Effect of solution flow rate and direction on copper electrodeposition process from sulfuric acid electrolyte on porous electrode with high electric conductivity

The effect of solution flow direction and rate on the dynamics of copper electrodeposition onto a premetallized coal-graphite VINN-250 material from a dilute copper sulfate sulfuric acid solution is experimentally studied in the direct-flow mode. A light effect of solution supply on the copper deposit final mass for high and low solution flow rates is found, while the effect of this parameter on the metal distribution within the porous electrode is significant. The most uniform copper deposit distribution throughout the porous electrode is observed in the case of intermediate solution flow rates at its rear supply. The obtained experimental data agree qualitatively with the earlier published mathematical simulation results. Small systematic deviations from numeric calculations can be due to the process disregarded in the mathematical model: the effect of gas phase formed within the porous cathode due to the simultaneous hydrogen evolution.