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Optimization of the Control System for Electrolytic Copper Refining with Digital Twin During Dendritic Precipitation

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Metallurgist Aims and scope

No less than 90% of copper-containing ore extracted and processed by pyrometallurgical methods is currently subjected to electrolytic refining to obtain copper cathode. Improvement in the electrolytic refining process of copper to obtain products for the electrotechnical industry can be related to the extraction of precious metals from copper electrolytic sludge formed during the process. This solves the problem of obtaining a 99.99% copper cathode with the lowest impurity content, highest electrical conductivity, and excellent mechanical properties. During the electrolytic refining process, dendritic cohesion occurs between the electrodes, which lead to short circuits and power losses. The dendritic trebles between the anode and the cathode are destroyed mechanically and converted into sludge, accumulating at the bottom of the electrolytic cell as sludge with high concentrations of silver, selenium, tellurium, and other valuable elements. In the course of research on the electrolytic unit, the causes of cohesion between the electrodes were established, and the formation process of the three types of dendritic precipitation was analyzed. Measures associated with the control and optimization of the control system of electrolytic refining need to be developed to reduce the negative influence of short circuits with the solution to questions of the maximum transfer of precious and rare metals in slime. Additional control parameters are proposed to be introduced in case of deviations from technology related to the monitoring and registration of short circuits and the level of copper electrolyte precipitate in the cell to optimize the automation system in controlling the temperature regime and the electrolyte composition through the digital twin software. The measures developed reduce the specific power consumption and increase the efficiency of copper cathode production while extracting functional components from copper electrolyte sludge.

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  1. Saint Petersburg Mining University, Saint Petersburg, Russia

    H. H. Nguyen & V. Y. Bazhin

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  1. H. H. Nguyen
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Correspondence to H. H. Nguyen.

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Translated from Metallurg, Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 49–56, January, 2023. Russian DOIhttps://doi.org/10.52351/00260827_2023_01_49.

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Nguyen, H.H., Bazhin, V.Y. Optimization of the Control System for Electrolytic Copper Refining with Digital Twin During Dendritic Precipitation. Metallurgist 67, 41–50 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11015-023-01487-3

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