Process and apparatus for operating porous gas diffusion electrodes under variating pressure with back coupling of pressure

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR OPERATING A POUROUS GAS DIFFUSION ELECTRODE USABLE BOTH FOR THE ELECTROCHEMICAL EVOLUTION AND DISSOLUTION OF A GAS IN AN ELECTROLYTIC CELL DEVICE IN WHICH THE POROUS GAS DIFFUSION ELECTRODE IS ARRANGED AS A STATIONARY PARTITION WALL BETWEEN THE ELECTROLYTIC SPACE AND THE GAS SPACE, THE SAID SPACES BEING FOR THE REMAINDER SEALED GAS TIGHT FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AND FROM DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND IN WHICH A CONSTANT PRESSURE DIFFERENCE $P=P1-P0$O IS TO BE MAINTAINED BETWEEN THE GAS SPACE PRESSURE, P1 AND THE ELECTROLYTE SPACE PRESSURE P0 INDEPENDENT OF THE ABSOLUTE PRESSURE P0 IN THE ELECTROLYTE SPACE, WHICH PRESSURE DIFFERENCE $P IS AT MOST AS LARGE AS THE CAPILLARY PRESSURE OF THE ELECTROLYTE IN THE PORES OF THE ELECTRODE ON THE SIDE FACING THE ELECTROLYTE, WHICH COMPRISES OPERATING SUCH ELECTRODE IN THE CELL DEVICE WHILE CONSTANTLY APPLYING, REMOTE FROM SUCH ELECTRODE, INDIRECTLY AND WITHOUT DIRECT CONTACT BETWEEN THE CORRESPONDING GAS AND ELECTROLYTE A PORTION OF THE PRESSURE P1 IN THE GAS SPACE, EQUAL TO THE VALUE P0, TO THE ELECTROLYTE SPACE, THE SOLE LOCUS OF DIRECT CONTACT BETWEEN SAID GAS AND ELECTROLYTE BEING AT THE PORES OF SAID ELECTRODE, SAID GAS SPACE HAVING A UNIFORM PRESSURE THROUGHOUT.