ELECTROLYZERS FOR ELECTROWINNING OF ALUMINUM AND ANODES EMITTING OXYGEN Russian patent published in 2004 - IPC

FIELD: electrolyzers for electrowinning aluminum from alumina.

SUBSTANCE: the invention is dealt with the electrolyzers supplied with carbon-free anodes based on a metal and used for electrowinning aluminum from alumina dissolved in a fluoride-containing molten electrolyte. The electrolyzer contains at least one carbon-free anode based on a metal having a current-conducting metalwork with an electrochemically active anodic surface, on which during the process of electrolysis the anode emits oxygen. The mentioned metalwork is suspended in the electrolyte so, that its active anodic surface in practice is in parallel to the facing it flat cathode surface and contains a series of the horizontally elongated anodic elements, each of which has the length significantly exceeding its thickness. The anodic elements are located in parallel to each other and spaced one from another in a transverse direction and have basically a coplanar location. Each anodic element has an electrochemically active surface, and the electrochemically active surfaces of the anodic elements form the mentioned above the active anodic surface which covers the space with much large sizes, than the thickness of the elongated anodic elements. The spaced anodic elements form horizontally elongated cross-flow apertures for circulation of the electrolyte moved by means of a fast outlet of the anode emitted oxygen. The invention allows to realize fast separation of gaseous oxygen and also to realize a circulation of the electrolyte enriched with alumina between the anodes and the facing them cathodes.

EFFECT: the invention allows to realize fast separation of gaseous oxygen and also to realize a circulation of the electrolyte enriched with alumina.

38 cl, 16 dwg