Long pulse width AC Amuminium series cell. A cheaper cell?

[Jehu]

After doing a few experiments of my own and reading these forums I've come up with a few ideas.

At the moment the trend is to use a DC series cell made from 316 stainless steel plates. They need to be conditioned and what not for them to work efficently.

One problem, SS doesn't conduct electricity as well as other metals, is heavy, is expensive and is a bit hard to work with.

On the other hand, Aluminium is cheap, conducts electricity fairly well, easy to get, eaisy to work with, light and cheap.

One problem, it oxidises fast when you use it as an anode.

So here is an idea that I had.

Make a series cell from Aluminium, use sulfuric acid as an electrolite and give it, instead of DC, a very long AC pulse, say for instance 1 cycle per miniute.

Would this inturn result in the aluminium being deposited from the anode into the H2SO4 solution to become an Aluminium salt and then being plated to the cathode and then when the polarity is reveresed in the second half of the cycle, be redeposited onto the original electrode?


Just a thought I'd ask you guys first before I go ahead and make a prototype.

[resident_genius]

from what i've seen, adding aluminum to a KOH, or sulfuric acid solution will cause the aluminum to be consumed even without electricity, the oxygen molecule gets combined with the metal as it oxidizes, creating aluminum oxide particles that fall to the bottom of the vessel, and hydrogen is released.... this is the whole "add soda cans to a bath of sulfuric acid" type hydrogen generators. the downside is that the reaction never stops until all the aluminum is completely consumed or its removed from the vessel.

im guessing adding electricity would simply speed up the process.

besides, at the scrap yard, aluminum is .55 to .65 cents a pound, and SS is just under a dollar. for the longevity of the anode and cathode, SS is much better. days.....versus.......years.

[moses]

[resident_genius]

maybe the ppl in cali are sickly?

[Jehu]

Are you sure that Al reacts with Sulfuric Acid like it does with Caustic Soda? If it does, why does industry use it in anodising Al?

From what I have read, the H2SO4 will react with the Al UNTIL the electroyte solution becomes saturated with Al and forming Aluminium Sulfate. When this occurs, the automatic corrosion of the Al plates stops and when a current is applied, the Al gets plated to the Cathode from the solution. Then Al ions are removed from the Anode to the solution to replace the ions that have been plated on the cathode.

[Hydrogenworld]

Here´s one for you. Platina treadet copper. A few microns of platina. Platina is cheaper in pouder instead of raw metal. Build a bath and treat the copper wire or plates. Theres your solution. Copper conducts better then aluminum and the platina doesent get consumed.

I am working on that. I will in post the results for this further on.

[resident_genius]

i smell an experiment!

im all out of sulfuric acid though. balls in your court.

[Hydrogenworld]

Sulfuric acid? ... what are you using that for???

[resident_genius]

read jehu's second post. i was figuring that he'd wanna play with sulfuric acid..... either way. distilled H20 and KOH or sulfuric acid, meh. go for it.

[Jehu]

Yup, well, I got 2 old car batteries in the garage so I'll charge them up and pinch the acid out of them.

Now I just gotta get something suitable to pour it into. I'm getting some GG17 Borosilicate glassware in the next few days so I'll have plenty of things to test it with.

Also I've been making some Copper Sulfate over the last week and boy did it fizz off a lot of hydrogen. I've got a vid on my phone so I'll have to post it up later. I'll also test my idea with copper sulfate as the electrolyte, just for the heck of it.

[chasberry]

[Jehu]