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FACTORS AFFECTING POWER CONSUMPTION IN ELECTROWINNING

A common question we get here at emew Corporation is: “What is the power
consumption of emew electrowinning technology”. This is a very important question
because power consumption is one of most significant costs involved in
electrowinning, regardless of whether it is conventional or emew.

Power consumption varies depending on the application and the metal being
recovered. Let’s take a look at the two key factors affecting power consumption, and
what that means for your electrowinning application:

The dc power consumption in any electrowinning cell is dependent on two factors:

the cell voltage and the current efficiency.

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The first factor we’re going to look at is cell voltage which is governed by several
factors:

• The conductivity of the solution. The cell voltage will be higher for solutions with
low conductivity, which in turn affects the power consumption. In low pH
solutions, acid is produced as the target metal is electrowon from solution.
Hydrogen ions characteristic of acidic solutions are very conductive and have the
effect of lowering cell voltage.

• The electrode gap between the anode and the cathode. The larger the gap, the
higher the cell voltage. In some countries with very high power costs such as
Chile, the anode and cathode gap can be decreased to reduce power
consumption. Furthermore, as metal is plated onto the cathode over time
between harvesting cycles, the electrode gap decreases thus reducing cell
voltage.

• The temperature of the solution. Increasing the temperature of the electrolyte can
be used to lower the cell voltage.

• The higher the current density the higher the cell voltage so there is a “power
penalty” for running at a higher production rate. Typically the electrolyte rises in
temperature with the higher current density and this offsets the increase in cell
voltage.

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The second factor, current efficiency, is the ratio of actual metal plated from an
electrolyte by applying a current compared to the theoretical mass predicted by
Faraday’s law.

The cathodic area, voltage and metal concentration can adversely affect current
efficiency. Large cathodic area, high voltage and low metal concentration generally
lead to lower current efficiency. In general, these conditions favor the production of
metal powders with lower current efficiency. Metal plate on the other hand is
generally the result of high current efficiency. Additives such as glues can also be
used to enhance current efficiency in some applications.

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Another consideration is that you need to supply alternating current or AC power to

the rectifier and the conversion to direct current or DC power is not 100% efficient.
For most applications, emew Corporation supplies high efficiency switch mode
rectifiers to ensure the highest conversion efficiency over a range of turndown.

Pumps are used to circulate electrolyte from the feed tank through the emew cells
and also consume power. The pumping requirements must also be considered when
looking at the overall power requirements.

So when we get the question, “What is the power consumption”? A common

response is, “It depends” and you can see why since there are many factors that
affect power consumption. We can provide estimates based on our experience,
however actual numbers can only be determined from empirical data. We offer lab
cell test programs to confirm process and operating data using actual process
electrolyte to assist in the economic evaluation of your metal recovery project.

Find out more at www.emew.com. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn
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