VVG Diaz_slides (2)

8/2/2019 VVG Diaz_slides (2)

1/45

The evolution of copper

smelting practices in the lastfour decades

Carlos Daz

CIM-ICM 2008-2009 Lecture


2/45

Typical Cu concentrate

CuFeS 2, Cu 5FeS 4, Cu 2S, FeS 2 Rock minerals - SiO

2, Al

2O

3, CaO,

Fe 3O4, etc. Precious metals Au, Ag Impurities Pb, Zn, As, Sb, Bi, etc.


3/45

Pyrometallurgical processing of Cuconcentrate

Progressive oxidation of S to SO 2 and of Fe toFeO and Fe 3O4 usually conducted in two stages(smelting, converting).

The SO 2 is normally captured as sulfuric acid. The iron oxides and the rock components of the

concentrate are collected as molten slag. The product of smelting is matte. The product of converting is blister copper.


4/45

Copper smelting in the early 1970s

Reverb furnace Peirce-Smith converterdominant technology in the Americas,

Africa, USSR.


5/45

Reverb Furnace


6/45

Peirce-Smith Converter


7/45

Copper smelting in the early 1970s

Outokumpu flash smelting adopted inJapan and Western Europe (1960s 1970s)

Noranda (1973), Mitsubishi (1974), El

Teniente (1977), Vanyukov (1977) bathsmelting processes commercialized


8/45

Outokumpu Flash Furnace


9/45

Noranda Reactor


10/45

Features of new processes

Use of oxygen-enriched air or justtonnage oxygen as reacting gas. Utilization of the heat of reaction of the

sulfide minerals of the feed. High specific smelting rates.

High grade matte (60-70% Cu). Low-volume, strong off-gas streams.


11/45

The Americas (early 1970s)

31 smelters over 50% of westernworld copper smelter production.

16 USA smelters - producing half ofthis copper; capturing less than 20%sulfur input as acid.

1971 EPA regulation - 90% sulfurcapture.


12/45

USA smelter environmental clean upPhase 1 (1970s)

Retaining reverb for primary smelting. Capturing particulates from process gas

streams. Processing converter gas in acid plants. Erecting tall stacks for dispersing reverb

off-gas. Curtailing production under adverse

meteorological conditions.


13/45

USA smelter environmental clean upPhase 1 (1970s)

Sulfur capture 60% input


14/45

The oil price factor


15/45

USA smelter environmental clean upPhase II (1980s)

Substitution of new technologies forreverbs - Modernized plants had biggercapacity.

Closing of plants that did not justifymodernization 8 smelters in 1987.


16/45

USA smelter environmental clean upPhase II (1980s)

90% sulfur capture achieved


17/45

Elsewhere in the Americas I

Chile

Teniente Converter adopted byCodelco/Enami. Strict environmental standards

imposed in the 1990s.


18/45


19/45

Elsewhere in the Americas III

Outokumpu technology adopted by newsmelters in Brazil (Caraiba) and Mexico(La Caridad).


20/45

Copper smelting landscape inearly 1990s

Proven energy efficient and environmentallysound flash and bath smelting routes.

One proven continuous converting process.

Over 90% of smelter sulfur input captured inimportant copper producing regions of theworld.

Copper smelter CO 2 emissions dramaticallyreduced. R&D focused now on increasing process

intensity and smelter productivity.


21/45

A new industry standard

Processing over ONE MILLIONtonnes of copper concentrate peryear through one single smelting

furnace


22/45

Outokumpu flash smelting

High O 2 enrichment of the reaction gas. Improved solids feed system and burner

design. Water-cooling protection of furnace

integrity. Advances in process modeling and

control. Higher operating factor.


23/45

Toyo smelter -Furnace capacity increase

3-45.510Dusting rate, weight %of DSC

6559.552.1Matte grade, Cu %

3,6002,4501,6001,000Dry concentrate feedrate, tonnes/day

7350-602921Oxygen enrichment of

reacting gas, vol%

2006200319891980


24/45

The secret of Toyos success

Focused, long term (still on-going) programcarried out by researchers and operators inclose cooperation.

Continuous validation and revision of in-houseburner mathematical model against pilot plantand commercial furnace data (Szekelly-Jorgensen principle).


25/45

TSL technology


26/45

TSL Isasmelt, Ausmelt

High intensity. Versatile - wide temperature and pO 2

ranges; wet/dry, fine/coarse feed.


27/45

Isasmelt

Commercialized in 1992. Fast increase of annual furnace smelting

capacity, reaching ONE MILLION tonnes ofconcentrate in less than 10 years. Ilo (Peru) Sixth smelter to adopt the

technology.


28/45

The secret of Isasmelts success

Improvements in process control,achieved over more than 13 years of operation at Mount Isa, have resulted in a highly advanced control system that ensures that refractory wear is minimized. This sort of development can only be achieved over many years in an operations environment


29/45

Converting

Two new continuous converting

processes commercialized Kennecott-Outokumpu (1995); NorandaContinuous Converting (1997).

Peirce-Smith Converter still dominanttechnology.


30/45

Commercial continuous convertersMitsubishi

Converter

Noranda converter

Flash

converter


31/45

TSL continuous converting

Ausmelt and Isasmelt have been developingcopper continuous converting processes, C3and ISACONVERT respectively. The feed

consists of granulated matte. First ISACONVERT vessel will start up in the

Mufulira Smelter in 2009 . Both C3 and ISACONVERT allow decoupling of

smelting from converting.


32/45

Modern Peirce-Smith converting

Highly intensive, versatile pyrometallurgicalreactor.

High productivity. Substantially reduced secondary emissions.

Steady, low-volume, strong gas fed to acidplants.


33/45

Evolution of the industry

Substantial increase of smeltercapacity.

Radical changes in world distribution

of copper smelter production.

W ld' l l


34/45

World's largest copper smelters

since 1900


35/45

Proportion of world copper smelteroutput vs. smelter size, 1975-2005

Smelter copper output 1960 2006


36/45

(The output for each country is represented by the width of its coloured band)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

1 9 6 0

1 9 6 3

1 9 6 6

1 9 6 9

1 9 7 2

1 9 7 5

1 9 7 8

1 9 8 1

1 9 8 4

1 9 8 7

1 9 9 0

1 9 9 3

1 9 9 6

1 9 9 9

2 0 0 2

2 0 0 5

Year

S m e

l t e r o u

t p u

t , k t p e r y e a r

USA

Canada

China

WesternEurope

Japan

Chile

Smelter copper output 1960-2006

USA, Canada, Chile, Japan, WesternEurope, China


37/45

Copper smelters in the 1960sCaletones Smelter, Chile

Noranda Horne Smelter


38/45

Trend in SO 2 fixation 1960-2006


39/45

The presentCopper smelting is close to achieving thestatus of sustainable technology; morework remains to be done.

An interesting and important lesson

The most significant advances have beenachieved with researchers and operatorsworking in close co-operation.


40/45

Future technology trends - I

Size of smelters will increase further;expected average plant size~300,000 tpy copper.

Proportion of large custom smelterswill also increase.

Flash smelting and TSL will competefor additional territory.


41/45

Future technology trends - II

New green-field smelters and probablyexpanded/modernized smelters willincorporate continuous converting.

However, the Peirce-Smith converterwill continue having and importantplace in copper smelters.


42/45

Future technology trends - III

The 400 tonne anode furnace and 100 tphtwin-wheel anode caster will becomestandard; inroads will be made towardscontinuous anode refining.

Advanced process control and automationwill be introduced in all areas of thesmelter.


43/45

Future technology trends - IV

Average world SO 2 capture willexceed 95%.

Physico-chemical models to predictimpurity behavior and control willbe perfected.


44/45

Future technology trends - V

Pyrometallurgical processes willcontinue having an important place inthe production of copper from sulfide

feeds in the foreseeable future.


45/45

Acknowledgements

Dr. Phillip Mackey The Canadian Institute of Mining,

Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Atlas Copco

The University of British Columbia The Vancouver CIM Branch

VVG Diaz_slides (2)

Documents

Transcript of VVG Diaz_slides (2)