EP3470550B1 - Electrode head for an electrolysis installation - Google Patents

Electrode head for an electrolysis installation Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3470550B1
EP3470550B1 EP16891321.8A EP16891321A EP3470550B1 EP 3470550 B1 EP3470550 B1 EP 3470550B1 EP 16891321 A EP16891321 A EP 16891321A EP 3470550 B1 EP3470550 B1 EP 3470550B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
electrode
coating
handling means
rod
electrode head
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.)
Active
Application number
EP16891321.8A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP3470550A4 (en
EP3470550A1 (en
EP3470550C0 (en
Inventor
Yves Lefevre
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Zincobre Ingenieria SL
Original Assignee
Zincobre Ingenieria SL
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
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Publication date
Application filed by Zincobre Ingenieria SL filed Critical Zincobre Ingenieria SL
Publication of EP3470550A1 publication Critical patent/EP3470550A1/en
Publication of EP3470550A4 publication Critical patent/EP3470550A4/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP3470550B1 publication Critical patent/EP3470550B1/en
Publication of EP3470550C0 publication Critical patent/EP3470550C0/en
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Classifications

    • 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
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B9/00—Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features
    • C25B9/60—Constructional parts of cells
    • C25B9/63—Holders for electrodes; Positioning of the electrodes
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B9/00—Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features
    • C25B9/60—Constructional parts of cells
    • C25B9/65—Means for supplying current; Electrode connections; Electric inter-cell connections
    • 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
    • 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

Definitions

  • Electrolysis installations include electrolysis cells with pairs of electrodes, cathode and anode, and a tank with a solution in which the electrodes are submerged subjected under a continuous electrical voltage difference in order to produce electrolysis. Electrolysis enables obtaining for example zinc, copper, nickel cadmium or cobalt deposited in the cathode from the salts of the solution.
  • electrodes are plate-shaped, arranged in rows in the tank such that the anodes and cathodes alternate and the cells are connected electrically in series.
  • an electrode head holds each electrode.
  • the electrode head comprises an electrode rod of an electrically conductive material, usually copper, and during electrolysis, the electrode head holds the electrode in the tank, vertically and in the longitudinal direction of the rod.
  • each rod is arranged abutting in electrical contact on equipotential rails, usually made of copper, that extend to the sides of the tank and perpendicularly to the electrodes.
  • An electrode unit comprises an assembly of the electrode and the electrode head.
  • the electrode units are positioned in the tank as close as possible to each other in order to increase the productivity of the installation, but avoiding the risk of a short circuit.
  • the electrode head comprises handling means for facilitating the extraction or the insertion of the electrode in the tank, or the transport thereof by means of a crane or a bridge crane of the installation, for example in the form of hooks or gripping lugs.
  • Patent EP 1492906 discloses this type of arrangement in an electrolysis installation.
  • the present invent relates to an electrode head for an electrolysis installation of the type described in the preceding paragraph.
  • the invention is especially applicable to anodes of an electrolysis installation by electrowinning, specifically for zinc electrolysis.
  • Patent application publication WO 2013/150163 describes an anode head for a zinc electrolysis installation.
  • the anode head comprises a coating on the electrolysis rod against acid mist corrosion, especially present in electrowinning, particularly in zinc electrowinning processes.
  • This publication discloses handling means of the anode head made of composite material, and which are fixed to the electrolysis rod through press fittings.
  • This anode head has the drawback that the fixing of the handling means of the anode head to the electrolysis rod requires additional fixing means such as an additional weld bead in order to ensure the fixing.
  • the welding presents problems of stress concentration and vulnerability to corrosion that can cause the fixation to fail, for example, due to fatigue, since the electrode units are subjected to cycles of loading and unloading during the normal operation of the installation, for example, to collect the metal deposited in the cathodes in the electrowinning installations, or in maintenance operations of the electrode units, decreasing the productivity or the useful life of the installation.
  • an object of the present invention is to provide an electrode head that provides a fixing of the handling means or other additional element to the electrolysis rod in a safe manner, especially without requiring additional fixing means such as welding.
  • the present invention provides an electrode head for an electrolysis installation as set forth in claim 1 and explained below. Furthermore, the dependent claims reflect advantageous embodiments as disclosed below.
  • the electrode head according to the invention comprises, unlike those known in the state of the art, a coating on the electrolysis rod with a varying thickness according to a longitudinal direction of the rod, said varying thickness for providing a stop or a shape adjustment of the handling means and/or of an additional element.
  • the stop or shape adjustment provided by the varying thickness of the coating enables one-way or two-way fixation in the longitudinal direction of the electrolysis rod.
  • the invention enables secure fixing of the handling means as well as other additional elements that can provide additional technical features.
  • additional elements can be, for example, electrode state sensors, or RFID devices (radio frequency identification device), which make it possible to identify a specific electrode, thereby improving the traceability of the electrode in the installation.
  • any movement of the handling means or of the additional elements is prevented or avoided without the need for additional fixing means.
  • the use of welding exposed to corrosion can be eliminated or reduced, thus decreasing or eliminating the risk of failure of the electrode units, for example, due to delamination of the electrode plate especially during handling or transport of the electrode units, and therefore lengthening the useful life of the installation.
  • the more secure fixing implies a safer and more reliable operation of the installation during the handling or transport process of the electrode units.
  • the invention also provides the advantage of enabling the fixing of several types of handling means, including those that are removable, thus increasing the design possibilities of the electrolysis rod.
  • the present invention also anticipates that the coating has a varying thickness according to a transverse direction of the rod in order to provide a stop or a shape adjustment of the handling means and/or of an additional element, for example, by providing a cavity for the coating. This way, the fixing of the handling means or of the additional elements, such as an RFID, can be ensured to a greater extent.
  • the varying thickness can be obtained by molding or overmolding the rod and, optionally, subsequent machining of the thickness. Machining through numerical control enables adapting the thickness to the required adjustment tolerances.
  • the invention also anticipates that said shape adjustment provided by the coating of varying thickness be carried out with tightening, for example, by adjusting the shape or size perimeters of the elements that are to be fixed to each other, which also enables improving the security of the fixing.
  • the shape of the varying thickness will depend on the shape of the elements to be fixed and the type of fixing required, for example, if the fixing is removable. Particularly, the shape of the thickness can be configured to have a variable gradient, for example, according to the longitudinal or transverse direction of the rod.
  • the coating of varying thickness is configured to protect the rod against acid mist corrosion.
  • the conventional coating can be used so that, with a varying thickness, it also carries out the function of fixing the handling means or the additional elements, which therefore enables material and cost savings of the electrode head, as the coating is used both to provide protection against corrosion of the electrolysis rod and to improve the fixings.
  • the coating can also be weldable to the electrode, for example, by using the same material for the coating as for the electrode material.
  • the coating of varying thickness can extend, at least partially, between the rod and the handling means. This way, losses due to leakage of electrical current between the rod and the handling means or through gradients of electrical current density in the rod are eliminated, which would exist if the contact were direct or if welding were carried out directly between the rod and the handling means for fixing thereof, improving the useful life of the electrode unit as well as the productivity of the installation. Likewise, the need to electrically isolate the handling means is eliminated, thus improving the security of the installation.
  • the handling means are covered at least partially by the coating of varying thickness, which enables further improving the fixing, by increasing the surface that adjusts or retains the elements to be fixed. This can be obtained, for example, by overmolding the assembly.
  • Figure 1 shows an embodiment of an electrode head 1 of the invention, with two handling means 21 adjusted in the coating 13 of the electrode rod 11 and an additional element 31 in the center of the electrode head 1, which is a radio frequency identification device or RFID encapsulated in the coating 13.
  • the handling means are arranged one at each end of the electrode head 1 and they have an upper area in the shape of a protrusion 211 that extends according to a longitudinal direction of the rod 11 towards the outside thereof. These protrusions 211 serve as hooks for collecting the electrode unit by means of a crane or a bridge crane of the electrolysis installation.
  • FIGs 2a and 2b details of the transverse cross section of the electrode unit around the handling means 21 can be seen, showing two different embodiments of the invention.
  • the coating 13 of varying thickness according to the longitudinal direction of the rod 11 extends between the handling means 21 and the rod 11.
  • the coating 13 of varying thickness further extends, partially covering the handling means 21, that is, the handling means are embedded in the coating 13 of varying thickness.
  • the electrode 12 has the shape of a plate, for example, a lead anode that can be used in a zinc electrowinning installation.
  • the coating 13 extends over the entire surface of the rod 11 except in an area for contacting with the equipotential rails at the ends of the rod.
  • the coating 13 can be made of the same material as the electrode, for example, of a lead alloy having the same composition as the lead anode.
  • the coating 13 protects the rod 11 against acid mist corrosion and facilitates the passage of electrical current throughout the electrode plate 12.
  • the electrode plate 12 can be secured to the coating 13 by means of welding between the coating 13 and the electrode plate 12.
  • the handling means 21 can be made of stainless steel of a common configuration.

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)
EP16891321.8A 2016-02-24 2016-02-24 Electrode head for an electrolysis installation Active EP3470550B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/ES2016/070116 WO2017144737A1 (es) 2016-02-24 2016-02-24 Cabeza de electrodo para una instalación de electrolisis

Publications (4)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3470550A1 EP3470550A1 (en) 2019-04-17
EP3470550A4 EP3470550A4 (en) 2020-04-29
EP3470550B1 true EP3470550B1 (en) 2023-10-25
EP3470550C0 EP3470550C0 (en) 2023-10-25

Family

ID=59685896

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP16891321.8A Active EP3470550B1 (en) 2016-02-24 2016-02-24 Electrode head for an electrolysis installation

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP3470550B1 (es)
MX (1) MX2017000940A (es)
RU (1) RU2712167C9 (es)
WO (1) WO2017144737A1 (es)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DK3524603T3 (da) * 2016-12-19 2022-07-04 Abbisko Therapeutics Co Ltd Fgfr4-hæmmer, fremgangsmåde til fremstilling deraf og farmaceutisk anvendelse deraf

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003083179A1 (en) * 2002-04-03 2003-10-09 Outokumpu Oyj Transfer and insulation device for electrolysis

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SU804722A1 (ru) * 1979-03-11 1981-02-15 Научно-Производственное Объедине-Ние "Тулачермет" Изол тор дл плоских электродовэлЕКТРОлизЕРА
US4743731A (en) * 1987-07-30 1988-05-10 Seuring Gene E Disintegrating electrodes
US6131798A (en) * 1998-12-28 2000-10-17 Rsr Technologies, Inc. Electrowinning anode
FI110270B (fi) * 2000-02-23 2002-12-31 Outokumpu Oy Menetelmä elektrodin valmistamiseksi ja elektrodi
FI114924B (fi) * 2002-11-07 2005-01-31 Outokumpu Oy Menetelmä hyvän kontaktipinnan aikaansaamiseksi elektrodin kannatustankoon ja kannatustanko
WO2013150163A1 (es) * 2012-04-03 2013-10-10 Zincobre Ingeniería, S.L.U Cabeza de suspensión de lámina de ánodos para electrolisis de zinc y medios de manipulación
CN103587647B (zh) * 2013-10-31 2015-12-30 广州中船黄埔造船有限公司 用于船舶航行状态下更换电极的装置
WO2015107475A2 (en) * 2014-01-15 2015-07-23 Jan Petrus Human Electrodes for use in electrorefining and electrowinning

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003083179A1 (en) * 2002-04-03 2003-10-09 Outokumpu Oyj Transfer and insulation device for electrolysis

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP3470550A4 (en) 2020-04-29
RU2712167C1 (ru) 2020-01-24
RU2712167C9 (ru) 2021-10-20
EP3470550A1 (en) 2019-04-17
WO2017144737A1 (es) 2017-08-31
EP3470550C0 (en) 2023-10-25
MX2017000940A (es) 2018-02-09

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