Electrode for an electrolytic cell, use thereof and method using same
AssigneesSikel N.V., Hans Josef May, Roland Schnettler
InventorsNorbert Prum, Roland Schnettler, Hans Josef May
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an electrode preferably an insoluble electrode for an electrolytic cell. The electrode is located within an enclosure defining a chamber, a wall of said enclosure being formed by a membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough. The enclosure has an opening for feeding electrolyte, an opening for evacuating electrolyte and means conducting the upward current of electrolyte with a velocity in the vicinity of the electrode of at least 0.01 m/s. The invention relates also to plants and processes using such electrode for the plating or deplating of metal strips.
Claims25
Process for the electrochemical plating of a metal strip with a metal in a cell provided with an insoluble anode and in which the metal strip acts as a cathode, in which a first electrolyte containing a salt of a plating metal is recycled between a cathodic metal strip to be plated and an insoluble anode, in which the insoluble anode is an electrode, wherein said electrode comprises a set of vertical fins having a bottom and a top, said set of fins being located within an enclosure defining a chamber, wherein a vertical wall of said enclosure is formed by a membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said enclosure having a feeding passage for feeding a second electrolyte into the chamber at the bottom of the set of fins and an outlet passage for evacuating electrolyte from the chamber at the top of the set of fins creating an upward current of electrolyte in the chamber, in which the set of fins acts as an electrode and defines therebetween separate channels for conducting the upward current of electrolyte in the chamber, a wall of said channels being formed by a porous web bearing the membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, wherein the fins have a height between 5 and 10 mm, and the distance separating two adjacent fins is between 5 and 10 mm to ensure a velocity of the electrolyte adjacent to the fins of at least 0.01 m/s,
- wherein the membrane is arranged between the anode and the metal strip to be plated so that said membrane separates the cell into a cathodic space adjacent to the metal strip and an anodic space defined by the chamber of the enclosure and forms a separation between the cathodic space of the cell and the chamber defined by the enclosure of the electrode, wherein in said process a first circuit of the first electrolyte in the cathodic space and a second circuit of the second electrolyte in the chamber are created, the membrane preventing the passage of gases formed at the anode into the first circuit of the first electrolyte and the passage of the salt of the plating metal from the cathodic space into the second circuit of the second electrolyte in the chamber.
Vertically oriented electrode for electrolytic cell, said electrode comprising a set of vertical fins having a bottom and a top, said set of fins being located within an enclosure defining a chamber, wherein a vertical wall of said enclosure is formed by a membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said enclosure having a feeding passage for feeding an electrolyte into the chamber at the bottom of the set of fins and an outlet passage for evacuating electrolyte from the chamber at the top of the set of fins creating an upward current of electrolyte in the chamber, in which the set of fins acts as an electrode and defines therebetween separate channels for conducting the upward current of electrolyte in the chamber, a wall of said channels being formed by a porous web bearing the membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, wherein the fins have a height between 5 and 10 mm, and the distance separating two adjacent fins is between 5 and 10 mm to ensure a velocity of the electrolyte adjacent to the fins of at least 0.01 m/s.
Vertically oriented electrode for electrolytic cell, said electrode comprising:
- (a) a first set of vertical fins having a bottom and a top, said first set of fins being located within a first enclosure defining a first chamber, wherein a vertical wall of said enclosure is formed by a membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said first enclosure having a feeding passage for feeding an electrolyte into the first chamber at the bottom of the first set of fins and an outlet passage for evacuating electrolyte from the chamber at the top of the first set of fins creating an upward current of electrolyte in the first chamber, in which the first set of fins acts as an electrode and defines therebetween separate channels for conducting the upward current of electrolyte in the chamber, a wall of said channels being formed by a porous web bearing the membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said porous web acting as an electrode, wherein the fins have a height between 5 and 10 mm and a distance separating two adjacent fins between 5 and 10 mm ensuring a velocity of the electrolyte adjacent to the fins of at least 0.1 m/s;
- (b) a second set of vertical fins having a bottom and a top, said second set of fins being located within a second enclosure defining a second chamber, said second enclosure being above the first enclosure, wherein a vertical wall of said second enclosure is formed by a membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said second enclosure having a feeding passage for feeding an electrolyte into the second chamber at the bottom of the second set of fins and an outlet passage for evacuating electrolyte from the second chamber at the top of the second set of fins creating an upward current of electrolyte in the second chamber, in which the second set of fins acts as an electrode and defines therebetween separate channels for conducting the upward current of electrolyte in the second chamber, a wall of said channels being formed by a porous web bearing the membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said porous web acting as an electrode, wherein the fins have a height between 5 and 10 mm and a distance separating two adjacent fins between 5 and 10 mm ensuring a velocity of the electrolyte adjacent to the fins of at least 0.1 m/s;
- (c) a cross member linking the first enclosure with the second enclosure, said cross member having passages extending between the outlet passage of the first enclosure and the feeding passage of the second enclosure, where electrolyte flowing out from the first chamber flows into the second chamber, and
- (d) a beading extending between the first enclosure and the second enclosure, said beading extending beyond the vertical walls of the first and second enclosures formed by a membrane.
Process for the electrochemical plating of a metal strip with a metal in a cell provided with an insoluble anode and in which the metal strip acts as a cathode, in which a first electrolyte containing a salt of a plating metal is recycled between a cathodic metal strip to be plated and an insoluble anode, in which the insoluble anode is an electrode, wherein said electrode comprises:
- (a) a first set of vertical fins having a bottom and a top, said first set of fins being located within a first enclosure defining a first chamber, wherein a vertical wall of said enclosure is formed by a membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said first enclosure having a feeding passage for feeding a second electrolyte into the first chamber at the bottom of the first set of fins and an outlet passage for evacuating second electrolyte from the chamber at the top of the first set of fins creating an upward current of second electrolyte in the first chamber, in which the first set of fins acts as an electrode and defines therebetween separate channels for conducting the upward current of second electrolyte in the chamber, a wall of the said channels being formed by a porous web bearing the membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said porous web acting as an electrode, wherein the fins have a height between 5 and 10 mm and a distance separating two adjacent fins between 5 and 10 mm ensuring a velocity of the second electrolyte adjacent to the fins of at least 0.1 m/s;
- (b) a second set of vertical fins having a bottom and a top, said second set of fins being located within a second enclosure defining a second chamber, said second enclosure being above the first enclosure, wherein a vertical wall of said second enclosure is formed by a membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said second enclosure having a feeding passage for feeding an electrolyte into the second chamber at the bottom of the second set of fins and an outlet passage for evacuating electrolyte from the second chamber at the top of the second set of fins creating an upward current of electrolyte in the second chamber, in which the second set of fins acts as an electrode and defines therebetween separate channels for conducting the upward current of electrolyte in the second chamber, a wall of said channels being formed by a porous web bearing the membrane allowing ions to pass therethrough, said porous web acting as an electrode, wherein the fins have a height between 5 and 10 mm and a distance separating two adjacent fins between 5 and 10 mm ensuring a velocity of the electrolyte adjacent to the fins of at least 0.1 m/s;
- (c) a cross member linking the first enclosure with the second enclosure, said cross member having passages extending between the outlet passage of the first enclosure and the feeding passage of the second enclosure, where the second electrolyte flowing out from the first chamber flows into the second chamber, and
- (d) a beading extending between the first enclosure and the second enclosure, said beading extending beyond the vertical walls of the first and second enclosures formed by a membrane,
- wherein the membrane is arranged between the anode and the metal strip to be plated so that said membrane separates the cell into a cathodic space adjacent to the metal strip and an anodic space defined by the chambers of the enclosures and forms a separation between the cathodic space of the cell and the chambers defined by the enclosures of the electrode, wherein in said process a first circuit of the first electrolyte in the cathodic space and a second circuit of the second electrolyte in the chambers are created, the membrane preventing the passage of gases formed at the anode into the first circuit of the first electrolyte and the passage of the salt of the plating metal from the cathodic space into the second circuit of the second electrolyte in the chambers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.