Spouted bed electrode cell for metal electrowinning
AssigneeDe Nora Elettrodi S.p.A.
InventorsDouglas Robinson, Stacey MacDonald, Vladimir Jiricny, Dario Oldani, Francesco Todaro, Leonello Carrettin, Gian Martelli, Davide Scotti
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Abstract
It is herein described an electrowinning cell with a spouted bed electrode of growing metallic beads, separated by a semi-permeable diaphragm and suitable for being assembled in a stack in a modular arrangement.
Claims55
A cell element of a laminated cell array for the electrowinning of metal from metal ion solutions, comprising an anode shell and a cathode shell separated by an insulating diaphragm, the anode shell delimited by an anodic plate provided with at least one conductive protrusion for transmitting direct electric current to an anode, the anode shell delimited by a cathodic plate provided with at least one draft tube capable of establishing a spouted bed of metallic beads, said diaphragm being provided with perforations in correspondence of said spouted bed of metallic beads allowing the free circulation of the electrolyte while hindering the passage of said metallic beads from the cathode compartment to the anode compartment.
An array of stacked electrowinning cell elements, each comprising an anode shell delimited by an anodic plate and a cathode shell delimited by a cathodic plate and including a draft tube establishing a spouted bed of metal beads, said anodic plate contacting the cathodic plate of the adjacent cell in the array.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.