Anode apparatus

Abstract

The present disclosure related to an inert anode which is electrically connected to the electrolytic cell, such that a conductor rod is connected to the inert anode in order to supply current from a current supply to the inert anode, where the inert anode directs current into the electrolytic bath to produce nonferrous metal (where current exits the cell via a cathode).

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising: an anode body having at least one sidewall, wherein the sidewall is configured to perimetrically surround a hole therein, the hole having an upper opening in the top of the anode body and configured to axially extend into the anode body; a bath having an upper surface; and a pin having; a first end connected to a current supply, and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the second end extends down into the hole via the upper opening of the anode body, and wherein the second end is located above the upper surface of the bath.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the anode body comprises a ceramic material, a metal material, a cermet material, and combinations thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the anode body is oval, cylindrical, rectangular, square, plate-shaped, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, and combinations thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the pin is directly bonded to the anode body.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the first end of the pin is configured to fit into and be retained within a refractory material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein the length of the pin is sufficient to provide mechanical support to the anode body and sufficient to prevent corrosion on the pin inside the hole.

7. An apparatus, comprising: an anode body having at least one sidewall, wherein the sidewall is configured to perimetrically surround a hole therein, the hole having an upper opening in the top of the anode body and configured to axially extend into the anode body; a bath having an upper surface; a pin having a first end connected to a current supply and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the second end extends down into the hole via the upper opening of the anode body, and wherein the second end is located above the upper surface of the bath; and a filler retained in the hole between an inner surface of the anode body and the pin, wherein the filler is configured to promote electrical communication between the pin and the anode body.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further wherein the pin is configured to provide (a) a current supply to the anode body and (b) mechanical support to the anode body.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a member configured to extend from the second end of the pin, wherein the member has an end located below the upper surface of the bath.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further wherein the member is configured with the same dimensions as the pin.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further wherein the member has different dimensions than the pin.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further wherein the member is configured to overlap with the second end of the pin.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further wherein the member extends up around the pin inside the hole.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the cross-section of the pin is a: circle, oval, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, and combinations thereof.

15. An apparatus, comprising: an anode body comprising at least one sidewall circumscribing a hole therein, the hole having an upper opening in the top of the anode body; a bath having an upper surface; a pin extending down into the upper opening of the anode body, wherein the pin has a second end located above the upper surface of the bath, a conductive member configured to attach to the pin and overlap with a portion of the second end of the pin, wherein the conductive member extends down into the hole to a position below the upper surface of the bath, and wherein the conductive member comprises a bath-resistant material; and a conductive particulate material retained in the hole and configured to promote electrical communication between the pin, the conductive member, and the anode body.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the overlap between the pin and the conductive member is not greater than 155 mm.

17. An apparatus, comprising: an anode body comprising at least one sidewall circumscribing a hole therein, the hole having an upper opening in the top of the anode body; a bath having an upper surface; a pin extending down into the upper opening of the anode body, wherein the pin has a second end located above the upper surface of the bath, a conductive member configured to attach to the pin, wherein the conductive member extends down into the hole to a position below the upper surface of the bath, and wherein the conductive member comprises a bath-resistant material; and a conductive particulate material retained in the hole and configured to promote electrical communication between the pin, conductive member, and the anode body.

18. An apparatus, comprising: an anode body comprising at least one sidewall circumscribing a hole therein, the hole having an upper opening in the top of the anode body; a bath having an upper surface; a pin extending down into the upper opening of the anode body, wherein the pin has a second end located above the upper surface of the bath, a sheath, configured to surround the pin, wherein the sheath is configured to extend along the portion of the pin which resides inside the hole of the anode body; and a conductive particulate material configured to be retained in the hole between the pin and the sheath to promote electrical communication between the pin, the sheath and the anode body.

19. An apparatus, comprising: an anode body comprising at least one sidewall circumscribing a hole therein, the hole having an upper opening in the top of the anode body; a bath having an upper surface; a pin extending down into the upper opening of the anode body, wherein the pin has a second end located at a position inside the hole that is above the upper surface of the bath, a member configured to attach to the pin, wherein the member extends down into the hole to a position below the upper surface of the bath; a sheath, configured to surround the pin, wherein the sheath is configured to extend along the portion of the pin; and a conductive particulate material configured to be retained in the hole between the pin, the sheath, and the member and promote electrical communication between the pin, the sheath, the member, and the anode body.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sheath resides inside the hole of the anode body.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sheath extends up above the surface of the anode body to a lower surface of a refractory material disposed opposite the upper opening of the hole in the top of the anode body.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the sheath extends up into the refractory material.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sheath is configured to overlap with at least a portion of the conductive member.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 depicts a schematic cut-away side view of one embodiment of an inert anode apparatus in accordance with the instant disclosure. FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of the inert anode apparatus in which the pin 12 is directly attached to the anode body 30 (e.g. via a direct sinter-bonded approach) and is configured to extend into the anode body 30 via the hole 34 to a location that is above the bath-vapor interface 22.

(2) FIG. 2 depicts a schematic cut-away side view of another embodiment of an inert anode apparatus in accordance with the instant disclosure. FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of the inert anode apparatus in which the pin 12 is attached to the anode body 30, with a filler material 42 (e.g. particulate material and/or sheath) between the pin 12 and the hole 34 of the anode body 30, where the pin 12 is configured to extend into the anode body 30 via the hole 34 to a location that is above the bath-vapor interface 22.

(3) FIG. 3 depicts a schematic cut-away side view of yet another embodiment of an inert anode apparatus in accordance with the instant disclosure. FIG. 3 depicts an embodiment of the inert anode apparatus in which the pin 12 (which terminates at a position above the bath-vapor interface 22) is attached to the anode body 30 with a member 48 extending down from the pin 12 into the hole 34 (beneath the bath-vapor interface 22), with a particulate material 44 extending between: (a) the pin 12 and member 48 and (b) the hole 34 of the anode body 30. FIG. 3 depicts an overlap region between the member 48 and the second end of the pin 12.

(4) FIG. 4 depicts a schematic cut-away side view of still another embodiment of an inert anode apparatus in accordance with the instant disclosure. FIG. 4 depicts an embodiment of the inert anode apparatus in which the pin 12 (which terminates at a position above the bath-vapor interface 22) is attached to the anode body 30 with a member 48 extending down from the pin 12 into the hole 34 (beneath the bath-vapor interface 22), with a particulate material 44 extending between: (a) the pin 12 and member 48 and (b) the hole 34 of the anode body 30, FIG. 4 depicts a direct attachment of the second end of the pin 12 to the member 48 (i.e. no overlap between the pin 12 and the member 48).

(5) FIG. 5 depicts a schematic cut-away side view of yet another embodiment of an inert anode apparatus in accordance with the instant disclosure. FIG. 5 depicts an embodiment of the inert anode apparatus in which the pin 12 (which terminates at a position above the bath-vapor interface 22) is attached to the anode body 30 with a sheath 46 surrounding the pin 12 and a particulate material 44 extending between: (a) the sheath 46 and (b) the hole 34 of the anode body 30.

(6) FIG. 6 depicts a schematic cut-away side view of still yet another embodiment of an inert anode apparatus in accordance with the instant disclosure. FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of the inert anode apparatus in which the pin 12 is encased by a sheath 46, where the pin 12 terminates at a position above the bath-vapor interface 22. The pin 12 is attached to the member 48, which extends down from the pin 12 into the hole 34 to a position beneath the bath-vapor interface 22. There is a particulate material 44 extending between: (a) the sheath 46 and member 48 and (b) the hole 34 of the anode body 30.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Reference will now be made in detail to the actual and prophetic examples, which (in combination with the accompanying drawings and previous descriptions thereof) at least partially assist in illustrating various pertinent embodiments of the present invention.

(8) Corrosion vs. Pin Length (above vs. below the Bath-vapor Interface)

(9) An experiment was completed to evaluate corrosion of (a) a pin that extends across the bath-vapor interface to a position below the surface of the bath, as compared to (b) a pin in accordance with one or more embodiments of the instant disclosure, i.e. a pin that extends into the anode body but ends at a position above the bath-vapor interface. In this comparative experiment, the anode body materials, the pin materials, and the filler materials (e.g., Cu shot) were identical, though the structure of the anode pin differed in that the pin in accordance with the embodiments of the instant disclosure terminated within the anode body at a position above the bath-vapor interface, thus providing a shorter pin in one anode than the other.

(10) Both anodes were operated in a cell for a period of time with electrolyte bath at a temperature for non-ferrous primary metal (e.g. aluminum) production. Both anodes were removed from the cell and autopsied in order to evaluate the impact of pin length on the pin. corrosion. Upon visual observation, it was confirmed that the pin for assembly (a), i.e. the pin which extended below the bath-vapor interface obtained much more corrosion than assembly (b), i.e. the pin that was positioned in a location above the bath-vapor interface. As observed, assembly (a) resulted in corrosion and an outward swelling of anode material, while, in stark contrast, assembly (b) provided clean interfaces between the filler material (e.g., Cu particulate) and the anode body, as well as between the pin and the anode body).

(11) Upon visual inspection, the total volume of the corrosive product within the anode assembly in assembly (a) was very large compared to the relatively unobserved corrosive product in assembly (b). Without being bound by a particular mechanism or theory, the corrosion on the pin that extends below the bath vapor interface is believed to be from fluoride attack on the pin which occurs below the bath-vapor interface in the bath. Without being bound by a particular theory or mechanism, it is believed that this corrosion product is attributed to the pin positioned below the bath-vapor interface, where the build-up of corrosion product is believed to cause the anode body to bulge in an outward direction (possibly resulting in cracking). Without being bound by a particular mechanism or theory, it is believed that by avoiding corrosion products via a pin akin to assembly (b) the corrosion product occurrence and buildup will be prevented, while promoting the stability of the anode in the bath for the duration of metal production.

(12) Anode Manufacture:

(13) Non-limiting examples of producing the anode body include: press sintering, fuse casting, and casting, which is disclosed in corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 7,235,161, which contents are incorporated by reference herein by their entirety. Once the anode body is formed, the pin and filler materials, if being used, are incorporated into the anode body. For example, if a sheath is utilized, it is attached to the pin prior to the pin/sheath combination being inserted into the anode body. For example, if a filler (e.g. conductive filler) is utilized, the pin is placed in the hole of the anode body and filler (e.g. in the form of particulate material) is inserted into the void between the pin and the inner surface of the hole in the anode body. For example, if a member (e.g. elongated member, rod) is utilized, it is attached to the pin prior to the pin and member being inserted into the hole of the anode body. For example, if a non-conductive filler material is utilized (e.g. to provide a mechanical attachment and/or seal the pin and/or filler material into the hole in the anode body), the non-conductive filler material is added to the upper end of the anode body. In some embodiments, the non-conductive filler is configured to extend at least partially into the hole in the anode body, in some embodiments, the non-conductive filler material is configured to sit on top of the anode body, proximal to the upper end of the hole, and surrounding the pin as it extends upward from the anode body.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

(14) Anode Assembly 10

(15) Pin 12

(16) First end 14

(17) Second end 16

(18) Refractory material 18

(19) Current supply 20

(20) Bath-vapor interface 22

(21) Vapor space 24

(22) Bath 26

(23) Anode body 30

(24) Upper opening 32

(25) Hole 34

(26) Upper end 36

(27) Lower end 38

(28) Anode sidewall 40

(29) Pin-to-anode overlap (e.g. percentage as a measure of the total length of the anode)

(30) Filler 42

(31) Particulate 44

(32) Sheath 46

(33) Member 48 (e.g., Rod)

(34) While various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptations of those embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are within the spirit and scope of the present invention.