Resistance of Solid Conductors

This kind of ohmic resistance is associated with that of the bus bars, the conductors of electricity between the rectifier and the cell and between the cells themselves, and that of the electrodes. It is also important to avoid contact resistances. The resistances of electrode materials are varied for example, copper has a low resistivity of 1.7 x 10 ohm-m, titanium s is 46 X 10 ohm-m, and graphite s is 700 x 10 ohm-m. Voltage losses for all solid conductors can be estimated from Ohm s law. 

The importance of low voltage losses is not so much the saving of electricity costs but the avoidance of bad current distribution. This factor, discussed further in Chapter 5, is particularly important for coated metal electrodes, e.g., the so-called dimensionally stable electrodes used in the chloralkali industry which consist of titanium covered by a thin layer 1-2 fim) of catalyst. Voltage losses are kept low by making sure that the titanium is sufficiently thick. 

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