Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
  • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
  • B22D30/00—Cooling castings, not restricted to casting processes covered by a single main group
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
  • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
  • B22D25/00—Special casting characterised by the nature of the product
  • B22D25/02—Special casting characterised by the nature of the product by its peculiarity of shape; of works of art
  • B22D25/04—Casting metal electric battery plates or the like
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
  • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
  • B22D5/00—Machines or plants for pig or like casting
  • B22D5/02—Machines or plants for pig or like casting with rotary casting tables
• • 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
  • C25C7/02—Electrodes; Connections thereof

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and equipment for cooling anodes in connection with anode casting.
• the blister copper created in the conversion step of the pyrometallurgic copper process is further refined in an anode furnace in order to lower the sulfur content of blister copper.
• copper is cast into copper anodes by pouring molten copper into casting molds.
• the cast copper anodes are purified in copper electrolysis into copper cathodes with a copper content of over 99.99%.
• the most widely used anode casting equipment comprises a rotary casting table, where several, often tens of casting molds are arranged in a circle.
• the casting table is provided with a cooling unit, where the pieces are cooled in their casting molds for example by water.
• an anode cast in a mold cannot be cooled before the surface is sufficiently solid.
• a cast anode with a temperature of roughly 1150° C must be cooled in order to be able to disengage it from the mold, generally at a temperature of roughly 700 - 900° C.
• a hood for removing vapor created in the cooling process.
• Anodes are known to be cooled by directing a water jet onto the anode surface, when the anode surface is sufficiently solidified, and hence the water jet directed to the anode does not harm its surface.
• the cooling capacity of the casting table can be adjusted during momentary changes in the casting capacity, so that a desired heat amount can be removed from the anodes prior to lifting them into the cooling tank.
• Water spraying is controlled according to the casting situation, and it can be for example interrupted, if cooling is not needed owing to an interruption in the casting process.
• the resulting problem are the disturbances caused by excessive cooling water. If too much water is sprayed at the first water cooling spot, there is created an insulating water foam layer on the anode surface owing to the effect of boiling water. In case water is added after that, the created water foam layer prevents the cooling water from proceeding onto the anode surface, and the sprayed water only participates in preserving the water foam layer. Thus the problem is that while the anode is in the mold, the water accumulated on the anode surface cannot be removed from the mold, but it remains to disturb the cooling process.
• anodes are cooled in connection with casting, so that molten metal is cast in a mold of an anode casting wheel, said anode casting wheel moving the anode cast in a mold into an anode cooling unit, where the anode is cooled by feeding water onto the anode surface in at least two steps, after which cooling the anode is disengaged from the mold in a disengaging unit, so that cooling water is removed from the anode surface in the cooling unit in between cooling steps, at least once before removing the anode from the cooling unit.
• the medium agent jet is fed onto the anode surface at a suitable height, preferably at the height of 200 - 300 millimeters from the anode surface.
• the anode surface is cooled by feeding cooling water onto the anode surface in five cooling steps, so that water is removed from the anode surface at least twice.
• the cooling water is removed from the anode surface in a direction opposite to the rotary direction of the anodes in the casting wheel. Thus the removed cooling water does not disturb anode casting.
• the equipment includes two dewatering systems arranged in succession, both of which are provided with nozzles in at least one row, so that the distance between successively effective jet rows is preferably 50 - 200 millimeters.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an anode casting equipment
• cooling unit 5 onto the surface 6 of the anode 4, there is fed cooling water 8 by upper water jets 9 positioned above the anodes.
• the anode is conveyed to be cooled in the next cooling step, if necessary.
• the anode proceeds to the disengagement step 10, where the anode is disengaged from the mold 3 while the anode temperature is 700 - 900 degrees. Then the anode 4 is transferred further to the cooling and purification step 21 , and when necessary, to further treatment.
• cooling step is understood to be a step where cooling water is sprayed onto the anode surface for a necessary time by the top water jets 9.
• the means for removing the cooling water i.e. the dewatering system 16, is at least partly positioned in the space left in between the molds 3 arranged in the anode casting wheel.
• Cooling water 8 is removed from the anode surface 6 by pressurizing, for instance by a pump, water onto the anode surface, so that the water dislocates the cooling water from the anode surface.
• a water connection 22 from which the water to both the top water jet and to the dewatering system 16 can be taken.
• the water is pressurized in a pipe 17 or the like extending along the width of the anode 4, through which the water is further fed to the nozzles 18.
• a suitable pressure such as 3 - 5 bar
• the excessive water located on the anode surface is peeled onto the opposite side of the anode surface 6, with respect to the proceeding direction 20 of the anode.
• the anode 4 is nearly dry before the next cooling step 12, and cooling water can be added and thus the cooling process can be boosted.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Electrochemistry (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Metallurgy (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Molds, Cores, And Manufacturing Methods Thereof (AREA)
• Electrolytic Production Of Metals (AREA)
• Prevention Of Electric Corrosion (AREA)

Priority Applications (11)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=36539876

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (14)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (7)

Citations (8)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 2006
  • 2006-05-04 FI FI20060429A patent/FI119591B/fi not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2007
  • 2007-05-03 EP EP07730585.2A patent/EP2015880B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2007-05-03 CA CA2650888A patent/CA2650888C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-05-03 CN CN200780016175XA patent/CN101437638B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-05-03 MX MX2008013889A patent/MX2008013889A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2007-05-03 BR BRPI0711287-4A patent/BRPI0711287A2/pt active Search and Examination
  • 2007-05-03 PL PL07730585T patent/PL2015880T3/pl unknown
  • 2007-05-03 KR KR1020087026477A patent/KR101420146B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2007-05-03 WO PCT/FI2007/000116 patent/WO2007128861A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2007-05-03 EA EA200802085A patent/EA013363B1/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2007-05-03 US US12/299,385 patent/US20090173469A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-05-03 AU AU2007247067A patent/AU2007247067B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2007-05-03 JP JP2009508402A patent/JP5044642B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2008
  • 2008-10-15 ZA ZA200808797A patent/ZA200808797B/xx unknown

Patent Citations (8)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events