Statistics on the dimensions of anode and cathode plates for copper electrowinning by the ISA method

The length of the cathode should be 20-45 mm longer than that of the anode, to prevent dendritic crystallization at the edges

There seems to be no uniform standard for this; it depends on each factory’s own circumstances. The general principle is that the effective area of the anode should be slightly smaller than that of the cathode, in order to prevent excessive current at the cathode edges from leading to the formation of long dendritic crystals.

Brother, you need to first clarify the concepts of electrolysis and electrowinning. The raw material for copper electrolytic refining is copper anode plates, which are supplied from the anode furnace section of the copper smelting system. Among the electrolytic processes available worldwide, the most advanced one is the permanent stainless steel cathode electrolysis process. There are three such processes: ISA by Outokumpu in Australia, KIDD by Eagle Bridge in Canada, and OK by Outokumpu in Finland. The main differences among these three stainless steel cathodes lie in the form of the edge banding, the structure of the conductive rod, and the bottom structure. If a stainless steel cathode is used, metallurgical calculations are carried out based on the amount of anodic copper contained in the anode plates coming from the anode furnace, in order to determine the basic parameters of the electrolyzer. It is determined how many cathodes and how many anodes will be used in the electrolyzer, as well as what the pole distance will be; thereafter, the internal and external dimensions of the electrolyzer can be calculated. For example: Once the dimensions of the electrolyzer are determined, the number of anode plates per electrolyzer is set at 55 plates per cell ； 54 cathodes per tank ； The distance between the anode inside the groove and the inner side of the electrolytic cell is 220 mm ； Length inside the electrolyzer = 100×54 + 2×220 = 5840; therefore, 5840 is taken as the value. Width inside the electrolyzer = 1056 + 2×55 = 1166 mm; thus, 1170 mm is used. Depth inside the electrolyzer: at the upper end, 1095 + 200 = 1295 mm; 1400 mm is chosen instead. At the lower end, 1400 + 200 = 1600 mm; 1600 mm is selected. Hence, the internal dimensions of the electrolyzer are 5840×1170×1400/1600 mm. The wall thickness of the electrolyzer is set at 115 mm, resulting in external dimensions of 6070 mm×1410 mm×1720 mm.

1. Annual production: 200–300 Kt of cathode copper.
2. Number of working days per year: 350 days.
3. Number of plates per electrolyzer: Anodes: 55 per electrolyzer; Cathodes: 54 per electrolyzer.
4. Dimensions of the stainless steel cathodes: 1056 mm×1095 mm (effective deposition area: 1015 mm×1010 mm).
5. Dimensions of the anodes: 988 mm×960 mm.
6. Cathode cycle time: 7 days.
7. Anode cycle time: 21 days.
8. Weight of each anode: 380 Kg.
9. Weight of each stainless steel cathode: 38 Kg.
10. Current density: 280 A/m2 (can reach up to 320 A/m2).
11. Distance between adjacent electrodes: 100 mm.
12. Cell voltage: 0.3–0.35 V.
13. Current efficiency: 96%.
14. Cell utilization rate: 96%.
16. Rate of electrode waste: 16%.
17. Copper recovery rate through electrolysis: 99.8%.
18. Circulation rate of the electrolyte: 30–35 l/min per electrolyzer.

I won’t go into detail about traditional small-plate electrolyzers. Nowadays, new electrolysis systems rarely use this type of approach, as it seems to have little market demand. In electrowinning, the output volume is relatively low; plants with an output of over 10,000 tons are considered large-scale ones. Currently, stainless steel cathodes are rarely used in this process, but some companies have already started to use stainless steel cathodes instead of starting plates in their second-phase technological upgrades. The size is similar to that of electrolysis. For example, one company uses an anode with dimensions of 960×1000 mm, and a cathode with dimensions of 980×1020 mm. It’s not convenient to mention the specific manufacturer; haha, this is just for discussion and mutual learning*

Your data is incorrect; according to the design standards, the cathode is 20–35 millimeters taller than the anode, and the cathode is 10–30 millimeters wider than the anode. I know that for Zijin Mining, the dimensions of the cathode and anode are 1020*1000*3 and 1000*960*41 respectively

Thank you to all the teachers above; I have learned a great deal from them! Request the moderator to give more points to floors 4 and 5! By the way, teacher on the 5th floor, are there any standards? Can it be found there? This post was last edited by djmn on 2009-4-1 10:44]

The anode and cathode can be made exactly the same size; plate-and-frame electrolyzers result in less pollution in the workshop. Those who are interested can contact me!

Whether it is copper electrolysis or electrowinning, the thickness of your anode plates is insufficient. Electrodeposited copper is generally 6mm thick, while electrolytic copper is thicker.

In the case of electrowinning copper, the anode used is a Pb-Sn-Ca alloy with dimensions of 1000×960×10, while the cathode is a permanent stainless steel cathode made of 316L material, with dimensions of 1150×1048×3.25. There are several types of stainless steel cathodes in use in China, namely the ISA, Kidd, and OT methods. In terms of usage, Kidd performs the best. But Kidd has now been replaced by EPCM. The biggest problem with ISA is the bottom and the edge bands. The bottom design is inferior to the other two processes, making it difficult to peel off the board. The replacement rate of the edge banding is too high. Some companies replace everything within two years, which not only increases costs but also takes time and effort and affects production.

Plate-and-frame electrolyzer – please give an introduction

It is said that plate-and-frame electrolyzers have good performance in terms of electrolyte circulation. Could someone provide a detailed explanation, preferably with illustrations!