Engelhardt.V The Electrolysis of Water Processes and Applications

Easton.PA 1904 year, - 164 page.
Corresponding with the rapid growth which the application
of electrochemical processes have shown in practice, the
literature of this field has grown remarkably in the last ten
years of the past century. This literature has, however, in
spite of the existence of present German and other treatises
and the regularly appearing periodicals, yet exclusively re-
mained a simple current report. Those works which have
appeared, which in a concise form treat of the larger field of
applied electrochemistry, are for the most part primarily in-
tended for students and therefore have a general character.
Special treatises on applied electrochemistry which will treat
of their subjects exhaustively in all directions are, with the
very few exceptions, not in existence.
This deficiency is, however, easily explainable if we con-
sider more closely the way in which electrochemical processes
reach commercial applications.
We can, on the whole, if we leave out of consideration the
electrochemical sources of the current, which form a group
of themselves, divide these electrochemical processes into two
principal classes.
One series of processes which we may designate as electro-
chemical installation-processes, have as their object, with-
out forming a branch of manufacture themselves, to introduce
technical improvements or economies in the existing indus-
tries and processes.
What appears on such processes in literature is only in
rarest cases published by the industries making use of the
processes themselves ; but in the main by the patentees of the
process in question, who are in most cases, identical with
the manufacturers of the machinery and apparatus necessary
for the practice of the process. Since it is in the interest of
the latter to erect as many plants as possible, the literature
must be exploited for advertising purposes. The descriptiongiven of the form of apparatus is usually only diagrammatic,
and often has the object of deceiving those who should hope
to work in the same direction. As an example of such elec
trochemical installation we may quote the electrolytic puri-
fication of beet-sugar solution, the so-called electrical bleach-
ing, many applications of ozone, the electrolytic decomposition
of water, some metallurgical refining processes, etc.
The second large group are the real electrochemical manu-
facturing processes like the chlorine and alkali industry, the
manufacture of chlorates, carbides, most of the metallurgical
applications of electrochemistry and the like. In these pro-
cesses the withholding of published information is greater than
in the previous ones. With the exception of the patent
specifications, very little is made public. Every practical
electrochemist knows how far the principles described in the
patent specifications are different from the real applications
in practice.
In the collection of *' Monographs of Applied Electrochem-
istry," the first volume of which is herewith published, it
will be the object to set forth detailed and most authentic
reports in the field of applied electrochemistry. These mono-
graphs will not be general compilations on the present con-
dition of the several fields of applied electrochemistry, but
exhaustive special reports, in which the entire historical de-
velopment will be set forth, and a good review of the most
important patent literature made. An endeavor will further
be made to modify, as far as possible, the conservatism of the
commercial circles and to give as far as possible commercial
data, such as cost of plant and operation, commercial con-
ditions and the like.
Our co-operators, who on the one side are instructors in elec-
trochemistry in the technical colleges, in close connection with
the pioneers of electrochemistry, on the other side practical
electrochemists in successful commercial work, permit the
hope of our success to appear well-founded.
Yet we do not like to narrow the boundaries which we willobserve in the " Monographs of Applied Electrochemistry.''
How much work which was undertaken with a purely theo-
retical interest really provides a rich source of valuable mate-
rial for industrial applications! How valuable for the prac-
tical man would be the exhaustive reports on the special con-
ditions of work and production in the different countries in
which electrochemistry flourishes!
We therefore hope that the collection of treatises whose
publication is now begun will be a welcome assistance to our
professional men in their work.
Surely we will reach this goal if not only the above-named
cooperators but all professional men will aid us by commu-
nicating their experiences and reporting any modifications or
mistakes.
For assistance rendered in this direction we therefore offer
our best thanks in advance.
CONTENTS.
I. Historical Review:
Introduction i
The Discovery of the Electrolytic Decomposition of Water i
Older Literature 4
II. The Constants of the Electrolytic Decomposition of Water:
Chemical and Electrochemical Constants 6
A. Oxygen 6
B. Hydrogen 7
C. Detonating Gas 7
Decomposition Voltage 7
Conductivity 8
III. Review of the Processes:
A. Processes and Apparatus for the Separate Production of Oxygen
and Hydrogen 9
(a) With Porous Diaphragms of Non-conducting Material 9
Process of d'Arsonval, 1885 10.
Form of Apparatus • • . • 10
Process of Latchinoff ii
Patent Claim '• 11
First Method of Operation 11
Later Methods of Operation 12
Drying of the Gases 14
Moderation of Complications 15
Bipolar Connections 15
Electrolysis under Pressure 15
Plant 17
Output 18
'Cost of Operation r8
Practice 18
Process of Ducretet, 1888 19
Form of Apparatus 19
ProcevSs of Renard, 1888-1890 19
Output 20
Form of Apparatus 20
Practice 21
Cost of Plant and Operation 21
Laboratory Apparatus 21
Process of Delmard, i8qo 23
Process of Bell, 1893 24
Patent Claim 24
Form of Apparatus 25
Practice 27Process of Schmidt, 1899 27
Patent Claim 28
Description 28
Form of Apparatus 30
Output 31
Purity of the Gases 31
Types of Apparatus 32
Arrangement 33
Rules for Operating 33
{a) Gasometer 33
{d) Conductors and Water Supply 34
(c) Measuring and Controlling Apparatus 35
{d) Cocks and Joints 35
(e) Gas Pressure 35
(/ ) Burner 36
(^) Setting Up of the Apparatus 37
( A ) Charging 37
{i) Starting Up 37
{k) Operation 38
Cost of Plant for the Sale of Compressed Gas 39
Cost of Operation for the Sale of Compressed Gas 39
Cost of Operation without Compression 40
{a) for Detonating Gas 41
((^) for Oxygen 41
{c) for Hydrogen 42
Practice 4?
(b) IVi^k Complete Non-conduding Partitions 43
{a) For Instruction and Laboratory Apparatus 45
Ritter's Apparatus 43
Forms of the Apparatus 44
Hofmann's Apparatus 45
BuflTs Apparatus 46
Rosenfeld's Apparatus 46
Rebenstorff's Apparatus 47
Haberman ii's Apparatus 48
( b ) For Tech n ical Purposes 49
Process of Ascherl, 1894 49
Patent Claim 49
Description 49
Practice 52
Process of Schoop, 1900 52
Patent Claim 52
Form of Apparatus 53
Output 56
Cost of Operation 56
Practice 57Walter Neumann 95
" " BerlinProcess of Hazard-Flaniaiul, 1898 58
Form of Apparatus 58
Practice 61
Process of Verney, 1899 61
Form of Apparatus 61
Practice 61
( c) With Complete or Per/orated Conducting Partitions 61
Process of Garuti, 1893 61
Patent Claim 62
Principle 62
Form of Apparatus 64
Variation of the Apparatus 67
Operation 72
Purity of the Gases 73
Cost of Operation 74
Cost of Plant 76
Practice 76
Process of Siemens Bros, and Obach, 1893 80
Form of Apparatus 80
Output 81
Cost of Operation and Plant 82
Process of Schuckert, 1896 83
Patent Claim 83
Description 84
Management 85
Normal Types 86
Output 86
Cost of Plant 87
Cost of Operation 87
Practice 88
B. Processes and Apparatus for the Electrolysis of Water without
Separation of the Gas {Production of Detonating Gas) 88
(a) For Purposes of Instruction and Laboratory Work { Voltameter) 88
General 88
Reduction of Gas Volumes 89
Connections for Calibration of Apparatus 90
Simple Forms of Apparatus 91
Voltameter of Kohlrausch 91
"DelaRive 92
" . " Bunsen 92
*' Oettel. 93
" " Walter Neumann 95
" " Berlin 97
" " Minet 98
" " Minet for Industrial Purposes 100
( b ) For Technical Purposes 102
Process of El(Jridge, Clarke and Blum, 1898 102Processes /or the Simple Evolution of Oxygen 105.
Электролиз воды.
(a) Through Depolarization at the Cathode 105
Process of Coehn, 1893 105
Patent Claim 105
Description 105
Copper Oxide Cathodes •■ 106
Process of Habermann, 1892 106
{h) By the Precipitation of Metal at the Cathode 107
Precipitation of Copper 107
Chronologicai, Review 107
IV. Appi,tcations:
General no
Cost of Plant no
Cost of Operation 112
Consumption of Anodes 112
Absorption of Carbon Dioxide 114
Security from Explosions 114
Concurrent Processes 114
( 1 ) Electrochemical Processes 114
( a ) Hydrogen 114
{b) Oxygen 116
(2) Physical Processes 116
(a) Oxygen n6
(3) Chemical 118
(a) Hydrogen 118
{b) Oxygen 118
Compression 118
Special Applications 119
( 1 ) Detonating Gas 119
(a) High Temperature 119
{b) Lighting 120
( c) Blasting Purposes 121
( 2 ) Hydrogen 1 23
(a) Ballooning Purposes 123
(^) Soldering Purposes 123
(r) Lighting 126
{d) Motor Purp>oses 130
(3) Oxygen 130
V. Appendix:
Reduction of Gas Volume to a Barometric Pressure of 760 mm 132
Reduction of Gas Volume to a Temperature of 0° C 133
Tension of Water Vapor in mm. of Mercury for Temperatures be-
tween —2° C to -f 35° C 135
Conductivity of the Electrolytes Which Are Made Use Of in the
Technical Electrolysis of Water 137
Index of Authors 139