Maintenance of an electrolyte

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a method for the care and maintenance of an electrolyte, wherein the ion concentration and ion composition of the electrolyte are adjusted by means of an ion exchanger. Advantageously, the ion exchanger contains counterions that are contained in the electrolyte and that are relevant for the bath quality. For the exchange process, these counterions are exchanged with ions which negatively influence the bath quality from the electrolyte. Therefore, the composition of the electrolyte and the corresponding ion concentration are adjusted in an advantageous way. Therefore, e.g., the pH value of an electrolyte and its density can be held substantially constant, which considerably lengthens the lifetime of the electrolyte. By guaranteeing a substantially constant composition, the lifetime is no longer restricted. The extremely high effectiveness of the method according to the invention is dependent on these conditions.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for maintenance of an electrolyte having an ion concentration and an ion composition, the method characterized in that the ion concentration and the ion composition are controlled by operation of at least one ion exchanger.  
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1  further characterized in that the ion exchanger comprises a counterion, the counterion being identical in type to an ion present in the electrolyte.  
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1  further characterized in that the electrolyte has a pH which is held substantially constant by operation of the ion exchanger.  
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the ion exchanger is a cation exchanger.  
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the ion exchanger is an acidic cation exchanger.  
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the electrolyte comprises a cation and the ion exchanger comprises a hydrogen ion, the method further characterized in that the cation in the electrolyte is exchanged with the hydrogen ion of the cation exchanger.  
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the cation in the electrolyte comprises a potassium ion and the ion exchanger comprises a hydrogen ion, the method further characterized in that the potassium ion in the electrolyte is exchanged with the hydrogen ion of the cation exchanger.  
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1  further characterized in that the ion exchanger is regenerated.  
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8  wherein an eluate is formed, the method further characterized in that the eluate is fed to a recovery processes.  
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , the electrolyte having a density, the method further characterized in that the density of the electrolyte is controlled at least partially by operation of the ion exchanger.  
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1  characterized in that the electrolyte is led through the ion exchanger and then fed back into a bath by operation of a transport device.  
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11  further characterized in that the electrolyte is led in a continuous cycle process through the ion exchanger, thereby achieving a substantially constant preparation of the electrolyte.  
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 11  further characterized in that the electrolyte is led through the ion exchanger at a selected rate.  
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1  further characterized in that a measurement device compares an actual value of a process variable of the electrolyte with a target value for the process variable of the electrolyte and adjusts velocity and flow rate of the electrolyte through the ion exchanger.  
     
     
         15 . A device for care and maintenance of an electrolyte, the device comprising an ion exchanger, the electrolyte comprising an ion, and the ion exchanger comprising a counterion, wherein the ion exchanger exchanges the ion from the electrolyte with the counterion from the ion exchanger.  
     
     
         16 . The device according to  claim 15  further comprising a collecting means that collects the electrolyte from the ion exchanger and a guidance means that feeds the collected electrolyte to a bath.  
     
     
         17 . The device according to  claim 15  further comprising: 
 a measurement device that measures an actual values of a process variable of the electrolyte;  
 a storage device that stores a target value for a process variable of the electrolyte;  
 at least one calculation unit that compares the measured value with a target value;  
 a control unit that controls a means to adjust the value of process variable of the electrolyte to the target value;  
 an ion exchanger;  
 a transport device that leads the electrolyte to the ion exchanger and back into an electrolyte bath; and  
 a flushing device that regenerates the ion exchanger.