Spacer for an electrochemical apparatus

• US 5,051,157 A
• Filed: 05/07/1990
• Issued: 09/24/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: University of Victoria
• Original Assignee: University of Victoria
• Inventors: Santhanam, Kalathur S. V., O'Brien, Robert N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GORGOS, KATHRYN L
• Application Number:
  US07/519,910
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 429/10, 429/142, 429/251, 429/254, 204/129.1, 204/129.65, 204/283, 204/295, 204/296, 204/279, 422/186.01, 210/500.1, 210/500.21, 210/500.25, 210/500.27
• US Class Current: 205/666
• CPC Class Codes: B23H 11/00 Auxiliary apparatus or details, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B23H 3/00 Electrochemical machining, i.e. removing metal by passing current between an electrode and a workpiece in the presence of an electrolyte

Abstract

An ion-permeable spacer is provided for an electrochemical apparatus. The spacer comprises a perforated or ion-permeable, relatively-thin, synthetic plastic material sheet having two opposed faces and having a plurality of magnets completely embedded in both opposed faces thereof and including at least four vertically-upwardly slanting slits extending at an upwardly-sloping angle along each of the two opposed faces and also extending transversely through the spacer between the two opposed faces, the slits having a particularly defined width and disposed at a particular angle, thereby to provide greater combined flow and mixing of electrolyte through the spacer.

Claims

1. A spacer for an electrochemical apparatus comprising an ion-permeable sheet magnet spacer comprising a perforated or ion-permeable, relatively thin, synthetic plastic material sheet having two opposed faces and having a plurality of magnets completely embedded in both opposed faces thereof and including at least four vertically-upwardly slanting slits extending at an upwardly-sloping angle along each of said two opposed faces and also extending transversely through said spacer between said two opposed faces, thereby to provide greater combined flow and mixing of electrolyte through the spacer.

2. The spacer of claim 1 wherein said slits have a width of from about 2 mm to about 5 mm.

3. The spacer of claim 1 wherein said upwardly-sloping angle is an angle of a vortex created by a magnetic field, which causes a procession of flow from a vertical orientation to said vortex with an increased velocity and at an angle from said vertical orientation and as determined by parameters of said magnetic field, said parameters consisting of the strength of said magnetic field and the current density drain of said magnetic field.

4. The spacer of claim 3 wherein the angle is about 30°

to about 60°

.

5. The spacer of claim 1 wherein said magnets are ceramic magnets.

6. The spacer of claim 1 wherein said magnets are Fe magnets.

7. The spacer of claim 1 wherein said magnets are SnCo₅ magnets.

8. The spacer of claim 1 wherein said synthetic plastic material is an electrically-and-chemically resistant synthetic plastics material, selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride and polyethylene.

9. The spacer of claim 8 is in the form of a perforated sheet.

10. The spacer of claim 9 is in the form of an ion-permeable sheet.

11. In a lead-acid storage battery having a plurality of groups, each comprising a positive and a negative plate with an interposed separator, the improvement whereby each said interposed separator comprises an ion-permeable sheet magnet spacer, said spacer comprising a perforated or ion-permeable, relatively thin, synthetic plastic material sheet having two opposed faces and having a plurality of magnets completely embedded in both opposed faces thereof and including at least four vertically-upwardly slanting slits, extending at an upwardly-sloping angle along each of said two opposed faces and also extending transversely through said spacer between said two opposed faces thereby to provide greater combined flow and mixing of electrolyte through the spacer.

12. The improved lead-acid-type storage battery of claim 11 wherein said slits have a width of about 2 mm to about 5 mm.

13. The improved lead-acid storage battery of claim 11 wherein said upwardly-sloping angle is an angle of the vortex created by a magnetic field which causes a procession of flow from a vertical orientation to said vortex with an increased velocity and at an angle from said vertical orientation and as determined by parameters of said magnetic field, said parameters consisting of the strength of said magnetic field and the current density drain of said magnetic field.

14. The improved lead acid storage battery of claim 13 wherein said upwardly sloping angle is from about 30°

to about 60°

.

15. The improved lead-acid storage battery of claim 11 having an anode and a cathode therein, wherein said anode is a PbO₂ plate, wherein said cathode is a Pb plate, wherein said electrolyte is H₂ SO₄ and wherein said spacer is a perforated sheet of polyvinylchloride or polyethylene having Fe, or SmCo₅ magnets completely embedded therein.

16. The improved lead-acid storage battery of claim 15 including a casing made into a permanent magnet.

17. The improved lead-acid-type storage battery of claim 16 wherein said casing is formed of silicon steel;

wherein said casing is provided with a thin synthetic polymer lining; and

wherein a pair of silicon steel straps is provided across a top of said battery to complete a magnetic circuit within said battery.

18. The improved lead-acid storage battery of claim 15 wherein said electrolyte includes indifferent paramagnetic ions or other stable, free radicals, or other indifferent paramagnetic solutes therein.

19. The improved lead-acid storage battery of claim 18 wherein said indifferent paramagnetic ions are Cr⁺³ or Mn⁺².

20. In an electrolytic cell wherein an electrolyte is electrolyzed between positive and negative cells, wherein the improvement comprises a diaphragm for use therein, said diaphragm comprising a perforated or ion-permeable sheet magnet spacer comprising a perforated or ion-permeable, relatively-thin, synthetic plastic material sheet having two opposed faces and having a plurality of magnets completely embedded in both opposed faces thereof and including at least four vertically-upwardly slanting slits extending at an upwardly-sloping angle along each of said two opposed faces and also extending transversely through said spacer between said two opposed faces, thereby to provide greater combined flow and mixing of electrolyte through the spacer.

21. The improved electrolytic cell of claim 20 wherein said slits have a width of about 2 mm to about 5 mm.

22. The improved electrolytic cell of claim 20 wherein said upwardly-sloping angle is an angle of the vortex created by a magnetic field which causes a procession of flow from a vertical orientation to the vortex with an increased velocity and at an angle from said vertical orientation and as determined by parameters of said magnetic field, said parameters consisting of the strength of said magnetic field and the current density drain of said magnetic field.

23. The improved lead acid-type of storage battery of claim 22 wherein said upwardly sloping angle is from 30°

to 60°

.

24. The improved electrolytic cell of claim 20 having an anode and a cathode therein, wherein said anode is carbon, wherein said cathode is perforated steel, and wherein said spacer is a perforated sheet of polyvinylchloride or polyethylene having Fe, or SmCo₅ magnets completely embedded therein.

25. The improved electrolytic cell of claim 20 wherein a casing thereof is made into a permanent magnet.

26. The improved electrolytic cell of claim 25 wherein said casing is formed of silicon steel;

wherein said casing is provided with a thin synthetic polymer lining; and

wherein a pair of silicon steel straps is provided across a top of said electrolytic cell to complete a magnetic circuit in said electrolytic cell.

27. The improved electrolytic cell of claim 20 wherein the electrolyte includes indifferent paramagnetic ions or other stable, free radicals, or other indifferent paramagnetic solutes therein.

28. The improved electrolytic cell of claim 27 wherein said indifferent paramagnetic ions are Cr⁺³ or Mn⁺².

29. In apparatus for removing material from electrically-conducting substances by electrochemical attack which includes an anode and a cathode, the anode constituting the piece to be electromachined or electrorefined, wherein the improvement comprises a spacer alongside said anode and cathode, said spacer comprising an ion-permeable sheet magnet spacer comprising a perforated or ion-permeable, relatively thin, synthetic plastic material sheet having a plurality of magnets embedded in both opposed faces thereof and including at least four vertically-upwardly slanting slits, thereby to provide greater combined flow and mixing of electrolyte through the spacer.

30. The improved apparatus of claim 29 wherein said slits have a width of about 2 mm to about 5 mm.

31. The improved apparatus of claim 29 wherein the upwardly sloping angle of said slits is the angle of the vortex created by the field (right hand rule force) which causes a procession of the flow from the vertical to the vortex with an increased velocity and an angle from the vertical and as determined by the strength of the field and the current density drain.

32. The improved apparatus of claim 31 wherein said upwardly sloping angle is from about 30°

to about 60°

.

33. The improved apparatus of claim 29 wherein said cathode has a top and a bottom, which is vertically disposed and is sheathed in electrically-insulating material except at said bottom, working area;

wherein said anode is horizontally-disposed below said cathode;

wherein a hot electrolyte is adapted to be rapidly stirred within the apparatus; and

wherein said spacer is a perforated sheet of polyvinylchloride or polyethylene having Fe, or SmCo₅ magnets completely embedded therein.

34. The improved apparatus of claim 29 including a casing made into a permanent magnet.

35. The improved apparatus of claim 34 wherein said casing is formed of silicon steel;

wherein said casing is provided with a thin synthetic polymer lining; and

wherein a pair of silicon steel straps is provided across a top of said apparatus to complete a magnetic field in said apparatus.

36. The improved apparatus of claim 29 wherein said electrolyte includes different paramagnetic ions or other stable, free radicals, or other indifferent paramagnetic solutes therein.

37. The improved apparatus of claim 36 wherein said indifferent paramagnetic ions are Cr⁺³ or Mn⁺².

38. A method for electrochemically etching fine units in a circuit board or in an electronic chip which comprises:

suitably placing a spacer comprising a perforated or ion-permeable sheet magnet spacer in an electrochemical apparatus, the spacer comprising a perforated or ion-permeable, relatively thin, synthetic plastic material sheet having a plurality of magnets embedded in both opposed faces thereof and including at least four vertically-upwardly slanting slits extending at an upwardly-sloping angle along each of said two opposed faces and also extending transversely through said spacer between said two opposed faces; and

causing the electrolyte to mix and flow through said spacer in such electrochemical etching apparatus by the action of the magnetic field derived from said embedded magnets.

39. The method of claim 38 including providing said slits of a width of about 2 mm to about 5 mm.

40. The method of claim 38 including providing said slits at an upwardly-sloping angle which is an angle of a vortex created by a magnetic field which causes a procession of flow from a vertical orientation to said vortex with an increased velocity and at an angle from said vertical orientation and as determined by parameters of said magnetic field, said parameters consisting of the strength of said magnetic field and the current density drain of said magnetic field.

41. The method of claim 40 including providing the sloping angle as about 30°

to about 60°

.

42. The method of claim 38 including an additional step of adding indifferent paramagnetic ions or other stable, free radicals, or other indifferent paramagnetic solutes to said electrolyte.

43. The method of claim 38 wherein said indifferent paramagnetic ions are Cr⁺³ or Mn⁺².