JP2017145464A - Manufacturing method of cathode for electrolytic refining - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method of a cathode for electrolytic refining that can maintain a cathode height dimension to a proper dimension.SOLUTION: A cathode 1 is formed by welding a hanger 12 to a cathode plate 11 using a welding device, followed by measuring a length L from an upper edge of the hanger 12 to an upper edge of the cathode plate 11, further followed by obtaining a deviation E between the measured value L and a reference value R, and the setting of the welding device is changed such that a welding position of the hanger 12 is corrected by the deviation E to the cathode plate 11. Since the setting of the welding device is changed such that a length from an upper edge of the hanger 12 to an upper edge of the cathode plate 11 becomes the reference value R, a height dimension of the cathode 1 can be maintained at an appropriate dimension.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a cathode for electrolytic smelting. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a cathode for electrolytic smelting by welding a handle to a cathode plate.

  Electrolytic smelting of metals such as nickel and cobalt is performed by alternately inserting anodes and cathodes into an electrolytic cell and electrodepositing a target metal on the cathodes. Here, the cathode is formed by welding a hanger to the cathode plate and passing the beam through the hanger.

  In electrolytic smelting, the distance between electrodes is set as short as possible in order to increase the electrolysis efficiency. However, since the cathode plate is thin, distortion occurs due to electrodeposition stress during electrolytic operation. When distortion occurs in the cathode plate, the cathode and the anode may come into contact with each other, resulting in a short circuit. When a short circuit occurs, there are problems that the electrolytic efficiency is lowered and the quality of the electrodeposited metal is lowered.

  With respect to this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses that a contact between the cathode and the anode is prevented by using a spacer that surrounds both side edges and the lower edge of the cathode plate. Further, in Patent Document 2, in electrolytic refining using a spacer, the shielding dimension of the spacer on both side edges and the lower edge of the cathode plate is 0.5 to 5% of the width dimension or height dimension of the cathode sheet. Is preferred.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-287787 JP 2011-162824 A

  By the way, there are variations in the dimensions of the cathode plate and the suspension, and the welding position of the suspension on the cathode plate also varies. Therefore, the shielding dimension of the spacer varies for each cathode. The shielding dimension of the side edge of the cathode plate can be confirmed from the liquid level of the electrolytic cell, and can be adjusted by shifting the cathode left and right. However, the shielding dimension of the lower edge of the cathode plate cannot be confirmed with the cathode inserted into the electrolytic cell, and even if it can be confirmed, there is no means for adjusting. Therefore, the height dimension of the cathode is required to be maintained at an appropriate dimension with little variation.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a cathode for electrolytic smelting capable of maintaining the height of the cathode at an appropriate size.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a cathode for electrolytic smelting, wherein a cathode is formed by welding a handle to a cathode plate using a welding apparatus, and the upper end of the cathode to the upper edge of the cathode plate. The length is measured, the deviation between the measured value and the reference value is obtained, and the setting of the welding apparatus is changed so as to correct the welding position of the suspender with respect to the cathode plate by the deviation. .

  According to the first invention, since the setting of the welding apparatus is changed so that the length from the upper end of the suspension to the upper edge of the cathode plate becomes the reference value, the height of the cathode can be maintained at an appropriate dimension. .

2 is a perspective view of a cathode 1 and a spacer 2. FIG.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The manufacturing method of the cathode for electrolytic smelting which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is a manufacturing method of the cathode 1 as shown in FIG. The cathode 1 is used for electrolytic smelting such as electrolytic purification and electrolytic extraction. The target metal for electrolytic smelting is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include nickel, cobalt, and copper.

  The cathode 1 is formed by welding two hanging hands 12 to the upper edge portion of the cathode plate 11. A cathode beam (not shown) is passed through the handle 12. By hanging both ends of the cathode beam on the edge of the electrolytic cell, the cathode 1 is inserted into the electrolytic cell in a suspended state.

The cathode 1 is manufactured by the following procedure.
First, a seed plate used as the cathode plate 11 is manufactured. In an electrolysis facility for producing a seed plate, electrolysis is performed using an insoluble base plate such as a general structural rolled steel (SS), stainless steel (SUS), or titanium as a cathode. A seed plate is produced by stripping the thinly electrodeposited metal on the base plate.

  A part of the produced seed plate is used as the cathode plate 11. The dimensions of the cathode plate 11 are not particularly limited. For example, the height is 1,000 mm, the width is 800 mm, and the thickness is 1 mm. The remaining part of the produced seed plate is cut into a strip shape to form a strip for a suspension. The dimensions of the hanging strip are not particularly limited. For example, the length is 500 mm and the width is 100 mm.

  Next, the cathode 1 is formed by welding the hanger 12 to the cathode plate 11 using a welding apparatus. At this time, the suspension strip is folded into a bifurcated shape like a tweezers to form the suspension 12. The cathode 1 is manufactured by using two suspensions 12, sandwiching the upper edge of the cathode plate 11 at each lower end, and fixing by spot welding.

  The welding apparatus positions the lower edge of the cathode plate 11, pushes the upper end of the handle 12 with a pusher to approach the cathode plate 11, places the handle 12 at a predetermined position with respect to the cathode plate 11, and performs spot welding. It is configured as follows. Moreover, the welding apparatus can adjust the position of the suspension 12 with respect to the cathode plate 11.

  As described above, the dimensions of the cathode plate 11 and the suspension 12 vary, and the welding position of the suspension 12 with respect to the cathode plate 11 also varies. Therefore, the height dimension of the cathode 1 also varies. Therefore, in the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the following operation is performed in order to suppress variations in the height dimension of the cathode 1.

  Some of the cathodes 1 manufactured by the welding apparatus are sampled, and the length L from the upper end of the suspension 12 to the upper edge of the cathode plate 11 is measured. If it is attempted to directly measure the height dimension of the cathode 1, that is, the length from the upper end of the suspension 12 to the lower edge of the cathode plate 11, this length exceeds 1 m, and the work is complicated for the worker. Moreover, if measurement is attempted using a measure, the measurement is performed obliquely with respect to the height direction of the cathode 1, and the measurement accuracy is lowered. On the other hand, if the length L from the upper end of the hanging hand 12 to the upper edge of the cathode plate 11 is measured, it is only a few tens of centimeters, so that the worker can easily work. Moreover, since it can measure only by applying a ruler along the end of the suspension 12, there is no fear of measuring obliquely, and the measurement accuracy is increased.

  The number of samples is not particularly limited. For example, in an equipment where 3,000 cathodes 1 are manufactured per day, three of them may be sampled. That is, about 0.1% of the total number of cathodes 1 may be sampled.

  The measurement frequency is not particularly limited, but may be about once a day, for example. This is because the dimensions of the cathode plate 11 and the handle 12 do not change in units of several hours but change in about one day.

  Next, a deviation E between the measured value L and the reference value R is obtained. Here, the reference value R is determined in advance as the length from the upper end of the handle 12 to the upper edge of the cathode plate 11 when the height of the cathode 1 is an appropriate dimension. The reference value R is set to 160 mm, for example. The deviation E is obtained by subtracting the reference value R from the measured value L.

  Next, the setting of the welding apparatus is changed based on the obtained deviation E. Specifically, the setting of the welding apparatus is changed so as to correct the welding position of the hanger 12 with respect to the cathode plate 11 by the deviation E. For example, when the deviation E is +50 mm, the hanging hand 12 is adjusted so as to be closer to the cathode plate 11 by 50 mm. Conversely, when the deviation E is -50 mm, the suspension 12 is adjusted so as to be 50 mm away from the cathode plate 11.

  The feedback of the measurement value L as described above may be performed every measurement, or may be performed only when the deviation E is a predetermined value or more. For example, the welding apparatus may be adjusted only when the absolute value of the deviation E is 30% or more of the reference value R (about 50 mm when the reference value R is 160 mm).

  After changing the setting of the welding apparatus in the above procedure, the cathode 1 having an appropriate height can be manufactured. When the dimensions of the cathode plate 11 and the suspension 12 change and the height dimension of the cathode 1 changes again, the setting of the welding apparatus is changed again.

  As described above, since the setting of the welding apparatus is changed so that the length L from the upper end of the handle 12 to the upper edge of the cathode plate 11 becomes the reference value R, the height dimension of the cathode 1 is set to an appropriate dimension. Can be maintained.

  In the manufactured cathode 1, the cathode beam is passed through the handle 12. Then, the cathode 1 is inserted into the electrolytic cell in a suspended state by hanging both ends of the cathode beam on the edge of the electrolytic cell.

  A spacer 2 as shown in FIG. 1 is installed in the electrolytic cell. The spacer 2 is a frame material that surrounds both side edges and the lower edge of the cathode plate 11, and is made of an insulator such as vinyl chloride, FRP, or wood. Moreover, the frame cross section of the spacer 2 is V-shaped, and the angle between the V-shaped frame surface and the cathode plate 11 is 10 to 80 °.

  The cathode 1 is inserted from the open top surface of the spacer 2. Then, both side edges and the lower edge of the cathode plate 11 are constrained by the spacer 2. Therefore, even if the cathode plate 11 is distorted by electrodeposition stress, the spacer 2 becomes a barrier, and contact between the cathode 1 and the anode can be prevented.

  It is preferable that the shielding dimension of the spacer 2 at both side edges and the lower edge of the cathode plate 11 is 0.5 to 5% of the width dimension or height dimension of the cathode plate 11. This is because if the shielding dimension is 0.5% or more, contact between the cathode 1 and the anode due to distortion of the cathode plate 11 can be sufficiently prevented. Further, the shielding portion by the spacer 2 is thinned because electrodeposition to the cathode plate 11 is smaller than other portions. By setting the shielding dimension to 5% or less, it is possible to minimize the thin portion caused by the shielding.

  The cathode 1 (hereinafter referred to as an electrodeposition plate) after electrolytic smelting is cut to about 25 to 100 mm square and shipped. At the time of this cutting, the electrodeposition plate is horizontally arranged on the table, the end is pushed by the pusher, conveyed to the cutting position, and cut. At this time, if there is a thin portion at the edge of the electrodeposition plate, the thin portion is sandwiched in the gap between the pusher and the table, and the cutting machine stops. If it does so, the operation efficiency of a cutting process will fall. By setting the shielding dimension to 5% or less and minimizing the thin-walled portion, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the pusher biting when the electrodeposition plate is cut.

  When the height dimension of the cathode plate 11 is 1,000 mm, the shielding dimension of the spacer 2 at the lower edge of the cathode plate 11 is preferably 5 to 50 mm (0.5 to 5% of 1,000 mm). When the target value of the shielding dimension is 3%, it is 30 mm. The reference value R (160 mm) is set so that the shielding dimension is 30 mm.

  If the cathode 1 is manufactured by the manufacturing method of this embodiment, the shielding dimension of the lower edge of the cathode plate 11 can be maintained at an appropriate dimension. Therefore, contact between the cathode 1 and the anode can be sufficiently prevented. In addition, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the pusher biting when the electrodeposition plate is cut.

(Common conditions)
The common conditions of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 are as follows.
Electrolytic extraction of nickel was performed under the following conditions.
Electrolyte: Nickel chloride aqueous solution Electrolyzer: Length 4m, width 1m, depth 2m (effective volume 7m ³ )
Cathode plate: height 1,000mm, width 800mm, thickness 1mm
Spacer: Height 1,065mm, width 830mm, thickness 55mm
Number of inserted cathodes: 52 / bath energizing current: 23.0kA
Operation period: 1 month

Example 1
Three of the cathodes 1 manufactured by the welding apparatus were sampled, and the length L from the upper end of the suspension 12 to the upper edge of the cathode plate 11 was measured. The deviation E between the measured value L and the reference value R (= 160 mm) was obtained, and the setting of the welding apparatus was changed when the absolute value of the deviation E exceeded 50 mm. The length L was measured once a day.

  As a result, the average number of shorts due to distortion at the lower edge of the cathode plate 11 was 11 sheets / day.

(Comparative Example 1)
The length L of the cathode 1 was not measured, and the setting of the welding apparatus was not changed.
As a result, the number of shorts due to distortion at the lower edge of the cathode plate 11 was 22 sheets / day on average. The shielding dimension of the lower edge of the cathode plate 11 where the short circuit occurred was 0.3%, which deviated from the preferred range.

  As described above, in Example 1, the height dimension of the cathode 1 can be maintained at an appropriate dimension, and the shielding dimension of the lower edge of the cathode plate 11 can be maintained at an appropriate dimension. As a result, it was confirmed that the number of shorts can be suppressed.

1 Cathode 11 Cathode plate 12 Lifter 2 Spacer

Claims (1)

Using a welding device to weld a suspension to the cathode plate to form the cathode,
Measure the length from the upper end of the hangers of the cathode to the upper edge of the cathode plate,
Find the deviation between the measured value and the reference value,
A method for producing a cathode for electrolytic smelting, characterized in that the setting of the welding apparatus is changed so as to correct the welding position of the hand to the cathode plate by the deviation.

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