Electrolytic cell and circulating method for electrolyte
AssigneeMitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.
InventorsTatsuzo Kitamura, Haruji Inaba
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Abstract
An electrolytic cell of high capacity and circulation for the electrolytic refining and recovery of copper at a high current density is described, comprising a pair of supply ports and a single discharge port for supply and discharge of an electrolyte. The electrolyte which is first divided into two portions and supplied from the supply ports is circulated through individual zones of the internal space of the cell uniformly along the longest path at a low linear velocity and is finally discharged from a common discharge port.
Claims5
A method of circulating an electrolyte in the electrolytic refining of copper in which plates of pure copper are electrodeposited on a cathode surface and anode plates of crude copper are dissolved in the electrolyte while using a current density of more than 250 A/m.sup.2, comprising the following steps:
- A. dividing the circulating electrolyte into two supply streams of substantially equal volume and flow rate;
- B. introducing each stream to a cell of substantially rectangular cross section at a flow rate of more than 15 l/min. from opposed corners of a longer side wall of the cell, said flow rate being such as to minimize flotation of resulting slime and copper concentration dispersion;
- and
- C. discharging the electrolyte at a flow rate of more than 30 l/min. from a discharge port situated at a central part on the inner surface of the opposed longer side wall thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.