Method and apparatus for electrowinning powder metal from solution

摘要

A cell for electrowinning a metal in powder form from solution includes a housing having an inlet towards one end thereof and an outlet towards an opposed end. The cell has a cylindrical anode extending substantially axially through the housing and a cathode surrounding the anode spaced outwardly away therefrom. The anode and cathode define a flow passage therebetween having a gap of 5 to 25 millimeters. In use the cell has a substantially vertical orientation with the inlet at the bottom and the outlet at the top. Periodically, flow process solution is interrupted and flush solution is passed in a reverse direction through the cell to remove powder metal from the cathode. A bank of cells in which the individual cells are connected in parallel to respectively an inlet main and an outlet main is also disclosed.