Bipolar electrolytic cell

Claim 1

A BISPOLAR ELECTROLYTIC CELL COMPRISING A CELL TANK HAVING A BOTTOM WALL AND SIDE WALLS DEFINING A FIRST CHAMBER; AT LEAST THREE ELECTRODES POSITIONED IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER IN SPACED-APART RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ELECTRODES BEING A BIPOLAR ELECTRODE, SAID ELECTRODES OF EACH SET OF TWO ADJACENT ELECTRODES HAVING SURFACES FACING EACH OTHER, EACH SET OF TWO ADJACENT ELECTRODES AND THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN CONSTITUTING A UNIT CELL FOR THE ELECTROLYSIS OF AN ELECTROLYTE OCCUPYING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID TWO ADJACENT ELECTRODES, THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID TWO ADJACENT ELECTRODES CONSTITUTING AN ELECTROLYSIS ZONE IN WHICH ELECTROLYSIS OF SAID ELECTROLYTE CAN TAKE PLACE, SAID UNIT CELLS OCCUPYING ONLY A FIRST PORTION OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER, SAID FIRST PORTION BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM TWO OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS OF SAID TANK, WHEREBY SECOND AND THIRD PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER ARE DEFINED BETWEEN SAID FIRST PORTION AND SAID TWO SIDE WALLS: AND MEANS FOR ISOLATING SAID UNIT CELLS FROM EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT TO ANY SUBSTANTIAL DEGREE OF ELECTRICAL CURRENT LEAKAGE THEREBETWEEN DURING OPERATION OF SAID BIPOLAR ELECTOLYTIC CELL, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS DEFINING A PLURILTY OF INDIVIDUAL SECOND CHAMBERS, FIRST ONES OF SAID SECOND CHAMBERS BEING PHYSICALLY SEPARATED FROM SAID THIRD PORTION OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER, AT LEAST PARTS OF SAID FIRST ONES OF SAID SECOND CHAMBERS BEING LOCATED IN SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER, SECOND ONES OF SAID SECOND CHAMBERS BEING PHYSICALLY SEPARATED FROM SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER, AT LEAST PARTS OF SAID SECOND ONES OF SAID SECOND CHAMBERS BEING LOCATED IN SAID THIRD PORTION OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDING PARTITIONING MEANS LOCATED IN SAID SECOND AND THIRD PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER, SAID PARTIONING MEANS SEPARATING SAID PARTS OF SAID FIRST ONES OF SAID SECOND CHAMBERS FROM EACH OTHER AND SEPARATING SAID PARTS OF SAID SECOND ONES OF SAID SECOND CHAMBERS FROM EACH OTHER, EACH ONE OF SAID SECOND CHAMBERS BEING CONNECTED IN LIQUID-FLOW RELATIONSHIP WITH A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID UNIT CELLS FOR PASSAGE OF ELECTROLYTE INTO RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID UNIT CELLS FROM SAID SECOND CHAMBERS CONNECTED TO SAID UNIT CELLS AND OUT OF RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID UNIT CELLS INTO SAID SECOND CHAMBERS CONNECTED TO SAID UNIT CELLS, EVEN NUMBERED ONES OF SAID UNIT CELLS BEING CONNECTED IN LIQUID-FOW RELATIONSHIP WITH ONLY THOSE ONES OF SAID SECOND CHAMBERS HAVING SAID PARTS THEREOF LOCATED IN SAID SECOND PORTION OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER, ODD NUMBERED ONES OF SAID UNIT CELLS BEING CONNECTED IN LIQUID-FLOW RELATIONSHIP WITH ONLY THOSE ONES OF SAID SECOND CHAMBERS HAVING SAID PARTS THEREOF LOCATED IN SAID THIRD PORTION OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER.