JP2020125519A - anode - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an anode that can be hung on a busbar disposed above an electrolysis tank, without having a hole for hooking a hook.SOLUTION: The anode according to the present invention is used in electrolytically refining metal. The anode comprises an anode body and a hanger. The anode body is immersed in an electrolytic solution present in the electrolysis tank during electrolytic refining. The hanger is not immersed in the electrolytic solution during electrolytic refining and is hung via a first and a second hooks on a busbar disposed above an electrolysis tank electrically connected to a power supply source. The hanger comprises a base part and a first and a second hanging parts. A length in a width direction of the base part is shorter than that of the anode body and extends upward from a center of an upper end of the anode body. The first hanging part extends from the base part in a first direction in the width direction and the first hook is hooked thereby. The second hanging part extends from the base part in a second direction which is different from the first direction, and the second hook is hooked thereby.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an anode, and more particularly to an anode used for electrolytic refining of metals.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-12780 (Patent Document 1) discloses an anode for gold electrolysis. This anode includes a rectangular plate-shaped anode main body and an ear portion that extends upward from the center of the upper end of the anode main body. In this anode, holes are formed in the ears. A hook is hooked on the hole. This anode is suspended from a rod-shaped current supply conductor (bus bar located above the electrolytic cell) via a hook (see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-11-12780

In the anode disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, holes for hooking hooks are formed in the ears. However, it is not always easy to form a hole in the ear.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to hang it on a bus bar located above the electrolytic cell without having a hole for hooking a hook. To provide a good anode.

The anode according to the invention is used for the electrorefining of metals. This anode includes an anode body and a suspending portion. The anode body is immersed in the electrolytic solution in the electrolytic cell during electrolytic refining. During the electrolytic refining, the hanging part is hung from the bus bar located above the electrolytic cell electrically connected to the power feeding part via the first and second hooks without being immersed in the electrolytic solution. The hanging portion includes a base portion and first and second hook portions. The width of the base is shorter than the width of the anode body, and the base extends upward from the center of the upper end of the anode body. The first hook portion extends from the base portion in the first direction in the width direction, and the first hook is hooked. The second hooking portion extends from the base portion in a second direction different from the first direction, and the second hook is hooked.

In this anode, the hanging part includes first and second hooking parts each extending in the width direction. One ends of the first and second hooks are hooked on the first and second hooking portions, respectively. The other end of each of the first and second hooks is hooked on a bus bar located above the electrolytic cell. Therefore, according to this anode, it is possible to suspend the anode on the bus bar via the first and second hooks even if the anode does not have a hole.

Further, the thinner the thickness of the anode at the liquid surface position of the electrolytic solution, the higher the possibility of breaking the anode at the liquid surface position as the electrolytic refining proceeds. In the anode according to the present invention, the first and second hooks extend from the anode body via a common base. That is, the base portion thicker than each of the first and second hooking portions is located at the liquid surface position of the electrolytic solution. Therefore, according to this anode, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the anode will break during electrolytic refining, as compared with the case where each of the first and second hooking portions is independently located at the liquid surface position of the electrolytic solution.

Further, when a large current is generated at the contact between the hook and the anode, the anode heats up. When the electric resistance value of the anode increases due to the heat generation of the anode, it becomes difficult for current to flow in the anode. As a result, the efficiency of electrolytic refining decreases. In the anode according to the present invention, the hanging part includes first and second hooking parts. That is, since the current flowing from the power feeding portion is branched to each of the first and second hooking portions, the magnitude of the current flowing through each hooking portion is larger than that when the hook and the anode are in contact with each other at one point. Becomes smaller. Therefore, according to this anode, the magnitude of the current flowing at the contact point between the hook and the anode can be suppressed, and thus the efficiency of electrolytic refining can be prevented from decreasing.

In the above anode, a taper may be formed in a region of the upper end of the anode main body where the base is not formed.

According to this anode, since the material flows along the taper in the mold during casting, the anode can be easily manufactured. Further, since the taper is formed, even if the position of the liquid surface of the electrolytic solution is slightly lower, the volume of the anode exposed on the liquid surface can be suppressed as compared with the case where the taper is not formed. it can.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it does not have the hole for hooking a hook, the anode which can be suspended by the bus bar located above an electrolysis cell can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the outline of an electrolysis apparatus. It is a figure which shows the detail of the positional relationship of the anode in an electrolysis apparatus. It is a top view of an anode. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the anode of a 1st comparison object in an electrolysis apparatus. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the anode of a 2nd comparison object in an electrolysis apparatus. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the anode of the 3rd comparison object in an electrolysis apparatus. It is a top view of the anode in the 1st modification. It is a top view of the anode in the 2nd modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[1. Overview]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an electrolysis device 10 to which an anode 100 according to the present embodiment is applied. The electrolysis device 10 is a device for electrolytically refining silver (Ag). Note that FIG. 1 is a view of the electrolysis apparatus 10 as seen from the direction of arrow F, and each arrow UDLRFB is common to each drawing.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electrolysis device 10 includes an electrolysis tank 300, an electrolytic solution 500, an anode (anode) 100, a cathode (cathode) 200, and a power feeding section 400. As the electrolytic cell 300, an electrolytic cell having any structure can be used. The electrolytic bath 300 is filled with an electrolytic solution 500. As the electrolytic solution 500, a known electrolytic solution generally used for electrolytic refining of silver can be used. As the electrolytic solution 500, for example, an acid-based electrolytic solution such as nitric acid or sulfuric acid is used.

The anode 100 is partially immersed in the electrolytic solution 500 during electrolytic refining. The anode 100 contains silver. The anode 100 may further include a metal other than silver, for example. Further, the anode 100 may further contain a nonmetal (ceramic, glass, etc.) depending on the application. The proportion of silver, a metal other than silver, and a nonmetal in the anode 100 is not particularly limited.

The cathode 200 is partially immersed in the electrolytic solution 500 during electrolytic refining. The cathode 200 is made of, for example, stainless steel or titanium. That is, the cathode 200 may be made of an electrode material that is resistant to corrosion by the electrolytic solution 500.

The power supply unit 400 is a DC power supply, and is configured to apply a DC voltage between the anode 100 and the cathode 200. When a voltage is applied between the anode 100 and the cathode 200 by the power feeding unit 400, a current is generated between the anode 100 and the cathode 200, and electrolytic refining proceeds.

In such an electrolysis device 10, a portion of the anode 100 that is not immersed in the electrolytic solution 500 makes little contribution to electrolytic refining. That is, the larger the volume of the portion of the anode 100 that is immersed in the electrolytic solution 500, the higher the efficiency of electrolytic refining.

In anode 100 according to the present embodiment, a structural ingenuity is adopted so that the volume of the portion immersed in electrolytic solution 500 becomes large. Hereinafter, the configuration of the anode 100 will be described in detail.

[2. Anode configuration]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of the positional relationship of the anode 100 in the electrolysis device 10. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the anode 100. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the anode 100 is plate-shaped and includes an anode body 110 and a suspending portion 115.

The anode body 110 is configured such that at least a part thereof is immersed in the electrolytic solution 500 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “electrolytic solution 500”) in the electrolytic cell 300 during electrolytic refining. The anode body 110 has a hexagonal shape. More specifically, the lower part of the anode body 110 is rectangular and the upper part of the anode body 110 is isosceles trapezoidal. From the upper end of the anode body 110, a suspending portion 115 extends upward (in the direction of arrow U). A taper is formed in a region of the upper end of the anode body 110 where the suspending portion 115 is not formed, toward the outside in the width direction (arrow BF direction) of the anode 100 and downward (arrow D direction). .. According to the anode 100, since the material flows along the taper in the mold during casting, the anode 100 can be easily manufactured. Further, since the taper is formed, even if the position of the liquid surface of the electrolytic solution 500 is slightly lower, the volume of the anode 100 exposed on the liquid surface is suppressed as compared with the case where the taper is not formed. be able to.

The hanging portion 115 is configured so that at least a part thereof is not immersed in the electrolytic solution 500 during electrolytic refining. The hanging portion 115 is configured to be hung on the bus bar 600 located above the electrolytic cell 300 via hooks 700 and 710. The hanging portion 115 has an anchor shape that is bifurcated upward, and includes a base portion 120 and hook portions 130 and 140.

The base portion 120 is configured so that at least a part thereof is not soaked in the electrolytic solution 500 during electrolytic refining, and extends upward from the central portion of the upper end of the anode body portion 110. The length of the base 120 in the width direction of the anode 100 is shorter than that of the anode body 110.

The hook portions 130 and 140 extend from the base portion 120 in the left-right direction (arrow BF direction). That is, the hooks 130 and 140 extend from the base 120 in different directions. The hook portions 130 and 140 are hooked on one ends of the hooks 700 and 710, respectively. The other ends of the hooks 700 and 710 are hooked on the bus bar 600. That is, in the electrolysis device 10, the anode 100 is suspended from the bus bar 600 via the hooks 700 and 710. When a voltage is applied by the power supply unit 400 (FIG. 1), power is supplied to the anode 100 via the bus bar 600 and the hooks 700 and 710.

In this manner, the anode 100 is hung on the bus bar 600 via i) the hooks 700 and 710, and ii) the hanging is performed via the hook portions 130 and 140 extending in the width direction of the anode 100, and iii). The number of hooks used for hanging is two, and iv) each of the hook portions 130 and 140 has a feature that they extend from the common base portion 120. The reason why the anode 100 has these characteristics will be described below.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a positional relationship of the first comparison target anode 100X in the electrolysis apparatus 10X. As shown in FIG. 4, in the electrolysis device 10X, the hook portions 130X and 140X of the anode 100X are directly hooked to the edge of the electrolytic cell 300. Since it is a problem that the electrolytic solution 500 overflows from the electrolytic cell 300, the electrolytic solution 500 is not always filled to the full tank. Therefore, when the hooking portions 130X and 140X are directly hooked to the edge of the electrolytic cell 300 as in the first comparison, the volume of the portion of the anode 100X that is not immersed in the electrolytic solution 500 becomes large.

Referring again to FIG. 2, anode 100 according to the present embodiment is hung from bus bar 600 via hooks 700 and 710 and immersed in a deeper position in electrolyte solution 500. Compared with the above, the volume of the portion not soaked in the electrolytic solution 500 can be reduced.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the second comparison target anode 100Y in the electrolysis device 10Y. As shown in FIG. 5, the anode 100Y includes a hook portion 130Y, and a hole H1 is formed in the hook portion 130Y. The anode 100Y is suspended from the bus bar 600 via the hook 700 hooked in the hole H1. However, it is not always easy to form the hole H1 in the hook portion 130Y. For example, when the anode 100Y is manufactured by casting, it is difficult to form the hole H1 in the hook portion 130Y.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, anode 100 according to the present embodiment is hung on bus bar 600 via hooks 700 and 710 hooked on hook portions 130 and 140 (FIG. 3) extending in the width direction of anode 100, respectively. Can be lowered. The hook portions 130 and 140 can be formed relatively easily even by casting.

Referring again to FIG. 5, the anode 100Y is suspended from the bus bar 600 via one hook 700. In this case, compared to the case where the anode is suspended on the bus bar 600 via the plurality of hooks, a large current may flow through one hook 700. When a large current is generated at the contact between the hook 700 and the anode 100Y, the anode 100Y generates heat. When the anode 100Y generates heat, the electric resistance value of the anode 100Y increases, so that it becomes difficult for current to flow through the anode 100Y. As a result, the efficiency of electrolytic refining decreases.

Referring again to FIG. 2, anode 100 according to the present embodiment is suspended from bus bar 600 via two hooks (hooks 700 and 710). That is, since the current flowing from the power feeding unit 400 branches to each of the hooking units 130 and 140, the current flowing to each of the hooking units 130 and 140 is greater than that when the hook and the anode are in contact with each other at one point. Becomes smaller. Therefore, according to this anode 100, the heat generation of the anode 100 due to the current flowing through the hook portions 130 and 140 is suppressed, and the increase of the electric resistance value of the anode 100 is suppressed, so that the efficiency reduction of the electrolytic refining is suppressed. can do.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a positional relationship of the third comparison target anode 100Z in the electrolysis device 10Z. As shown in FIG. 6, the anode 100Z includes hook portions 130Z and 140Z. The hooking portion 130Z extends upward from the upper end of one end of the anode 100Z in the width direction, and the hooking portion 140Z extends upward from the upper end of the other end of the anode 100Z in the width direction. That is, the hook portions 130Z and 140Z do not extend from the common base portion 120 unlike the hook portions 130 and 140 (FIG. 3) in the anode 100 according to the present embodiment. As a result, the thickness of anode 100Z (thickness of regions T2 and T3) at the liquid surface position of electrolytic solution 500 is smaller than that of anode 100 according to the present embodiment. The thinner the thickness of the anode 100Z at the liquid surface position of the electrolytic solution 500, the higher the possibility that the anode 100Z will break at the liquid surface position as the electrolytic refining proceeds.

Referring again to FIG. 2, in anode 100 according to the present embodiment, hooking portions 130 and 140 (FIG. 3) extend from anode body 110 via common base 120. That is, the base portion 120 (region T1) thicker than each of the hook portions 130 and 140 is located at the liquid surface position of the electrolytic solution 500. Therefore, according to this anode 100, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the anode 100 will break during electrolytic refining, as compared with the case where each of the hooking portions 130 and 140 is individually located at the liquid surface position of the electrolytic solution 500. ..

[3. Feature]
As described above, in anode 100 according to the present embodiment, hanging portion 115 includes hook portions 130 and 140 each extending in the width direction. One ends of hooks 700 and 710 are hooked on the hook portions 130 and 140, respectively. The other end of each of the hooks 700 and 710 is hooked on the bus bar 600 located above the electrolytic cell 300. Therefore, according to this anode 100, even if the anode 100 does not have a hole, the anode 100 can be hung from the bus bar 600 via the hooks 700 and 710, and as a result, the electrolyte solution 500 of the anode 100 can be suspended. It is possible to reduce the volume of the part that is not soaked in.

Further, anode 100 according to the present embodiment is suspended from bus bar 600 via two hooks (hooks 700 and 710). That is, since the current flowing from the power feeding unit 400 branches to each of the hooking units 130 and 140, the current flowing to each of the hooking units 130 and 140 is greater than that when the hook and the anode are in contact with each other at one point. Becomes smaller. Therefore, according to this anode 100, the magnitude of the current flowing at the contact point between the hook and the anode can be suppressed, and the heat generation in the anode 100 can be suppressed, so that the reduction in the efficiency of electrolytic refining can be suppressed.

Further, in anode 100 according to the present embodiment, hook portions 130 and 140 (FIG. 3) extend from anode body 110 via common base 120. That is, the base 120, which is thicker than each of the hooks 130 and 140, is located at the liquid surface position of the electrolytic solution 500. Therefore, according to this anode 100, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the anode 100 will break during the electrolytic refining, as compared with the case where each of the hooking portions 130 and 140 is individually located at the liquid surface position of the electrolytic solution 500. ..

[4. Modification]
Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Hereinafter, modified examples will be described. However, the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

(4-1)
In the above-described embodiment, the lower surface of each of the hooks 130 and 140 is a flat surface that is slightly downward toward the outer side of the anode 100 in the width direction. However, the shape of the lower surface of each of the hook portions 130 and 140 is not limited to this. For example, the shape may be as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 below.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the anode 100A according to the first modification. As shown in FIG. 7, the anode 100A includes hook portions 130A and 140A. The lower surface of each hook may be a curved surface like the hooks 130A and 140A.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the anode 100B according to the second modification. As shown in FIG. 8, the anode 100B includes hook portions 130B and 140B. The lower surface of each hook may be a flat surface that extends horizontally toward the outer side in the width direction of the anode, such as the hooks 130B and 140B. In short, the hooks 130 and 140 may have any shapes as long as they extend from the base 120 in different directions and can hook the hooks 700 and 710, respectively.

(4-2)
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the shape of the anode body 110 in plan view is hexagonal. However, the shape of the anode body 110 is not limited to this. For example, the shape of the anode body 110 may be square, pentagonal, or circular. In short, the shape of the anode main body 110 may be any shape.

(4-3)
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the anode 100 is suspended from the bus bar 600 via the two hooks (hooks 700 and 710). However, the number of hooks used to suspend the anode 100 is not limited to this. For example, the anode 100 may be suspended on the bus bar 600 by three or more hooks. In this case, the number of hooks corresponding to the number of hooks extends from the base 120.

(4-4)
Further, in the above embodiment, the electrolysis device 10 was used for electrolytic refining of silver. However, the use of the electrolysis device 10 is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the electrolysis apparatus 10 may be used for electrolytic refining of copper, gold, platinum, lead, tin, nickel and the like. In this case, a suitable material is appropriately selected as the material of the anode 100.

10, 10X, 10Y, 10Z Electrolysis device, 100, 100A, 100B, 100X, 100Y, 100Z Anode, 110 Anode body part, 115 Hanging part, 120 base part, 130, 130A, 130B, 130X, 130Y, 130Z, 140, 140A, 140B, 140X, 140Z Hook, 200 Cathode, 300 Electrolyzer, 400 Power Feed, 500 Electrolyte, 600 Busbar, 700,710 Hook, H1 Hole, T1, T2, T3 Region.

Claims (2)

An anode used for electrolytic refining of metal,
An anode main body that is immersed in the electrolytic solution in the electrolytic cell during the electrolytic refining,
During the electrolytic refining, a suspending unit that is suspended from the bus bar located above the electrolytic bath electrically connected to the power supply unit without immersing in the electrolytic solution via the first and second hooks. Prepare,
The hanging part is
A base whose length in the width direction is shorter than that of the anode body, and which extends upward from the center of the upper end of the anode body;
A first hook portion that extends from the base portion in the first direction in the width direction and on which the first hook is hooked;
An anode, comprising: a second hooking portion that extends from the base portion in a second direction different from the first direction and on which the second hook is hooked. The anode according to claim 1, wherein a taper is formed in a region of the upper end of the anode main body where the base is not formed.