Electrode structure for the electrodeposition of non-ferrous metals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10655236-B2
Application number	US-201615738820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2016
Priority date	Jul 1, 2015
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrode structure which can detect the electric current and optionally activate alarm signals in electrolytic cells for the electrodeposition of non-ferrous metals, for example for electrowinning of metals, in particular for the electrolytic production of copper and other non-ferrous metals proceeding from ionic solutions. The present invention further relates to a data acquisition system to be used in connection with said electrode structure.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An anodic structure for metal electrodeposition comprising:
an anode;
an anodic hanger bar supporting said anode; and
at least one wireless integrated device, wherein said at least one wireless integrated device houses
a wireless communication means,
at least one electric current sensor for the direct or indirect detection of the current
flowing through said anode hanger bar,
an energy storage means and
a microcontrol unit,
said wireless integrated device exhibiting a periodic actuation cycle comprising a sleep mode and an activation mode, said sleep mode having a total duration corresponding to 90.000%-99.998% of the duration of each periodic actuation cycle, and
wherein said anodic hanger bar comprises a lower horizontal main portion and two horizontal upper end portions connected to opposite sides of said horizontal main portion through two slanted intermediate portions, said at least one wireless integrated device being positioned on the top surface of either of said slanted intermediate portions.

2. The anodic structure according to claim 1 , wherein each said periodic actuation cycle has a duration of 1-15000 seconds.

3. The anodic structure according to claim 1 , wherein said microcontrol unit is configured:
to activate said at least one electric current sensor a first predefined number of times during each said actuation cycle;
to activate said wireless communication means a second predefined number of times during each said actuation cycle;

wherein said second predefined number is equal or lower than said first predefined number,
wherein said wireless communication means send data collected from said at least one electric current sensor to at least one receiving means.

4. The anodic structure according to claim 3 , wherein said periodic actuation cycle has a duration of 300-6000 seconds, wherein said microcontrol unit is configured to activate said at least one electric current sensor 1-10 times during each cycle, each activation of said at least one electric current sensor having a duration of less than 15 milliseconds.

5. The anodic structure according to claim 4 , wherein said microcontrol unit is configured to activate said wireless communication means 1-3 times during each cycle.

6. The anodic structure according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one electric current sensor is a Hall sensor.

7. The anodic structure according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one electric current sensor is a temperature sensor.

8. The anodic structure according to claim 6 , wherein said two slanted intermediate portions form an angle of 20-70 degrees with the vertical, and wherein said Hall sensor is positioned in correspondence of the upper third section of one of said slanted intermediate portion.

9. The anodic structure according to claim 1 , further comprising visual or acoustic alert devices.

10. The anodic structure according to claim 1 , wherein said wireless integrated device is covered by corrosion resistant materials chosen among plastics or resins.

11. A wireless integrated device for an anodic structure for metal electrodeposition, wherein the device houses:
a microcontrol unit;
an energy storage means;
at least one electric current sensor; and
a wireless communication means;
said wireless integrated device being powered by said energy storage means,
said wireless integrated device exhibiting a periodic actuation cycle comprising a sleep mode and an activation mode, said sleep mode having a total duration corresponding to 90.000%-99.998% of the duration of each periodic cycle,
said microcontrol unit being configured to activate said at least one electric current sensor a first predefined number of times during each cycle, said microcontrol unit being configured to activate said wireless communication means a second predefined number of times during each cycle, said second predefined number being equal or lower than said first predefined number.

12. The wireless integrated device according to claim 11 ,
wherein each periodic actuation cycle has a duration of 1-15000 seconds.

13. The wireless integrated device according to claim 11 ,
wherein said at least one electric current sensor is a Hall sensor.

14. A data acquisition system for electric current signals in a metal electrodeposition plant comprising:
at least one electrolyser equipped with a plurality of elementary electrolytic cells, wherein each elementary electrolytic cell is equipped with one cathode and one anodic structure according to claim 1 ;
at least one computer;

wherein said at least one computer is in wireless connection with said anodic structure.

15. The data acquisition system according to claim 14 , wherein said at least one computer is a local computer in wireless connection with 2 to 20 said anodic structures, said local computer further comprising means for receiving, elaborating and transmitting information from each said wireless integrated devices to a central computer.

16. The data acquisition system according to claim 15 , further comprising at least one alert device providing a visual signal or an acoustic signal, or any combination thereof, wherein said at least one alert device is activated by said central computer or by said at least one local computer.

17. The data acquisition system according to claim 16 , wherein said central computer or said at least one local computer performs the following steps:
acquisition and storage of data from each said anodic structure, wherein said data comprise at least one function of the electric current signal measured by said at least one electric current sensor;
filtering to said at least one function of the electric current signal with a linear filter;
activation of said at least one alert device in case said filtered function of the electric current signal lies outside a preset range of values.

18. The data acquisition according to claim 17 , wherein said linear filter is a moving average filter.

19. The data acquisition according to claim 18 , wherein said moving average filter is an exponential moving average filter.

Assignees

• Industrie De Nora Spa

Inventors

• Prado Pueo Felix

Classifications

• C25C7/06 Primary

  Operating or servicing · CPC title

• C25D21/12

  Process control or regulation (controlling or regulating in general G05) · CPC title

• C25C1/12

  of copper · CPC title

• C25C7/02

  Electrodes (consumable anodes for the refining the metals C25C1/00 - C25C5/00); Connections thereof · CPC title

• C25D17/12

  Shape or form (C25D17/14 takes precedence) · CPC title