Current-source connection of electrolytic cell electrodes: an improvement for electrowinning and electrorefinery

This paper presents a current-source connection for electrolytic cells facilities, enlarging actual production boundaries. Specifically, the aim of production-level increase, quality improvement, and cost reduction in electrowinning and electrorefining plants have been limited by the current-density (CD) dispersion. In fact, the cathodes of a plant designed to operate with a nominal 320 A/m² CD per cathode, usually presents CDs in a range between 220 and 420 A/m² ( ±31% variations). Industrial tests performed in a copper ER plant proved that the proposed connection halves dispersion. It has been estimated that a 15% earnings increase should be obtained with the increase of efficiency, quality, and production.