Recent improvements at the Atlantic Copper Refinery

摘要

The electrolytic copper refinery in Huelva, Spain began operations in 1970, and since 1995, has operated using ISA permanent cathode technology. Following the initial period of consolidation of the ISA process, the operation has been continuously improved to reach production levels 15% above the design capacity, together with excellent levels of cathode quality. In parallel, it has been necessary to carry out important changes such as the modification of the electrolyte purification process, carried out in 2000, which has allowed Atlantic Copper to totally eliminate the shipment of any electrolyte outside the Huelva Metallurgical Complex. These modifications in turn have been the origin of technical difficulties and operational problems, such as passivation phenomena and electrolyte contamination. The present paper describes the changes in the process and the operational improvements introduced over the last few years.