Electrolytic cell and electrolytic system facilitating mud collection

Abstract

The utility model discloses an electrolytic cell and electrolytic system convenient to collect mud, including the accommodation space of being suitable for electrolytic production, the accommodation space includes: electrolytic area, is enclosed by side wall, and the top of side wall forms the notched; the mud collection area is located electrolytic area directly below and is connected with electrolytic area, and the cross section of mud collection area gradually contracts and forms the collection bottom wall along the direction away from electrolytic area, and the collection bottom wall is connected with side wall, wherein, the collection bottom wall includes at least one collection surface, and the included angle of side wall and vertical direction is less than the included angle of collection surface and vertical direction. The electrolytic cell and electrolytic system convenient to collect mud of the application have improved the collection efficiency of anode mud.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electrolysis technology, and more specifically, to an electrolytic cell and electrolysis system that facilitates mud collection. Background Technology

[0002] In the electrolytic production process of hydrometallurgical processes, the formation of anode mud is unavoidable regardless of whether soluble or insoluble anodes are used, and its efficient recovery directly affects the comprehensive utilization rate and economic benefits of valuable metals. Taking copper electrolysis as an example, during the electrodissolution process of soluble crude copper anodes, precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium in the anode plate mainly detach from the anode surface in the form of solid particles. Due to the high specific gravity of anode mud, it gradually deposits at the bottom of the electrolytic cell, forming a dense and high-value anode mud layer. Similarly, in the nickel electrolysis process, the formation and enrichment mechanism of anode mud is similar to that of copper electrolysis. Anode mud serves as a key carrier for precious metal recovery, and the electrolysis process itself becomes the front-end step for the enrichment of valuable metals.

[0003] The formation mechanism of anode sludge differs for zinc electrowinning and manganese electrolysis processes using insoluble anodes. Manganese ions in the electrolyte oxidize on the anode surface, forming anode sludge primarily composed of manganese dioxide, which also deposits at the bottom of the tank. However, because the electrolyte is not drained during zinc electrowinning and manganese electrolysis, the anode sludge can only temporarily remain at the bottom of the tank, typically requiring a thorough cleaning every six months or even longer.

[0004] Although anode slime is rich in high-value metals, the structural design of traditional electrolytic cells has significant shortcomings in the effective collection of anode slime, specifically:

[0005] 1. The bottom structure of the cell is not conducive to the centralized collection of anode mud. Traditional electrolytic cells are mostly designed with a flat bottom, which lacks effective guidance during the fall of anode mud, resulting in dispersed deposition areas and difficulty in forming local high-concentration mud layers, which increases the difficulty of subsequent collection and transportation.

[0006] 2. Thin anode mud layer and low collection efficiency. Due to the large deposition area at the bottom of the tank, the anode mud can only form a thin mud layer during long-term accumulation. This not only reduces the amount of metal enriched per unit area, but also requires cleaning operations to cover the entire bottom of the tank, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and has low recovery efficiency.

[0007] 3. Anode mud is prone to suspension and contamination of cathode products. Due to the small distance between the bottom of the electrolytic cell and the electrode plates, as the anode mud layer thickens, some of it is easily resuspended by electrolyte turbulence or gas agitation. Suspended anode mud particles readily adhere to the cathode metal surface, forming visible particle defects that severely affect the appearance quality of the metal product. More seriously, this suspended anode mud is usually rich in impurities, and its adhesion can cause the chemical composition of the cathode metal to deviate from standards, reducing product purity and increasing subsequent refining costs.

[0008] In summary, the structural defects of traditional electrolytic cells have become a bottleneck restricting the efficient recovery of anode mud and the improvement of metal product quality. How to optimize the bottom structure of the electrolytic cell to achieve centralized deposition, efficient collection, and convenient cleaning of anode mud has become a key technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in the field of hydrometallurgy. Utility Model Content

[0009] This invention addresses the shortcomings of existing technologies in hydrometallurgical electrolysis, such as low collection efficiency of anode mud, difficulty in cleaning, and easy contamination of cathode products. It provides an electrolytic cell that facilitates mud collection and an electrolysis system containing the electrolytic cell. Through structural innovation, it achieves rapid concentration, efficient collection, and convenient discharge of anode mud, thereby improving the recovery rate of valuable metals and ensuring the quality of electrolytic products.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, this utility model provides an electrolytic cell that facilitates sludge collection, comprising a accommodating space suitable for electrolytic production, wherein the accommodating space includes:

[0011] The electrolysis zone is enclosed by sidewalls, and the top of the sidewalls forms a slot;

[0012] A sludge collection area is located directly below and connected to the electrolysis area. The cross-section of the sludge collection area gradually contracts in the direction away from the electrolysis area to form a collecting bottom wall. The collecting bottom wall is connected to the side wall.

[0013] The bottom wall of the collection includes at least one collection surface, and the angle between the side wall and the vertical direction is smaller than the angle between the collection surface and the vertical direction.

[0014] By adopting the above technical solution and designing a differentiated tilt angle, the tilt angle of the sidewall of the electrolysis zone is small to reduce the interference of solution eddies on the settling of anode mud, while the tilt angle of the collection surface of the mud collection zone is larger to enhance the gravity-driven collection power of anode mud. This solves the contradiction in traditional electrolytic cells that "large disturbance in the electrolysis zone leads to suspension of anode mud, and insufficient slope in the mud collection zone leads to slow collection", and realizes the efficient directional migration of anode mud from the electrolysis zone to the mud collection zone.

[0015] Furthermore, the bottom wall of the collection system includes two collection surfaces, which are connected by an arc to form a mud collection trough.

[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, the design limitations of traditional planar right angle or acute angle connection are broken. The curved surface transition is used to eliminate the dead corner of mud collection and avoid the accumulation and agglomeration of anode mud at the corner. At the same time, the "V-shaped + curved surface" composite structure formed by the two collection surfaces can enhance the collection effect through the coordinated flow from both sides to the center, which improves the collection efficiency by more than 30% compared with the single planar collection efficiency.

[0017] Furthermore, the included angle between the two converging surfaces is less than 120°.

[0018] By adopting the above technical solution, a "steep but not stagnant" collection gradient is formed by controlling the included angle. When the included angle is less than 120°, the gravitational component force on the anode mud along the collection surface is significantly enhanced, which can effectively prevent the anode mud from stagnating on the surface due to its high viscosity. The included angle design of more than 150° results in better mud collection effect.

[0019] Furthermore, the bottom wall of the collection area is provided with a supernatant inlet and an anode mud inlet, both of which are connected to the mud collection area.

[0020] By adopting the above technical solution and innovatively using a dual-outlet separation design, the problem of "mixed discharge of anode mud and supernatant" caused by traditional single-outlet discharge is broken, and the two are discharged independently and controllably. This not only avoids the loss of valuable metals caused by the supernatant carrying anode mud, but also reduces the interference of the solution entrained in the anode mud on subsequent treatment.

[0021] Furthermore, the opening position of the supernatant port in the sludge collection area is higher than the opening position of the anode sludge port in the sludge collection area.

[0022] By adopting the above technical solution, stratified discharge is achieved based on the difference in solid and liquid density. The supernatant is discharged from the upper clear liquid zone, and the anode mud is discharged from the lower concentration zone. Compared with the opening design of the same height, the solid content in the anode mud is increased, which greatly reduces the cost of subsequent dewatering treatment.

[0023] Furthermore, the bottom wall of the collection area is provided with a protrusion extending towards the electrolysis zone, and the supernatant outlet passes through the protrusion and communicates with the sludge collection zone.

[0024] By adopting the above technical solution, the actual liquid collection point of the supernatant is creatively raised through the boss structure, making it far away from the anode mud deposit layer at the bottom of the mud collection area, thus avoiding the problem of "inhaling bottom anode mud when collecting liquid" in the traditional flat-mouth design.

[0025] Furthermore, the opening connecting the supernatant inlet to the sludge collection area is an open structure.

[0026] By adopting the above technical solution, the local eddy defect of the traditional direct-insertion pipe design is eliminated. The open structure reduces the resistance to liquid flow and avoids the negative pressure formed by excessive flow velocity from rolling up the settled anode mud, thereby reducing the disturbance of anode mud during the discharge of supernatant.

[0027] In some embodiments, the bottom wall of the collection basin is provided with a downwardly recessed groove, and the anode mud inlet communicates with the mud collection area through the groove.

[0028] By adopting the above technical solution, an innovative directional flow groove is designed. The dual effect of "gravity + groove constraint" guides the anode mud to converge towards the mud inlet, which reduces the amount of anode mud residue compared to the design without groove. Moreover, the groove depth can be adjusted according to the viscosity of the anode mud to adapt to different hydrometallurgical scenarios.

[0029] Furthermore, the bottom wall of the collection tank is provided with a mud discharge port, and a collection hopper is connected to the bottom of the outer side of the electrolytic cell. The anode mud in the electrolytic cell enters the collection hopper through the mud discharge port.

[0030] By adopting the above technical solution, an integrated design of "in-tank collection - rapid discharge - closed temporary storage" of anode mud is realized, breaking through the bottleneck of "cumbersome operation, environmental pollution and impact on electrolysis continuity" caused by traditional manual mud cleaning, and avoiding the contamination of cathode products by anode mud during the mud cleaning process.

[0031] Secondly, this utility model also relates to an electrolysis system, including the electrolysis cell described in the first aspect that facilitates mud collection.

[0032] By adopting the above technical solution, the high-efficiency sludge collection electrolytic cell is integrated into the system, enabling the entire electrolysis process to achieve closed-loop optimization of "low-disturbance electrolysis - directional sludge collection - precise separation - rapid recovery". Compared with the traditional system, it can improve the recovery rate of valuable metals, while reducing the impurity content of cathode products, and significantly improving the system's economy and product quality stability.

[0033] In summary, this application has at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0034] 1. Structural innovation solves the pain point of low sludge collection efficiency in traditional electrolytic cells: Through differentiated tilt angles and arc-shaped connections of dual collection surfaces, the sludge collection speed of anodes is increased by more than 40%, completely eliminating dead corners in sludge collection.

[0035] 2. A qualitative leap in solid-liquid separation precision: The innovative dual-outlet stratified discharge and boss-open design reduce the content of suspended solids in the supernatant, increase the concentration of anode mud, and significantly reduce the loss of valuable metals.

[0036] 3. Significantly improved ease of operation and continuity: The integrated design of the mud discharge port and the collection hopper reduces the mud cleaning time from 2 hours to 15 minutes, avoiding electrolysis interruption and product contamination caused by manual cleaning, and adapting to the needs of large-scale production.

[0037] 4. System-level optimization enhances overall benefits: After integrating this electrolytic cell into the electrolysis system, the recovery rate of valuable metals is improved and the impurity content of cathode products is reduced, demonstrating outstanding creativity and practicality in the field of hydrometallurgy.

[0038] 5. The mud collection tank at the bottom of the anode is far from the electrode plate, so it is not easy to affect the quality of metal products. Attached Figure Description

[0039] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a top view of the first embodiment of the electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection according to this application;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the electrolytic cell for easy mud collection in this application;

[0042] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the electrolytic cell for easy mud collection in this application;

[0043] Figure 4 This is a top view of the second embodiment of the electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection in this application;

[0044] Figure 5 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the electrolytic cell for easy mud collection in this application;

[0045] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the electrolytic cell for easy mud collection in this application;

[0046] Figure 7 for Figure 5 Enlarged diagram of area A in the middle;

[0047] Figure 8 for Figure 5 Enlarged diagram of area B in the middle;

[0048] Figure 9 This is a top view of the third embodiment of the electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection in this application;

[0049] Figure 10This is a longitudinal cross-sectional schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the electrolytic cell for easy mud collection in this application;

[0050] Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the electrolytic cell for easy mud collection in this application.

[0051] Figure label:

[0052] 1. Containment space; 11. Electrolysis zone; 12. Sludge collection zone; 2. Side wall; 21. Groove opening; 3. Bottom wall; 31. Collection surface; 32. Boss; 33. Groove; 34. Sludge discharge port; 4. Supernatant port; 41. Opening; 5. Anode sludge port; 6. Collection hopper; a. Angle of collection surface. Detailed Implementation

[0053] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0054] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0055] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0056] The technical solutions of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, the features in the following embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0057] Example 1

[0058] Please see Figures 1-3This embodiment provides an electrolytic cell that facilitates sludge collection, mainly used in hydrometallurgical electrolytic production processes. Its core design lies in constructing a unique accommodating space 1 suitable for electrolytic production, which specifically consists of two main parts: an electrolysis zone 11 and a sludge collection zone 12.

[0059] The electrolysis zone 11 plays a crucial role in the electrolytic reaction within the entire electrolytic cell. It is a spatial structure enclosed by sidewalls 2, which have a certain height, naturally forming an opening 21 at their top. In actual hydrometallurgical electrolysis operations, the mixed solution of materials to be electrolyzed is injected into the electrolysis zone 11 through the opening 21. The size and shape design of the opening 21 must comprehensively consider factors such as the ease of material injection and the prevention of solution overflow. For example, for large-scale industrial production, the opening 21 is designed to be relatively large to allow for the rapid and efficient injection of large quantities of the solution to be electrolyzed. Simultaneously, appropriate overflow prevention devices, such as a dike of a certain height at the edge of the opening 21, ensure that the solution does not overflow the electrolytic cell due to operational errors during injection, thus avoiding material waste and environmental pollution.

[0060] The sludge collection zone 12 is located directly below the electrolysis zone 11 and is in communication with it. This communication design is crucial to ensuring the smooth transfer of anode sludge from the electrolysis zone 11 to the sludge collection zone 12. The cross-section of the sludge collection zone 12 has a unique design feature; it gradually narrows away from the electrolysis zone 11, eventually forming a collecting bottom wall 3, which is connected to the side wall 2 of the electrolysis zone 11. From a practical physics perspective, this narrowing cross-section design fully utilizes gravity. The anode sludge produced during electrolysis is typically denser than the electrolyte and will naturally sink under gravity. The special cross-sectional structure of the sludge collection zone 12 acts like a funnel, guiding the sinking anode sludge towards the center of the collecting bottom wall 3, thus achieving centralized collection of the anode sludge.

[0061] More importantly, the bottom wall 3 of the collecting system includes at least one collecting surface 31, and the angle between the sidewall 2 and the vertical direction is smaller than the angle between the collecting surface 31 and the vertical direction. Taking a common zinc hydrometallurgical electrolytic cell as an example, the angle between the sidewall 2 of the electrolysis zone 11 and the vertical direction is designed to be less than 5°, while the angle between the collecting surface 31 and the vertical direction can be designed to be 15°-60°. This differentiated angle design has profound scientific considerations. In the electrolysis zone 11, a smaller inclination angle of the sidewall 2 ensures that the flow of electrolyte is relatively stable during the electrolysis reaction, reducing the solution eddy phenomenon caused by excessive inclination of the sidewall 2. This is because solution eddy can interfere with the normal settling of the anode mud, making it difficult for the anode mud to settle smoothly into the mud collection zone 12. In the mud collection zone 12, a larger inclination angle of the collecting surface 31 can enhance the effect of gravity on the anode mud. As the anode mud slides down the collection surface 31, it is subjected to a greater component of gravity, which accelerates its convergence towards the center of the collection bottom wall 3, greatly improving the collection efficiency of the anode mud.

[0062] Please see Figure 3 In this embodiment, the collecting bottom wall 3 specifically includes two collecting surfaces 31, which are connected by an arc to form a mud collecting trough. From a practical manufacturing process perspective, the arc surface can be manufactured using methods such as die stamping or CNC machining to ensure the accuracy and smoothness of the arc surface. This mud collecting trough design has significant advantages over a single-plane collecting bottom wall 3. First, the arc connection eliminates the mud collecting dead corners that are prone to occur under traditional right-angle or acute-angle connection methods. In traditional designs, anode mud tends to accumulate and clump in these dead corners, which is not only difficult to clean but also affects the subsequent anode mud collection efficiency. The arc connection allows the anode mud to slide more smoothly along the surface of the mud collecting trough, reducing the possibility of accumulation. Second, the "V-shaped + arc surface" composite structure formed by the two collecting surfaces 31 can guide the anode mud from both sides to the center simultaneously. During the electrolysis process, after the anode mud settles down from various positions in the electrolysis zone 11, it will quickly converge towards the center of the arc surface along the two converging surfaces 31. This synergistic flow guiding effect can improve the anode mud converging efficiency by more than 30% compared to single-plane converging.

[0063] Furthermore, the angle α between the two collecting surfaces is less than 120°. Extensive experiments and practical production experience have shown that optimal sludge collection is achieved when the angle α is within this range. Taking a copper hydrometallurgical electrolytic cell as an example, when the angle α is less than 120°, the gravitational component of the force exerted on the anode mud along the direction of collecting surface 31 increases significantly. This allows the anode mud to overcome its own viscosity and the frictional force between itself and collecting surface 31, sliding more quickly to the bottom of the sludge collection tank. Compared to the traditional angle design greater than 150°, under an angle less than 120°, the sludge collection time can be shortened by more than 40%, greatly improving production efficiency.

[0064] Example 2

[0065] Please see Figures 4-8 Based on Example 1, this embodiment further optimizes the functional design of the bottom wall 3 to achieve more precise and efficient separation and discharge of the supernatant and anode mud.

[0066] The bottom wall 3 of the collection tank is equipped with a supernatant outlet 4 and an anode mud outlet 5, both of which are connected to the mud collection area 12. The supernatant outlet 4 is mainly used to discharge the relatively clear electrolyte at the top of the mud collection area 12, while the anode mud outlet 5 is specifically used to discharge the anode mud that has accumulated at the bottom of the mud collection area 12. This dual-outlet design is a major innovative breakthrough from the traditional single-outlet discharge mode of electrolytic cells. In the traditional single-outlet discharge design, since both the supernatant and anode mud are discharged through the same outlet, it is inevitable that the anode mud and supernatant will be mixed during discharge. This not only causes the supernatant to carry some anode mud, resulting in the loss of valuable metals and increasing production costs, but also the large amount of solution entrained in the anode mud will cause many interferences to the subsequent anode mud treatment process, such as increasing the difficulty and cost of subsequent dehydration treatment.

[0067] Please see Figure 2 and Figure 3 The supernatant inlet 4 is positioned higher than the anode mud inlet 5 within the sludge collection zone 12. This design is based on the fundamental physical principle of solid-liquid density difference. Within the sludge collection zone 12, due to gravity, the denser anode mud naturally settles to the bottom, while the relatively less dense supernatant remains on top. By positioning the supernatant inlet 4 at a higher position, it ensures that the discharged supernatant is obtained from the upper supernatant zone, minimizing the content of suspended solids in the supernatant. The anode mud inlet 5, located at a lower position, allows direct discharge of anode mud from the lower, concentrated anode mud area, ensuring a high concentration of discharged anode mud. Taking a nickel hydrometallurgical electrolytic cell as an example, this layered discharge design can increase the solid content in the anode mud to over 60%, significantly reducing the cost and difficulty of subsequent dewatering treatment.

[0068] Please see Figure 5 and Figure 7 The bottom wall 3 of the collection system has a protrusion 32 extending towards the electrolysis zone 11, and the supernatant outlet 4 passes through the protrusion 32 and communicates with the sludge collection zone 12. The protrusion 32 is a very ingenious design. Functionally, the protrusion 32 effectively raises the actual liquid collection point of the supernatant outlet 4. In the traditional flat-mouth design, the supernatant outlet 4 is directly opened on the surface of the bottom wall 3 of the collection system. During the liquid collection process, it is easy for various factors, such as slight disturbance of the solution, to draw in the bottom anode sludge, resulting in a decrease in the quality of the supernatant. The presence of the protrusion 32 maintains a certain distance between the supernatant outlet 4 and the anode sludge deposit layer, avoiding this situation. Actual production testing has shown that after adopting this protrusion 32 design, the solid suspended matter content in the supernatant can be reduced to below 0.1 g / L, which greatly improves the quality of the supernatant and provides better raw materials for subsequent electrolyte recycling or other related processes.

[0069] The opening 41 connecting the supernatant port 4 to the sludge collection area 12 is an open structure. Compared with the traditional straight-in pipe design, the open structure has significant advantages. In the traditional straight-in pipe design, due to the relatively small pipe diameter, local eddies are easily formed when the liquid flows into the pipe. These eddies generate high flow velocities and negative pressures, which can easily stir up the anode sludge that has settled at the bottom of the sludge collection area 12, causing the anode sludge to re-mix into the supernatant and affecting its quality. The open structure, however, greatly reduces the resistance to liquid flow, allowing the liquid to flow into the supernatant port 4 more smoothly, avoiding the problem of anode sludge being stirred up by negative pressure caused by excessive flow velocity. Actual tests show that after adopting the open structure, the anode sludge disturbance during the supernatant discharge process is reduced by more than 90%, ensuring the stability and high quality of the supernatant discharge.

[0070] Please see Figure 5 and Figure 8The bottom wall 3 of the collection area has a downwardly recessed groove 33, through which the anode mud outlet 5 connects to the mud collection area 12. The groove 33 is designed to further optimize the convergence process of anode mud towards the anode mud outlet 5. In actual production, the fluidity of anode mud at the bottom of the mud collection area 12 may be affected by various factors, such as the viscosity and composition of the anode mud itself. By setting the downwardly recessed groove 33, the anode mud can be guided to converge more orderly towards the anode mud outlet 5 by utilizing the dual effects of "gravity + tank constraint". The depth and width of the groove 33 can be flexibly adjusted according to the viscosity and other characteristics of the anode mud in actual production. For example, for anode mud with higher viscosity, the groove 33 can be appropriately deepened and widened to enhance the guiding effect on the anode mud. Compared with a design without the groove 33, the groove 33 design can reduce the amount of anode mud residue by more than 50%, ensuring that the anode mud can be discharged more thoroughly from the mud collection area 12.

[0071] Example 3

[0072] Please see Figures 9-11 This embodiment is also based on Embodiment 1, but with a targeted design for the discharge method of the anode mud from the electrolytic cell, so as to achieve convenient collection and subsequent treatment of the anode mud.

[0073] The bottom wall 3 of the collecting tank has a sludge discharge port 34, and a collection hopper 6 is connected to the bottom of the outer side of the electrolytic cell. The anode sludge in the electrolytic cell enters the collection hopper 6 through the sludge discharge port 34. The location and size of the sludge discharge port 34 need to be precisely calculated and designed. The sludge discharge port 34 should be located at the lowest point of the bottom wall 3 to ensure that the anode sludge can flow into the sludge discharge port 34 naturally under the action of gravity. Its size should take into account factors such as the discharge speed of the anode sludge and the prevention of anode sludge blockage. If the size of the sludge discharge port 34 is too small, the anode sludge is prone to blockage during the discharge process, affecting the sludge discharge efficiency; if the size is too large, the electrolyte may also flow out through the sludge discharge port 34 during non-sludge discharge periods, resulting in electrolyte waste.

[0074] The collecting hopper 6 serves as a temporary storage and initial transfer point during the entire anode mud collection process. The volume of the collecting hopper 6 needs to be rationally selected based on the production scale of the electrolytic cell and the amount of anode mud produced. For large-scale electrolytic production, the volume of the collecting hopper 6 needs to be large enough to reduce the frequency of changing the collecting hopper 6 and improve production efficiency. In some embodiments, multiple collecting hoppers 6 can be configured. The advantage of this is that when one collecting hopper 6 is full of anode mud, it can be switched to another collecting hopper 6 in a timely manner to continue collecting, avoiding the anode mud not being discharged in time due to a full collecting hopper 6, which would affect the normal operation of the electrolytic cell.

[0075] A flange is installed at the bottom of the collection hopper 6 to connect to a valve. This allows the anode sludge to enter the collection hopper 6 through the discharge port 34 via the anode sludge collection device. Opening the valve in the collection hopper 6 allows the anode sludge to be discharged. The selection of the flange and valve is crucial. The flange specifications must match the collection hopper 6 and the connecting pipes to ensure a tight and stable connection. The valve must be made of corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant materials to accommodate the corrosive components, such as acidic substances, that may be present in the anode sludge. In actual operation, when the anode sludge in the collection hopper 6 reaches a certain amount, the operator can close the discharge port 34 valve and then open the valve at the bottom of the collection hopper 6 to discharge the anode sludge for further processing. This design achieves an integrated process of "in-tank collection - rapid discharge - closed temporary storage" of anode sludge, offering advantages such as ease of operation, high efficiency, and low pollution compared to traditional manual sludge cleaning methods. For example, in traditional manual sludge cleaning methods, a single cleaning session can take up to 2 hours, and during this process, the anode sludge is easily exposed to the environment, posing a hazard to the health of operators and the production environment. The design of this embodiment can shorten the single sludge cleaning time to 15 minutes, while avoiding the contamination of the cathode product by the anode mud during the sludge cleaning process.

[0076] Example 4

[0077] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 3 is that the bottom of the collection hopper 6 is closed and has no flange, allowing the anode mud to be pumped out of the collection hopper 6. This design is suitable for production scenarios with special requirements for the pressure and flow rate of the discharged anode mud. For example, when subsequent anode mud treatment processes require high-pressure anode mud transportation, or when the distance between the collection hopper 6 and subsequent treatment equipment is far, and gravity cannot meet the anode mud transportation requirements, pump extraction is more appropriate.

[0078] Several factors need to be considered when selecting a pump. First, the pump material must have good corrosion resistance, as the anode mud may contain acidic or alkaline substances that can corrode the pump body. Pumps made of stainless steel or special corrosion-resistant alloys are generally chosen. Second, the pump's flow rate and head must be appropriately matched based on parameters such as the volume of the collection hopper 6, the viscosity of the anode mud, and the conveying distance. If the pump's flow rate is too low, the anode mud extraction speed will be too slow, affecting production efficiency; if the head is insufficient, the anode mud cannot be conveyed to the designated height. During actual installation, the pump inlet must be tightly connected to the bottom of the collection hopper 6 to ensure that there are no air leaks or other problems that would affect the extraction effect. Simultaneously, the pump outlet must be connected to a suitable conveying pipeline to transport the anode mud to subsequent processing equipment. Using a pump to extract anode mud allows for more flexible control of the anode mud discharge process, meeting the needs of different production processes.

[0079] Example 5

[0080] This embodiment discloses an electrolysis system, the core component of which is any of the above-mentioned electrolytic cells that facilitate sludge collection. Integrating the sludge-collecting electrolytic cell into the entire electrolysis system enables a comprehensive optimization and upgrade of the entire electrolysis process.

[0081] In actual hydrometallurgical production, the electrolysis system typically includes multiple stages, such as electrolyte preparation, electrolytic reaction, product collection, and subsequent processing. The electrolytic cell, which facilitates sludge collection, plays a crucial role in connecting these stages. From the upstream perspective, after the electrolyte preparation is completed, it enters the electrolytic cell for the electrolytic reaction. At this point, the unique structural design of the electrolytic cell, such as the rational layout of the electrolysis zone 11 and the sludge collection zone 12 described in Example 1, ensures that the electrolytic reaction proceeds in a stable and efficient environment. The anode sludge generated during electrolysis can be quickly and effectively collected through the special design of the sludge collection zone 12, avoiding contamination of the electrolyte by the anode sludge and ensuring the continuous and stable progress of the electrolytic reaction.

[0082] From a downstream perspective, the precise separation and discharge design of the electrolytic cell for anode mud and supernatant, such as the dual-outlet stratified discharge and related optimized structure described in Example 2, provides high-quality raw materials for subsequent anode mud treatment and electrolyte recycling. For anode mud, the different collection and discharge methods described in Examples 3 and 4 allow for flexible selection based on actual production needs, efficiently transporting the anode mud to subsequent processing steps for the recovery of valuable metals. As for the supernatant, its high-quality characteristics facilitate easier recycling, reducing production costs.

[0083] By integrating an electrolytic cell designed for easy sludge collection into the electrolysis system, the entire system achieves a closed-loop optimization of "low-disturbance electrolysis - directional sludge collection - precise separation - rapid recovery." Comparison with actual production data shows that, compared to traditional electrolysis systems, the electrolysis system of this embodiment can increase the recovery rate of valuable metals by 5%-8%. Simultaneously, by reducing the contamination of cathode products by anode mud, the impurity content of the cathode products can be reduced to below 0.01%, significantly improving the system's economic efficiency and product quality stability, providing strong technical support for efficient and environmentally friendly production in the hydrometallurgical industry.

[0084] This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this utility model. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this utility model. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from the principles of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. An electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection, comprising a accommodating space suitable for electrolytic production, characterized in that, The accommodating space includes: The electrolysis zone is enclosed by sidewalls, and the top of the sidewalls forms a slot; A sludge collection area is located directly below and connected to the electrolysis area. The cross-section of the sludge collection area gradually contracts in the direction away from the electrolysis area to form a collecting bottom wall. The collecting bottom wall is connected to the side wall. The bottom wall of the collection includes at least one collection surface, and the angle between the side wall and the vertical direction is smaller than the angle between the collection surface and the vertical direction.

2. The electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom wall of the collection system includes two collection surfaces, which are connected by an arc to form a mud collection trough.

3. The electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection according to claim 2, characterized in that, The included angle between the two converging surfaces is less than 120°.

4. The electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom wall of the collection area is provided with a supernatant inlet and an anode mud inlet, both of which are connected to the mud collection area.

5. The electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection according to claim 4, characterized in that, The opening position of the supernatant port in the sludge collection area is higher than the opening position of the anode sludge port in the sludge collection area.

6. The electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom wall of the collection chamber is provided with a protrusion extending towards the electrolysis zone, and the supernatant outlet passes through the protrusion and communicates with the sludge collection zone.

7. The electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection according to claim 6, characterized in that, The opening connecting the supernatant inlet to the sludge collection area is an open structure.

8. The electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom wall of the collection chamber is provided with a downwardly recessed groove, and the anode mud inlet is connected to the mud collection area through the groove.

9. The electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom wall of the collection tank is provided with a mud discharge port, and a collection hopper is connected to the bottom of the outer side of the electrolytic cell. The anode mud in the electrolytic cell enters the collection hopper through the mud discharge port.

10. An electrolysis system, characterized in that, Including the electrolytic cell for easy sludge collection as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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