New generation silver electrolysis machine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for refining silver metal to 99,9% purity.

Description

[0001] NEW GENERATION SILVER ELECTROLYSIS MACHINE

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to a device for refining silver metal to 99,9% purity.

[0004] STATE OF THE ART

[0005] Silver electrolysis systems have an electrolysis pool made of a material such as acid-resistant plastic or glass, and a rectifier that supplies electricity to this pool in a regulated manner. Inside the pool, an acid-resistant metal plate (usually 304 or 316 stainless steel is preferred) is used on which the purified silver is collected. This plate is called the cathode plate. The cathode plate is connected to the rectifier via copper bars. An anode bar is prepared from the dirty silver that is desired to be purified and placed in the pool. These anode silvers placed in the pool are connected to the rectifier via copper bars. For this purpose, the copper bars on which the anodes will be hung are made notched and there is a hole at the hanging point of the silver poured while preparing the anode.

[0006] The inside of the electrolysis pool is filled with a liquid called electrolytic liquid. This liquid comprises silver nitrate solution, which is prepared by dissolving a certain amount of pure silver with a certain amount of nitric acid, a certain amount of free nitric acid and pure water.

[0007] During the electrolysis process, electricity is given to the anode and cathode plates and a current is created between these two plates. Meanwhile, while the silver molecules in the electrolytic liquid collect on the cathode plate, the molecular gaps in the liquid are filled by the silver molecules that have broken away from the anode plate. This process continues until there is no silver left on the anode plate.

[0008] The width of the surface areas of the anode and cathode plates is an important factor that increases the efficiency of the process. The larger the surface area of the anode and cathode plates, the greater the amount of electrical current passing through. According to Faraday's Law of Electrolysis, the amount of current is directly proportional to the amount of substance collected and inversely proportional to time. However, casting large surface anode molds from the silver to be refined is a very difficult process each time. Large surface molds have lower strength due to their size and are prone to puncture and breakage when high temperature molten metal is poured onto them. At the same time, it has been repeatedly experienced that impurities in impure silver increase the brittleness of the silver anode. The cost and energy consumption of the large surface mold and the high capacity melting furnace to feed it increases the operational cost. At the same time, the weight of the poured silver in these industrial-scale electrolysis systems makes it difficult to place the anode in the pool and creates risks in terms of occupational safety.

[0009] During the electrolysis process, pure silver is collected by beards on the cathode plate. These beards grow from the cathode to the anode over time. If they are not cleaned periodically, they may short-circuit, causing the process to stop and the rectifier to be damaged. Even if the silver on the cathode plate is cleaned, it accumulates at the bottom of the pool. In order to clean the silver accumulated at the bottom, all the liquid must be taken and filtered, and the process must be stopped at this time.

[0010] As the silver in the anode plate decreases, the impurities in the plate are released, and if there is no inhibitor, these impurities mix with the liquid and cause impurities to form in the pure silver that is expected to be obtained.

[0011] As a result, the need to overcome the shortcomings and disadvantages of the current state of the art and the structures and practices in use today necessitates a development in the relevant technical field.

[0012] DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention relates to a new generation silver electrolysis machine in order to eliminate the abovementioned disadvantages and to bring new advantages to the relevant technical field. The object of the invention is to enable the use of cage assemblies made of stainless steel, titanium or tungsten metal in the anode plate positions in order to eliminate the casting of large surface anode plates each time during the process.

[0014] In this way, silver pieces that can be prepared with a standard melting furnace, which can be prepared even with simple casting techniques described as “hand casting” in the sector, can be filled into the cage and perform this electrolysis process. The reason why the above-mentioned metals are preferred in cage manufacturing is that these metals are resistant to nitric acid. The electrical conductivity coefficients of these metals are listed as follows; the best conductor is tungsten, then titanium, and the weakest conductor is stainless steel. On the other hand, in terms of cost and processing difficulty; the cheapest and easiest to process is stainless steel, then titanium, and the most expensive and difficult to process is tungsten. In our cage production, we generally prefer titanium metal, which is the most optimal solution in terms of cost-efficiency. On the other hand, tungsten cage, which makes the process run faster but is more costly, or stainless steel cage options, which is a cheaper method, are also produced according to customer preference.

[0015] The silver that is deposited on the cathode plate is cleaned with the help of a mechanism similar to a windshield wiper in cars, which works with a timed air activator that cleans the plate. With the help of this mechanism called Slider, the pure silver collected on the cathode plate is separated. The broken silver heads towards the bottom of the pool. In our design, the bottom of the pool is made conical. There is a ball valve at the end of the conical part. The other end of the valve is connected to a piece of equipment called a trolley, which contains filter paper. The silver breaking off from the cathode is directed to this trolley at the bottom of the pool and is filtered After filtration, the liquid is directed to the pool for reuse by means of a pump, or if it is not desired to be directed to the pool, it can also be directed to the tank that we include in the machine system. In this way, pure silver can be obtained without stopping the system. In order to retain the impurities released by the dissolution of the anode silver; the metal anode cage we mentioned before is passed into a filter bag. The liberation of silver from the anode is a chemical process and can pass through these filter bags. However, the release of impurities is a physical process, which is why they get stuck in filter bags.

[0016] The cage made of titanium, tungsten or stainless steel, which is prepared to fill the silver anode, eliminates the need to prepare silver anodes with high weight and large surface area. The process can be carried out by filling hand-poured silver ingots directly into the cage, which is prepared with simple casting equipment that is always available in the facilities where this device will be used. In this way, the preliminary preparation process has been simplified and time has been shortened. With the elimination of the need for large casting equipment and anode molds required for the old system, the investment cost has been reduced. In addition, in the old system, work accidents and injuries that may occur during the operator's process of transporting large and heavy anode silver and placing them in the pool were prevented.

[0017] With the help of the slider added to prevent bearding, the operator is saved from continuous cathode cleaning. This reduces the time the operator has to spend in front of the device.

[0018] With the conical design used at the bottom of the electrolysis pool, the pure silver separated from the cathode is directed through this conical structure to the ball valve at the bottom. Pure silver is filtered from the electrolytic liquid with the help of a trolley filter to which the ball valve is connected on the other side. At the same time, the filtered electrolytic liquid is directed back to the pool by the pump to which the trolley is connected. In this way, pure silver can be collected without stopping the electrolysis process.

[0019] Impurities can be removed from the system much more easily through the filter bags through which the cages are passed. Drawings

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention which are above summarized in brief and discussed in detail herein below can be understood by means of referring to the exemplary embodiments of the invention which are illustrated in the attached drawings. However it shall be noted that the attached drawings hereto only illustrate the typical embodiments of this invention, and for this reason this invention may permit other equally effective embodiments, it shall be mentioned that these are not considered as limiting the scope of the invention.

[0021] In order to facilitate understanding, in order to mention the common equivalent elements in the drawings, where appropriate identical reference numbers are used. The figures are not scaled and they are simplified for clarity. It is considered that the elements and characteristics of one embodiment can be incorporated into other embodiments in an beneficial manner without requiring additional explanation.

[0022] Figure 1 : Front view of the invention

[0023] Figure 2: Top view of the invention.

[0024] Figure 3: Rear view of the invention

[0025] Figure 4: View of the anode cages included in the invention.

[0026] Figure 5: Isometric view of the invention.

[0027] Description of the Details in the Drawings

[0028] The equivalents of the reference numbers shown in the figures are given herein below.

[0029] 1. Electrolysis Pool

[0030] 1.1 Cathode Plates

[0031] 1.2. Anode Cages

[0032] 1.3. Bag Filter

[0033] 1.4. Slider

[0034] 1.5. Slider Activator 1.6. Circulation Pump

[0035] 1.7. Gradual Discharge Valve

[0036] 1.8. Conical Bottom

[0037] 1.9. Bottom Discharge Valve

[0038] 1.10.Trolley Connection

[0039] 2. Rectifier

[0040] 2.1. Copper Bars for Anode and Cathode

[0041] 2.2. Insulators

[0042] 3. Trolley Filter

[0043] 4. Pump

[0044] 4.1. Liquid Transfer Valves

[0045] 5. Storage Tank

[0046] 6. Ladder

[0047] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] In this detailed description, the preferred alternatives of the inventive structure is described only for clarifying the subject manner such that no limiting effect is created.

[0049] The invention consists of electrolysis pool, cathode plates, anode cages, bag filter slider, rectifier and trolley filter.

[0050] The invention comprises; the electrolysis pool (1), which is the chamber where the electrolysis process takes place, is made of polypropylene due to its acid resistance, cathode plates (1.1 ) made of stainless steel, which are the plates that transmit the electric current to the cathode charge pool, on which pure silver is collected, Anode Cages (1.2) where the silver to be purified is filled into these cages and the electrolyzed anode current is given from the silver placed inside, Bag Filter (1.3), which is the filter in which the released impurities are retained, manufactured from Fabric or PP, and passed externally to the Anode cage, Slider (1 .4) that cleans the silver collected on the cathode plate by moving up and down via the air activator, Rectifier (6) which provides the necessary regulated electrical power to the electrolysis pool, Trolley filter (3) where the pure silver obtained is collected and filtered.

[0051] Anode Cages (1.2) can be manufactured from Tungsten, titanium or stainless steel.

[0052] All elements included in the invention are included in the system at least once. Pieces can be multiplied.

[0053] In the application method of the invention; a certain amount of pure silver is dissolved in a certain amount of nitric acid and filled into the storage tank (5). A certain amount of free nitric acid and enough pure water to complete the volume to the required level are added. This liquid prepared in the storage tank (5) is called electrolytic liquid. The electrolytic liquid is then filled into the electrolysis pool (1 ) by opening the correct combination of liquid transfer valves (4.1 ) with the help of the pump (4).

[0054] Using the ladder (6), the operator can access the inside of the pool. The anode cages (1.2) are passed through bag filters (1.3) and placed inside the electrolysis pool (1 ). While the anode cages (1.2) are placed inside the electrolysis pool (1 ), one end of the copper bars to which they are connected is placed on the anode copper bar (2.1 ) connected to the rectifier (2). The other end is placed on the insulator (2.2) located on the cathode copper bar (2.1 ). The cathode plate (1.1 ) is placed in front of and behind the anode cage (1.2). While placing the cathode plate (1.1 ), one arm of the copper bar is placed on the cathode copper bar (2.1 ) connected to the rectifier (2). The other arm is placed on the insulator (2.2) located on the anode copper bar (2.1 ). This layout can be arranged as desired according to the size of the pool (1 ) and the feeding capacity of the rectifier (2) as follows: cathode plate (1.1 ) - anode cage (1.2) - cathode plate (1.1 ) - anode cage (1.2) - cathode plate (1.1 ). The capacity of the machine can be determined by the number of these plates. The only thing to note is that the order should always start and end with the cathode plate (1.1 ). There are sliders (1.4) on the front and back surfaces of each cathode plate (1.1 ). During the process, pure silver collected by beards on the cathode plates (1.1 ) is separated from the plate by these sliders (1 .4). The sliders (1 .4) operate via the timed air activator (1 .5),

[0055] The dirty silver to be purified is placed inside the anode cage (1.2) in the electrolysis pool filled with electrolytic liquid, where the cathode plates (1.1 ) and anode cages (1 .2) are placed. The rectifier (2) is set to the appropriate voltage and run. The circulation pump (1.6) is operated to prevent the electrolytic liquid from heating and to ensure continuous mixing in the pool (1 ). From the moment the electric current from the rectifier (2) starts to be supplied to the electrolysis pool (1 ), an amount of pure silver, which can be determined by Faraday's law of electrolysis per unit time, is collected by depositing on the cathode plates (1.1 ). These beards are cleaned every certain period by means of the slider (1.4). The pure silver separated from the cathode plate (1.1 ) begins to accumulate at the conical bottom (1.8). At the desired time, the bottom discharge valve (1.9) is opened and these silvers are transferred to the trolley filter (3). In order to prevent the material from splashing out during this transfer, the bottom discharge valve

[0056] (1 .9) and the trolley filter (3) are connected to each other with a trolley connection

[0057] (1.10). While the silver is filtered in the trolley filter (3), the electrolytic liquid, which is the filtrate water, can be pumped back into the pool (1 ) or storage tank (5) with the help of the pump (4) in combination with the appropriate liquid transfer valve (4.1 ). In this way, there is no need to completely shut down the system while filtering.

[0058] In case of a possible blockage of the bottom discharge valve (1.9), the liquid can be easily transferred to the storage tank (5) by discharging it into the trolley (3) through the gradual discharge valve (1.7). In this way, the silvers blocking the valve (1 .9) can be easily reached from inside the pool (1 ).

[0059] As many silver ingots as desired can be added into the anode cages (1.2) until the activity of the electrolytic solution is finished. There is no need to stop the process for this. The loss of activity of the electrolytic solution can be understood by means of the ammeter on the rectifier (2). When the process is completed or at any time, the anode cages (1.2) can be removed from the pool. The bag filters (1.3) are separated from the cage (1.2). Impurities accumulated in bag filters (1.3) are cleaned by washing or chemical means. The cleaned bag filter (1.3) is re-installed outside the cage (1.2) and used again.

Claims

CLAIMS1- A device for refining silver metal to 99,9% purity, characterized by comprising;- At least one Anode Cage (1 .2) in which the silver to be purified is filled into these cages and the electrolyzed anode current is supplied from the silver placed therein, allowing silver ingots to be added as desired during the process,- At least one slider (1.4) on the front and back surfaces of each cathode plate (1.1), which cleans the silver collected on the cathode plate by moving up and down by means of the air activator,- At least one timed air activator (1.5) that enables the operation of the sliders (1 .4).2- Anode cages (1.2) according to claim 1 characterized in that; they can be manufactured from tungsten, titanium or stainless steel.3- Operation method of the anode cages in the device, which allows the silver metal to be refined and brought to 99,9% purity, characterized by comprising the process steps of;- Passing the anode cages (1.2) into the bag filters (1.3) and placing them inside the electrolysis pool (1),Placing one end of the copper bars to which they are connected on the anode copper bar (2.1 ) connected to the rectifier (2), placing the other end on the insulator (2.2) located on the cathode copper bar (2.1), while the anode cages (1.2) are placed inside the electrolysis pool (1),- Placing the cathode plate (1 .1 ) in front and behind the anode cage (1.2),- Placing one arm of the copper bar on the cathode copper bar (2.1 ) connected to the rectifier (2), placing the other arm on the insulator (2.2) located on the anode copper bar (2.1 ) while placing the cathode plate (1.1 ),- Removing the pure silver collected by beards on the cathode plates (1.1 ) from the plate by means of these sliders (1 .4) during the process,- Operating the sliders (1 .4) via the timed air activator (1 .5),- Placing the dirty silver to be purified inside the anode cage (1.2) in the electrolysis pool filled with electrolytic liquid, where the cathode plates (1.1 ) and anode cages (1.2) are placed,- Setting the rectifier (2) to the appropriate voltage and operating the same,- Preventing the electrolytic liquid from heating by operating the circulation pump (1.6) and ensuring continuous mixing in the pool (1 ),- Collecting pure silver cathode plates (1.1) by beards in an amount that can be determined by Faraday's electrolysis law in unit time from the moment the electric current from the rectifier (2) starts to be given to the electrolysis pool (1),- Cleaning these beards at a certain period by means of the slider (1.4), accumulating the pure silvers that break off from the cathode plate (1.1 ) at the conical bottom (1.8),- Transferring these silvers to the trolley filter (3) by opening the bottom discharge valve (1.9) at the desired time, connecting the bottom discharge valve (1.9) and the trolley filter (3) to each other with the trolley connection (1.10) in order to prevent the material from splashing out during this transfer,- Transferring these silvers to the trolley filter (3) by opening the bottom discharge valve (1 .9) at the desired time,- Connecting the bottom discharge valve (1.9) and the trolley filter (3) to each other with the trolley connection (1.10) in order to prevent the material from splashing out during this transfer,- Pumping the electrolytic liquid, which is the filtrate water, back to the pool (1 ) or storage tank (5) with the help of the pump (4) and the appropriate liquid transfer valve (4.1 ) combination while the silver is filtered in the trolley filter (3), in this way, not requiring to completely shut down the system while filtering,- Transferring the liquid easily to the storage tank (5) by discharging it from the gradual discharge valve (1.7) to the trolley (3) in case of a possibleblockage of the bottom discharge valve (1.9), in this way, reaching the silver that blocks the valve (1 .9) easily from inside the pool (1 ),- Adding as many silver ingots as desired into the anode cages (1 .2) until the activity of the electrolytic solution is finished.4- Operation method of the sliders in the device, which allows the silver metal to be refined and brought to 99,9% purity, characterized by comprising the process step of;- Collecting pure silver cathode plates (1.1 ) by creating beards in an amount that can be determined by Faraday's electrolysis law in unit time from the moment the electric current from the rectifier (2) starts to be given to the electrolysis pool (1 ), and cleaning these beards at a certain period by means of slider (1 .4).