Intercell busbar design for copper electrowining

The design of intercell bars is of primary relevance to control electrowinning costs. Two intercell technologies for designing these busbars are currently available: current source or voltage source. In this research current source is selected based on tank house operational data that consistently show better performance than its counterpart. Both technologies can be implemented in dogbone or central busbar configurations. Dogbone is chosen because provides better contact distance and larger heatsink area. On top of these attributes hot swapability is ensured by design. Also, the use of flat shaped solid hangers for anodes and cathodes is advised in order to preserve contact integrity. Industrial data is examined including samples of premature aging, corrosion and contact deterioration. Multi-physics FEM modeling highlights the heat source of this accelerated aging. This work provides design guidelines for S-shaped connectors for the intercell aiming to overcome previous design flaws exhibited by those evidences. For completeness, the paper includes a design example for an industrial site. The resulting design surpasses standard design practices and secures a hot spot free operation.