Metallic Mattes by Electrolytic and Chemical Actions.
Year: 1885

page_text: Metallic Mattes by Electrolytic and Chemical Actions.
"6
We, WALTER WOOD, of 13 Delahay Street, in the City of Westminster,
Gentleman, and MARK HENRY HURRELL, of 16 Myddleton Road, Hornsey,
Electrical Engineer, both in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REFINING COPPER AND
OTHER METALLIC MATTES BY ELECTROLYTIC AND CHEMICAL ACTIONS" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of
Drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon:-
Our invention relates to improvements in apparatus for refining by electrolytic
and chemical action copper and other metallic mattes, that is to say, for splitting
up or dividing metallic mattes or fused masses of compounds of metal into their
several component parts, so as to separate such metals from one another. For
example, what is known as copper matte frequently consists of a mixture of copper,
iron, silver, cobalt and so forth, which metals are difficult if not impossible to
separate by the ordinary process. of fusion, but which it is well known may be
more easily separated by electrolytic action or by a combination of electrolytic and
chemical actions,
Our invention consists of the arrangements shown in Figure 1 of the Drawings
hereto annexed, which is a perspective view of an electrolytic and chemical
apparatus with our improvements applied thereto, and adapted for treating copper
mattes.
A is a watertight tank or vat containing the electrolytic appliances, B B are
ordinary porous cells similar to those in general use in galvanic batteries for example.
CC are partitions which divide the tank or vat A into a number of separate
compartments or cells, each of which contains one of the aforesaid porous cells B
and copper plates D D' which form the cathodes upon which the copper dissolved
from the matte is deposited. These plates D D¹ are cemented or otherwise secured
more or less watertight in grooves in the sides of the tank or vat A, and they
are so arranged that those of them, D, which are placed next to the porous cell,
take, at their lower ends, into, and are cemented watertight in grooves at the bottom
of the tank or vat A, their upper ends being either notched down so as to form a
weir as shown, or are kept wholly at a lower level than the adjacent plates D';

page_text: while the plates D¹ are notched at their lower ends, or are otherwise kept a short
distance from the bottom of the tank or -vat A, their upper ends rising to a higher
level than that of the liquid in the tank or vat A. E is a tank or reservoir
elevated more or less above the top of the tank or vat A. F is a pipe, running
along the side of the tank A, closed at one end and opening at the other into the
tank E. G are branches from the pipe F to which are connected flexible tubes H
of a length sufficient to allow the nozzles I connected to them to be dropped to the
bottom of the tank A. J. are pipes which form channels of communication from
the upper part of the spaces between the plates D¹ and the partitions C, or the
ends of the tank as the case may be, to the upper part of the porous cells B.
K are pipes which pass at their lower ends watertight through the side of the
tank A and into the lower part of the porous cells B through a cork or bung
inserted into the hole L therein. The upper ends of the pipes K terminate in small
cisterns M, into the bottoms of which pass the upper ends of pipes N, the lower
ends of which pass down to a trough or launder O. The upper ends of the
cisterns M may be closed airtight with a cork or bung P and the pipes K and N
then form syphon arrangements for emptying the cells B when necessary, as will
be hereafter described. Qis a tank or vat into which are cemented or otherwise
fixed, more or less water tight, copper plates R R¹ arranged in a manner similar to
that described in reference to the plates D D¹ that is to say the top edge of each
alternate plate R is lower than the top edge of its neighbour R¹, while its lower
edge forms a watertight joint with the bottom of the tank Q, and the bottom edge
of each alternate plate R¹ does not quite reach the bottom of the tank Q, the
object in both cases being to secure that the liquid flowing through the tanks shall
pass over an extended surface of plate.
The mattes to be dissolved are formed into anodes by being cast in the form of
plates S and they are suspended in the porous cells B, preferably by means of
conducting frames T. These cells are nearly filled with dilute sulphuric acid. The
spaces between the cells B and the cathode plates D D¹, as also the tank E, are
filled with a solution of sulphate of copper. The anodes S are connected to the
positive pole of a dynamo machine or other source of electricity by any suitable
connections, and the cathodes D D¹ by other suitable connections with the negative
pole of the same. Each plate D is connected electrically to its fellow plate D¹ by
a metallic connecting piece screwed to the flanges D2 D3 of the said plates.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The nozzles I are dropped to the bottom of the spaces between the porous cells B
and the adjacent cathode plates D, and the solution of sulphate of copper flows by
gravitation from the tank E through the flexible tubes H to the bottom of the
said spaces, and, rising therein, flows over the tops of the plates D, into and down
the spaces between the plates D and D', under the lower edges of the plates D¹,
into and up the spaces between the plates D¹ and the partitions C, or the end of
the tank A as the case may be. The copper solution is thus caused to travel over
an extended surface of cathode plate and if an electric current is passing the
copper in the solution is deposited on the said plates and dilute sulphuric acid is
set free. This dilute sulphuric acid then flows by the pipes J into the upper part
of the porous cells B containing the plates of matte forming the anodes S which
are dissolved, and, assuming that the matte is composed of copper, silver, and iron
for example, the sulphates of those metals will be formed, and will together sink
to the bottom of the porous cells, from whence they flow off by the pipes K and N
into the trough or launder O which conducts them to one end of the tank Q
through which they flow, passing over and under the copper plates R R' as already
described. Any silver contained in the solution is deposited by chemical action on the
surfaces of the plates R R¹, but as there is no electric current acting on these plates
and there is no chemical affinity between them and the copper or iron in the solution
the solutions of the sulphates of copper and iron pass on unchanged and overflow from
the tank by the pipe U into a pumping apparatus whereby they are raised
through the stand pipe Y into the tank E, from which they return to the plates D D
--

page_text: to deliver up their copper to them, and then to pass on again into the porous
cells B and so on continuously until the solution becomes so saturated with iron
or other salts or impurities as to become useless for the purposes of this apparatus,
when it is either run to waste or treated by suitable processes for the recovery of
the sulphate of iron or other substance contained in it. The silver deposited on
the copper plates R R¹ may be removed therefrom when necessary by simply
brushing the deposit off the plates. In some cases a tray B¹ (see Figure 2) may
be placed at the bottom of the porous cell B to catch any insoluble particles that
may be thrown down during the process, and this tray may be withdrawn
occasionally from the cell and its contents removed as may be necessary. When
it is required to empty any of the porous cells B the cork or bung P belonging to
the pipes K and N connected with that cell is placed in the mouth of the cistern M
and the pipes K N then act as syphons to draw off the major part of the liquid
contents of the cell B. When it is desired to clear out the main tank A the
clamps W are removed from or slackened on the indiarubber outlet pipes X
opening into the bottom of each compartment, and the contents fall into the
tank Y, from whence they may flow to waste, or be run by the channel Z to the
overflow pipe U, by which they are conducted to the pumping apparatus which
may be arranged to dispose of them otherwise.
The pumping apparatus shown in Figure 1 is arranged so as to economise power
by causing the pump to work only when there is solution to be raised to the
tank E, but to cease working when there is no solution supplied to it. In order
to effect this object we employ the following arrangements; a is a rotary or other
suitable pump, set in motion by a belt b which acts upon fast and loose pulleys cc¹.
d is a bucket or receiver suspended at one end of a beam e turning on the
fulcrum f. The other end of this beam e carries a strap fork g. The overflow
pipe U discharges into the receiver d and as the said receiver fills it draws down
the one end of the beam e raising the other with the strap fork g shifting the
belt bon to the fast pulley c, whereby the pump a is set in motion and the
solution, which overflows from the receiver d into the tank h communicating with
the inlet to the pump a, is forced up the stand pipe V into the tank E. When the
supply of solution to the receiver d falls short, the latter gradually empties through
holes in its bottom and the strap fork end of the beam e falls by its superior
weight, raising the receiver d, and shifting the belt b on to the loose pulley c¹,
whereby the pump a is stopped. When the supply of solution becomes again
sufficient to depress the receiver d, the pump is again started as before, and so on
continuously.
When sufficient metal has been deposited on the cathode plates D D¹ they are
removed from the tank or vat A and fresh plates inserted, and similarly as the
anode plates of matte are dissolved fresh ones are dropped into the conducting
frames T.
The foregoing description applies to the treatment of copper mattes, but it is
obvious that mattes of other inetals may be treated in similar apparatus by
employing appropriate solutions, and that in some cases more than one metal can
be deposited on the cathode plates at the same time so as to form alloys.
In cases where there is no metal in the matte of a nature that will deposit in the
precipitating tank Q, the latter may be omitted and the solution be returned
direct from the trough or launder O to the elevated supply tank or reservoir E.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
First. In electrolytic apparatus for the refining of copper and other metallic
mattes, the combination of the porous cell containing the matte to be refined in the
form of an anode, the cathode plates on which one or more of the metals composing
the matte is or are to be deposited, arranged so as to secure the upward and
downward flow of the electrolytic solution over their surfaces, the elevated supply

page_text: tank or reservoir with its distributing pipes for supplying the solution to the main
tank or vat, the devices for conveying the weak solution from the main tank or
vat to the porous cells, and for withdrawing the strong solution from the lower
part of the porous cells, the chemical precipitating or depositing tank with its plates
arranged so as to secure the upward and downward flow of the solution, and devices
for returning the solution from the precipitating or depositing tank to the elevated
supply tank or reservoir, the whole arranged and operating as hereinbefore described,
and illustrated in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Second. In electrolytic apparatus for the refining of copper and other metallic
mattes, the combination of the porous cell containing the matte to be refined in the
form of an anode, the cathode plates on which one or more of the metals composing
the matte is or are to be deposited, arranged so as to secure the upward and down-
ward flow of the electrolytic solution over their surfaces, the elevated supply tank or
reservoir with its distributing pipes for supplying the solution to the main tank or
vat, the devices for conveying the weak solution from the main tank or vat to the
porous cells, for withdrawing the strong solution from the lower part of the porous
cells, and devices for returning the solution from the porous cells to the elevated
supply tank or reservoir, the whole arranged and operating as herein before described,
and illustrated in the Drawings hereto annexed.
Third. In electrolytic apparatus for the refining of copper and other metallic
mattes, the apparatus for starting and stopping the pumping devices for raising
the solution back to the elevated supply tank or reservoir, by the action of the
return solution itself on a suspended bucket or receiver, as herein before described,
and illustrated in the Drawings hereto annexed.