Method and apparatus featuring a non-consumable anode for the electrowinning of aluminum
US5942097A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 5, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 24, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 5, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC25C3/06
- WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention includes a conceptually new process to produce primary aluminum through the modification/adaptation for the HHC of a non-consumable anode of the type used for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) with the provision to electrochemically utilize/burn a fuel. The present invention is believed to work most effectively when the dissolution and fragility problems of the zirconia-base solid electrolyte can be sufficiently alleviated, e.g., through the use of a lower electrolysis temperature, through the use of melt additives to restrict dissolution, and/or through modern methods for the fabrication/deposition of the electrolyte onto an appropriate internal metal anode. The present invention thus achieves, through the use of the solid-electrolyte-coated anode, the long-sought non-consumable anode. The electrochemical oxidation, inside the NCA in accordance with the present invention, of an inexpensive fuel, e.g., reformed natural gas (as is done in the modern SOFC), constitutes a significantly more favorable anodic oxidation reaction than the evolution of pure oxygen disclosed by Marincek.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.