The present document describes an copper oxide containing composition comprising a protective layer comprising elemental copper covering at least in part or all of a refractory material assembly covering an interior surface thereof. Also described is a copper oxide containing composition comprising copper oxide and any one of a reducing agent and a binder. Also described is a method of protecting a refractory material assembly covering an interior surface of an copper oxide containing composition, comprising covering at least in part, or all of the refractory material assembly with a copper sheet, a structure comprising elemental copper, a copper oxide, an elemental copper comprising composite material, a copper oxide containing composition and combinations thereof, to provide a protective layer comprising elemental copper.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
. A copper oxide containing composition comprising from about 35 to 99% w/w of said copper oxide; and
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said copper oxide containing composition is in powder form, paste form, mortar form, slurry form, grouting form, or combinations thereof.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said copper oxide is CuO, CuO, CuO; CuO, or a combination thereof.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, further comprising a reducible copper containing compound.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said copper oxide containing composition comprises from about 35 to 99% w/w of said copper oxide and said reducible copper containing compound.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, further comprising a metallic copper particle.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, further comprising a lubricating agent, a filler material, water, or combinations thereof.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said reducing agent is graphite, lithium aluminium hydride (LiAlH), diborane sodium borohydride (NaBH), compounds containing the Feion, a compound containing the Snion, sulfur dioxide, a sulfite compound, a dithionate, a thiosulfate, an iodide, a cyanide, a carbon form distinct from graphite, or combinations thereof.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said lubricating agent is graphite, molybdenum disulfide (MoS), boron nitrite, polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), or combinations thereof.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said lubricating agent is from about 5 to about 15% w/w of the composition, or wherein said filler material is from about 0 to about 25% w/w of the composition, or wherein said binder is from about 1 to about 10% w/w of the composition.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said filler material is silicon carbide (SiC), ground calcium carbonate (GCC), precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), kaolin, talc, Wollastonite (CaSiO), Silica (Precipitated), glass, carbon black, or combinations thereof.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said SiC is from about 0 to about 25% w/w of the composition.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said binder is bentonite, kaolinite, halloysite, phyrophillite, monmorillonite, or combinations thereof.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said copper oxide containing composition contains copper oxide particles of about 10 μm to about 200 μm.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said filler material has a particle size of from about 75 μm to about 3350 μm, or wherein said binder has a particle size of about 10 μm to about 44 μm.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said reducible copper containing compound comprises a copper sulfate, a copper carbonate, a copper phosphate, or combinations thereof.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, wherein said copper oxide containing composition comprises a shell defining said interior surface, said refractory material assembly covering said interior surface at a bottom of said shell.
. The copper oxide containing composition of, forming a protective layer covering at least in part, or all of a refractory material assembly covering an interior surface of an electrolytic cell, said protective layer being formed from said copper oxide containing composition, and any one of a)-c), or a combination thereof:
Complete technical specification and implementation details from the patent document.
This application a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/536,959, filed Dec. 12, 2023, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/961,021, filed Oct. 6, 2022, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/072,216, filed Oct. 16, 2020, which is a US National Phase application under 35 USC § 371 of PCT/CA2019/050469, filed Apr. 16, 2019, which claims priority from and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/658,029, filed Apr. 16, 2018, the specifications of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
The subject matter of the present invention generally relates to aluminum production. More specifically, the present invention relates to the protection of the component materials used in aluminum reduction cells, mainly the pot lining refractories and the anode studs.
Aluminum reduction cells used in the Hall-Heroult process are lined with refractory materials underneath the carbon cathode blocks. Some elements contained in the molten electrolyte used in such cells can diffuse in the refractory materials and react therewith to reduce their effectiveness. This can shorten the useful lifetime of the cell, in addition to forming toxic compounds. The refractory materials thus require decontamination before disposal, at the end of the cell life.
Against this background, there exists a need in the industry to protect the potlining refractory materials in aluminum reduction cells.
There also exists a need in the industry to provide an inert anode.
In a broad aspect, there is provided an copper oxide containing composition comprising: a shell defining an interior surface; a refractory material assembly covering the interior surface at the bottom of the shell; carbon cathode blocks on top of the refractory assembly; a granular oxide-based layer (bedding mix) between the cathode blocks and the refractory assembly; a protective layer covering at least in part the refractory material just below the bedding mix; a molten aluminum layer on top of the cathode blocks, a molten electrolyte above the aluminum layer; carbon anodes in contact with the electrolyte; wherein the electrolyte includes cryolite and the protective layer includes copper.
In another broad aspect, there is provided an copper oxide containing composition comprising: a shell defining an interior surface; a refractory material covering the interior surface a protective layer covering at least in part the refractory material opposed to the interior surface, an electrolyte contained in the copper oxide containing composition; a cathode and an anode in contact with the electrolyte; wherein the electrolyte includes cryolite and the protective layer includes copper.
In another broad aspect, there is provided a method for protecting refractory materials and/or insulating bricks and/or panels covering the interior surface of an copper oxide containing composition, the method comprising covering at least in part the refractory materials with a copper containing compound prior to filling the copper oxide containing composition with an electrolyte.
In another broad aspect, there is provided a material comprising: between about 35 percent and 95 percent w/w of a copper oxide powder; and between about 5 and about 15 percent of a graphite powder.
In another broad aspect, there is provided a material comprising: between about 35 percent and 99 percent w/w of a copper oxide powder; and between about 1 and about 10 percent of colloidal silica.
In another broad aspect, there is provided a method for manufacturing a copper oxide ceramic plate, the method comprising exposing a copper plate to an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature between about 900° C. and about 1050° C.
Advantageously, the invention provides novel methods and compositions of matter for protecting material components of copper oxide containing compositions to increase their useful life at relatively small costs. The proposed compositions of matter are, in some embodiments, relatively easily applied to the materials to protect. Also, in some embodiments, the protection provided by the invention, allows using a thinner layer of refractory materials to line the copper oxide containing composition.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
According to an embodiment, there is provided an copper oxide containing composition comprising a protective layer comprising elemental copper covering at least in part or all of a refractory material assembly covering an interior surface thereof.
The protective layer comprising elemental copper may comprise a copper sheet, a structure comprising elemental copper, a copper oxide, an elemental copper comprising composite material, a copper oxide containing composition, and combinations thereof.
The protective layer comprising elemental copper may comprises a plurality of copper sheets, and the copper oxide, the elemental copper comprising composite material, the copper oxide containing composition or combinations thereof, between the copper sheets.
The copper oxide or the copper oxide containing composition may be in powder form, paste form, mortar form, slurry form, grouting form, or combinations thereof.
The copper oxide containing composition may comprise from about 35 to 100% w/w of the copper oxide.
The copper oxide may be CuO, CuO, CuO; CuO, or a combination thereof, preferably CuO, CuO, or a combination thereof.
The copper oxide containing composition may further comprise a reducible copper containing compound.
The copper oxide containing composition may comprise from about 35 to 100% w/w of the copper oxide and the reducible copper containing compound.
The copper oxide containing composition may further comprise an elemental copper particle.
The copper oxide containing composition may further comprise a reducing agent, a lubricating agent, a filler material, a binder, water, and combinations thereof.
The reducing agent may be graphite, lithium aluminium hydride (LiAlH4), diborane sodium borohydride (NaBH), compounds containing the Fe2+ ion, such as iron(II) sulfate, compounds containing the Sn2+ ion, such as tin(II) chloride, sulfur dioxide (sometimes also used as an oxidizing agent), sulfite compounds, dithionates, e.g. NaSO, thiosulfates, e.g. NaSO, Iodides, e.g. KI, Cyanides in hydrochemical metallurgical processes, carbon (C) forms distinct from graphite, or combinations thereof.
The lubricating agent may be graphite, molybdenum disulfide (MoS), boron nitrite (BN, h—BN), polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE), or combinations thereof.
The lubricating agent or the reducing agent is from about 5 to about 15% w/w of the composition.
The graphite may be from about 5 to about 15% w/w of the composition.
The filler material may be silicon carbide (SiC), ground calcium carbonate (GCC), precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), kaolin, talc, Wollastonite (CaSiO3), Silica (Precipitated), glass, carbon black, or combinations thereof.
The filler material may be from about 0 to about 25% w/w of the composition.
The SiC may be from about 0 to about 25% w/w of the composition.
The binder may be bentonite, kaolinite, halloysite, phyrophillite, monmorillonite, or combinations thereof.
The binder may be from about 0 to about 15% w/w of the composition.
The copper oxide copper oxide containing composition may contain copper oxide particles of about 10 μm to about 200 μm.
The filler material may have a particle size of from about 75 μm to about 3350 μm.
The binder may have a particle size of about 10 μm to about 44 μm.
The copper oxide containing composition may comprise a shell defining the interior surface, the refractory material assembly covering the interior surface at a bottom of the shell.
The copper oxide containing composition may comprise a cathode on top of the refractory material assembly.
The copper oxide containing composition may comprise a granular oxide-based layer covering the protective layer.
The copper oxide containing composition may comprise a molten aluminum layer on top of the cathode.
The copper oxide containing composition may comprise a carbon anode.
The copper oxide containing composition may comprise a molten electrolyte comprising cryolite, above the aluminum layer.
The carbon anode may be contacting the molten electrolyte.
The copper oxide containing composition may comprise
a shell defining the interior surface, the refractory material assembly covering the interior surface at a bottom of the shell;
a protective layer comprising elemental copper covering at least in part the refractory material assembly;
a cathode on top of the refractory material assembly;
a granular oxide-based layer covering the protective layer;
a molten aluminum layer on top of the cathode block;
a molten electrolyte comprising cryolite, above the molten aluminum layer;
a carbon anode contacting the molten electrolyte.
Unknown
October 2, 2025
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