US 5,310,466 AGranted

Electrolytic metal recovery system

AssigneeMetafix Inc.

InventorsJohn La Riviere, Bernard Gravel, Gordon Bathurst

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Abstract

The system is operable in either a standby mode, having associated with it a predetermined standby current level, or a plating mode, having associated with it a predetermined plating current level. The system also has associated with it a cut-off current level at which the system is transferred from the plating mode to the standby mode, and a come-on current level at which the system is transferred from the standby mode to the plating mode. A variable voltage generator impresses a voltage across the electrolytic solution, and this voltage is monitored by a microcontroller. The voltage for each mode is the voltage which will produce the predetermined current for that mode. When the microcontroller determines that the voltage has remained stable, that is, with a deviation less than .+-.5% for a predetermined period of one minute, then the microcontroller will provide a signal to the voltage generator to initiate a change of mode.

Claims24

Dependent claims

An electrolytic metal recovery system for recovering metal from an electrolytic solution;

said metal recovery system being operable in either a standby mode having associated with it a predetermined standby current level, or a plating mode having associated with it a predetermined plating current level;
said metal recovery system also having associated with it a cut-off current level at which said metal recovery system is transferred from said plating mode to said standby mode, and a come-on current level at which said metal recovery systems is transferred from said standby mode to said plating mode;
said metal recovery system comprising;
a variable voltage generator for impressing a voltage across said solution;
standby voltage generator regulator means for adjusting the voltage level of said variable voltage generator, during a standby mode regulatory period, to a standby voltage level;
and
means for fixing said variable voltage generator to said standby voltage level at the end of said standby mode regulatory period;
wherein said standby voltage level is that level of voltage which will cause said predetermined standby current to flow in said system;
said system further including:
system current level sensor means for sensing the current flowing in said solution;
standby current level generator means for generating a standby current level;
current difference detector means, said system current level sensor and said standby current level generator means connected to respective inputs of said current difference detector means;
whereby, to detect the difference between said sensed system current level and said standby current level;
the output of said current difference detector means being operable to continuously adjust the voltage level of said variable voltage generator to reduce the difference detected by said current difference detector to zero.

11 more elements

An electrolytic metal recovery system for recovering metal from an electrolytic solution;

said metal recovery system being operable in either a standby mode having associated with it a predetermined standby current level, or a plating mode having associated with it a predetermined plating current level;
said metal recovery system also having associated with it a cut-off current level at which said metal recovery system is transferred from said plating mode to said standby mode, and a come-on current level at which said metal recovery system is transferred from said standby to said plating mode;
said metal recovery system comprising:
a variable voltage generator for impressing a voltage across said solution;
plating voltage generator regulator remains for adjusting the voltage level of said variable voltage generator, during a plating mode regulatory period, to a plating voltage level;
and
means for fixing said variable voltage generator to said plating voltage level at the end of said plating mode regulatory period;
wherein said plating voltage level is that level of voltage which will cause said predetermined plating current to flow in said system;
said system further including:
system current level sensor means for sensing the current flowing in said solution;
plating current level generator means for generating a plating current level;
current difference detector means, said system current level sensor and said plating current level generator means being connected to respective inputs of said current difference detector means;
whereby, to detect the difference between said sensed system current level and said plating current level;
the output of said current difference detector means being operable to adjust the voltage level of said variable voltage generator to reduce the difference detected by said current difference detector to zero.

11 more elements

An electrolytic metal recovery system for recovering metal from an electrolytic solution;

said metal recovery system being operable in either a standby mode having associated with it a predetermined standby current level, or a plating mode having associated with it a predetermined plating current level;
said metal recovery system also having associated with it a cut-off current level at which said system is transferred from said plating mode to said standby mode, and a come-on current level at which said system is transferred from said standby to said plating mode;
said metal recovery system comprising:
a variable voltage generator for impressing a voltage across said solution;
voltage generator regulator means for adjusting the voltage level of said variable voltage generator, during a standby mode regulatory period, to a standby voltage level, and during a plating mode regulatory period to a plating voltage and
means for fixing said variable voltage generator to said standby voltage level at the end of said standby mode, regulatory period and to said plating voltage level at the end of said plating mode regulatory period;
wherein said standby voltage level is that level of voltage which will cause said predetermined standby current to flow in said system;
said metal recovery system further including:
system current level sensor means for sensing the current flowing in said solution;
standby current level generator means to generate a standby current level;
current difference detector means, said system current level sensor and said standby current level generator means being connected to respective inputs of said current difference detector means during said standby mode regulatory period;
whereby, to detect the difference between said sensed system current level and said standby current level during said standby mode regulatory period;
the output of said current difference detector means being operable to continuously adjust the voltage level of said variable voltage generator to reduce the difference detected by said current difference detector means to zero during said standby mode regulatory period.

10 more elements

An electrolytic metal recovery system for recovering metal from an electrolytic solution;

said metal recovery system being operable in either a standby mode having associated with it a predetermined standby current level, or a plating mode having associated with it a predetermined plating current level;
said metal recovery system also having associated with it a cut-off current level at which said system is transferred from said plating mode to said standby mode, and a come-on current level at which said system is transferred from said standby to said plating mode;
said metal recovery system comprising:
a variable voltage generator for impressing a voltage across said solution;
means for generating a constant current equal to said standby current level during said standby current mode and equal to said plating current level during said plating mode, said means for generating a constant current being powered by a standby current driving voltage and a plating mode driving voltage respectively;
means for monitoring said standby current driving voltage until it attains a standby current stabilized value and for monitoring said plating current driving voltage until it attains a plating current stabilized value;
and
means for fixing said variable voltage generator to said standby current stabilized value during said standby mode, and to said plating current stabilized value during said plating mode;
wherein said standby voltage level is that level of voltage which will cause said predetermined standby current to flow in said system;
said metal recovery system further including:
system current level sensor means or sensing the current flowing in said solution;
current difference detector means, said system current level sensor and said constant current level means being connected to respective inputs of said current difference detector means during a standby mode regulatory period;
whereby, to detect the difference between said sensed system current level and said standby current level during said standby mode regulatory period;
the output of said current difference detector means being operable to adjust the voltage level of said variable voltage generator to reduce the difference detected by said current difference detector means to zero during said standby mode regulatory period.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.