Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Apparatus – Electrolytic
Patent
1993-04-02
1994-09-06
Valentine, Donald R.
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Apparatus
Electrolytic
204275, 204278, 204294, C25C 700
Patent
active
053445414
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a device for electrolytically recovering silver from a photographic processing fluid, said device comprising a cylindrical electrolysis tank with a fluid supply pipe and a fluid discharge pipe arranged in its bottom as well as a removable tank lid including a ventilation means, a hollow-cylindrical anode arranged concentrically within the cylindrical tank, a single-use cathode in the form of a hollow cylinder which rests against the inner surface of the tank wall as well as electric connections for the cathode and the anode.
DE-PS 40 07 906 discloses a device of this type in which the anode extending into the electrolysis tank is screwed to the tank lid.
The anode consists of a plastic cylinder and a holding bracket. The outer surface of the cylinder as well as the inner surface of the holding bracket are covered by an adhesively attached graphite foil. The bracket is screwed to the cylinder such that the graphite surfaces rest on each other and form an electric contact. By means of two further screws the bracket together with the cylinder is attached to the inner surface of the lid. The attachment screws which extend through the lid also serve as connections to the outside power supply.
This arrangement is disadvantageous in that the tank lid and the anode arrangement consist of a plurality of parts which are screwed together and whose assembly is very time-consuming.
It is the object of the invention to provide a tank lid and an anode arrangement which consists of a small number of parts, which is easy to manufacture and whose assembly requires a minimum of operations.
According to the invention this object is attained in that the tank lid forms an integral unit with a hollow cylinder which extends into the electrolysis tank from above and carries the anode on its peripheral surface.
According to an advantageous modification the hollow cylinder has a closed bottom plate and defines a cylinder space which is freely accessible from above.
The advantage attainable by the invention consists in that the tank lid and the anode holder form one single component which can be made in one step. Moreover the current is homogeneously distributed between cathode and anode within the electrolytic cell.
The invention will be described with reference to an embodiment schematically illustrated in the drawing.
The single FIGURE shows a lateral sectional view of a silver recovery device of substantially the same design as that proposed in DE-PS 40 07 906. Therefore the description of the subject matter of the invention with reference to the FIGURE only deals with those parts as contributing to a better understanding of the invention.
The cylindrical plastic electrolysis tank generally denoted 10 is provided with a fixedly arranged bottom plate 12 and a removable tank lid 14. The marginal area of bottom plate 12 features noses 13 and the marginal area of the lower side of the lid noses 15, which extend into tank 10 and rest against the inner surface 11c of tank wall 11. The noses serve to hold a cylindrical single-use cathode 30 of the type described in the above-mentioned DE-PS 40 07 906 in contact with the inner surface 11c of tank wall 11.
Moreover two clamping bolts 25 are provided by means of which electric contact is made with the single-use cathode provided with the negative cable, said cathode being thus additionally held.
A fluid discharge pipe 28 is arranged in the center of bottom plate 12 and a fluid supply pipe 26 at any suitable point of the range of bottom plate 12 between an anode 34 and the cathode 30. Inserted into said discharge pipe is an upright tube 27 which is provided with nozzles 27a and sealed by a cover.
The tank lid 14 according to the invention which includes an area upwardly inclined at a slight angle or having a slight upward curvature forms an integral unit with a hollow cylinder 16 which extends downwards into the electrolysis tank 10. Anode 34 which consists of a thin foil 35 coated with carbon is bonded to its peripheral surface 16a. The hollow cylinder 16 is closed
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patent: 4804452 (1989-02-01), Rhodes
Bailey Clyde E.
Eastman Kodak Company
Valentine Donald R.
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