Polymer concrete cells

Electrolytic cells have historically been mounted off the ground at full basement height. Some of the arguments for elevating the cells include the need to electrically isolate cells from spills in the basement, to protect workers from stray current, to adjust the level of the cells, to inspect for leaks and perform repairs, and to limit pumping costs by employing gravity flow. With the advent of polymer concrete cells and of synthetic cell liners, the frequency of leaks and the need for electrical isolation have been drastically reduced. 

Electrodeposition. Electro deposition, the most important of the unit processes in electrorefining, is performed in lead- or plastic-lined concrete cells or, more recently, in polymer—concrete electrolytic cells. A refinery having an aimual production of 175,000 t might have as many as 1250 cells in the tank house. The cells are multiply coimected such that anodes and cathodes are placed alternately and coimected in parallel. Each cell is a separate unit and electrically coimected to adjacent cells by a bus bar. 

Electrolytic cells for the metals refining market can be made from GRP but are also made from polymer concrete. For this material, sand is mixed with the resin and the vessel is cast with or without glass reinforcement. 

Figure 9.10 Polymer concrete electrolytic cells used in copper purification. The walls of the vessels are 80mm thick (see text for details)...

Dispersions of gas in solids are also called foams but the foam cells (bubbles) formed are isolated from one another. An example of such foams are the natural porous materials, cellular concrete, cellular glass and polymer foams. However, if in such disperse systems both phases are continuous (such as in many foamed polymers), they are called sponges. Many porous materials are partially sponge and partially solid foam. The properties of solid foams differ drastically from those of foams with liquid dispersion medium. At the same time the strength and other physical and mechanical characteristics of solid foams depend significantly... 

The question of materials for electrolysis cells has also been mentioned. It should be emphasized again, however, that concentrated solutions of electrolytes in water can be highly corrosive media. This restricts the choice of materials of construction and in later chapters there will be many examples of cell bodies made from unusual materials such as concrete, asbestos, alumina, carbon and nickel as well as more normal structural materials, e.g. steel, polymers. 

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