Flexible Electrode Tube Structure for Reusable Rare Earth Mining
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrodes for electrified rare earth mining exhibit suboptimal efficiency, fail to meet requirements for electrode recovery and reuse, and result in high mining costs due to inadequate conductivity, corrosion resistance, and structural strength.
Innovation Solution
A flexible electrode tube composed of a flexible conductive plastic tube with a spiral-embedded wire and joint zones, made from polyethylene, polypropylene, carbon black, and graphite, ensures uniform current distribution and easy retrieval for reuse, featuring a smooth outer wall and annular grooves for clamps and ropes to facilitate extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional ammonium sulfate in-situ leaching process is used, then mining can be conducted, but mining cycles are prolonged and rare earth recovery rates are low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional chemical leaching process with an electrified mining system that uses direct current (DC) to drive electrochemical reactions. The flexible electrode tubes deliver electricity directly to the ore body, substituting chemical reactions with electrochemical processes that accelerate rare earth extraction and shorten mining cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite flexible electrode tubes made of conductive plastic materials combined with spiral metal wires. This composite structure provides both flexibility for insertion into fluid injection holes and sufficient electrical conductivity for efficient current transmission, enabling effective electrified mining operations.
2Productivity
If conventional ammonium sulfate in-situ leaching process is used, then mining can be conducted, but severe ammonia-nitrogen pollution is induced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the ammonia-based chemical leaching system with an electrified mining system that uses electrical current to drive the extraction process. This substitution eliminates ammonia-nitrogen pollution by replacing chemical reagents with electrical energy, achieving green mining operations.
3Productivity
If conventional electrodes are used for electrified rare earth mining, then mining can be conducted, but electrode recovery and reuse are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs flexible electrode tubes with retrieval-friendly features including smooth outer walls for easy extraction from fluid injection holes and joint zones with annular grooves for attaching ropes or cables. These design features enable complete recovery and reuse of electrodes after mining operations, reducing material loss and costs.
4Reliability
If high-resistance flexible conductive plastic tubes are used, then corrosion resistance is achieved, but current transmission efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite electrode structure combining high-resistance conductive plastic tube material with embedded spiral metal wires. The plastic tube provides corrosion resistance and flexibility, while the metal wires provide low-resistance current transmission pathways, achieving both protection and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds spiral metal wires inside the flexible conductive plastic tube, creating a nested structure where the inner wire component handles current transmission while the outer tube component provides environmental protection. This nested design allows both materials to perform their optimal functions simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The flexible electrode tube achieves high mining efficiency with reduced power consumption, enables easy retrieval and reuse, and lowers mining costs by optimizing conductivity, corrosion resistance, and tensile strength.
Implementation Method 1
the wire exhibits high resistivity and is embedded inside a tube wall of the flexible conductive plastic tube in a spiral manner, uniformly distributed from top to bottom, thereby causing the wire to uniformly and efficiently transmit current throughout the entire tube wall
Implementation Method 2
applying direct current (DC) between the anode fluid injection tubes and the cathode fluid collection tubes to accelerate leaching agent migration
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a flexible electrode tube for electrified rare earth mining and an application method therefor. Flexible conductive plastic tubes, wires, and joint zones are included, outer walls of the flexible conductive plastic tubes are smooth, with spiral wires embedded inside tube walls, and the wires are led out at the joint zones and connected to cables. The method includes the steps of: S1, drilling fluid injection holes; S2, placing the flexible electrode tubes into bottoms of the fluid injection holes; S3, mounting fluid injection tubes; S4, connecting the wires and the cables to a direct current (DC) power supply, and fixing ropes connecting clamps; and S5, extracting the flexible electrode tubes by pulling the ropes for subsequent reuse after mining completion. The present disclosure has the advantages of excellent electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, high strength, and ease of arrangement and retrieval.