Method of Detecting Shorts and Bad Contacts in an Electrolytic Cell

• US 20070284262A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation (Rio Tinto Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation (Rio Tinto Limited)
• Inventors: You, Eugene Yanjun, Kim, Daniel Kang
• Application Number:
  US11/756,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20070284262A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 205/775
• CPC Class Codes: C25C 1/12 of copper
• CPC Class Codes: C25C 7/06 Operating or servicing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults

Abstract

A method of detecting shorts and bad contacts in an electrolytic cell, the cell comprising a housing, electrolyte and at least one anode/cathode pair, the housing comprising an electrolyte in-flow side and an electrolyte out-flow side and electrical transmission means, the anode/cathode pair, electrolyte and electrical transmission means in electrical communication with one another, the method comprising:

• • A. Passing an electric current of pre-determined amperage through the cell;
  • B. Measuring the voltage drop across the cell at the electrolyte in-flow side of the housing and at the electrolyte out-flow side of the housing,
  • C. Comparing the electrolyte in-flow side voltage against the electrolyte out-flow side voltage, and
  • D. Comparing the electrolyte in-flow and out-flow side voltages against a calculated or estimated target voltage.

Claims

1. A method of detecting shorts and bad contacts in an electrolytic cell, the cell comprising a housing, electrolyte and at least one anode/cathode pair, the housing comprising an electrolyte in-flow side and an electrolyte out-flow side and electrical transmission means, the anode/cathode pair, electrolyte and electrical transmission means in electrical communication with one another, the method comprising:

A. Passing an electric current of predetermined amperage through the cell;

B. Measuring the voltage drop across the cell at the electrolyte in-flow side of the housing and at the electrolyte out-flow side of the housing,

C. Comparing the electrolyte in-flow side voltage against the electrolyte out-flow side voltage, and

D. Comparing the electrolyte in-flow and out-flow side voltages against a target voltage.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the cell is an electrolytic cell for the refinement of anode copper to cathode copper.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the electrical transmission means comprises a copper bus.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the voltage is measure at the in-flow and out-flow sides of the bus.

5. A method of detecting a short within an electrolytic cell, the cell comprising:

(i) A housing configured to hold an electrolyte and at least one anode/cathode pair, the housing comprising means for transmitting an electric current and having an electrolyte in-flow side and an electrolyte out-flow side;

(ii) Electrolyte; and

(iii) At least one anode/cathode pair

the means for transmitting an electric current and the anode/cathode pair in electrical communication with one another,

the process comprising;

A. Passing an electric current of pre-determined amperage through the cell;

B. Measuring the voltage drop across the cell at the electrolyte in-flow side of the housing and at the electrolyte out-flow side of the housing,

C. Comparing the electrolyte in-flow side voltage against the electrolyte out-flow side voltage, and

D. Comparing the electrolyte in-flow and out-flow side voltages against a target voltage.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the electrical transmission means is a copper bus.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the housing is a concrete tank, and the anode/cathode pair comprises anode copper and cathode copper.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the electrolyte in-flow and electrolyte out-flow voltage is each measured using an electrolytic cell monitor connected to the copper bus.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising locating the short within the cell through the use of a gauss meter, Hall effect current detector or an infrared sensor.

10. The method of claim 8 in which the voltage of the electric current in bus at the electrolyte in-flow side of the cell is between about 0.1 and about 1 volt.