Electrolytic cell and anode assembly thereof

Claim 1

AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL INCLUDING AN ANODE, A CATHODE, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SAID ANODE AND CATHODE IN PREDETERMINED SPACED APART RELATIONSHIP, SAID CATHODE HAVING A GENERALLY PLANAR SURFACE DISPOSED BELOW AND FACING SAID ANODE, SAID ANODE BEING A BLOCK-LIKE UNITARY MULTI-SEC TIONED GRAPHITE STRUCTURE COMPOSED OF A COMBINED ELECTROLYTE INPUT AND OPERATING SECTION AND AT LEAST ONE SEPARATE OPERATING SECTION, SAID SECTIONS BEING SECURED TOGETHER IN END TO END RELATIONSHIP IN A FLUID TIGHT MANNER, SAID ANODE HAVING AN UPSTREAM END, A DOWNSTREAM END, SIDES EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ENDS, A TOP AND A BOTTOM, THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF SAID MULTI-SECTIONED ANODE LYING IN A COMMON PLANE AND HAVING AN ARRAY OF SLOTS THEREIN WHICH ARE TRANSVERSE TO THE LONDITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID ANODE, THE SPACING BETWEEN THE SLOTS OF SAID ARRAY BEING BETWEEN ONE INCH AND EIGHT INCHES, EACH SECTION CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO OF SAID SLOTS, THE COMBINED ELECTROLYTE INPUT AND OPERATING SECTION HAVING INTERNAL PASSAGE MEANS FOR INJECTING ELECTROLYTE INTO SAID CELL BETWEEN THE ANODE AND CATHODE THROUGH SPACED APART SLOTS IN THAT SECTION, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS HAVING AT LEAST ONE ELECTROLYTE AND GAS PICKUP BORE EXTENDING FROM THE DOWNSTREAM END OF THE SECTION TO NEAR THE UPSTREAM END THEREOF, AT LEAST ONE OF THE SLOTS IN THE BOTTOM OF EACH SECTION BEING COUPLED TO SAID ELECTROLYTE AND GAS PICKUP BORE IN THAT SECTION, THE AT LEAST ONE SLOT IN SAID INPUT AND OPERATING SECTION WHICH IS COUPLED TO THE ELECTROLYTE AND GAS PICKUP BORE IN THAT SECTION LYING BETWEEN THE SLOTS THROUGH WHICH ELECTROLYTE IS INJECTED, EACH OPERATING SECTION HAVING AN ELECTROLYTE AND GAS SEPARATION CHAMBER INCLUDING A LOWER AND UPPER PART DISPOSED THEREIN, SLOT PASSAGE MEANS AT THE UPSTREAM END OF EACH SECTION FOR COUPLING SAID ELECTROLYTE AND GAS PICKUP BORE OF THE NEXT UPSTREAM DISPOSED SECTION TO SAID ELECTROLYTE AND GAS SEPARATION CHAMBER OF THE NEXT DOWNSTREAM SECTION, PASSAGE MEANS FOR COUPLING THE LOWER PART OF SAID CHAMBER TO ONE OF SAID SLOTS IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID SECTION WHICH IS DISPOSED NEAR THE DOWNSTREAM END OF THE SECTION, AND PASSAGE MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING GAS FROM THE UPPER PART OF SAID CHAMBERS.