Effect of Jet Flow between Electrodes on the Cathode Quality in Copper Electrorefining with High Current Density

Abstract

Increasing current density is one of the main methods for improving the productivity of copper electrorefining. However, in the conventional bottom-inlet/top-outlet mode, an increase in current density leads to a deterioration of the surface quality of the cathode copper. This paper describes an experimental study of the influence of the jet flow between electrodes on the cathode quality. The surface roughness and the standard deviation of the cathode copper were used to evaluate the cathode quality. The results showed that in the single-side jet inlet mode, the electrolyte circulation rate has great influence on the surface roughness of the cathode copper, which is inversely correlated. However, when the electrolyte circulation rate is small, the surface roughness of the cathode copper is not uniform. The farther the position at the surface of the cathode copper is to the jet region, the coarser the cathode copper surface, and vice versa.