Method for producing magnesium and chlorine and electrolytic cell for implementing same

Abstract

The invention relates to producing magnesium and chlorine from a solution of magnesium chloride-containing salts, using an electrolytic cell. A diaphragmless electrolytic cell includes: an electrolysis chamber with alternating anodes and cathodes; and a magnesium separation cell separated from the electrolysis chamber by a partition having upper V-shaped circulation channels and lower circulation channels. Electrolysis is carried out at 6-25 gas saturation of the electrolyte with chlorine bubbles in an interelectrode gap. The flow rate of the electrolyte in the upper circulation channels is 20-60. The ratio of current strength to electrolyte mass is 8-10. The ratio of the width of the electrolysis chamber to the width of the magnesium separation cell is 1.6-2.7. Additional channels are mounted in the partition, between the upper and lower circulation channels, said additional channels having a flow passage area of 0.016-0.048 of the area of the upper V-shaped channels.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for the production of magnesium and chlorine from a MgCl 2 -containing salt melt by using a diaphragm-less electrolytic cell, wherein the method comprises initiating a closed circulation of an electrolyte between an electrolysis chamber having alternating anodes and cathodes and a magnesium separation cell due to a gas saturation of the electrolyte with chlorine bubbles in an interelectrode gap, which is equal to 6÷25 and defined by: 
       
         
           
             
               
                 Π 
                 = 
                 
                   
                     
                       H 
                       c 
                     
                     · 
                     
                       d 
                       c 
                     
                   
                   
                     l 
                     
                       a 
                       ⁢ 
                       ν 
                       ⁢ 
                       e 
                       ⁢ 
                       r 
                       ⁢ 
                       a 
                       ⁢ 
                       g 
                       ⁢ 
                       e 
                     
                   
                 
               
               , 
             
           
         
         where Π denotes the gas saturation of the electrolyte with the chlorine bubbles in the interelectrode gap; 
         d c  denotes a cathode current density, A/cm 2 ; 
         H c  denotes a cathode height, cm. 
         wherein a current strength (kA) and an electrolyte mass are set in the electrolytic cell in such a quantitative expression that a ratio of the current strength (kA) to the electrolyte mass (t) is 8÷10, and an electrolyte flow from the electrolysis chamber enters a collection cell in two ways: through upper circulation channels and additional channels arranged between the upper circulation channels and lower circulation channels, 
         wherein an electrolyte flow rate in the upper V-shaped circulation channels is selected from the condition: 
       
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     S 
                     
                       upper 
                       ⁢ 
                       
                           
                       
                       ⁢ 
                       channels 
                     
                   
                   
                     S 
                     
                       additional 
                       ⁢ 
                       
                           
                       
                       ⁢ 
                       channels 
                     
                   
                 
                 = 
                 
                   20 
                   ÷ 
                   60 
                 
               
               , 
             
           
         
         where S upper channels  denotes a total area of the upper circulation channels; 
         S additional channels  denotes a total area of the additional channels. 
       
     
     
         2 . A diaphragm-less electrolytic cell for performing the method according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrolytic cell comprises an electrolysis chamber having alternating anodes and cathodes, a magnesium separation cell separated from the electrolysis chamber by a partition with upper V-shaped and lower circulation channels, wherein a ratio of widths of the electrolysis chamber and the magnesium separation cell is 1.6÷2.7, additional channels are mounted in the partition between the upper V-shaped and lower channels, the additional channels have a flow passage area equal to 0.016÷0.048 of an area of the upper V-shaped channels, and the additional channels in the partition are made of a fusion cast crystalline mica material, namely fluorophlogopite.