Vol. 336 No. 7 (2025)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2025/7/5070
Carbon materials and their resource tests as anodes in fluorine production
Relevance. Today, the main industrial method for producing fluorine is the electrolysis of hydrogen fluoride from potassium hydrofluoride melts. Most often, they use the medium-temperature (up to 105°C) electrolyzers with a KF∙2HF electrolyte designed for a current of up to 40 kA, in which the fundamental elements are a louvered steel cathode and a coke anode. The only remaining Russian enterprise producing coke plates suitable for use as anodes in the electrochemical production of fluorine (JSC Donkarb Graphite) began to use coal coke and pitch instead of petroleum coke and pitch in order to reduce their cost. This led to a significant decrease in their quality and service life. Therefore, there is a need to search for and develop new anode materials that are more stable in fluoride environments. Aim. Evaluation of various new carbon-containing materials suitable for manufacturing anode plates and electrochemical production of fluorine, carrying out resource tests of these materials in a continuous mode for various periods of time (up to 3360 hours). Methods. Technical conditions, apparent density, compressive strength, ash content, porosity and specific electrical resistance of composite coke plate materials were determined according to SS 23775-79, 22692-77, 22898-78, 23776-79. Object. Materials based on coke-pitch compounds, carbon-carbon composite materials. Results. Under conditions of fluorine obtaining the authors have conducted the research and resource testing of a number of new carbon-based composite materials developed by the Scientific and Technological Center of Carbon and Composite Materials (Chelyabinsk) and the Seversk Technological Institute, a branch of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. They determined the following physical, mechanical and physical and chemical properties of the composite materials: apparent density, compressive strength, ash content, porosity and specific electrical resistance. The paper introduces the recommendations for further production testing of a number of new materials.
Keywords:
fluorine, coke plates, composite materials, pyrocompaction, technical characteristics, resource testing


