Titanium, as a metal material with excellent performance, has been widely and deeply used in the key industrial field of copper electrolysis due to its excellent corrosion resistance, high strength, and lightweight. Its application range not only covers various core equipment in the copper smelting process, but also plays an irreplaceable key role in improving production efficiency, optimizing product quality, and reducing overall costs.
1. Application of titanium in core equipment manufacturing
In the complex system of the copper electrolysis process, titanium has become the preferred material for manufacturing a variety of key equipment. As the core reaction vessel of copper electrolysis, the electrolytic cell has been subjected to strong corrosion of the electrolyte and various physical and chemical effects generated during the electrolysis process for a long time. With its excellent corrosion resistance, titanium can ensure that the electrolytic cell maintains structural integrity and stability during long-term operation, effectively avoids leakage and performance degradation caused by corrosion, and thus ensures the continuity and efficiency of the electrolysis process.
The electrolyte supply tank is also made of titanium to ensure the purity and stability of the electrolyte during storage and transportation. The corrosion resistance of titanium can prevent the electrolyte from reacting with the supply tank material and prevent impurities from mixing into the electrolyte, thereby ensuring the quality of electrolytic copper.
Pumps, scrubbers, heat exchangers, filters, and other equipment also play a vital role in the copper electrolysis process. The pump is responsible for the circulation of the electrolyte. The pump made of titanium can withstand the corrosion of the electrolyte and ensure long-term stable operation; the scrubber is used to purify the electrolytic gas, and the application of titanium ensures its corrosion resistance and service life; the heat exchanger is used to adjust the temperature of the electrolysis process, and the high thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance of titanium make it an ideal material; the filter is used to filter impurities in the electrolyte. The filter made of titanium can effectively intercept impurities and is not affected by corrosion.
In addition, pipes, valves, and various parts are also widely made of titanium. In the process of conveying and distributing the electrolyte, titanium pipes and valves can ensure the purity and flow stability of the electrolyte and avoid leakage and blockage caused by corrosion. Various parts such as connectors and seals are made of titanium, which can improve the reliability and service life of the equipment.
2. Innovative application of titanium materials in cathode seed plate manufacturing
Cathode seed plate is a key component in the copper electrolysis process, and its performance directly affects the quality and production efficiency of electrolytic copper. Titanium seed plate, as an innovative form of cathode seed plate, is cleverly composed of titanium plate and titanium-copper composite lug. Its titanium surface and titanium plate are closely connected by precision welding technology, forming a whole with a stable structure and excellent performance.
Compared with traditional copper seed plates, titanium seed plates have many significant advantages. First, in terms of corrosion resistance, titanium seed plates can remain intact, straight, and smooth under long-term immersion in electrolytes and collisions of various operations. According to actual application data, in 9 years, titanium seed plates have been immersed in electrolytes for more than 3,000 working days and have experienced more than 20,000 collisions of various operations, and they still remain in good condition. It is preliminarily estimated that the service life can reach 20 years, which is more than 3 times that of copper seed plates.
Secondly, the oxide film on the surface of titanium seed plates forms a natural good and durable wear-resistant initial separator. This feature makes it unnecessary to apply additional separators when using titanium seed plates, eliminating the pre-treatment process of seed plates and greatly simplifying the operation process. At the same time, the titanium seed plate is half lighter than the copper seed plate, which significantly reduces the labor intensity of workers and improves the labor productivity of cathode stripping by 25%-30%.
3. Key applications of titanium materials in special equipment manufacturing
Titanium also plays a key role in the process of treating sulfate. Special equipment such as vacuum evaporation devices, crystallizers, and serpentine heaters play a core role in sulfate treatment, and these equipment are all made of titanium.
The vacuum evaporation device is used to evaporate the water in the sulfate solution to obtain a concentrated sulfate product. The corrosion resistance and high temperature stability of titanium enables it to operate stably for a long time in a vacuum and high temperature environment, ensuring the efficiency of the evaporation process and product quality.
The crystallizer is used to cool and crystallize the concentrated sulfate solution to obtain a solid sulfate product. The thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance of titanium makes it an ideal material for the crystallizer, which can ensure the uniformity and stability of the crystallization process and improve the purity and crystallinity of the product.
The serpentine heater is used to provide the required heat for the evaporation and crystallization process. The high thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance of titanium enable it to transfer heat efficiently while avoiding reaction with sulfate solution, ensuring the stability and safety of the heating process.
4. Comprehensive benefits brought by the application of titanium
The wide application of titanium in the field of copper electrolysis not only improves the performance and service life of the equipment but also brings significant comprehensive benefits in optimizing product quality, improving production efficiency, and reducing comprehensive costs.
In terms of product quality, equipment and components made of titanium can ensure that the crystal structure of electrolytic copper is dense, ductile, smooth, and has excellent quality. This meets the strict requirements of the high-end market for electrolytic copper and improves the market competitiveness of the product.
In terms of production efficiency, the application of titanium seed plates simplifies the operation process and improves the sheeting rate and finished product rate of the starting electrode sheet. The sheeting rate of the starting electrode sheet has increased from the original 75%-80% to more than 98%, greatly reducing the scrap rate and rework rate. At the same time, since the titanium seed plate does not need to apply a separator, it avoids the contamination of the copper electrolyte, further improving production efficiency and product quality.
In terms of comprehensive cost, although the one-time investment cost of titanium is higher, which is 3-4 times that of copper plate, its total investment cost is lower in the long run. Calculated in a 9-year cycle, the total investment cost of titanium seed plate is only 21.68% of that of copper plate. This is due to the long life, low maintenance cost, and indirect economic benefits brought by the improved production efficiency of the titanium seed plate.
In addition, the application of titanium also provides convenient conditions for the mechanization and automation of the copper electrolysis process. Its stable performance and long life enable the equipment to operate stably for a long time, reduce downtime and maintenance time, and improve equipment utilization and production efficiency. At the same time, the lightweight characteristics of titanium also reduce the labor intensity of workers, creating favorable conditions for mechanized and automated operations.
