Experimental and Simulation Studies of Electrolyte Flow and Slime Particle Transport in a Pilot Scale Copper Electrorefining Cell

Copper electrorefining tests were conducted in a pilot scale cell made of transparent cell walls, allowing direct observation and microscopic video recording of the electrolyte flow. Fluid flow velocities in the gaps between adjacent anodes and cathodes were measured by analyzing the recorded video using a video analysis and modeling software. Modeling and simulation of copper electrorefining in this cell were performed using COMSOL Multiphysics, a finite element method simulation software. The flow velocity field results from modeling agree reasonably well with the measured electrolyte velocities. The transport of slime particle in electrolyte flow was also simulated and the appearance frequencies of slime particles in the domain within 200 microns from cathode surface at different positions of cathodes were compared with impurity levels in the copper cathodes harvested from experimental tests. The results show good correlation especially with the total concentration of major impurities. Thus the cathodic contamination can be predicted by the slime particle appearance frequency in front of the cathode.