WO2005113862A2 - Methods for assessment and control of electro-winning and electro-refining processes - Google Patents
Methods for assessment and control of electro-winning and electro-refining processes Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2005113862A2 WO2005113862A2 PCT/US2005/016488 US2005016488W WO2005113862A2 WO 2005113862 A2 WO2005113862 A2 WO 2005113862A2 US 2005016488 W US2005016488 W US 2005016488W WO 2005113862 A2 WO2005113862 A2 WO 2005113862A2
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- electro
- plate
- winning
- recorded
- determination
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- 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
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25C—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION, RECOVERY OR REFINING OF METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
- C25C7/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells; Servicing or operating of cells
- C25C7/06—Operating or servicing
Definitions
- the present invention relates to methods for the assessment and control of electro- winning and electro-refining processes.
- the present invention also relates more particularly to methods for the assessment and control of the operating parameters for metal electro-winning and electro-refining tanks aimed at maximizing the current efficiency and keeping this optimal value overtime.
- the method includes a method for the automatic assessment of the current efficiency for units or groups of cathodes in the metal electro-winning and electro-refining process in the mining industry.
- This control operation may be carried out every week in no more than the 0.3% of the cells of a plant, which restrains the corrective actions to that probability level.
- the Current Efficiency coefficient is used as an indicator of the operating efficiency of an electro-winning and electro-refining plant with all the above-described restraints; consequently, the current efficiency information obtained at present provides for a highly limited and uncertain reference regarding the optimization level of its operation.
- Figure 1 illustrates a flow chart presenting one embodiment of the method of the invention
- Figure 2 illustrates a flow chart presenting one embodiment of the method of the invention where the current efficiency loss is due to the plate
- Figure 3 illustrates a flow chart presenting one embodiment of the method of the invention where the current efficiency loss is due to the plate location.
- the method of the present invention includes a number of stages aimed at identifying the individual current efficiency of 100% of the cathode plates - and hence of 100% of the cells - and relating it with the performance of the electro-winning plant.
- the stages consider the collection of information that, once analyzed according to the present inventive method, provides for a clear distinction among the behavior of the cathode plate itself, the cell's and the plant's, thus making possible to separate and assess the contribution factor of each of them in the current efficiency calculation. The knowledge of these factors leads to identify the causes of the deviation from the optimum, particularly for each plate and cell, which in turn leads to the controlled, consistent and methodical optimization of the plant operation.
- the method includes the following stages: a) Identification of each of the cathode plates.
- Cathode plates are automatically identified, for instance, through radio-frequency identification (“RFID”) proximity identifiers, so the system directly identifies each cathode without disturbing the system operation. This data is transferred from the identification means to the central database, adding other useful parameters, such as the place where the identification was made. b) Determination of the production in Kg of metal for each harvest and plate.
- RFID radio-frequency identification
- the production weight for each cathode is directly obtained from a scale located at the entrance of the harvesting process.
- the harvested copper weight is obtained by subtracting the cathode plate tare value from the measured weight.
- This cathode plate should be registered with its identification number in a database associated to the inventive method.
- the copper production value and other interesting data, such as the production date and time, are recorded in such database.
- the quality of the copper produced by the plate is obtained by the optical analysis of the plate roughness, specifically through an optical analysis system like the ones described in the previous art which, depending on the result from the classification of its surface, provides for a quality indicating coefficient.
- an optical analysis system like the ones described in the previous art which, depending on the result from the classification of its surface, provides for a quality indicating coefficient.
- the quality of the copper from the cathode being analyzed is then recorded in the database associated to the corresponding harvest. d) Determination of the rejections associated with each plate, and the cause and consequence thereof.
- Rejections associated to each plate are obtained from the plant maintenance database, when it has that information; otherwise, it is generated as part of the harvesting process, automatically or manually recording the decisions of submitted each plate to maintenance. This information should be registered in the database together with other associated useful data, such as the maintenance date and time. e) Recording of the position of each plate in the electro-winning and electro- refining tank in each of the harvests being performed.
- the position of the harvested cathode plate in the electro- winning and electro- refining tank is automatically recorded from the tank positioning system used in the plate transport means from the electro- winning and electro-refining cells to the harvest zone. If not available, it may be entered on a manual basis. f) Determination of the amount of current being applied.
- the current amount being applied is automatically determined by using a continuous current record of the plant, from which the individual plate consumption may be obtained. This is made by introducing the plates into the cell on a sequential basis. This information must be added to the database along with any additional useful parameters, such as the date and time of the event.
- the present invention method includes the capture and processing of the date obtained with the TAG-type device, RFID-type reader, or any other data capture method located in the cathode plate.
- the current efficiency values are compared as described in stage f) and if a low current efficiency is repeated, the problem must be resolved in the plate. Nevertheless, should the current efficiency be as expected, the problem of the low efficiency of the previous cycle must be sought in the cell and in the position of the plate in this cell. Should the low current efficiency be caused by the plate, an analysis should be performed and take the necessary corrective actions in one or more of the following parameters:
- One of the various ways of starting using the invention method could be, for example, by analyzing the bus bar. Should this bar be damaged, its conductivity must be recovered (1). If this is not the cause, the plate verticality must be analyzed; if the plate does not show the factory verticality, its original verticality is to be recovered (2). If this is not the cause, the plate roughness must be measured; if the plate does not show the factory roughness, its roughness must be recovered through a polishing process (3). If the roughness is not the cause, the plate electrical contact must be analyzed; should it be insulated, the contacts must be cleaned (4). If this is not the cause, the plate should be eliminated (5). If it is determined that the low current efficiency is due to the location of the plate in a particular cell, an analysis must be run and corrective actions must be taken in one or more of the following parameters:
- Electrolyte quality • Solution feeding manifold status. • Capping board status. • Inter-cell bar status. • Electrical contact status. • Adjacent anode state. • Current leaks.
- the present inventive method considers, for example, the analysis of the electrolyte quality. If copper and acid concentrations are below the values established in the operation, they must be restored (6). If this is not the cause, the manifold status must be analyzed; if this is damaged, it must be immediately repaired (7). If this is not the cause, the capping board status must be analyzed, and if damaged, they must be replaced (8). If this is not the cause, the inter-cell bar status must be analyzed, and if damaged, it must be replaced (9). If this is not the cause, the cell electrical contact status must be analyzed, and if insulated, the electrical contacts must be cleaned (10). If this is not the cause, the anodes adjacent to the plate that showed a low current efficiency must be analyzed; if any of them, or both, are damaged, they must be replaced (11). If this is not the cause, the cell should be repaired to avoid current leaks.
Landscapes
- 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)
- Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
Abstract
A method for the assessment and control of electro-winning and electro-refining processes. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a method for the automatic assessment of the current efficiency for units or groups of cathodes in the metal electro-winning and electro-refining process in the mining industry.
Description
METHODS FOR ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL OF ELECTRO-WINNING AND ELECTRO-REFINING PROCESSES
Technical Field
The present invention relates to methods for the assessment and control of electro- winning and electro-refining processes. The present invention also relates more particularly to methods for the assessment and control of the operating parameters for metal electro-winning and electro-refining tanks aimed at maximizing the current efficiency and keeping this optimal value overtime. In one particular embodiment of the invention, the method includes a method for the automatic assessment of the current efficiency for units or groups of cathodes in the metal electro-winning and electro-refining process in the mining industry.
Background of the Invention
One of the challenges currently existing in hydrometallurgical processes, specifically in the electro-winning and electro-refining stage, refers to the process optimization through the control of its operating parameters. Typically, it would be necessary to keep control of the individual behavior of each cathode plate and its relationship with the plant where it operates. Through the analysis of its current efficiency and its relationship with the plant operation, it would be possible to determine the adjustments necessary to optimize the plant operating parameters and the physical and electrical conditions of individual cathodes. The state-of-the-art to date shows that the smallest unit for the control of the current efficiency parameter takes place in a cell that contains more than sixty (60) cathode plates. This control operation may be carried out every week in no more than the 0.3% of the cells of a plant, which restrains the corrective actions to that probability level.
Today, the Current Efficiency coefficient is used as an indicator of the operating efficiency of an electro-winning and electro-refining plant with all the above-described restraints; consequently, the current efficiency information obtained at present provides for a highly limited and uncertain reference regarding the optimization level of its operation.
The effort currently required to associate the performance of each cell - considering its relation with the electro-winning and electro-refining plant - is so big that makes this process to be somehow impracticable. Today, establishing a relationship between the current efficiency and the performance of each cell remains just impossible.
Drawings
Figure 1 illustrates a flow chart presenting one embodiment of the method of the invention;
Figure 2 illustrates a flow chart presenting one embodiment of the method of the invention where the current efficiency loss is due to the plate; and
Figure 3 illustrates a flow chart presenting one embodiment of the method of the invention where the current efficiency loss is due to the plate location.
Detailed Description of the Invention
The method of the present invention includes a number of stages aimed at identifying the individual current efficiency of 100% of the cathode plates - and hence of 100% of the cells - and relating it with the performance of the electro-winning plant. The stages consider the collection of information that, once analyzed according to the present inventive method, provides for a clear distinction among the behavior of the cathode plate itself, the cell's and the plant's, thus making possible to separate and assess the contribution factor of each of them in the current efficiency calculation. The knowledge of these factors leads to identify the causes of the deviation from the optimum, particularly for each plate and cell, which in turn leads to the controlled, consistent and methodical optimization of the plant operation.
The method includes the following stages: a) Identification of each of the cathode plates.
Cathode plates are automatically identified, for instance, through radio-frequency identification ("RFID") proximity identifiers, so the system directly identifies each cathode without disturbing the system operation. This data is transferred from the identification means to the central database, adding other useful parameters, such as the place where the identification was made. b) Determination of the production in Kg of metal for each harvest and plate.
In this stage, the production weight for each cathode is directly obtained from a scale located at the entrance of the harvesting process. With the gross weight of the cathode plate and its copper production, the harvested copper weight is obtained by subtracting the cathode plate tare value from the measured weight. This cathode plate should be registered with its identification number in a database associated to the inventive method. The copper production value and other interesting data, such as the production date and time, are recorded in such database. c) Determination of the metal quality in each harvest and plate.
The quality of the copper produced by the plate is obtained by the optical analysis of the plate roughness, specifically through an optical analysis system like the ones described in the previous art which, depending on the result from the classification of its surface, provides for a quality indicating coefficient. As an alternative, is may supplemented with an online or further chemical analysis that qualifies the copper quality according to previously established rules. The quality of the copper from the cathode being analyzed is then recorded in the database associated to the corresponding harvest. d) Determination of the rejections associated with each plate, and the cause and consequence thereof.
Rejections associated to each plate are obtained from the plant maintenance database, when it has that information; otherwise, it is generated as part of the harvesting
process, automatically or manually recording the decisions of submitted each plate to maintenance. This information should be registered in the database together with other associated useful data, such as the maintenance date and time. e) Recording of the position of each plate in the electro-winning and electro- refining tank in each of the harvests being performed.
The position of the harvested cathode plate in the electro- winning and electro- refining tank is automatically recorded from the tank positioning system used in the plate transport means from the electro- winning and electro-refining cells to the harvest zone. If not available, it may be entered on a manual basis. f) Determination of the amount of current being applied.
The current amount being applied is automatically determined by using a continuous current record of the plant, from which the individual plate consumption may be obtained. This is made by introducing the plates into the cell on a sequential basis. This information must be added to the database along with any additional useful parameters, such as the date and time of the event.
Thus, the present invention method includes the capture and processing of the date obtained with the TAG-type device, RFID-type reader, or any other data capture method located in the cathode plate.
These stages permit to identify the plates showing a current efficiency lower than expected. This is determined by comparing the amount of metal deposited against the current amount being used. The location of the plate in the tanlc and its position in the cell may also be known.
Upon the return of the plate to the process, and once completed its production cycle, the current efficiency values are compared as described in stage f) and if a low current efficiency is repeated, the problem must be resolved in the plate. Nevertheless, should the current efficiency be as expected, the problem of the low efficiency of the previous cycle must be sought in the cell and in the position of the plate in this cell.
Should the low current efficiency be caused by the plate, an analysis should be performed and take the necessary corrective actions in one or more of the following parameters:
• Bus bar. • Verticality. • Roughness. • Electric contact quality. • Physical plate condition.
The corrective actions to recover the maximum current efficiency lost due to the plate are shown in Figure 2 and described below through a cause-effect process:
One of the various ways of starting using the invention method could be, for example, by analyzing the bus bar. Should this bar be damaged, its conductivity must be recovered (1). If this is not the cause, the plate verticality must be analyzed; if the plate does not show the factory verticality, its original verticality is to be recovered (2). If this is not the cause, the plate roughness must be measured; if the plate does not show the factory roughness, its roughness must be recovered through a polishing process (3). If the roughness is not the cause, the plate electrical contact must be analyzed; should it be insulated, the contacts must be cleaned (4). If this is not the cause, the plate should be eliminated (5). If it is determined that the low current efficiency is due to the location of the plate in a particular cell, an analysis must be run and corrective actions must be taken in one or more of the following parameters:
• Electrolyte quality. • Solution feeding manifold status. • Capping board status. • Inter-cell bar status. • Electrical contact status.
• Adjacent anode state. • Current leaks.
The corrective actions to recover the maximum current efficiency lost due to the plate position are shown in Figure 3 and described below through a cause-effect process:
In this case, the present inventive method considers, for example, the analysis of the electrolyte quality. If copper and acid concentrations are below the values established in the operation, they must be restored (6). If this is not the cause, the manifold status must be analyzed; if this is damaged, it must be immediately repaired (7). If this is not the cause, the capping board status must be analyzed, and if damaged, they must be replaced (8). If this is not the cause, the inter-cell bar status must be analyzed, and if damaged, it must be replaced (9). If this is not the cause, the cell electrical contact status must be analyzed, and if insulated, the electrical contacts must be cleaned (10). If this is not the cause, the anodes adjacent to the plate that showed a low current efficiency must be analyzed; if any of them, or both, are damaged, they must be replaced (11). If this is not the cause, the cell should be repaired to avoid current leaks.
Claims
1. A method for the assessment and control of the operating parameters of a metal electro-winning and electro-refining tank, which permits the automatic assessment of the current efficiency for cathode units or groups, comprising the steps of: a. identification of each of the cathode plates; b. determination of the production in Kg of metal for each harvest and plate; c. determination of the metal quality in each harvest and plate; d. determination of the rejections associated with each plate, and the cause and consequence thereof; e. recording of the position of each plate in the electro-winning and electro- refining tank in each of the harvests being performed; and f determination of the amount of current being applied.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification stage of each cathode plate takes place automatically.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the automatic identification is mainly completed through RFID proximity identifiers.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein to determine the production, the individual cathode weight is directly obtained from a scale located at the entrance of the harvesting process, and that weight is then recorded in an associated database.
5. The method of claims 1 and 4, wherein the quality determination stage is obtained through the optical analysis of the plate roughness and such quality is then recorded in such associated database.
6. The method of claims 1 and 4, wherein such rejections associated to each plate are obtained from the plant maintenance database, when it has that information; otherwise, it is generated as part of the harvesting process and those rejections are then recorded in such associated database.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the position of each harvested plate in the electro- winning and electro-refining tank is automatically recorded from the tank positioning system used in the plate transport means from the electro-winning and electro-refining cells to the harvest zone.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the applied current is automatically determined by using a continuous current record of the plant, which shows the individual consumption of each plate and where the information from such associated database is recorded.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CL2004001057 | 2004-05-14 | ||
| CL1057-04 | 2004-05-14 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2005113862A2 true WO2005113862A2 (en) | 2005-12-01 |
| WO2005113862A3 WO2005113862A3 (en) | 2007-12-21 |
Family
ID=35428959
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2005/016488 WO2005113862A2 (en) | 2004-05-14 | 2005-05-10 | Methods for assessment and control of electro-winning and electro-refining processes |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| WO (1) | WO2005113862A2 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN103628094A (en) * | 2013-11-07 | 2014-03-12 | 中国铝业股份有限公司 | Method for online measuring current efficiency of electrolytic cell on line and realization device of method |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5793637A (en) * | 1996-03-04 | 1998-08-11 | Asarco Incorporated | Method and apparatus for banding copper cathodes |
| US6136177A (en) * | 1999-02-23 | 2000-10-24 | Universal Dynamics Technologies | Anode and cathode current monitoring |
| US20050218001A1 (en) * | 2004-03-17 | 2005-10-06 | You Eugene Y | Monitoring electrolytic cell currents |
-
2005
- 2005-05-10 WO PCT/US2005/016488 patent/WO2005113862A2/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5793637A (en) * | 1996-03-04 | 1998-08-11 | Asarco Incorporated | Method and apparatus for banding copper cathodes |
| US6136177A (en) * | 1999-02-23 | 2000-10-24 | Universal Dynamics Technologies | Anode and cathode current monitoring |
| US20050218001A1 (en) * | 2004-03-17 | 2005-10-06 | You Eugene Y | Monitoring electrolytic cell currents |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
| Title |
|---|
| 'Recent Development and Trends in Electrorefining', [Online] March 2001, Retrieved from the Internet: <URL:http://www.doccopper.tripod.com/copper/ertrend.html> * |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN103628094A (en) * | 2013-11-07 | 2014-03-12 | 中国铝业股份有限公司 | Method for online measuring current efficiency of electrolytic cell on line and realization device of method |
| CN103628094B (en) * | 2013-11-07 | 2016-05-18 | 中国铝业股份有限公司 | A kind of method and implement device thereof of on-line measurement electrolytic cell currents efficiency |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2005113862A3 (en) | 2007-12-21 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CN101955100B (en) | Elevator component improvement plan system and elevator component improvement plan method | |
| CN114635167B (en) | Electrolytic production monitoring method and system | |
| US8594417B2 (en) | Systems and methods for inspecting anodes and smelting management relating to the same | |
| CN1655325A (en) | Device for and method of creating a model for determining relationship between process and quality | |
| CN115271617B (en) | Intelligent information processing system for bulk commodity logistics transportation transaction | |
| US11625029B2 (en) | Manufacturing condition setting automating apparatus and method | |
| CN114707970B (en) | Electrolytic production parameter determining method | |
| CN115600147A (en) | Method for recognizing and early warning abnormal temperature in white spirit fermentation process | |
| WO2005113862A2 (en) | Methods for assessment and control of electro-winning and electro-refining processes | |
| CN109408772A (en) | To the restoration methods of the abnormal data in continuity data | |
| CN110909813B (en) | Business abnormal electricity utilization detection method based on edge algorithm | |
| BG108395A (en) | A method for improving the quality of cathodes in electrolysis | |
| CN113627885A (en) | Power grid power supply abnormity monitoring system and monitoring method thereof | |
| CN117911415B (en) | Automatic equipment supervision system and method based on machine vision | |
| JP6936265B2 (en) | Systems for manufacturing metal materials and methods for manufacturing metal materials | |
| CN117520999B (en) | Intelligent operation and maintenance method and system for edge data center equipment | |
| CN115961312A (en) | Electrolytic production monitoring method and system | |
| CN115858505B (en) | Data processing method for identifying state abnormality of frequency converter | |
| CN111511113A (en) | Circuit board processing system, device and method | |
| CN117371996B (en) | Electric power communication analysis method based on big data | |
| Makipaa et al. | Ir-based method for copper electrolysis short circuit detection | |
| CN114742391B (en) | Artificial intelligence based exception handling method and device, computer equipment and medium | |
| CN115621147B (en) | Wafer detection method and device and electronic equipment | |
| CN116203909B (en) | Control method and system for automatic work of intelligent carrier plate | |
| JP2024067308A (en) | Electrodeposited plate evaluation device, electrodeposited plate evaluation system, electrodeposited plate evaluation program, and electrodeposited plate evaluation method |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): AE AG AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BW BY BZ CA CH CN CO CR CU CZ DE DK DM DZ EC EE EG ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IN IS JP KE KG KM KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MA MD MG MK MN MW MX MZ NA NG NI NO NZ OM PG PH PL PT RO RU SC SD SE SG SK SL SM SY TJ TM TN TR TT TZ UA UG US UZ VC VN YU ZA ZM ZW |
|
| AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): BW GH GM KE LS MW MZ NA SD SL SZ TZ UG ZM ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LT LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GQ GW ML MR NE SN TD TG |
|
| 121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application | ||
| NENP | Non-entry into the national phase in: |
Ref country code: DE |
|
| WWW | Wipo information: withdrawn in national office |
Country of ref document: DE |
|
| 122 | Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase |