Electrolytic Plant

Electrodeposition of zinc is carried out in a 290,000-t/a cell house built in 1983. This cell house contains 548 cells arranged in two sections of 132 cells and two sections of 142 cells, with each section powered by a rectifier with a capacity of 67,000 amps at 450 volts. Four mechanized cathode handling and stripping units strip the 3 m2 cathodes on a three-day cycle. Four cranes deliver 9000 athodes and 625 anodes every day to the stripping and cleaning machines.

Electrolyte in the cells is cooled to 35ºC by recirculating the solution through 18 forced draft cooling towers. Ambient conditions within the cell house are controlled, to meet regulatory acid mist standards, by maintaining a foam blanket on the surface of the cells and by a ventilation system that moves 1.3 million m3 of heated air every hour through the cell house building.

Stripped zinc sheets are automatically stacked and conveyed to fork lift stations for delivery to the melting furnaces in the Melting Plant, located inside the same building.