Improvements in Apparatus for Refining Metals by Electrolysis.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 14th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by JOHN OLIVER SURTEES ELMORE, of Kapurthala,
Punjaub, India, Electrical Engineer.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Refining Metals by Electrolysis.
I, ALEXANDER STANLEY ELMORE, of Knostrop Old Hall, Leeds, in the
County of York, Electrometallurgist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto metals and particularly copper have been refined or purified by
electrolysis, effecting deposit at a very slow rate and therefore requiring a very
large stock of the metal to be refined, and very large and expensive plants and
buildings.
The present invention relates to such an arrangement of the apparatus as to
cheapen its construction, and very greatly increase its productive capacity.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement of apparatus, for refining
copper, for instance, I provide a number of rectangular frames of wood each
placed upon a sheet of metal such as lead which is not acted on by the electrolyte,
which in this case would be sulphate of copper. When the sheets are of con-
siderable size 1 prefer to strengthen them by using iron plates covered all over
with lead. Each sheet has a transverse slot or a transverse row of holes through
it near one end. I provide also a number of plates of the crude copper that has
to be refined, each of these plates being shorter than the wooden frame is internally,
and of less thickness than the frame. I build up a number of the sheets frames
and copper plates in a pile one above another, taking care to alternate the slots or
rows of holes so that in each sheet it is at the end opposite that where it is in the
sheets above and below it. The copper plate in each case is of such length that
when placed in the frame leaving the slot or row of holes uncovered at its one end
its other end must be at some distance from the slot or row of holes in the sheet
aliove. Having built up the pile, with a sheet of the lead or lead coated iron on
the top, 1 clamp the whole firmly together, and I then force a large quantity of
the electrolyte liquid into the uppermost frame whence it flows from frame to
frame through the slots or holes of the sheets in a zigzag course till it issues from
the lowest sheet and is received in a rocking tank of insulating material, filling
each of its two compartments alternately, the electrical continuity of the stream
being thus severed.
From the tank the electrolyte liquid flows to the suction of a pump by which it
is raised to the top of the pile to repeat its flow through the successive frames.
The liquid or part of it on its way to or from the rocking tank is preferably passed
through a filter in order to separate impurities. In order to insure good contact
of the copper plates with the lead sheets below them, I prefer to put on each
copper plate several elastic pads of insulating material which are pressed on by
the sheets above. A pile made up as above described, instead of being vertical
may be laid on its side, the electrolyte being forced through it in its zigzag course
from the one end to the other. The end sheets of the pile are connected to the
terminals of a dynamo or other source of electricity, so that the copper at the one
end is anode and the lead sheet at the other end is cathode the copper by electrolytic

page_text: action being dissolved off the copper plates, and pure copper being deposited on
the lead sheets.
According to a modified arrangement, I dispense with the lead sheets, using each
copper plate as both anode and cathode in the following manner. I place a
number of copper plates parallel to one another in a closed tank made of or lined
with insulating material which may be wood, with partitions also of insulating
material, meeting the edges of the plates, and holes or slots through the partitions
so arranged relatively to the plates that electrolyte liquid forced into the tank is
caused to flow through the spaces between the plates in a zigzag course from the
one end of the tank to the other. The end plates are connected to the terminals of
a dynamo or other source of electricity so that the copper is dissolved off one side
of each plate and pure copper is deposited on the other side.
Although I have described the apparatus as applied for refining copper, it may
obviously be employed for refining other metals, in which case, when the first
arrangement is adopted, the cathode sheets have to be of metal which is not acted
on by the electrolyte, which is of such kind as is suitable for dissolving the metal
undergoing refinement.
Dated this 13th day of March 1896
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Refining Metals by Electrolysis.
I, ALEXANDER STANLEY ELMORE, of Knostrop Old Hall, Leeds, in the
County of York, Electrometallurgist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Hitherto metals and particularly copper have been refired or purified by
electrolysis, effecting deposit at a very slow rate and therefore requiring a very
large stock of the metal to be refined, and very large and expensive plants and
buildings.
The present invention relates to such an arrangement of the apparatus as to
cheapen its construction and very greatly increase its productive capacity.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement of apparatus, for refining copper
for instance, shewn in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
I provide a rectangular wooden frame A as a base, on which I place a sheet B of
metal such as is not acted on by the electrolyte; when copper is refined the
electrolyte is sulphate of copper and therefore lead is the suitable metal for the
sheet B, but when the sheets are of considerable size, requiring strength, I use an
iron plate covered all over with lead. On the sheet B I place a plate C of the
crude copper which is to be refined, this plate being shorter than the sheet B, also
on the sheet B I place a rectangular wooden frame A² the sides and ends of which
are thicker than the plate C, and on the plate C, I place several pads J of india
rubber or other elastic insulating material. Ou these and on the frame A² I place
another sheet B carrying another plate C of crude copper and I repeat this, piling
a number of sheets B, frames A2, plates C, and pads J above one another, covering
the whole with a sheet B2 over which I place a top frame A' and I clamp the whole
pile firmly by bolts K passing through holes in battens L arranged below the
frame A and corresponding battens L' arranged over the frame A'. The upper-
most sheet B2 has a hole for a pipe D and the lowest sheet B has a hole for a
pipe E, each of the other plates B₁ has a hole or set of holes b near one end, and

page_text: when the sheets are placed in position, the holes b are arranged alternately to the
right and to the left. The pipe E has its mouth over a rocking trough O, which
has a cross partition o and is mounted on a horizontal axis within a tank Q. From
the tank Q a pipe R leads to the inlet of a rotary or other pump S the discharge
of which is connected to the pipe D. The lowest plate B is connected to
terminal of a
the terminal and the uppermost plate B2 is connected to the -
dynamo machine or other source of electricity, the tank is supplied with
electrolyte liquid, and the pump is connected by suitable gear to any convenient
motor.
The pump being worked and the electrical current being switched on the
apparatus operates as follows:-While a large current of electrolyte is caused to
flow in a zig-zag course through the alternated openings b. thus passing along
between each plate C and sheet B1, the copper is rapidly dissolved from each
plate C and deposited on the plate B' above it. The electrolyte after passing the
lowest plate C is discharged by the pipe E into the one side of the trough O
on one side of the partition o; wheu that side of the trough has received a certain
weight of liquid it overbalances the other side and descends delivering its contents
into the tank Q, the other side of O then receiving liquid until it descends in its
turn. The trough O being of wood or other non-conducting material, by thus
discharging from each side of it, while that side is not receiving supply there is no
electrical communication from the liquid discharged to that which is drawn from
the tank for supply. It is of advantage to separate impurities suspended in the
electrolyte. This may he done by withdrawing from time to time a portion,
filtering and returning the filtered liquid. Or a portion may be inade to flow
continually through a filter from either of the pipes D or E to which the filter
may be connected as a by-pass for part of the liquid flowing through the pipes.
Although I have described the frames A A1 and A2 as being of wood they might
obviously be of other non-conducting material, wood being generally preferable on
account of cheapness.
According to a modified arrangement I dispense with the lead sheets using each
copper plate as both anode and cathode in the manner shewn by Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 2 being a vertical longitudinal section and Figure 3 a sectional plan.
A is a closed tank made of non-conducting material, preferably wood, or it
might be of other material lined if necessary with non-conducting material.
In this tank I place a number of wooden cross frames, each of which may be
made in two parts A' and A' with wooden distance pieces A³ between them. Each
of the frames is rebated so that the two when put together present an internal
groove in which is held a plate or slab H of the crude copper. Each of the double
frames A'A has an aperture a of considerable area through it, and the frames
are so placed that these apertures are alternately in the upper and lower parts of
the tank.
On the ends of the tank are fixed slabs or plates of copper, the one C constituting
an anode connected to the + terminal of a dynamo machine or other source of
electricity, the other B constituting a cathode connected to the - terminal.
Electrolyte liquid is pumped in large quantity into the tank by a pipe D entering
at the one end and after taking a zig-zag course through the alternating apertures a
and between the slabs H issues from the other end, to flow back by a return pipe E
to the pumps to circulate again through the tank.
In order to prevent short circuiting through the fluid current, I provide a
rocking trough with a transverse partition o, this trough being mounted on a
horizontal axis within a receiving tank Q from which the liquid is drawn to be
circulated again.
The liquid is discharged into one side of the trough until that side over balances
the other causing the trough to cant over, discharging its contents and then receiving
liquid in its other side.
By the action of the electrical current, copper is dissolved off the one face of
each of the slabs H and is deposited in a pure state on the face of the next slab,

page_text: most of the impurities being carried away by the rapid current of electrolyte
liquid, which may from time to time be filtered, or a portion of which may be
continually led through a filter by a by-pass from the return-pipe.
Although I have described the apparatus as being applied to its refining of
copper, obviously the plates or slabs might be of other metal capable of being
similarly treated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for purifying metals by electrolysis, comprising a series of non-
conducting frames and sheets of lead or other suitable metals carrying plates of the
crude metal to be refined, these frames and sheets being piled over one another and
clamped firmly together, the lowest and uppermost sheets connected respectively to
the terminals of a source of electricity, and the sheets having holes through them
alternately arranged for passage of electrolyte liquid in a zig-zag course between
each plate and the sheet above it, substantially as described.
2. In combination with the pile of frames, sheets and plates above referred to,
a pump, a tank, a rocking trough and pipes arranged and operating substantially
as described.
3. Apparatus for refining metals by electrolysis, consisting of a closed tank
containing cross frames placed at intervals apart in the tank, these frames bolding
plates or slabs of the metal to be refined and having through them large apertures
situated alternately above and below the slabs, an anode plate and outlet pipe
at the one end and a cathode plate and inlet pipe at the other end of the tank,
arranged and operating substantially as described.
Dated this 14th day of December 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.