COMPARISON OF INTERCELL CONTACT BARS FOR ELECTROWINNING PLANTS

摘要

In normal practice, the design and sizing of intercell contact bars (ICCB) for electrowinning is based on previously used designs, empirical testwork, or rules of thumb, rather than from first principles. A major operating cost for electrowinning is power consumption. The ICCB is responsible for a portion of the power costs due to its electrical resistance, which comprises electrode contact resistances and the bulk resistance of the ICCB. This paper presents the methods used to calculate the electrical resistances and the results for a number of different widely accepted ICCB designs currently used in electrowinning plants. The paper also makes comparisons between the systems on other key parameters for ICCB performance in nickel and cobalt tankhouses.