Mercury cathode electrolytic cell

Claim 1

AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL OF THE MERCURY CATHODE TYPE COMPRISING A BRINE CHAMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL FLOOR FOR THE FLOW OF MERCURY CONNECTED CATHODICALLY TO A CURRENT SUPPLY, A TOP PROVIDING A CLOSURE FOR SAID CHAMBER, AT LEAST ONE SPACING ELEMENT SEPARATING SAID TOP FROM SAID CHAMBER AND ADAPTED BY REMOVAL THEREOF TO LOWER THE TOP TO A SECOND LOWER POSITION, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ANODES SUSPENDED FROM SAID TOP AND HAVING UPPER SURFACES SPACED DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID TOP, AND HAVING LOWER SURFACES DISPOSED ABOVE AND IN PROXIMITY TO THE FLOOR OF SAID BRINE CHAMBER, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING MERCURY AND BRINE AT ONE END OF SAID CHAMBER SO THAT THE MERCURY FLOWS OVER SAID FLOOR BENEATH SAID LOWER SURFACES, AND THE BRINE FLOWS OVER THE SURFACE OF THE MERCURY, OUTLET MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING BRINE AND MERCURY AT THE OTHER END THEREOF, A SERIES OF TRANSVERSE BAFFLES DISPOSED AT INTERVALS ALONG SAID CHAMBER AND EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER ANODE SURFACES UPWARD SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE SAID UPPER ANODE SURFACES AND ABOVE THE BRINE OUTLET MEANS AND TERMINATING BELOW SAID TOP SO AS TO CONFINE THE FLOW OF BRINE ESSENTIALLY TO THE SPACE BELOW SAID LOWER ANODE SURFACES AND SO AS TO CAUSE FLOW OF GENERATED GAS LENGTHWISE OF SAID CHAMBER IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID BAFFLES AND SAID TOP, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING GAS FROM SAID LAST-NAMED SPACE.