The effect of nodulation on the distribution of concentration and current density during copper electrolytic refining

Abstract During the industrial copper electrolytic refining process, the suspended particles in the electrolyte are adsorbed on the surface of the cathode and form nodulations, leading to the disturbance of the normal state in the electrolyte. When nodulations grow and then contact with the anode, short circuits occurs. It reduce current efficiency and product quality. In this paper, the concentration and current density changes in the nodulation surface and the anode surface is proposed. The current density on the nodulation is the largest and the concentration is the smallest.