GB1452440A - Electrolytic refining of metal - Google Patents

Abstract

1452440 Electrolytically refining metal by series process BICC Ltd 16 Oct 1975 [17 July 1974] 31716/74 Heading C7B A method of electrolytically refining metal by the series process comprises immersing a group of unrefined electrodes in an electrolytic cell containing electrolyte, causing a direct current to enter the group at the first electrode or anode, to travel from each intermediate electrode through the electrolyte and so on until it exits at the last electrode or cathode in such a way that impure metal is dissolved from one side of each intermediate electrode and pure metal is deposited on the opposite side of each intermediate electrode, and before, as, or shortly after a set of electrodes immersed in the electrolyte is removed from the cell, an electrical conductor is electrically connected between the electrodes bounding the space in said cell to be vacated by said set shortly before, as or after, the same or another set of electrodes is immersed in said space, said electrical conductor is disconnected from said bounding electrodes, whereby removal and immersion of sets of electrodes is performed with minimal disruption of the electrolytic process. The metal may be Cu, and the electrical conductor may be an elongate rigid rod which descends with a hoist which comes to collect the set of electrodes and is left in contact with electrodes bounding the space as the hoist ascends carrying the set of electrodes, and which is retrieved by the hoist when it re-descends bearing a set of electrodes for immersion in the electrolyte; the manner of connection of the rod is described with reference to Figs. 1-4 (not shown).