, cylindrically shaped, ion permeable membrane interposed between, and concentric with, said cathode and said anode, said membrane separating and defining an anode compartment containing the anode and a cathode compartment containing the cathode; wherein said process comprises: (a.) flowing a catholyte from a lower portion of the cathode compartment, upward toward the upper portion of the cathode compartment, at least a portion of said flow passing adjacent to the cathode at a rate sufficient to sweep away at least a portion of any gas, formed during electrolytic operation of the cell; wherein at least a portion of said catholyte flow is through the annular space between the cathode and the ion permeable membrane and is at a rate sufficient to minimize the contact of the ion permeable membrane with the cathode; (b.) flowing the catholyte and gas upward and into a catholyte separation compartment; (c.) separating the gas from the catholyte; (d.) removing at least a portion of the catholyte from the catholyte separation compartment; and (e.) recycling at least a portion of the catholyte to a lower portion of the cathode compartment and upward toward the catholyte separation compartment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.