Electric current sensing and management system for electrolytic plants

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electric current management (ECM) system and method comprising at least one electrolytic cell having at least two electrodes in contact with electrolyte media; a plurality of sensor means for measuring the current passing through one or more electrodes, said sensor means being located inside at least one ECM bar installed in one or more operating electrolytic cells; a support means for supporting at least one ECM bar in each cell; wherein the support means is adapted to avoid disruption to normal electrode movements and damage to the ECM bar. The present invention introduces improvements for minimizing the effects that several types of variables have on current measurement, such as magnetic field interference, cell geometry and contact configuration, in order to provide a reliable approximation of the current passing through each electrode. The present invention can be applied to real time monitoring of each cathode, or anode, constituting a metal electrowinning or electrorefining cell or other electrolytic cell.

1 . An electric current management (ECM) system for improving the operation within electrolytic plants, comprising:
 at least one electrolytic cell having at least two electrodes within an electrolyte medium;   a plurality of sensor means for measuring the current passing through one or more electrodes, wherein said sensor means are located inside at least one electric current management bar;   one or more ECM bars installed in one or multiple operating electrolytic cells,   support means for supporting the ECM bar or bars for each cell,   a protection means for the ECM bar.   
     
     
         2 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the protection means comprises a deflector installed above the ECM bar. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
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         6 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the support means and the protection means are retrofitted to an existing cell or wherein the support means and protection means are in form of a permanent fixture of the cell, the cell furniture or the cell insulators. 
     
     
         7 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the support means and protection means may be attached to the cathode ventilation hoods that rest on top of the cells or to flaps that may be attached to the side of such hoods, wherein the ECM bars would be lifted off the cell with the ventilation hood when cells are to be harvested. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the ECM bar comprises a corrosion resistant and sealed housing that encapsulates the sensor means and optionally other electronics equipment. 
     
     
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         12 . Electric current management system according to  claim 9 , wherein the housing is protected by a non-conductive sleeve. 
     
     
         13 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensor means for measuring the variation due to electrode incorrect location and/or misalignment in order to determine the offset of the electrode header bars from their nominal positions. 
     
     
         14 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , wherein in case of using a double contact system additional sensor means are directly aligned with anode and cathode header bars for measuring the magnetic field near both sets of electrodes. 
     
     
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         18 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising an internal or external weighing system for measuring the cathode weights before and after harvesting. 
     
     
         19 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a tracking system that records the charge passed through a particular electrode, wherein said electrode may be used in different positions in different cells throughout its life. 
     
     
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         23 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising integrating means for integrating with other systems for providing an integrated tankhouse management system that provides unified overall management and control of all or many aspects of the tankhouse. 
     
     
         24 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising prioritization means that recommend an optimal order for clearing shorts and/or resolving different issues by considering the age and severity of the issue, the distance that an operator has to walk between the issues, the number of operators and other parameters. 
     
     
         25 . Electric current management system according to  claim 1 , further comprising electrode state and/or cell state indicators, which can be luminous indicators such as LEDs, RFID tags, or any other type of indicator useful for indicating the different states of the electrode and/or cell and for identifying the exact location of the issue, wherein said state and location can be visualized in display devices. 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . An electric current management system for improving the operation within electrolytic plants comprising:
 at least one electrolytic cell comprising at least two electrodes within an electrolyte medium;   a plurality of sensor means for measuring the current passing through one or more electrodes, wherein said sensor means are located inside at least one electric current management bar;   one or more ECM bars installed in one or multiple operating electrolytic cells,   support means for supporting the ECM bar or bars in each cell;   a magnetic channelling device for the channelling of the magnetic flux.   
     
     
         28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . An electric current management method for improving the operation within electrolytic plants, the method comprising the step of:
 measuring the current passing through one or more electrodes in contact with an electrolytic medium by a plurality of sensor means located inside an electric current management bar part of an ECM system, said ECM system further comprising one or more ECM bars installed in one or multiple operating electrolytic cells; a support means for supporting the ECM bar or bars in each cell; a protection means for the ECM bar.   
     
     
         32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , wherein sensor readings from one or more sensor means are used for compensating for the non-correct location of one or more electrodes. 
     
     
         34 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , further comprising comparing the measured currents with pre-established threshold currents. 
     
     
         35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . Electric current management method according to  claim 34 , wherein the threshold currents are dynamically adjusted based in the total cell current, whether electrodes are missing due to harvesting cycles and in the existence of shorts or poor contacts elsewhere in the cell. 
     
     
         37 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , further comprising pattern detection means for identifying shorts and poor contact patterns for estimating the occurrence of said operation issues. 
     
     
         38 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , further comprising measuring all the in and out flows of electric current for obtaining the full current distribution in the cell. 
     
     
         39 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , wherein the step of measuring comprises measuring the cathode current of two cathodes adjacent to a single anode, being possible to infer the amount of current that is passing through that specific anode and therefore detect poor anode contacts or anodes that are not operating at the current level that would normally be expected. 
     
     
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         43 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , further comprising the step of weighing the individuals cathodes after or before harvesting for measuring the current efficiency and consistency, and establishing if there is a trend for specific electrodes positions. 
     
     
         44 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , further comprising the step of prioritizing an optimal order for clearing shorts and/or resolving different issues by considering the age and severity of the issue, the distance that an operator has to walk between the issues, the number of operators and other parameters. 
     
     
         45 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , further comprising the step of calibrating the electric current management system, wherein the calibrating step comprises using the harvesting cycles for initial calibration and updates. 
     
     
         46 . (canceled) 
     
     
         47 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , further comprising sending alarms and/or reports for indicating the operation issues, wherein said information may be displayed using any kind of displaying or visualization device, and further comprising detecting and recording harvesting, cell cleaning and electrode straightening events, which are identified and utilised to assist operation of the tankhouse. 
     
     
         48 . (canceled) 
     
     
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         55 . Electric current management method according to  claim 31 , further comprising the steps of:
 transmitting measured data to central units through communication means; and   processing the measurements in central units.