METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY WATCHING SODIUM CONCENTRATION IN MERCURY AMALGAM IN ELECTROLYTIC CELL

摘要

The sodium concentration in the amalgam of an electrolysis cell is automatically monitored by periodically removing an amalgam sample of predetermined quantity from the end compartment of the electrolysis cell, introducing the sample into a reference cell containing a reference electrolyte, thereby to form a galvanic element in said reference cell, discharging the galvanic element, and measuring the charge flowing out when the galvanic element is discharged, the charge being an index of the sodium concentration. Advantageously the reference electrolyte is a dilute solution of at least one of sodium hydroxide and sodium chloride. The apparatusincludes many cells and a common distant monitoring station. A voltage which is proportional to the decomposition current of the galvanic element formed by the amalgam and reference electrolyte is fed to the input of a voltage/frequency converter which determines the charge, and the output of the converter is integrated by a subsequent counter chain until the decomposition current is damped.