SORPTION COLUMN FOR EXTRACTING METALS BY HYDROMETALLURGICAL METHOD

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of hydrometallurgy, specifically to sorption columns for the extraction of rare and precious metals from saturated solutions using a hydrometallurgical method. The sorption column comprises a housing to which a cone-shaped element is mounted on one end. A false bottom is mounted inside the housing, made in the form of a channel grating with lugs. Frames with a mesh are mounted on top of the channel grating, covering the plane of the false bottom and secured to the channel grating by means of fixation in the lugs. The housing also contains a manhole mounted in its middle section, as well as a number of horizontal handrails and a pair of vertical handrails. Furthermore, the column contains a productive solution inlet branch, a saturated sorbent outlet branch, as well as a sorbent inlet unit and an overflow branch mounted in the upper part of the housing. The technical result of the utility model consists in reducing the time required for technical maintenance. 5 c.p.F-ly, 4 years.

Description

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of hydrometallurgy, namely to sorption columns for extracting rare and precious metals from saturated solutions using the hydrometallurgical method.

[0002] A SORPTION-DESORPTION COLUMN is known from the prior art [RU228933U1, published 17.09.2024], comprising a housing, two upper plates and two lower plates with openings, a filter for a fluid medium is installed in each pair of openings of the first and second plates, characterized in that the filter contains two filter elements configured to be connected to each other, wherein each filter element has a filter part and a connecting part, wherein a coupling is located between the filter parts, which is configured to impede the translational movement of the filter after it is installed in the opening in the plate of the sorption-desorption column, wherein the width D1 of the filter element is less than the width D2 of the coupling, wherein the column contains a manhole in the lower part, and the connecting parts are hollow and configured to be connected to each other by means of a threaded connection, preferably in the form of a multi-start thread, wherein at least part of the connecting parts is located inside the coupling.

[0003] The disadvantage of this column is the use of a threaded connection to connect the connecting parts of the filters, as well as the location of the manhole at the bottom of the column structure, which makes it difficult to access the upper plates and the filters installed on them, and also significantly increases the maintenance time of the column and, as a result, the time of its technological downtime.

[0004] The closest in technical essence is the ADSORBER [https: / / penzahim.ru / filtry / adsorbery / , published 10 / 25 / 2020], characterized by a vertical design in a cylindrical body with a horizontal false bottom mounted inside the body and a manhole made in the middle of the side part of the body, while horizontal handrails are mounted both outside and inside the body, while the adsorber also contains a pipe for inlet of the productive solution, mounted in the side part of the body below the false bottom, and a pipe for outlet of the saturated sorbent, as well as a sorbent inlet unit and an overflow pipe mounted in the upper part of the body.

[0005] The main technical problem of the prototype is the false bottom being made integral and rigidly mounted to the column body, which significantly complicates and reduces the speed of maintenance of the adsorber in the event of the need to repair, clean or replace the false bottom, as well as the presence of exclusively horizontal handrails, which ensure an unstable and dangerous ascent and descent of the operator to the necessary units during maintenance, which also increases the technological downtime of the adsorber.

[0006] The purpose of the utility model is to eliminate the shortcomings of the prototype.

[0007] The technical result of the utility model is to reduce the time required for maintenance.

[0008] The specified technical result is achieved due to the fact that the sorption column contains a housing to which a cone-shaped element is mounted on one side, a false bottom is mounted inside the housing, and the false bottom is made in the form of a channel grating to which lugs are attached by means of a welded joint, while frames with a grid are installed on top of the channel grating, covering the plane of the false bottom and fastened to the channel grating by means of fixation in the lugs, the housing also contains a manhole mounted in its middle part, as well as a number of horizontal handrails mounted by means of a welded joint to the inner wall of the housing under the manhole, and a pair of vertical handrails, by means of a welded joint to the inner wall of the housing on the sides of the manhole, in addition, the column contains a branch pipe for injecting the productive solution, mounted in the side part of the cone-shaped element below the level of the false bottom, and a branch pipe removal of saturated sorbent,mounted in the side part of the cone-shaped element above the level of the false bottom, as well as a sorbent input unit and an overflow pipe mounted in the upper part of the body.

[0009] In particular, the body is cylindrical.

[0010] In particular, on the inner part of the body above the false bottom, corners are mounted by means of a welded connection, providing additional fixation of the frames with the mesh.

[0011] In particular, the corners are made with dimensions of 30×30 mm - 60×60 mm with a length of 40-60 mm, while the angular distance along the circumference of the inner part of the body between two adjacent corners is 30-60°.

[0012] In particular, the false bottom is placed inside the case at an angle of 30-60° relative to the walls of the case.

[0013] In particular, the vertical handrails are made with a height of not less than the distance from the upper horizontal handrail to the middle of the height of the hatch.

[0014] In particular, the fixation of frames with mesh to the channel lattice is carried out by means of spacer wedges.

[0015] In particular, the false bottom is made in the form of a channel lattice, consisting of a 10U channel.

[0016] In particular, the mesh frames are made with a cell size of 1×1 mm - 3×3 mm.

[0017] In particular, the frames with mesh are made of steel wire with a diameter of 0.25-0.5 mm.

[0018] In particular, the lugs are made of 4-6mm thick steel.

[0019] In particular, the spacer wedges are made of metal, wood, rubber, plastic.

[0020] In particular, the body walls, the cone-shaped element, the productive solution inlet pipe, the saturated sorbent outlet pipe, the sorbent inlet unit, and the overflow pipe are connected in the appropriate order by means of a welded joint.

[0021] Brief description of drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 shows the head sorption column.

[0023] Figure 2 shows a section of the head sorption column.

[0024] Fig. 3 shows a section of the false bottom.

[0025] Fig. 4 shows a top view of the false bottom.

[0026] The following is indicated on the figures: 1 - body, 2 - cone-shaped element, 3 - false bottom, 4 - manhole, 5 - horizontal handrail, 6 - vertical handrail, 7 - productive solution inlet pipe, 8 - saturated sorbent outlet pipe, 9 - sorbent inlet unit, 10 - overflow pipe, 11 - eye, 12 - frame with mesh.

[0027] Implementation of a utility model.

[0028] The sorption column comprises a housing 1, preferably made cylindrical, to which a conical element 2 is mounted on one side. Inside the housing, a false bottom 3 is placed, made in the form of a channel grid, for example, from a 10U channel, while the false bottom is installed at an angle of 30-60° relative to the walls of the housing 1. Eyes 11, preferably made of steel with a thickness of 4-6 mm, are attached to the channel grid of the false bottom 3 by means of a welded joint. On top of the channel grating, preferably four frames with mesh 12 corresponding to each other are installed, which, when compared with each other, cover the plane of the false bottom 3 and are attached to the channel grating by fixing in lugs 11, while fixing the frames with mesh 12 can be carried out with the help of spacer wedges (not shown in the figures), which can be made of metal, wood, rubber or plastic.For additional fixation of the frames with mesh 12 on the inner part of the housing 1 above the false bottom 3, corners (not shown in the figures) are mounted by means of a welded joint, for example, with dimensions from 30x30 mm to 60x60 mm and a length of 40-60 mm, wherein the angular distance along the circumference of the inner part of the housing 1 between two adjacent corners is 30-60°. The frames with mesh 12 are preferably made of steel wire with a diameter of 0.25-0.5 mm with a cell size from 1x1 mm to 3x3 mm. Additionally, between the channel grating of the false bottom 3 and the frames with mesh 12, a welded grating of reinforcement with a diameter of 4-8 mm, welded to the channel grating, can be placed.

[0029] In the middle part of the hull, a manhole 4 is mounted, preferably made rectangular, hinged, with fixation (sealing) by means of a threaded connection, as well as a row of horizontal handrails 5 welded to the inner wall of the hull 1 under the manhole 4, and a pair of vertical handrails 6 welded to the inner wall of the hull on the sides of the manhole 4. The vertical handrails 6 are preferably made with a height of not less than the distance from the upper horizontal handrail 5 to the middle of the height of the manhole 4. Preferably, the horizontal handrails 5 and the vertical handrails 6 are made of type A-3 reinforcement with a diameter of 18-30 mm.

[0030] The column includes a productive solution inlet pipe 7 mounted in the side portion of the cone-shaped element 2 below the level of the false bottom 3, and a saturated sorbent outlet pipe 8 mounted in the side portion of the cone-shaped element 2 above the level of the false bottom 3. In the upper portion of the body 1, a sorbent inlet unit 9 and an overflow pipe 10 are mounted. All elements of the structure: the walls of the body 1, the cone-shaped element 2, productive solution inlet pipe 7, saturated sorbent outlet pipe 8, sorbent inlet unit 9, and overflow pipe 10 are connected to each other in the appropriate order by means of a welded joint.

[0031] Examples of implementation of the utility model.

[0032] In accordance with this utility model, an example of the implementation of a sorption column was realized.

[0033] Example 1.

[0034] A pilot-scale sorption column was manufactured according to the design specified in the claimed utility model. The column body was cylindrical, made of stainless steel, 1900 mm in diameter and 5850 mm in height. A conical element of the same diameter and 1150 mm in height was welded to one end. A false bottom was installed inside the body in the form of a 10U channel grid, positioned at a 45° angle relative to the body walls. Sixteen lugs made of 5 mm thick steel sheet were welded to the channel grid. The lugs were positioned in two perpendicular lines intersecting at the geometric center of the false bottom. Four frames with a mesh of 0.3 mm diameter steel wire with a mesh size of 1 x 1 mm were installed on top of the channel grid, completely covering the false bottom. The frames were fixed in the lugs using wooden spacer wedges, which ensured a tight fit of the mesh to the grating without the possibility of displacement.Additionally, eight 50x50x50 mm angles were welded to the inner wall of the hull, 20 mm above the false bottom, spaced evenly around the hull at 45° intervals. These prevented the frames from lifting during hydraulic shocks and ensured a secure hold of the frames and mesh. A 1500x900 mm manhole with a sealed hinged cover was installed in the middle of the hull. Four horizontal handrails made of 25 mm diameter rebar were welded to the inner wall beneath the manhole, spaced 300 mm apart. Two 1800 mm high vertical handrails were installed on either side of the manhole. This ensured safe operator access, as the distance from the top horizontal handrail to the midpoint of the manhole was 1350 mm. In the side part of the cone-shaped element, below the level of the false bottom, a branch pipe for the inlet of the productive solution with a diameter of 219 mm was mounted, and above the level of the false bottom, a branch pipe for the outlet of the saturated sorbent with a diameter of 102 mm was mounted.A 950 mm diameter cylindrical sorbent inlet and a 219 mm diameter overflow pipe were installed in the upper section of the housing. All welded joints were butt-welded and subsequently subjected to non-destructive quality control.

[0035] During the operation of a column in a hydrometallurgical unit for gold extraction from productive solutions, maintenance operations were timed. To assess the achievement of the stated technical result, the time spent on inspecting the false bottom and replacing the mesh frames was compared with similar operations in a prototype adsorber with a solid horizontal false bottom rigidly welded to the body and a ladder consisting solely of horizontal handrails.In the prototype, dismantling the false bottom required disconnecting numerous threaded (bolted) connections that secured it to the adsorber body. The dismantling process took approximately 150 minutes, while replacing and installing a new false bottom, including transportation and threaded connections to the adsorber walls, took 220 minutes. Operator ascent and descent were accomplished via external and internal ladders constructed of horizontal handrails, adding 5-10 minutes to each pass within the column. Moreover, in the proposed column, thanks to the false bottom being constructed as a prefabricated channel grating with removable mesh frames, fixed wedges, and additional angles, a complete replacement of the mesh elements was completed in 25 minutes by a single operator without the use of specialized equipment. Installation of new mesh frames, including transportation and placement on the channel grating, took 45 minutes.The use of vertical handrails paired with horizontal ones reduced operator movement time inside the apparatus during repair preparation by approximately 50% compared to the prototype, meaning each pass through the column took 2.5-5 minutes. The total column maintenance time, including cleaning, inspection, and replacement of consumables (frames with mesh), was reduced from 380-400 minutes in the prototype to 75-90 minutes in the claimed utility model. Thus, the implemented design reduced maintenance time in real production conditions by more than fourfold, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed technical solution.

[0036] The technical result of the utility model is to reduce the time required for maintenance.

[0037] The stated technical result is achieved by implementing a false bottom in the form of a channel grating with welded lugs and four mesh frames secured in the lugs. This allows for quick disassembly and replacement of the filter elements without the use of welding equipment or dismantling the entire supporting structure. This design allows individual mesh frames to be removed, cleaned, or replaced in less than an hour. The use of spacer wedges (made of metal, wood, rubber, or plastic) allows for the fixation and removal of the frames without the need for special tools, further reducing operating time. Additional corners mounted on the inner wall of the housing above the false bottom eliminate the need for frequent frame adjustments during operation and, during maintenance, do not interfere with their quick removal.

[0038] Also, the placement of the false bottom at an angle of 30-60° relative to the housing walls ensures gravity flow of sediment and saturated sorbent to the discharge pipe located above the false bottom on the side of the cone-shaped element. This reduces the number of manual operations required to remove sediment during maintenance, as the bulk of the sludge and spent sorbent is removed through the standard pipes without requiring operator access.

[0039] Furthermore, the central access hatch provides optimal access to all key components: the false bottom, the sorbent inlet and overflow pipe in the upper section, as well as the internal components of the hull. This location eliminates the need for additional lifting mechanisms to access the upper area, reducing preparation time compared to designs with a lower access hatch.

[0040] Furthermore, the combination of a row of horizontal handrails mounted below the manhole and a pair of vertical handrails installed on either side of the manhole ensures safe and rapid operator entry and exit within the column. The vertical handrails, which are at least as high as the distance from the top horizontal handrail to the midpoint of the manhole, provide additional support when moving from the manhole to the false floor, eliminating potential injury hazards. This reduces the time required for each operator pass within the structure by nearly 50% compared to structures equipped with horizontal handrails alone, and reduces the overall time spent on multi-stage operations requiring multiple entries and exits.

[0041] Thus, the declared sorption column ensures increased reliability and quick maintenance. Only the presence of all the specified features ensures quick and easy installation, dismantling, cleaning, and other maintenance of the column's internal components, which together guarantees the achievement of the stated technical result—reduced maintenance time. The omission or non-compliance with even one of the listed features leads to an increase in the time required to perform the corresponding process operations, which results in the failure to achieve the stated technical result.

Claims

1. A sorption column for extracting metals by a hydrometallurgical method, comprising a housing to which a cone-shaped element is mounted on one side, a false bottom is mounted inside the housing, the false bottom being made in the form of a channel grating to which lugs are attached by means of a welded joint, wherein frames with a mesh are mounted on top of the channel grating, covering the plane of the false bottom and fastened to the channel grating by means of fixation in the lugs, the housing also contains a manhole mounted in its middle part, as well as a number of horizontal handrails mounted by means of a welded joint to the inner wall of the housing under the manhole, and a pair of vertical handrails mounted by means of a welded joint to the inner wall of the housing on the sides of the manhole, in addition, the column contains a productive solution inlet branch pipe, mounted in the side part of the cone-shaped element below the level of the false bottom, and a saturated solution outlet branch pipe sorbent,mounted in the side part of the cone-shaped element above the level of the false bottom, as well as a sorbent inlet unit and an overflow pipe mounted in the upper part of the body.

2. A sorption column for extracting metals by the hydrometallurgical method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the body is made cylindrical.

3. A sorption column for extracting metals using the hydrometallurgical method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that corners are mounted on the inner part of the body above the false bottom by means of a welded joint, providing additional fixation of the frames with the mesh.

4. A sorption column for extracting metals using the hydrometallurgical method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the false bottom is placed inside the housing at an angle of 30-60° relative to the walls of the housing.

5. A sorption column for extracting metals using the hydrometallurgical method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the vertical handrails are made with a height of no less than the distance from the upper horizontal handrail to the middle of the height of the manhole.

6. A sorption column for extracting metals using the hydrometallurgical method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the fixation of the frames with the mesh to the channel grid is carried out by means of spacer wedges.

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