Furnace and process for the production, in a molten bath, of metals from their oxides, and electrolysis furnace with multiple cells, composed of bipolar horizontal carbon electrodes.

摘要

1,169,012. Electrolysis furnace for the production of metals. MONTECATINI EDISON S.p.A. and G. DE VARDA. Oct.14, 1966 [Oct.21, 1965], No.46111/66. Heading C7B. Metals are electrolytically produced from their oxides in a fused bath, e. g. aluminium from alumina in a bath containing fluorine salts, using an electrolysis furnace comprising a cathodic vat, V, anodes 4 of pre-baked carbon connected to current carrying bars secured on a lifting and lowering mechanism (not shown) and one or more horizontal bipolar carbon electrodes 6, 7, 8 positioned one above the other between the anodes and the cathodic bottom of the vat, and which in operation bear a layer 3a, 3b, 3c of the metal to be produced, e.g. aluminium. Adjacent bi-polar electrodes are separated by spacers 9, 10, e.g. of refractory or carbonaceous material (which does not produce short circuiting owing to the laminar structure thereof) and as the bi-polar electrodes decrease in thickness with continued use of the apparatus, the spacers separating the thin lowermost electrode may be removed to produce a compound electrode 8 as shown, a fresh electrode being added at the top of the stack. The furnace shown in Fig. 6 comprises electrolysis chambers I and II; an alumina-feeding chamber III connected to the electrolysis chambers by means of holes 21 passing through the intervening walls; a tapping chamber IV to which aluminium passes through holes 22 and through a channel 23 passing under the chamber IS; and a cathode chamber V connecting with the chambers I and II via holes 26 and 27 and containing molten aluminium in which is immersed carbon electrode 25.