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
  • C25C7/06—Operating or servicing
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23F—NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASS C23 AND AT LEAST ONE PROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D OR C22F OR CLASS C25
  • C23F13/00—Inhibiting corrosion of metals by anodic or cathodic protection
  • C23F13/02—Inhibiting corrosion of metals by anodic or cathodic protection cathodic; Selection of conditions, parameters or procedures for cathodic protection, e.g. of electrical conditions
  • C23F13/04—Controlling or regulating desired parameters
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23F—NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASS C23 AND AT LEAST ONE PROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D OR C22F OR CLASS C25
  • C23F13/00—Inhibiting corrosion of metals by anodic or cathodic protection
  • C23F13/02—Inhibiting corrosion of metals by anodic or cathodic protection cathodic; Selection of conditions, parameters or procedures for cathodic protection, e.g. of electrical conditions
  • C23F13/06—Constructional parts, or assemblies of cathodic-protection apparatus
  • C23F13/08—Electrodes specially adapted for inhibiting corrosion by cathodic protection; Manufacture thereof; Conducting electric current thereto
  • C23F13/22—Monitoring arrangements therefor
• • 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
  • C25B15/00—Operating or servicing cells
  • C25B15/02—Process control or regulation
• • 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
  • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D17/00—Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating
  • C25D17/004—Sealing devices
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D21/00—Processes for servicing or operating cells for electrolytic coating
  • C25D21/12—Process control or regulation

Definitions

• the present invention relates to metallurgical systems, especially electrometallurgical systems, and enhancement of electrolytic cell and/or tankhouse behaviour.
• the present invention can be particularly applied to real time monitoring of each cathode, or anode, constituting a metal electro winning or electrorefining cell or other electrolytic cell with parallel electrodes.
• Metal extraction processes such as those for copper, often include electrowinning or electrorefining recovery steps. With regard to these steps, it provides an advantage to monitor in real time each metal plate's performance in order to achieve optimum performance of the electrolytic plants.
• electrolysis process a short circuit may occur if electrodes are arranged misaligned; when due to physical flaws metal growth is not uniform on a surface, which may be a result of operational issues such as impurities, higher than acceptable cathode currents, particulates in the electrolyte, damaged electrodes or peeling of electrodeposits that then touch the neighbouring electrode, among others.
• a low current situation may also occur when there is a poor electrical contact between anodes or cathodes and their current source, resulting in a reduction of the system efficiency. Both cases can lead to a low quality product, or as in the case of copper electrorefining, the desired purity is not achieved, wherein these cases can also lead to a reduction in current and power efficiency which can reduce plant production and increase costs.
• controlling the current that passes through the electrodes of each electrolysis unit is important to improve processes, products and efficiency of systems that use the abovementioned procedure.
• Patent US 7,445,696 (Eugene You et al.) also describes the basis behind a current sensing system for electrowinning and electrorefining cells and describes theoretical methods for compensating for magnetic fields generated by neighbouring electrodes.
• This patent does not describe the essential practical aspects of constructing a sensor bar including means of sealing the bar, electrical noise avoidance, practical calibration considerations, limitations on geometry of a sensor bar that will fit inside many cell systems, and supporting such a bar in a cell.
• the presence of the current sensing systems of the prior art can cause difficulties with electrode removal/replacement in a cell, due to the propensity of the electrodes to knock the sensor system as they are being lowered into the cell, causing damage to sensor systems and interfering with efficient loading of electrodes into the cell.
• the management of harvesting cycles in electrowinning or electrorefining plants is usually undertaken utilising written or computer driven schedules to identify which cells need to be harvested at which time/ Such systems necessarily rely on paper or manually entered computer records for when cells are to be harvested. It is desirable to know the exact deposition period of a particular cells to enable the accurate determination of current efficiency which requires customised software systems and recording rigour by operators to ensure that data is correct. It is also valuable in times when current settings change in the tankhouse to be able to know and to adjust deposition times according to amp hours passed but this requires additional calculations for each cell. In addition, in the event of human error such that data is not recorded correctly and cells are not harvested within an acceptable band of time periods, inconsistent cathode weights, poor morphology, short circuits, damaged anodes and reduced current efficiency can result.
• the invention described in the present application is intended to overcome one or more of the aforementioned problems of the prior art, by providing a reliable current measurement which enables optimizing processes in relation thereto, through a hardware reliable solution.
• the present invention relates to improvements in metallurgical systems, especially electrometallurgical systems, related to enhancement of the electrolytic cell and/or tankhouse behaviour by improving one or more of the functionality, adaptability, control and human-interface of said systems, wherein the electric current management, i.e. its measurement and control, is a key factor.
• the present invention relates to an electric current management (ECM) system comprising at least one electrolytic cell having at least two electrodes in contact with electrolyte media; a plurality of sensor means for measuring the current passing through one or more electrodes, said sensor means being located inside at least one ECM bar installed in one or more operating electrolytic cells; a support means for supporting at least one ECM bar in each cell; wherein the support means is adapted to avoid disruption to normal electrode movements and damage to the ECM bar.
• ECM electric current management
• the invention relates to a system for improving the monitoring, in real time, of the electric current that passes through each one of a plurality of single cathodes or anodes forming an electrolytic cell.
• the present invention also introduces improvements to different electric current measurement systems, which measure the electric current passing through an electrode or a plurality of electrodes within an electrolytic cell. Said improvements comprise means for minimizing the effects that several types of variables have on current measurement, such as magnetic field interference, cell geometry and contact configuration, in order to provide a reliable approximation of the current passing through each electrode.
• the above referred improvements are related to maximizing the device functionality, adaptability and control, providing a full enhancement of metallurgical systems wherein it is important to provide a reliable management of the electric current passing through the electrodes. Accordingly, the present invention can be particularly applied to real time monitoring of each cathode, or anode, constituting a metal electrowinning or electrorefining cell or other electrolytic cell with parallel electrodes.
• the present invention is particularly related to improving systems in which the electric current management (ECM) is a key factor.
• ECM electric current management
• the invention allows to provide a reliable and optimized system for measurement in real time of the electric current and/or provide improvements to existing measurement devices.
• the system of the invention comprises a plurality of current sensor means, which preferably correspond to Hall Effect sensors.
• Such sensors are located in a sensor bar, or electrode current management bar, which can incorporate means for processing and improving the current measurement, in particular means for minimizing the effects that background magnetic fields have on current measurement.
• such sensors are also in data-communication with central units, which preferably corresponds to at least one pre-processing unit, wherein such pre-processing units are in data-communication with a head controller unit which in turn is in data communication with a central server unit comprising a user interface.
• central units and any other type of devices used for processing, controlling and visualizing data would be referred as central units and displaying devices, respectively.
• the present invention also describes a method that enables a more accurate measurement and management of the current of each electrode within the electrolytic cell (cathode or anode) by using a ferromagnetic device on either side of the sensors to channel the magnetic flux in order to direct and concentrate the effects of magnetic fields over the sensor means.
• the invention also describes a method for sealing a hollowed bar using an end seal arrangement comprising a backing plate, a gasket, an end cap and fastening means, Once assembled, the arrangement compresses a flexible seal (gasket) between the end cap and the backing plate through the tensioning of fasteners that pass from the end cap through the gasket and the end cap.
• an end seal arrangement comprising a backing plate, a gasket, an end cap and fastening means
• the end cap may have threaded holes for these fasteners, nuts or other means of fastening.
• the invention also describes an ECM system having a means for detection of metal harvesting cycles in order to improve tank house management.
• the harvesting cycles can be determined by pattern recognition since harvesting in each tankhouse follows a specific pattern of electrode position lifting. Since the system measures the currents of each electrode it can detect the positions of the electrodes that are lifted at the same time and can compare this with the pattern pre-programmed for the tankhouse.
• the ECM system includes a specific arrangement of one or more sensors to provide for automatic detection of misalignment of electrodes and corresponding adjustment to calculations of current flow.
• the ECM system preferably is configured to work with a double contact system, wherein at least one balance bar is included to improve current distribution along the length of the cell.
• the ECM system monitors cell voltage for each individual cell.
• the ECM system includes a monitoring system for predicting poor contact and/or short circuit conditions.
• the ECM system automatically adjusts current thresholds according to real cell conditions, to prevent false indications of short circuiting and bad contacts.
• the ECM system comprises a means for prioritizing maintenance and repair of shorts and poor contacts according to, for example, age and severity of short circuits.
• the support means for the ECM bar includes protection means which may be a deflector.
• the deflector serves a two-fold purpose to prevent damage to the ECM bar as a result of electrode removal/replacement, and also to guide electrodes into correct alignment.
• the support means for the ECM bar is in the form of a hinged support means located on top of the electrolytic cell.
• the hinged support means allows the ECM bar to be rotated out of the path of electrodes as they are being harvested or replaced in the cell.
• the hinge system rotates the bar over the ICCB of an electrolytic cell and positions it near the header bars in the adjacent cell for measurement of the adjacent cell.
• the hinged support means is attachable to any of the existing cell features, including cell furniture, cell walls or intercell contact bar (ICCB).
• ICCB intercell contact bar
• the support means for the ECM bar is preferably adapted to be retrofitted to an existing cell.
• the support means is in the form of a permanent fixture of the cell furniture.
• the support means for the ECM bar may be attached to the cathode ventilation hoods that rest on top of the cells or to flaps that may be attached to the side of such hoods.
• the ECM bar or bars would be lifted off the cell with the ventilation hood when cells are to be harvested.
• the ECM system comprises controllers for relaying information from the ECM bars to a central server.
• each controller can communicate with one or more ECM bars.
• the ECM system preferably comprises additional sensors for monitoring further parameters including, but not limited to, pH, electrolyte media concentration and temperature.
• the ECM system calculates an overall cell performance relative to the variety of parameters monitored.
• the ECM bar is formed from any one or more of metallic or non-metallic materials.
• the ECM bar preferably also comprises a coating of insulation material. The insulation material acts to make it safe to transport the bar in the cell house and also to prevent undesired electric shorts when the bar is installed.
• the ECM system preferably comprises an electrode tracking system.
• a tracking system helps an operator to track the performance of the metal growing on a certain electrode from the cell through the harvesting process, through quality assessment and weighing and current efficiency determination allowing identification of consistent issues with specific cathodes blanks, cells, and cathode positions in a cell.
• the electrode tracking system includes but is not limited to, radio-frequency identification (RF1D) tags.
• the tracking system preferably further includes a visual status identification. Visual status identification can be employed in addition to electronic status, to enable an operator in the plant immediately determine the status of an electrode, for example, by the colour of an LED (normal, high current, low current).
• the ECM system preferably comprises energy saving features wherein during the time interval between successive sensor readings a portion of the electronic circuit can be disabled or configured into a low power mode which allows that only one sensor within the overall bar is operated in full power mode at any time, reducing both the peak and average power requirements.
• the ECM system preferably includes an alarm system.
• the alarm system is preferably automatically generated when an operational problem is detected. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• Figure 1 depicts a schematic representation of an electrolytic cell including the main devices according to an embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 2 depicts a schematic view of an electrolytic cell showing the ECM bar according to an embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 3 depicts a schematic perspective view of an ECM bar protected with a deflector device according to an embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 4 depicts a schematic cross sectional view of the deflector device according to figure 3.
• Figure 5 depicts an exploded view of the end seal arrangement at one end of an ECM bar according to an embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 6 depicts a schematic perspective view of a rotating ECM bar installed on top of two adjacent electrolytic cells according to an embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 7 depicts a schematic view of a first embodiment of the ECM bar support means.
• Figure 8 depicts a schematic cross sectional view detailing the support means according to Figure 7.
• Figure 9 depicts a schematic cross sectional view detailing a second embodiment of the ECM bar support means.
• Figure 10 depicts a schematic view detailing a third embodiment of the ECM bar support means.
• Figure 11 depicts a schematic view of an embodiment of the invention disclosing a channelling device or electrode current measuring system applied over a cathode or anode header bar.
• Figure 12 depicts a schematic view of an embodiment of the invention disclosing the channelling device or electrode current measuring device applied over a cathode or anode header bar and over an anode or cathode blade, wherein the grid represents a mesh used for computational simulation.
• Figure 13 depicts a schematic view of a group of cathodes or anodes with the channelling device or electrode current measuring device according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the grid represents a mesh used for computational simulation.
• an embodiment of the invention comprises an electrolysis cell (1) comprising a plurality of cathodes (4) and anodes (3) within an electrolyte media, arranged in an alternating manner relative to each other.
• cathodes (4) and anodes (3) correspond to plates which are arranged parallel to each other.
• sensor means (5) are arranged on a sensor bar (2) or ECM bar.
• Such sensor bar that is part of the ECM system of the invention, is located in the vicinity of the current bar output (or input) from (or to) the cathode (or anode) plate.
• Such sensor bar and such sensor means need not be in direct contact with the electrodes.
• the ECM bar (2) may be located in one of many places of the electrolytic cell (1) such as within cell wall, within cell (as shown in Figures 2 to 10), within cell top furniture/insulators, attached to electrodes or others.
• the sensor bar geometry, specially its housing, may take on different shapes including a rectangular hollow section (RHS) that is approximately the length of the cell, pipe or other.
• RHS rectangular hollow section
• the sensor bar may be located within the cell using one of the following possible support means, as shown in Figures 6 to 10:
• hooks that are attached to the bar by means of stainless steel or plastic zip ties attached over the top of the cell wall under the intercell bus bar, intercell capping board or intercell furniture. These hooks may be glued in place to stop them from moving. This may include the relieving of the capping board or cell furniture to allow for the hooks to pass under.
• Brackets may also be bolted in to the cell wall or the cell capping board or cell top insulator block or other components of cell top equipment.
• the hooks or brackets may be made of stainless steel, plastic, aluminium or other appropriate material
• the electrolytic cells may be replaced or manufactured new with a support means such as a specific ledge, slotted groove or holder that provides built-in support and locating features.
• This design overcomes the issues identified with the prior art by removing the possibility for the ECM bar to be directly impacted by the electrodes, crane bale or other mechanical items as they are positioned or removed from the cell.
• All embodiments of the fixing methodology identified have been designed to avoid damage of the sensing devices located within the ECM bar.
• the support brackets have been designed to allow for the permanent fixture of an ECM bar to an electrolytic cell.
• the design provides the physical strength sufficient to sustain the mechanical impacts associated with electrodes moving in and out of the cell whilst maintaining a narrow profile as to avoid restricting the placement/ removal of electrodes.
• Key to the design of the support brackets is a means for maintaining alignment between the sensors in the bar and the predetermined electrode positions. This is achieved with a friction connection between the support brackets and the ECM bar. In some embodiments this also includes the fitment of deflectors used to protect the bar from physical damage whilst assisting the operators with the positioning of electrodes.
• the sensor means (5) are connected with pre-processing units (6) in order to improve the quality of the signal and to facilitate it reading and interpretation in the following units of the system
• pre-processing unit (6) is a microprocessor unit.
• each individual sensor unit which comprises one or more sensor devices (5) and a pre-processor unit (6)
• communicate directly with the central server unit it may be possible for each individual sensor unit (which comprises one or more sensor devices (5) and a pre-processor unit (6)) to communicate directly with the central server unit.
• each individual sensor unit which comprises one or more sensor devices (5) and a pre-processor unit (6)
• the central server unit is preferable to have individual sensors within one sensor bar communicating data to a single head controller unit in that bar.
• the head controller unit (7) can then communicate the whole bar's data to the central server unit (9). If communication to the central server unit (9) is wireless (e.g.
• WiFi Wireless Fidelity
• Information can be transmitted from each cell (typically, but not necessarily from the head controller unit - it could be from every sensor) to a central computing device where the information is displayed.
• the information can also be stored for further subsequent analysis.
• This analysis can provide historical trend information which can help the operator to identify sources of variance which reduce overall manufacturing quality.
• By detecting when cell deposition cycles commence (by detecting the removal of one-third of the electrodes at harvesting time), it can also help the operator to identify when a given electrode (and hence cell) has passed enough charge (amp-hours) to be ready for harvesting.
• the system can maintain a table showing the preferred order in which cells should be harvested. The system can also tell how long it has been since a cell was cleaned, and hence provide a recommendation for the time and order for cells to be cleaned. Therefore, the system of the invention not only treats with the electric current management, but also improves different operative areas involved in electrolytic systems.
• each one of the sensor means (5) is in data- communication with the corresponding pre-processing unit (6), which in turn is in data- communication with a communication channel, such as a sensor data bus (13), whose signals are received by a head controller unit (7), located in each one of sensor bars (2).
• a communication channel such as a sensor data bus (13)
• a head controller unit (7) located in each one of sensor bars (2).
• the above mentioned data communication may be achieved through many different means including optical, cable or bus.
• signals from each head controller unit (7) are received by a communication channel, which may be a main data bus (8), which is in data- communication with a central server unit (9).
• the main function of this head controller unit (7) is to control communications between the central server unit (9) and each one of the pre-processing units (6).
• the communication from the device i.e.
• the central server unit (9) may be achieved through many different means either wirelessly which may include WIFI or Bluetooth or licensed spectrum and hard wired in the case of LAN.
• the above mentioned arrangement for data communication is a preferably embodiment, being possible to utilize any combination of the components for other embodiments of the invention. In this sense, there may be a variety of bus, star, ring, mesh, or other communication topologies that could be used, as well as a variety of processing methods and equipments.
• those skilled in the art will recognise that there are many options for either centralisation or distribution of computation elements, and that communications may be analog or digital, raw or encoded.
• any known or unknown communication and processing means can be applied to the present invention.
• the pre-processing unit (6), head control unit (7) and central server unit (6) will be generally mentioned as central units, which interact with each other using any available communication means.
• the sensor means (5) comprise electric current sensors and any other type of sensor used for measuring the behaviour of the process and electrodes within the electrolytic cell.
• electric current sensors are magnetic sensors, known as Hall Effect sensors, or any other sensor having a calibratable response within the operating range of electrolytic cells (1).
• other types of sensor means to monitor the condition of each individual cell for electrolyte temperature, acid concentration, pH, ion concentration and conductivity, among other properties.
• the ECM bar (2) may not be in contact with the electrolyte, it may have probes that extend into the electrolyte to perform such measurements. These probes may have appropriate mechanical support and protection mechanisms in order to improve the sensor response.
• the sensor bar may be able to measure and report the cell voltage, perhaps using wires connected between the adjacent busbars.
• sensor means (5) and preferably the preprocessing units (6) and any other required electronic equipment of the invention, may be encapsulated in a corrosion resistant material housing.
• This encapsulation is part of the aforementioned sensor bar or ECM bar (2).
• a feature of the invention is its resilience to damage associated with acidic electrolyte and acid mist.
• the electronics are housed within either a stainless steel, aluminium, FRP or other sealed corrosion resistant material housing.
• one end of the housing is welded shut and at the other a moulded PVC component is glued onto the housing. This PVC component is where the wireless communications are located (they cannot transmit through a metallic housing).
• a metallic housing When a metallic housing is used this may be protected by a non-conductive protective sleeve that may be formed (for example, using electrical heat shrink) over the entire length of the bar. This provides some corrosion protection for the electrode current measuring means as well as electrical insulation to stop accidentally forming short within the cell or during installation (safety).
• the wireless communications equipment may be located external to the housing.
• other embodiment of the invention includes a magnetic channeling device, which directs and concentrates the desirable magnetic flux over the desirable sensor means, allows reduction of measurement interference, thus getting more accurate data as it increases the signal to noise ratio.
• FIG. 1 There are multiple potential arrangements of the channelling device for the channelling of the magnetic flux.
• the channelling device for the channelling of the magnetic flux.
• An alternate arrangement to this includes a ferritic (or similar) ring or horseshoe (19) of material that encapsulates three of the four sides of the cathode header bar (20) for the purposes of directing and concentrating the magnetic field to sensors beneath the open side of the horseshoe (19), as shown in Figure 1 1.
• Figure 12 shown an embodiment of the channelling device wherein a ferritic device (22) is used for channelling the magnetic field over the electrode blade (21).
• Figures 12 and 13 shows a grid (23) that represent the mesh used for simulating the behaviour of the channelling device, wherein Figure 13 shows multiples header bars in representation of multiples electrodes using said device.
• the ferritic ring or horseshoe type ring around the header bar would be encapsulated in a corrosion resistant material such as PVC.
• the housing it is essential that all the sensors (5) be spaced at the correct spacing to correspond with the spacing of the electrodes within the electrolytic cell (1).
• this is achieved with an extruded PVC "carrier” that holds all the Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) along the length, in which sensors along with other electronics components are mounted.
• the carrier has pin holes that are at the correct spacing which locates the individual sensor boards.
• the carrier is then located along the length of the housing.
• the sensor bar comprises means for detecting these environmental variables, and compensate for the effect to ensure that the resulting values are as accurate as possible.
• the state of each electric unit may correspond to any of the following three states:
• the preferred embodiment provides cathode state and cell state indicators (10) within each preprocessing unit (6) as well as within each head controller unit (7), which in a preferred embodiment of the present invention can be luminous indicators such LEDs, with several colours, associated to each one of the aforementioned cathode functioning states. Consequently, besides an indication of the cathode state which may be displayed on a screen of the central server unit (9), a local visual indication for each cathode is generated through cathode state indicators (10), and in front of each electrolytic cell (1), through cell state indicators.
• the indication strategy of the aforementioned embodiment consists of:
• the identification of the cathodes may be achieved with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags but may also include visual indicators such as coloured or raised bands along the devices housing (such as the above mentioned luminous indicators), numbers or other similar written markings on the device, on the cell or on the cell furniture (insulator bars).
• RFID Radio Frequency Identification
• the housing could also include RFID tags that can be read from above but also by the device below for the purposes of identifying individual cathodes/anodes.
• Information from the server about the progress of deposition cycles on each cathode and each cell with respect to time and amp hours passed will help to inform the operators of the most appropriate sequence for harvesting the plated material from the electrodes. It can also be used to record, automatically, when cells were cleaned (by sensing zero current through electrodes), and hence to recommend a sequence and timings for future cell cleaning activities. It can also provide information about the total inventory of plated product in the tankhouse at any time.
• the outputs from the sensors are conditioned and sampled by the pre-processing units. This includes amplification, correction for power supply effects, filtering and analog to digital conversion.
• the power supply means of the system there is a variety of sources such as batteries, separate power connection (whether mains or other), power over Ethernet, connection to the busbars on either side of the cell, connection to busbars associated with other cells, connection to busbars between which there are multiple cells (this will provide a higher voltage which may assist the operation of the device, and provide for the device to continue operation if required even when the local cell voltage is insufficient - such as when that cell is being cleaned), photovoltaic, thermoelectric, piezoelectric, induction if the DC isn't perfectly smooth, induction through a non-metallic section of the bar housing, or any other convenient power source.
• sources such as batteries, separate power connection (whether mains or other), power over Ethernet, connection to the busbars on either side of the cell, connection to busbars associated with other cells, connection to busbars between which there are multiple cells (this will provide a higher voltage which may assist the operation of the device, and provide for the device to continue operation if required even when the local cell voltage is insufficient
• the preprocessing unit (6) receive the data from the sensor units and performs corrections to the data signal in order to provide an optimal signal transmission through the data communication channel to the following units and corrections to the current measurement caused by the effect of external variables for which the above mentioned compensations can be carried out based on magnetic field fluctuations. It may be necessary to apply a transformation step to compensate for several possible variations in the magnetic field sensor, amplifier, reference voltage, and digital to analog conversions. These variations may arise due to the effects of power supply, stray currents, earth's magnetic field, manufacturing and installation tolerances, geometrical arrangements of the cell, magnetic fields from electrode currents in neighbouring cells, intercell contact bar magnetic fields, misaligned electrodes, bent header bars and other effects.
• the prior art includes calculations describing how to make magnetic field corrections for neighbouring electrodes and cells based on theory.
• the preferred embodiment involves such calculations as are known in the art. A skilled person would understand that parameters of calculations will change with individual cell characteristics. In practice, cells need to be modelled and calculations adjusted.
• Electrodes may not always be placed (by the crane) in exactly the correct horizontal location on the cell busbars. If the electrode is not directly above the sensor, the contribution to that sensor's field will be lower than it should be. In a preferred embodiment, there is not a single sensor (pair), but a linear array of magnetic field sensors or pairs. The outputs from these sensors can be compared to find the sensor with the highest reading (after correcting for perhaps higher contributions from neighbouring electrode currents) can be assumed to correspond to the horizontal location of the electrode. This knowledge can be used to compensate not only for the reduced reading of the field by that electrode's own sensor, but more importantly the changed contributions to fields measured by neighbouring sensors.
• the measured currents are compared with the lower threshold current I m j n and upper threshold current I max
• These thresholds I m j drink and Imax may also be adjusted manually or automatically based on a change in the rectifier current.
• One embodiment sees the ECM bar being located beneath the anode header bars on the anode connection to the main ICCB side of the cell. This may be preferred where geometry provides a greater influence of anode currents on magnetic fields than the influence of cathodes. In that embodiment the shorts and bad contacts are detected by anode currents rather than cathode currents.
• the above mentioned embodiments and the following features of the invention comprise the implementation of various improvements in relation to the functionality, adaptability, control and/or human interface, of metallurgical systems wherein those systems are preferably electrometallurgical systems such as electrorefining or electrowinning systems.
• improvements may be applied to different types of systems in which the management of current passing through the electrodes is a key factor in the system operation and performance. Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment of the application, the above mentioned improvements are implemented in electrometallurgical systems having electric current measurement devices such as hall effect sensors, for measuring the current through an electrode or a plurality of them as for example in an electrolytic cell or a tankhouse. In this regard, these improvements are directed to optimize both performance and operation of said at least one electrode such as to optimize the measurement of the current flowing through it.
• the system for locating anodes and cathodes into the cell may not result in these electrodes being placed in exactly the same location every time. That is, the electrodes are not physically located by cell furniture or similar devices. Therefore, if the variation in the electrode placement is significant, it may be appropriate to have at least one or multiple magnetic field sensors in order to measure said variations. Then, by analysing the magnetic fields experienced by the sensors, it is possible to estimate the most likely offset of the electrode header bar from its nominal position.
• any offset indicia detected by a specific sensor will mean that the current in the corresponding header bar has a slightly different effect on the field experienced by neighbouring header bars, which means that the electric current measurement might be affected. Consequently, if the above referred offset is known (or at least is estimated), said knowledge can be used to modify algorithms described by others in the prior art to better compensate for the fields due to currents in neighbouring electrodes.
• the degree of misalignment can also be reported as a metric for the use of cell house operators.
• Double contact systems measurement In the simplest cells, anodes are connected to a bus bar on one side of the cell
• each electrode header bar may be connected on both sides. While the anodes are still “fed” from the right hand side, the left hand sides of all the anodes are connected by an anode "balance bar” sometimes also known as an "equalizer bar”.
• cathode header bars may also be connected to a cathode balance bar. If there happens to be a bad connection between a given anode and the main anode bus bar, current can still flow to said anode, by first flowing through other anode header bars, then the anode balance bar, and then into the header bar of the given anode.
• cathodes A double contact system is described in US Patent 7,993,501 (Freeport Mc oRan Corporation), and US Patent 7,854,825, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
• the magnetic fields generated in the vicinity of the cathode header bars may correspond not only to the currents in those header bars, but also to currents in the anode header bars.
• the EMC design allows for the measurement of the current going through the adjacent electrodes on the balance bar for the purpose of correcting for the additional anode balancing current magnetic field and to provide a method of assessing current distribution issues within the cell.
• Another improvement implemented by the present application is related to multiple voltage measurement at various points along the electrical circuit of an electrolytic cell/plant, wherein voltage measurement means are installed.
• Voltage measurement probes that are connected into an electrolytic circuit at various points including trunk bus bar, trunk bus risers, and different points along the length of an intercell contact bar on different contact bars, allow for the monitoring of individual cells and therefore, different voltage drops through the circuit. This helps improve the management of the overall circuit since voltage drops and corresponding power losses can be determined.
• cell voltage drop can be used in combination with other measurements, such as temperature and metal concentration, as a means of assessing deposition quality as is discussed further below.
• Accurate monitoring of cell voltage is also important for monitoring the overall performance of anodes, for example, titanium mixed metal oxide (MMO) anode performance. Titanium MMO anodes are used for their low voltage requirement as compared to traditional lead based anodes.
• MMO titanium mixed metal oxide
• a change in cell voltage can indicate an issue with the coating of the anodes within the cell.
• the cell During maintenance operations it is possible for the cell to generate a voltage through the reverse plating of metal, if undetected this can result in permanent damage to the performance of titanium MMO anodes.
• the system may classify a cathode as being in a "short circuit" condition once the current exceeds a particular static predetermined threshold value.
• thresholds for short circuits and bad contacts
• each cathode should see a smaller current. Even if the distribution is perfect (i.e. no shorts or bad contacts) this may, depending on the threshold, result in classification of poor contacts. Thirdly, if there is a short circuit in the cell, a larger-than-usual fraction of the total cell current will flow through that short, leaving less current to flow through the others. This might mean that some of the other electrodes are classified as bad contacts, even though they are actually operating nominally and there is no operational fault in those electrodes.
• the thresholds for shorts and poor contacts can be calculated, by calculating means, as a function of (a) the total cell current, (b) of whether electrodes are missing due to harvesting, and (c) the existence of shorts or poor contacts elsewhere in the cell. Therefore, the present application establishes dynamic thresholds depending on the above parameters, which improves the reliability of the system management due to the continuous calculation of the thresholds.
• the classification of a cathode as being in a short condition has been described as an instantaneous comparison of the cathode current with the threshold - even if that threshold may not be a static number.
• a cathode may have a slightly higher contact resistance on the bus bar or is at larger distance from its neighbouring anode, it may have a slightly lower current, and yet still develop a short.
• a sequence of current measurements that increase sufficiently over time, it may be possible to conclude that the cathode is entering a short condition, even before it reaches the actual shorts threshold.
• An embodiment of the ECM bar may be configured to detect such oscillations to classify a cathode as entering a short condition.
• the present application provides pattern detection means in order to provide a reliable short/poor contacts estimation algorithm, which helps to improve the system management.
• a significant improvement incorporated by the present invention includes the incorporation of a protection means or multiple protection means installed along the length of an ECM bar to protect it from mechanical damage and to avoid disruption to normal electrode movements, wherein the ECM bar contains the electric current measurement means.
• Figures 3 and 4 detail one kind of protection means designed as a deflector (11), wherein its design helps to avoid damaging the ECM bar (2) during the normal electrolytic cell crane operations and acts to push electrodes towards their correct location as they are lowered, e.g. during the introduction of electrodes (3, 4), which can result in damaging the ECM bar (2) by hitting it with an electrode. Accordingly, it is important to highlight that the deflector design described in Figures 3 and 4 does not restrict the design of the protection means, being possible to use any kind of design that protects the bar from hits and other kinds of physical damage.
• the protection means can be secured to the support means, the bar, or directly to any standard cell feature. This includes, but is not limited to the cell furniture, cell wall or capping boards.
• the prior art does not describe a design to overcome interfering with electrode movement and avoiding bar damage. The conditions in the cell are extremely harsh and robustness of design is critical.
• An identified means of ensuring no disruption to normal electrode movements and ECM bar damage is for the support means to include a deflector.
• the deflector must be capable of managing the weights of the electrodes as they are lowered at the rates that the crane system lowers them with the corresponding load.
• the load must not be transferred to the sensor bar but must be absorbed through transference to the cell wall and minimised through the angle of the surface of the deflector.
• the deflector must also protect the brackets that support the ECM bar. End seal arrangement
• Electronic components could be potted inside a material that allows for the bar not having an external housing.
• This potting material may consist of an acid resistant epoxy or other potting material.
• sealing means in one or both ends of an ECM bar (2) as shown in Figure 5, wherein said sealing means provide protection to the devices located within the bar.
• the sealing mean is comprised by a backing plate (12), a gasket (13), an end cap (14) and fastening means (15) like screws or any other attachment device.
• the seal arrangement of the invention provides sealing of one or both ends of the sensor bar by bringing together the backing plate (12), gasket (13) and end cap (14), so the gasket is sandwiched between the backing plate and end cap.
• the fastening means (15) are loosely threaded through the end cap, gasket and into the backing plate, assembling the seal.
• Said seal assembly is inserted into the bar (2) or housing into its correct location.
• the fastening means are tightened reducing the distance between the end cap and backing plate, which results in reducing the thickness of the gasket. Due to Poisson's ratio, this results in increasing the width and height of the gasket. This increase in dimension creates the required seal between the seal assembly and the inner wall of the bar.
• the main advantage of providing an end seal arrangement in one or both ends of an ECM bar is that it enables the bar to be sealed to protect the internal components, for example from preventing the electrolyte to contact electronics located inside the bar, or any other thing that can damage said components.
• the end seal arrangement allows for the electronics to be slid into the bar, seal the bar and the main cable to/from the bar to exit out through a cable gland.
• seal arrangement it is also capable of being removed for servicing if required.
• This sealing method can be used with a bar of any profile including square, round, rectangular, and angled as examples.
• the design of the ECM bar requires the inside of the bar to have a profile that does not preclude the insertion of the electronics and support carrier into the bar.
• the secondary limitation in the profile of the bar is that it needs to be as narrow as possible to avoid interference with the crane/ electrode movements in and out of the cell whilst remaining in close proximity to the electrode header bars.
• ECM bars per central unit or controller Another improvement includes using controller devices to mediate the communications between each bar and the central server.
• the central server may communicate wirelessly to the controller, but communications between the controller and the ECM bar(s) may be wired.
• a single controller device may be shared by several ECM bars.
• the controller device may have separate communication buses to communicate with different ECM bars, or all bars may share a single bus.
• the central server may communicate directly with the ECM bars without any intermediating controller if such a connection topology and protocol is suitable for the plant.
• ECM bars there may be two ECM bars in each electrolytic cell, wherein said bar may be specifically located on opposite sides of the cell.
• the purpose of this embodiment is to allow for the measurement of the cathode currents (and anode balance currents if in a double contact system) on the cathode contact side and on the opposite side of the cell the anode currents (and cathode balance currents if using a double contact system).
• this improvement allows measuring all the in and outflows of electrical currents through the respective electrolytic cells and obtain the full current distribution in the cell.
• the evenness of the current distribution is a quality measure for the cell performance since even current should lead to equal deposition on each of the cathodes which maximises deposit weight consistency, deposit surface morphology, minimises short circuit tendency and maximises current efficiency.
• the ECM bar of the invention considers the possibility of including concentration and other sensors as part of the ECM system.
• the ECM bar can incorporate instrument readings for temperature, metal concentration, electrolyte flow or level, additive concentration, conductivity etc within specific cells.
• the cell voltage increases with the total cathode current in the cell.
• the cell voltage is also affected by cell temperature, electrolyte composition and additive dosage rates, electrode spacing and anode age/condition/type. If these parameters are at target levels the relationship between cell voltage and current is predictable and this relationship can be best determined for any specific tank house through small scale testwork. Any deviation from this predicted relationship indicates that cell conditions are not optimal and actions should be taken to address.
• the ECM system measures total cell current and cell voltage and can be used as a measure of quality. If any of the other parameters are measured by the ECM system (e.g. temperature, concentration) then the ECM system can utilize that data to provide further definition of the probable issues responsible for poorer than optimal performance.
• the ECM system can calculate the current efficiency for individual cathodes. It can track the individual electrode positions in a cell to determine whether current efficiency has a consistent trend for that position - which may indicate neighbouring anode problems, or in combination with an RFID system (or other cathode identification system) it can determine whether trends are due to issues with a specific cathode plate.
• the system can track the current flows in individual electrode positions and determine whether from one cycle to the next a trend is evident or whether for a specific cathode (with an RFID or other cathode identification system in place) there is a trend in current which may indicate an issue with the specific electrode.
• the adaptive improvements are intended to optimize the adaptability of metallurgical system where the current management is a key factor.
• the following improvements seek to maximize the flexibility of existing and/or new metallurgical systems.
• ECM bar for measuring two adjacent cells
• One of the improvements for the adaptability of the system includes mounting one ECM bar on top of an electrolytic cell (or any of the cell features including but not limited to cell furniture, cell walls, or intercell contact bar), supported by brackets that act as hinges, wherein said ECM bar has the potential to measure two adjacent cells by rotating it into the correct position.
• This allows installation of one ECM bar per two adjacent cells in order to reduce cost of measuring the electric current.
• Figure 6 shows an example of an ECM bar (2) installed over two adjacent electrolytic cells (16, 17) wherein said bar is attached by support means (18) comprising rotating means (19) for rotating it around one axis, wherein said support means (18) can be either attached to any of the existing cell features.
• the ECM bar (2) can be fixed to said support means (18) using cable ties or other means of attachment.
• the rotating means (19) allow the bar to be moved out of place when electrodes need to be removed from the cell or modifications to the electrode placement need to occur (thus the hinged arrangement also acts as a protection means for the ECM bar). This configuration results in the possibility of sitting said ECM bar over the electrode header bars of one cell at a time.
• the ECM bar of the above configuration may contain a device that allows it to determine which orientation the bar is sitting in, which facilitates the operation of the referred adaptability improvement.
• ECM bar outer compartment material may contain a device that allows it to determine which orientation the bar is sitting in, which facilitates the operation of the referred adaptability improvement.
• the outer compartment of the ECM bar may be constructed from any material including stainless steel, other metals, plastic or composite. This includes materials that contain a sacrificial outer coating or sheath that is replaced at time or using condition based frequencies.
• the ECM bar can be incorporated into the design of a tankhouse's cell walls or cell furniture. A pocket of sufficient volume would need to be made available in either the cell walls or cell furniture for the device to sit. This kind of arrangement is suitable for new cell designs, specially directed to incorporate electric current measurement devices.
• the ECM bar can be supported by support means (18), as brackets or any other means that allow supporting the bar, wherein said support means (18) can be attached to the cell furniture as shown in Figures 7 and 8, fitted underneath the capping board of the cell as shown in Figure 9 and/or attached to the exposed surfaces of the capping board as shown in Figure 10.
• the support means (18) can be either bonded to the cell furniture, attached using fasteners, or have a clip like device that attaches it to the cell furniture, or a combination of these as shown in Figures 7 and 8; can be either bonded to the top of the cell wall, or have a clip like device that attaches it to the back of the wall, or both as shown in Figure 9; and can be either bonded to the capping exposed surface, or attached using fasteners, or both as shown in Figure 10.
• the ECM bar can sit inside each support means channel, with grub screws used to fix the bar into position and/or the ECM bar can be fixed to the brackets using cable ties or other means of attachment.
• the above features might depend in the kind of cell that is going to be adapted in order to use ECM bars.
• Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 describe different support means (18) according to the above description.
• Portable ECM bar Another improvement consists of providing a portable version of the ECM system wherein the bar is not permanently fixed to the cell and can be moved around the tankhouse, being able to be placed down on top of the electrodes, or perhaps attached to a handle so that an operator can move the instrument to the appropriate place.
• the portable bar may be the full length of the cell with sufficient sensors for the number of electrodes in the cell or a short version to measure the field around for example 5 or 10 adjacent electrodes, with the understanding that the estimates of the currents in the electrodes at each end may be less accurate due to the contributions of fields from neighbouring electrodes that do not have sensors.
• the portable ECM bar allows improving the system adaptability by being possible to use said bar as an instrument in different electrolytic cells. Modular ECM bar
• the ECM bar could be made up of a multiple number of smaller bars that can be either physically connected or positioned end to end to each other.
• ECM bar powered from the electrode header bars Other adaptability improvement consists in powering the ECM bar from the electrode header bars rather than the ICCB's or mains power when utilizing an on top hinge type bar positioning arrangement. This helps to reduce using different power sources which improves the management of the system.
• tankhouses have other systems which yield certain data about tankhouse operations. For example, there may be an optical inspection system which assesses the quality of the metal plated onto each cathode, or a system that weighs the metal harvested from each cathode. When these data are combined with data from the system of the invention, information of even greater value can be obtained. For example, it may be discovered that particular optically-detected defects occur more frequently from some cells than others, or some cells yield less production than others.
• Some tankhouses may have cathodes with RFID, barcode, or other identifiers, that can be sensed by a crane, stripping machine, or other device.
• the current sensing system of the invention could be also integrated with other systems to form an integrated tankhouse management system that provides unified overall management and control of all (or many) aspects of the tankhouse.
• Other systems may include cathode tracking systems, stripping machine, optical inspection, product weighing, flow monitoring, electrolyte analysis, pumping, scheduling, rectifier control, and electrolyte additive management.
• control Improvements are intended to optimize operation and maintenance of metallurgical systems wherein the electrode current management is a key factor.
• the following improvements seek to enhance control and system reliability. Shorts prioritization
• the system has prioritization means that can recommend an optimal order for clearing shorts, using parameters such as: the age and severity of the short, the distances that an operator has to walk between the shorts, the number of operators on shift and other parameters related to any of the above indicated improvements.
• Calibration 1 The need for calibration: The magnetic fields experienced by the sensors is dependent not only on the currents in the relevant electrode header bars, but also the earth's magnetic field, and possibly fields due to currents in other conductors (e.g. bus bars) that may, or may not, be directly related to cell operation. If there are fields from bus bars that supply the cell current, these may vary as total cell current varies. It may be possible to derive a theoretical correction for such fields, or it me be necessary to use an empirical technique (i.e. calibration) to correct for them. Calibration typically involves measuring the current in every cathode header bar along the length of a cell. If the cell uses double contact arrangements, it may require measuring every anode header bar current as well, which can be tedious.
• the improvements to the human interface of metallurgical systems are designed to optimize the display of electrodes, cells and/or tankhouse information, which consequently optimize the management and control performed by the operator. In this context, it seeks to maximize the ease of operation, enhancing control and system reliability. Short circuits and poor contact electrodes identification
• visualizing means to visualize the status of electrodes, cells, and/or tankhouses.
• Said means also comprise control means that allows operators to take actions according to the visualized status.
• this improvement is a method of using a steerable laser pointer mounted to the underside of the tankhouse crane(s) or supported independently that highlights electrodes that are operating outside of their preferred range (short circuit or poor contact). Then, said kind of visualization means allows operator to easily identify a specific electrode within the tankhouse.
• this method could incorporate laser distancing or laser localization.
• a visualization means such as an LED(s) mounted/ located within the cell furniture or in close proximity to the electrodes, allows for identifying specific electrode status. Said status may be normal operating, high current (short), low current (bad contact) and other parameters as necessary. Electrodes/cells status visualization
• Another embodiment of the above description also includes a status means that, as described above, allows knowing the status of a specific electrode/cell.
• the present invention provides status means for showing relevant information to the users of the human interface devices. This kind of status means helps the operators to take the correct actions regarding the operation status of the system.
• a status means includes using augmented reality glasses that allow the operators to see the status of the electrodes and cells as they move through the tankhouse. This may utilize lasers or GPS or other localization technology to determine the location of the user and hence which cell they are looking at.
• the present invention also includes the use of image recognition software on a tablet or laptop computer with a camera, or any other visualization device, wherein said device superimposes the identification number of each of the electrodes or the ECM system status of each of the electrodes on a real time image of a cell.
• the system may use GPS or other localization capability as well. Alarms and/or reports
• Another improvement of the present invention includes allowing operators to configure one of more alarm mechanisms or alarm means (including visual indicators, audible, emails, pagers, and short message service) for the system to indicate when shorts or other operational problems arise.
• Information may be presented through any kind of visualization device, for example an on-screen display, a printed report, or in text in email or SMS, or even computer generated voice.
• optical indicators or visualization means at each electrode in each cell in the tank house may be used to indicate the location of problems. This may use lights (e.g. LEDs) physically located near the electrodes as described above.
• An alternative may be a roof/wall mounted laser system, such as those used for light show entertainment, which can be configured to "draw" an indication on the floor of the tankhouse, as described in one of the preceding improvements. In the simplest embodiment this may just be a status light located at the end of each cell to provide an alternative means of identifying the cell with a problem to be addressed.- Such an alarm system could also be matched with an automatically generated report that provides a snapshot of the operational health of the tankhouse, including a prioritised list of corrections to be made.

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• 2013
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