US3504429A - Method of preparing unrefined copper electrodes - Google Patents

Method of preparing unrefined copper electrodes Download PDF

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Publication number
US3504429A
US3504429A US3504429DA US3504429A US 3504429 A US3504429 A US 3504429A US 3504429D A US3504429D A US 3504429DA US 3504429 A US3504429 A US 3504429A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
copper
electrodes
unrefined
strip
plates
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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English (en)
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William Richard Nobl Snelgrove
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British Copper Refiners Ltd
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British Copper Refiners Ltd
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25C—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION, RECOVERY OR REFINING OF METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25C1/00—Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of solutions
    • C25C1/12—Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of solutions of copper
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
    • Y02P10/20—Recycling
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
    • Y10T29/49789—Obtaining plural product pieces from unitary workpiece
    • Y10T29/49798—Dividing sequentially from leading end, e.g., by cutting or breaking
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T29/00—Metal working
    • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
    • Y10T29/4998—Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent material
    • Y10T29/49988—Metal casting
    • Y10T29/49989—Followed by cutting or removing material

Definitions

  • Unrefined copper electrode for use in the process of electrolytically refining cop-per are prepared in quantity by' forming an unrefined copper strip of indefinite length by a continuous casting process and cutting the strip into electrode lengths as it issues from the casting apparatus such that electrodes having a high superficial area are formed. Suspension means are attached to the electrodes thus formed and the electrodes are conveyed to storage while suspended from the suspension means.
  • This invention relates to the method of refining copper in which plates of the metal to be refined form electrodes in an electrolytic cell, usually containing an aqueous solution of copper sulphate acidified with sulphuric acid.
  • the invention is concerned both with the parallel process and with the series process.
  • the plates of copper to be refined form the anodes and are suspended in the electrolyte alternately with thin cathode plates, customarily of pure copper, and a direct current is passed from the anodes through the electrolyte to the cathodes.
  • Cop-per is dissolved from the anodes and is carried to and deposited on the initially thin cathode plates.
  • Electrodes for use in this parallel process and electrodes for use in the series process will hereinafter be referred to collectively as unrefined electrodes.
  • the rate of deposition is limited to such an extent that it may take weeks for complete dissolution of the immersed electrodes. Consequently, for any substantial production of refined copper large numbers of large baths are required, involving heavy capital expenditure on plant and buildings. To keep this expenditure as low as possible, it is the practice to make the unrefined electrodes of as high a superficial area as is practicable and to pack them as close together as is possible without their coming into contact with one another or with the interleaved cathode plates and creating a short circuit.
  • the term superficial area as used herein means the area of one face of the electrode, i.e., its length times its breadth.
  • Objects of the present invention are to provide an improved process of electrolytically refining copper in which the copper to be refined is formed into large electrodes that is to say electrodes having a high superficial area, preferably of at least 8 square feet or 0.75 square metre, and in which the electrodes can be formed by a continuous process from copper which is less refined than is the copper at present used for casting electrodes in open moulds, for example blister and/or scrap copper.
  • the method in accordance with the invention comprises forming a copper strip of indefinite length by a continuous casting process, cutting this strip into lengths such that plates having a high superficial area, preferably of at least 8 square feet or 0.75 square metre, are formed, immersing the cut lengths as electrodes in an electrolyte solution and passing a direct current through the electrolyte to cause copper to be dissolved from the unrefined electrodes and deposited as pure copper.
  • the shearing of the continuously cast plate is preferably done whilst the copper is hot and no further shaping is normally needed other than that entailed in the provision of supporting means for the unrefined electrodes. Should, however the shearing operation cause a slight distortion of the plate this can readily be removed by rolling.
  • the unrefined electrode plates so formed have flatter and smoother sur faces and are more accurate in all their dimensions than electrodes cast in conventional open "moulds and can therefore be satisfactorily used in larger sizes than is economically possible with electrodes cast individually in open moulds and/or they can be packed closer together than such electrodes, thus reducing the superficial area of the bath and/ or the consumption of power for a given output of refined copper.
  • the method in accordance with the invention has the important advantage that some refining step or steps can be reduced in or omitted fro-m the usual method of preparing copper for casting such electrodes.
  • the continuous casting apparatus is con tinuously fed with molten copper obtained simply by continuously melting blister or scrap copper or a mixture of blister copper and scrap copper.
  • the conventional method of suspending heavy unrefined electrodes is by means of integrally cast lugs which project transversely from two adjacent corners of the electrode.
  • the unrefined electrodes can be supported by any convenient means, for example lugs may be attached to the plates as by rivetting, but we prefer to suspend the electrodes from a bar by means of rivetted straps or hooks passing through holes or into notches formed in the upper part of the plate. Suitable holes or notches can conveniently be punched in the plates while they are being sheared or before or immediately after they have been sheared from the continuously cast strip and While they are still hot.
  • An advantage of the bar and hook assembly is that it is reusable.
  • FIGURE 1 shows in diagrammatic form the apparatus used for casting the plate, cutting it into anode lengths, shaping the lengths for suspension and suspending them for transfer to store prior to loading the electrolytic bath,
  • FIGURE 2 is a plan in the direction of the arrow II in FIGURE 1 of part of the apparatus and FIGURE 3 is a sectional elevation on the line III-III in FIGURE 1 of another part of the apparatus,
  • molten copper is fed from a rotary holding furnace 1 into a continuous casting machine 2.
  • the holding furnace 1 is supplied continuously with molten copper by a continuous, gas fired, shaft type melting furnace 3, for example that made by the American Smelting and Refining Company in accordance with their US. Patent No. 3,199,977.
  • the molten copper flows continuously through the holding furnace 1, the function of which is to provide an even flow of copper to the casting machine 2 independent of variations in the output of the furnace 3.
  • the furnace 3 is fed with blister copper and/or scrap copper, thus avoiding the normal refining steps which precede the casting of copper as anodes, i.e., blowing with air and poling with green timber.
  • the continuous casting machine 2 is of the kind, for example that known under the trademark Hazelett as the Hazelett No. 14 Strip-casting machine, in which the major surfaces of the mold are formed by a pair of power driven water cooled endless metal belts 4. The machine produces continuously a strip 5 of copper 42-45 inches (107-114 cm.) wide. The thickness of the strip may vary from 2 inches to /2 inch or less (5 cm. to 1.3 cm.), thinner strip generally being preferred for the series process and thicker for the parallel process.
  • the continuous strip 5 of copper leaving the machine 2 passes over rollers 6 and is cut into 4-6 ft. (112 cm.- 183 cm.) lengths 7 by a flying shear 8 which itself moves at the same speed as the strip 5 during the time it is ac tually making the cut.
  • the cut length of copper 7 is accelerated away from the shear by the rollers 6 to a fixed position where it is stopped within an hydraulic press 9 and tools 10 are pressed into each edge near one end to form notches 11.
  • After shearing and punching the plates are cooled in a cooling chamber 12 in which cooling is efiected by water sprays.
  • the water sprays will generally remove any surface scale from the plates but, if necessary to remove residual surface scale, the plates can be brushed after cooling, for example by a mechanical rotary brush (not shown).
  • the press 9 may be associated with and moved with the shear 8 so that the tools 10 are pressed into the strip during the shearing operation.
  • the plates then move in succession to the end 13 of the roller conveyor where copper bars 14, longer than the width of the plate and each provided with two rigid hooks 15, are lowered over them from a bar feeder 16 in such a way that the hooks engage the notches 11 and the ends of the bar rest on a power driven chain conveyor 17.
  • a plate 7 reaches the end 13 of the roller conveyor and its notches 11 have been engaged by a pair of the hooks the end 13 of the conveyor pivots downwards to the position 18 (shown dotted), leaving the plate 7 suspended from the hooks of the bar and each end of the bar resting on the chain conveyor 17.
  • the unrefined electrodes are conveyed to storage by the conveyor 17 prior to being transferred to an electrolytic bath (not shown), in which they are refined either by the series or by the parallel process.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Electrolytic Production Of Metals (AREA)
US3504429D 1965-02-04 1966-02-01 Method of preparing unrefined copper electrodes Expired - Lifetime US3504429A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB491065A GB1067297A (en) 1965-02-04 1965-02-04 Improvements in or relating to the electrolytic refining of copper

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3504429A true US3504429A (en) 1970-04-07

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ID=9786164

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US3504429D Expired - Lifetime US3504429A (en) 1965-02-04 1966-02-01 Method of preparing unrefined copper electrodes

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US3504429A (fi)
BE (1) BE675784A (fi)
DE (1) DE1533440C2 (fi)
ES (1) ES322409A1 (fi)
FI (1) FI46523C (fi)
GB (1) GB1067297A (fi)
SE (1) SE335012B (fi)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3610315A (en) * 1969-10-09 1971-10-05 Urban Reclamation Technologies Continuous steelmaking system and process
US3707764A (en) * 1970-04-01 1973-01-02 Kennecott Copper Corp A wholly integral anode for electrolytic refining of metals
DE2250792A1 (de) * 1972-01-10 1973-07-19 Onahama Seiren Kk Anlage zur kontinuierlichen herstellung von kupferanoden zur elektroraffination
DE2848133A1 (de) * 1977-11-16 1979-05-17 Metallurgie Hoboken Verfahren und vorrichtung zur kontinuierlichen herstellung von metallanoden aus schmelzfluessigem metall
US4946575A (en) * 1977-11-16 1990-08-07 Metallurgie Hoboken-Overpelt Metallic anodes manufactured from molten copper
US5961797A (en) * 1996-05-03 1999-10-05 Asarco Incorporated Copper cathode starting sheets

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS4947121B1 (fi) * 1971-02-26 1974-12-13
IN138537B (fi) * 1972-03-10 1976-02-21 T Garlick
BR7802482A (pt) * 1977-04-20 1979-04-03 Bicc Ltd Processo e aparelho para fundicao continua de eletrodos nao refinados

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US545328A (en) * 1895-08-27 Process of and apparatus for refining metals electrolytically
US1574043A (en) * 1925-08-24 1926-02-23 William Lewin Process for the separation and recovery of the copper, tin, and lead content of brass or bronze secondary metals and their residues
US2023424A (en) * 1934-01-05 1935-12-10 Anaconda Copper Mining Co Metallurgy
US2195809A (en) * 1936-06-22 1940-04-02 American Smelting Refining Continuous casting
US2421209A (en) * 1942-01-30 1947-05-27 American Smelting Refining Electrolytic refining of metals
US2556635A (en) * 1949-01-22 1951-06-12 Int Smelting & Refining Co Electrolytic refining of copper
US2947075A (en) * 1956-09-21 1960-08-02 Moossche Eisenwerke Ag Method for the continuous casting of metal strip, and strip casting plant for carrying out the method
US3038250A (en) * 1958-07-07 1962-06-12 Coors Porcelain Co Method of continuously casting strips from molten metal and making slugs therefrom
US3066401A (en) * 1959-02-10 1962-12-04 Pechiney Prod Chimiques Sa Manufacture of splined ingots

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1690887A (en) * 1926-06-05 1928-11-06 Jasper N Davis Process and machine for the manufacture of storage-battery plates
NL123039C (fi) * 1958-03-17

Patent Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US545328A (en) * 1895-08-27 Process of and apparatus for refining metals electrolytically
US1574043A (en) * 1925-08-24 1926-02-23 William Lewin Process for the separation and recovery of the copper, tin, and lead content of brass or bronze secondary metals and their residues
US2023424A (en) * 1934-01-05 1935-12-10 Anaconda Copper Mining Co Metallurgy
US2195809A (en) * 1936-06-22 1940-04-02 American Smelting Refining Continuous casting
US2421209A (en) * 1942-01-30 1947-05-27 American Smelting Refining Electrolytic refining of metals
US2556635A (en) * 1949-01-22 1951-06-12 Int Smelting & Refining Co Electrolytic refining of copper
US2947075A (en) * 1956-09-21 1960-08-02 Moossche Eisenwerke Ag Method for the continuous casting of metal strip, and strip casting plant for carrying out the method
US3038250A (en) * 1958-07-07 1962-06-12 Coors Porcelain Co Method of continuously casting strips from molten metal and making slugs therefrom
US3066401A (en) * 1959-02-10 1962-12-04 Pechiney Prod Chimiques Sa Manufacture of splined ingots

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3610315A (en) * 1969-10-09 1971-10-05 Urban Reclamation Technologies Continuous steelmaking system and process
US3707764A (en) * 1970-04-01 1973-01-02 Kennecott Copper Corp A wholly integral anode for electrolytic refining of metals
DE2250792A1 (de) * 1972-01-10 1973-07-19 Onahama Seiren Kk Anlage zur kontinuierlichen herstellung von kupferanoden zur elektroraffination
US3776017A (en) * 1972-01-10 1973-12-04 Onahama Seiren Kk System for continuous manufacture of copper anodes for electro-refining
DE2848133A1 (de) * 1977-11-16 1979-05-17 Metallurgie Hoboken Verfahren und vorrichtung zur kontinuierlichen herstellung von metallanoden aus schmelzfluessigem metall
FR2409109A1 (fr) * 1977-11-16 1979-06-15 Metallurgie Hoboken Procede de fabrication continue d'anodes metalliques a partir de metal fondu
US4946575A (en) * 1977-11-16 1990-08-07 Metallurgie Hoboken-Overpelt Metallic anodes manufactured from molten copper
US5961797A (en) * 1996-05-03 1999-10-05 Asarco Incorporated Copper cathode starting sheets
US6153082A (en) * 1996-05-03 2000-11-28 Asarco Incorporated Copper cathode starting sheets

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE1533440B1 (de) 1974-08-15
GB1067297A (en) 1967-05-03
DE1533440C2 (de) 1975-04-17
BE675784A (fi) 1966-05-16
ES322409A1 (es) 1966-09-01
SE335012B (fi) 1971-05-10
FI46523C (fi) 1973-04-10
FI46523B (fi) 1973-01-02

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