Multi-electrode holder cartridge and multi-electrode electrolytic cell

Abstract

To provide a cartridge holding multiple electrodes, capable of treating a plurality of plate electrodes as one cartridge, and an electrolytic tank of a multiple-electrode type.SOLUTION: Provided is a cartridge holding multiple electrodes, comprising a cartridge body 7 holding a plurality of plate electrodes 5 by surrounding the whole circumference of edges 6 thereof, and a spacer 8 formed on the inside-face of the cartridge body 7, corresponding to the edges 6 of the plate electrodes 5, which spacer 8 comprises a plurality of spacer pieces 11 arranged in a comb-shape in the axis direction of the cartridge body 7, and insertion grooves 12 each disposed between the neighboring spacer pieces 11 for the edge 6 of each of the plate electrodes 5 to be inserted thereinto, and which cartridge body 7 comprises a plurality of divided pieces 9, 10 of the body, divided in the planar direction of the electrode surfaces 14 of the plate electrodes 5, a plurality of main passages 17 penetrating the body in the axis direction thereof, and a plurality of branch passages 19 communicating the main passages 17 and demarcated electrolytic chambers 18 each formed between the neighboring plate electrodes 5 opposing each other in the body axis direction. The demarcated electrolytic chambers 18 communicate with each other via the branch passages 19 and the main passages 17.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for producing hypochlorous acid water by electrolysis, and relates to a multi-electrode holding cartridge and a bipolar electrolytic cell. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, hypochlorous acid water generated by electrolyzed water generators, which have high disinfecting properties, has been used in closed and semi-closed spaces such as home appliances and equipment that handle water, such as humidifiers and air purifiers, water and sewage infrastructure, agricultural and livestock environments, schools, hospitals, and commercial facilities where people gather, for the purposes of disinfection, hygiene management, infection control, and BCP (business continuity planning).

[0003] The electrolytic water generator generates chlorine gas by electrolyzing a raw chemical solution in an electrolytic cell, and mixes the chlorine gas into water supplied from a water supply system to generate slightly acidic electrolytic water.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses a spacer for a bipolar electrolytic cell that generates an electrolytic product by electrolyzing an aqueous electrolyte solution passed through the cell.

[0005] This is a plate-like spacer that is disposed between a number of electrode plates arranged in one direction inside a bipolar electrolytic cell. The spacer has a hollow hole for forming an electrolysis chamber that penetrates the spacer in the thickness direction, and a step that is recessed in the thickness direction of the hollow hole and into which the electrode plate can be fitted is formed along the inner wall surface of the hollow hole. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent 5172550 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the spacers are in the form of individual plates, and when they are to be placed in the housing of a bipolar electrolytic cell, the electrode plates and the spacers must be stacked and then inserted into the housing of the electrolytic cell. During this insertion, the electrode plates may float from the spacer or the relative positions of the spacer and the electrode plates may become misaligned, causing poor electrolysis or abnormal electrolysis due to changes in the electrolysis voltage, which may lead to damage.

[0008] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a multi-electrode holding cartridge and a bi-electrode electrolytic cell in which a plurality of plate electrodes can be treated as a single cartridge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the multi-electrode holding cartridge of the present invention has a cartridge body that holds a plurality of plate-shaped electrodes by surrounding the entire periphery of the edges, and an inner surface of the cartridge body that corresponds to the edges of the plate-shaped electrodes. The cartridge body is integrally formed with the The cartridge body is provided with a spacer section, the spacer section having a plurality of spacer pieces arranged in a comb-tooth shape in the axial direction of the cartridge body, and an insertion groove for inserting the edge of the plate-shaped electrode between the spacer pieces, and the cartridge body has main body divided pieces divided into a plurality of pieces in the planar direction of the electrode surface of the plate-shaped electrode, a plurality of main flow paths penetrating in the axial direction of the body, and a plurality of branch flow paths connecting each of the divided electrolytic chambers formed between the plate-shaped electrodes facing each other in the axial direction of the body with the main flow path, and the divided electrolytic chambers are connected to each other through the branch flow paths and the main flow path.

[0010] In the multiple electrode cartridge of the present invention, the cartridge body is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of body segments separated along lines extending radially from the center of the electrode surface of the plate electrode.

[0011] In the multiple electrode cartridge of the present invention, the cartridge body is characterized in that it comprises a pair of body split pieces separated along a straight line passing through the center of the electrode surface of the plate electrode.

[0012] In the multi-electrode holding cartridge of the present invention, the cartridge main body portion is characterized in that the divided surfaces of one main body piece and the divided surfaces of the other main body piece facing each other in the surface direction of the electrode surface of the plate-shaped electrode are joined by fitting portions provided on both divided surfaces.

[0013] In the multi-electrode holding cartridge of the present invention, the spacer piece has one side in the axial direction of the main body which forms a flat surface that conforms to the electrode surface of the plate electrode, and the other side which has an inclined surface toward the opening side of the insertion groove for guiding the insertion of the plate electrode, and is characterized in that the space between the inclined surface of one spacer piece and the flat surface of the other spacer piece which face each other across the insertion groove expands toward the opening side of the insertion groove.

[0014] The bipolar electrolytic cell of the present invention comprises any one of the above-mentioned multi-electrode cartridges, a cylindrical casing forming an electrolysis chamber for accommodating the multi-electrode cartridge, and a lid for closing the opening of the casing, the multi-electrode cartridge having electrode rods in a plate electrode facing the rear end face of the casing in the axial direction of the main body and in a plate electrode facing the inner surface of the lid in the axial direction of the main body, the rear end face of the casing facing in the axial direction of the main body and one side end face of the cartridge main body being joined by fittings formed on both end faces, the casing having an air mixing section communicating with the electrolysis chamber inside the casing, a water supply port communicating with the air mixing section, and an electrolytic water discharge port, the lid having an electrolyte supply port communicating with the electrolysis chamber of the casing, the inner peripheral surface of the casing and the outer peripheral surface of the lid facing each other in the radial direction of the casing being joined by fittings formed on both peripheral surfaces, and fasteners are attached to the electrode rods inserted into electrode insertion holes provided in the casing and the lid, respectively, to integrate the lid, the casing, and the multi-electrode cartridge. Effect of the Invention

[0015] As described above, according to the present invention, the inner surface of the cartridge main body has a plurality of spacer pieces arranged in a comb-tooth shape, and an insertion groove into which the edge of the plate electrode is inserted is provided between the spacer pieces, so that the plurality of plate electrodes can be integrated simply by inserting the plate electrodes between the spacer pieces.

[0016] The cartridge main body can be easily assembled by joining the divided surfaces of one main body piece to the divided surface of the other main body piece using fitting portions provided on both divided surfaces, thereby forming a cartridge main body that surrounds the entire peripheral edges of multiple plate-shaped electrodes.

[0017] Furthermore, the spacer piece has an inclined surface formed on the other side thereof which widens the opening of the insertion groove and guides the edge of the plate electrode to the back side of the insertion groove, making it easier to insert the edge of the plate electrode into the insertion groove.

[0018] Furthermore, since the electrode surface of the plate electrode facing the inclined surface is exposed to the electrolyte in the divided electrolytic chamber, the liquid contact area of ​​the electrode surface of the plate electrode increases, improving the efficiency of electrolysis.

[0019] In the bipolar electrolytic cell of the present invention, the rear end face of the casing and one side end face of the cartridge main body, which face each other in the axial direction of the main body, are joined by fitting portions formed on both end faces, so that multiple plate-shaped electrodes integrated into the bipolar electrode holding cartridge can be easily positioned together within the electrolytic chamber of the casing.

[0020] In addition, since the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the outer circumferential surface of the lid, which face each other in the radial direction of the housing, are joined by fitting portions formed on both surfaces, the relative positions of the housing, the multi-electrode holding cartridge and the lid can be easily determined, simplifying the assembly work of the bipolar electrolytic cell. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a bipolar electrolytic cell according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed obliquely from the front. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a bipolar electrolytic cell according to the embodiment, as viewed obliquely from the rear. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a bipolar electrolytic cell according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a front view showing a main body split piece of the multi-electrode holding cartridge according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a side view showing a main body split piece of the multi-electrode holding cartridge according to the embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 13 is a bottom view showing a main body divided piece of the multi-electrode holding cartridge according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Figure 4 [Figure 8] Cross-sectional view of arrows B-B in Figure 5 [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a rear view showing a main body split piece of the multi-electrode holding cartridge according to the embodiment; [Figure 10] CC arrow view of Figure 9 [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an enlarged view showing a spacer of the multi-electrode holding cartridge according to the embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] A bipolar electrolytic cell according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 to 11, the bipolar electrolytic cell 1 has a multi-electrode cartridge 2, a cylindrical housing 3 that houses the multi-electrode cartridge 2, and a lid 4 that closes the opening of the housing 3.

[0023] The multi-electrode holding cartridge 2 comprises a cartridge main body 7 that surrounds and holds the entire edges 6 of multiple plate-shaped electrodes 5, and a spacer portion 8 formed on the inner surface of the cartridge main body 7 corresponding to the edges 6 of the plate-shaped electrodes 5.

[0024] There is no limitation on the shape of the plate electrode 5 according to the present invention, and the plate electrode 5 may be rectangular, circular, elliptical, polygonal, or the like.

[0025] The cartridge main body 7 of the present invention is divided into multiple parts in the planar direction of the electrode surface of the plate electrode 5, and can also be divided into multiple parts along lines extending radially from the center of the surface on the electrode surface of the plate electrode 5, or can be divided into a pair along a straight line passing through the center of the surface on the electrode surface of the plate electrode 5.

[0026] In this embodiment, the plate electrode 5 is rectangular, and the cartridge main body 7 is composed of a pair of main body segments 9, 10 divided along the diagonal of the plate electrode 5. Since the pair of main body segments 9, 10 have the same structure, the following description will mainly focus on one of the main body segments 9 as an example.

[0027] As another embodiment, the cartridge body 7 can be divided into four body segments (not shown) along two diagonals of the plate electrode 5. Furthermore, as another embodiment, the cartridge body 7 can be a pair of body segments (not shown) divided along a line that connects opposite sides of the plate electrode 5 and passes through the center of the electrode surface of the plate electrode 5, or can be divided along a line that connects opposite sides of the plate electrode 5 and does not pass through the center of the electrode surface of the plate electrode 5.

[0028] The spacer portion 8 has a plurality of spacer pieces 11 arranged in a comb-like shape in the axial direction of the cartridge body 7, and has an insertion groove 12 into which the edge 6 of the plate electrode 5 is inserted between the spacer pieces 11. Here, the spacer portion 8, spacer pieces 11 and insertion groove 12 are bent at a right angle when the body segments 9, 10 are viewed from the front.

[0029] 11, one side surface 13 of the spacer piece 11 in the axial direction of the main body is a flat surface along the electrode surface 14 of the plate electrode 5, and the other side surface 15 has an inclined surface 16 on the opening side of the insertion groove 12 to guide the insertion of the plate electrode 5. In addition, the space between the inclined surface 16 of one spacer piece 11 and the flat surface of one side surface 13 of the other spacer piece 11, which face each other across the insertion groove 12, widens toward the opening side of the insertion groove 12.

[0030] The cartridge body 7 has, in each of the body segments 9, 10, a plurality of main flow paths 17 penetrating in the axial direction of the body, divided electrolytic chambers 18 formed between plate electrodes facing each other in the axial direction of the body, and a plurality of branch flow paths 19 connecting each of the divided electrolytic chambers 18 to the main flow path 17, and the divided electrolytic chambers 18 are connected to each other through the branch flow paths 19 and the main flow path 17. Each main flow path 17 has an opening 20 on both end faces of the cartridge body 7 in the axial direction of the body.

[0031] In addition, the cartridge main body 7 has a divided surface 21 of one main body piece 9 and a divided surface 22 of the other main body piece 10 facing each other in the planar direction of the electrode surface 14 of the plate electrode 5, and each of the divided surfaces 21, 22 is provided with a convex portion 23 and a concave portion 24 as fitting portions, and the main body pieces 9, 10 are joined together by fitting the convex portion 23 with the concave portion 24.

[0032] The multi-electrode holding cartridge 2 has an electrode rod 25 in a plate electrode 5 facing the rear end surface of the housing 3 in the axial direction of the main body and in a plate electrode 5 facing the inner surface of the lid body 4 in the axial direction of the main body, and the housing 3 and the lid body 4 each have an electrode insertion hole 26 for inserting the electrode rod 25.

[0033] The housing 3 has an air mixing section 28 that communicates with the electrolysis chamber 27 inside the housing, a water supply port 29 that communicates with the air mixing section 28, and an electrolytic water discharge port 30, and the lid body 4 has an electrolyte supply port 31 that communicates with the electrolysis chamber 27 of the housing 3.

[0034] The cartridge body 7 has fitting portions formed on both end faces of the rear end face 32 of the housing 3 and one side end face 33 of the cartridge body 7, which face each other in the axial direction of the body. In this case, a convex portion 34 formed on the rear end face 32 of the housing 3 fits into a concave portion 35 formed on one side end face 33 of the cartridge body 7, joining the cartridge body 7 and the housing 3 and positioning them around the axis of the body.

[0035] The inner surface 36 of the housing 3 faces the outer surface 37 of the lid body 4 in the radial direction of the housing 3, and the inner surface 36 of the housing 3 and the outer surface 37 of the lid body 4 have mating portions formed on their respective surfaces, in this case a recess 38 formed on the inner surface 36 of the housing 3 and a protrusion 39 formed on the outer surface 37 of the lid body 4, which join the housing 3 and the lid body 4 and position them around the axis of the main body.

[0036] Then, a fastener 40 is attached to the electrode rod 25 inserted into the electrode insertion hole 26 of the case 3 and the cover 4, and the case 3, the cover 4 and the multi-electrode holding cartridge 2 are integrated together.

[0037] In the above configuration, the electrolyte supplied from the electrolyte supply port 31 to the electrolysis chamber 27 of the housing 3 flows into one main flow path 17 located at the bottom of the multi-electrode holding cartridge 2, and flows into each divided electrolysis chamber 18 through each branch flow path 19. The electrolyte further flows into the adjacent divided electrolysis chamber 18 separated by the plate electrode 5 through the branch flow path 19 and the main flow path 17.

[0038] When a voltage is applied to the electrode rod 25 on one side as the anode and the electrode rod 25 on the other side as the cathode, the electrode surfaces 14 of the plate electrodes 5 facing each other across the electrolysis chamber 18 become the anode and the cathode, electrolysis of the electrolyte is performed in the divided electrolysis chamber 18, and chlorine gas is generated. The generated chlorine gas flows into the gas mixing section 28 through one main flow path 17 located in the upper part of the multiple electrode holding cartridge 2. In the gas mixing section 28, chlorine gas is mixed into the water supplied from the water supply port 29 to generate electrolytic water, and the generated electrolytic water is supplied to the outside of the tank from the electrolytic water discharge port 30.

[0039] The multi-electrode holding cartridge 2 has a plurality of spacer pieces 11 arranged in a comb-tooth shape in the spacer section 8 on the inner surface of the cartridge main body 7, and has an insertion groove 12 into which the edge 6 of the plate electrode 5 is inserted between the spacer pieces 11, so that the plurality of plate electrodes 5 can be integrated simply by inserting the plate electrode 5 between the spacer pieces 11.

[0040] In this case, since the cartridge main body 7 consists of a pair of main body segments 9, 10 divided along the diagonals of the rectangular plate electrode 5, the main body segments 9, 10 insert the two right-angled sides of the plate electrode 5 into the insertion groove 12 of the spacer portion 8, and the inserted plate electrode 5 is stably held while the next plate electrode 5 can be inserted.

[0041] In addition, by aligning the corner of the inner surface of the spacer portion 8 of one of the main body segments 9 with the corner of the plate electrode 5 inside the insertion groove 12, the positioning of the plate electrode 5 relative to the main body segment 9 can be performed accurately and quickly.

[0042] The cartridge body 7 can be easily assembled by joining one body piece 9 and the other body piece 10 by matching the dividing surface 21 of one body piece 9 with the dividing surface 22 of the other body piece 10 and engaging the convex portion 23 and the concave portion 24 that form the mating portion provided on both dividing surfaces 21, 22, thereby surrounding the entire peripheral edge of the multiple plate-shaped electrodes 5.

[0043] In addition, the inclined surface 16 of the spacer piece 11 widens the opening of the insertion groove 12, and the inclined surface 16 guides the edge 6 of the plate electrode 5 to the back side of the insertion groove 12, making it easier to insert the edge 6 of the plate electrode 5 into the insertion groove 12.

[0044] In addition, since the electrode surface 14 of the plate electrode 8 facing the inclined surface 16 is exposed to the electrolyte in the divided electrolysis chamber 18, the liquid contact area of ​​the electrode surface 14 of the plate electrode 5 increases, and the electrolysis efficiency improves accordingly.

[0045] Furthermore, one flat side surface of the spacer piece 11 faces the electrolyte supply port 31 side, and serves as a pressure-receiving surface that stably holds the plate electrode 5 on which the electrolyte supply pressure acts.

[0046] In addition, the rear end face 32 of the housing 3 and one side end face 33 of the cartridge main body 7, which face each other in the axial direction of the main body, are joined by a convex portion 34 and a concave portion 35 forming a fitting portion formed on both end faces, so that the multiple plate electrodes 5 integrated into the multi-electrode holding cartridge 2 can be easily positioned together within the electrolytic chamber 27 of the housing 3.

[0047] In addition, the inner surface 36 of the housing 3 and the outer surface 37 of the lid body 4, which face each other in the radial direction of the housing 3, are joined by engaging the recessed portion 38 and the protruding portion 39 that form a fitting portion formed on both surfaces, so that the relative positions of the housing 3, the multi-electrode holding cartridge 2, and the lid body 4 around the main body axis can be easily determined, simplifying the assembly work of the bipolar electrolytic cell 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Multipolar electrolytic cell 2. Multi-electrode holder cartridge 3. Chassis 4 Lid 5. Plate electrode 6. Margins 7 Cartridge body 8 Spacer part 9, 10 Main body division piece 11 Spacer piece 12 Insertion groove 13 One aspect 14 Electrode surface 15 Other aspects 16 Slope 17 Main channel 18 Sectional electrolysis room 19 Tributary channel 20 aperture 21, 22 split plane 23 Convex 24 Recess 25 Electrode rod 26 Electrode insertion hole 27 Electrolysis chamber 28 Air Mixture Section 29 Water inlet 30 Electrolyzed water outlet 31 Electrolyte supply port 32 Back end surface 33 One side end face 34 Convex 35 Recess 36 Inner surface 37 Outer surface 38 Recess 39 Convex 40 Fasteners

Claims

1. a cartridge body portion that holds a plurality of plate-shaped electrodes by surrounding the entire periphery of the edge; a spacer portion formed integrally with the cartridge body portion on an inner surface of the cartridge body portion corresponding to an edge of the plate-like electrode; the spacer portion has a plurality of spacer pieces arranged in a comb-like shape in the axial direction of the cartridge body, and has an insertion groove between the spacer pieces into which an edge of the plate-like electrode is inserted; The cartridge main body has a main body divided into several pieces in the planar direction of the electrode surface of the plate-shaped electrode, a plurality of main flow paths penetrating in the axial direction of the main body, and a plurality of branch flow paths connecting each of the divided electrolytic chambers formed between the plate-shaped electrodes facing each other in the axial direction of the main body to the main flow path, and the divided electrolytic chambers are connected to each other through the branch flow paths and the main flow path, characterized in that the divided electrolytic chambers are connected to each other through the branch flow paths and the main flow path.

2. 2. The multi-electrode cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge body is made up of a plurality of divided body pieces separated along lines extending radially from the center of the electrode surface of the plate electrode.

3. 3. The multi-electrode cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge body comprises a pair of body split pieces separated along a straight line passing through the center of the electrode surface of the plate electrode.

4. A cartridge having a multi-electrode holder as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cartridge main body portion has a divided surface of one main body piece and a divided surface of the other main body piece that are opposed in the surface direction of the electrode surface of the plate-shaped electrode, which are joined by a fitting portion provided on both divided surfaces.

5. A multi-electrode holding cartridge as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that one side of the spacer piece in the axial direction of the main body forms a flat surface that conforms to the electrode surface of the plate-shaped electrode, and the other side has an inclined surface toward the opening side of the insertion groove that guides the insertion of the plate-shaped electrode, and the space between the inclined surface of one spacer piece and the flat surface of the other spacer piece that face each other across the insertion groove expands toward the opening side of the insertion groove.

6. A multi-electrode holding cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a cylindrical case forming an electrolysis chamber for accommodating the multi-electrode holding cartridge, and a lid for closing an opening of the case, The multi-electrode holding cartridge has an electrode rod in a plate electrode facing the inner end face of the casing in the axial direction of the main body and a plate electrode facing the inner surface of the lid in the axial direction of the main body, and the inner end face of the casing facing the inner end face of the lid in the axial direction of the main body is joined to one side end face of the cartridge main body by a fitting portion formed on both end faces, The housing has an air mixing section communicating with the electrolysis chamber in the housing, and a water supply port and an electrolytic water discharge port communicating with the air mixing section, The cover has an electrolyte supply port communicating with the electrolytic chamber of the housing, The inner peripheral surface of the housing and the outer peripheral surface of the cover, which face each other in the radial direction of the housing, are joined together at a fitting portion formed on both peripheral surfaces, A bipolar electrolytic cell characterized in that the lid, casing, and bipolar electrode holding cartridge are integrated together by attaching fasteners to electrode rods inserted into electrode insertion holes provided in both the casing and the lid.

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