Title :
BMC: A Modulating Bar for Copper Electrowinning Designed for Heavy Duty and High Reliability
Author :
Wiechmann, Eduardo P. ; Aqueveque, Pablo ; Henriquez, Jorge A. ; Muñoz, Luis G. ; Morales, Anibal S.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Univ. of Concepcion, Concepcion, Chile
Abstract :
This works presents the research, development, and design of a BMC intercell bar for copper electrowinning following heavy duty and high-reliability guidelines. As a result, the configuration ensures a low-maximum temperature with high-temperature rated connectors. These properties guarantee the hardness and integrity of the contacts and consequently its lifetime. Some key performance indicators include: control and balance of the cathodic current densities, short circuit protection, and bypass of weak contacts. Further, it has the unique property of hot swapability for replacing impaired connectors. Thus, the Availability of the intercell bar under typical electrowinning operating conditions is ensured.
Keywords :
busbars; cells (electric); circuit reliability; current density; electric connectors; electrowinning; short-circuit currents; BMC intercell bar; bar modulation; cathodic current density balance; cathodic current density control; contact integrity; copper electrowinning; heavy duty; key performance indicator; short circuit protection; swapability; temperature rated connector; weak contact bypass; Cathodes; Connectors; Contacts; Copper; Finite element analysis; Mathematical model; Resistance; Copper electrowinning; electrochemical process; energy efficiency; finite element analysis; intercell busbars;
Journal_Title :
Industry Applications, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TIA.2013.2290841