Method and arrangement for refining copper concentrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9580771-B2
Application number	US-201314402166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2013
Priority date	Jun 13, 2012
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and to an arrangement for refining copper concentrate. The arrangement includes a suspension smelting furnace comprising a reaction shaft, and a settler. The reaction shaft is provided with a concentrate burner for feeding copper concentrate such as copper sulfide concentrate and/or copper matte and additionally at least reaction gas into the reaction shaft to obtain a blister layer containing blister and a first slag layer containing slag on top of the blister layer in the settler, and a slag cleaning furnace. The arrangement includes a feeder configured for feeding blister from the blister layer in the settler and for feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler into the slag cleaning furnace.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for refining copper concentrate, wherein the method comprises
using a suspension smelting furnace comprising a reaction shaft, and a settler, wherein the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace is provided with a concentrate burner for feeding copper concentrate and additionally at least reaction gas into the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace to obtain a blister layer containing blister and a first slag layer containing slag on top of the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace, and
using a slag cleaning furnace, and
feeding copper concentrate and additionally at least reaction gas into the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace to obtain a blister layer containing blister and a first slag layer containing slag on top of the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace,
and wherein the method comprises
feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace and blister from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace from the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace,
treating blister and slag in the slag cleaning furnace with a reduction agent to obtain a bottom metal layer containing bottom metal copper and a second slag layer containing slag on top of the bottom metal layer in the slag cleaning furnace,
discharging bottom metal copper from the bottom metal layer in the slag cleaning furnace, and
discharging slag from the second slag layer in the slag cleaning furnace.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace and blister from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace together from the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace.

3. The method according to claim 1 , comprising feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace and blister from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace separately from the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace.

4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace and/or blister from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace from the suspension smelting furnace in batches into the slag cleaning furnace.

5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace and/or blister from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace from the suspension smelting furnace continuously into the slag cleaning furnace.

6. The method according to claim 1 , comprising feeding bottom metal copper discharged from the bottom metal layer in the slag cleaning furnace to an anode furnace.

7. The method according to claim 1 , comprising using an electric furnace as the slag cleaning furnace.

8. The method according to claim 1 , comprising feeding copper concentrate and/or reaction gas into the reaction shaft so that the temperature of the blister fed from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace is between 1250 and 1400° C.

9. The method according to claim 1 , comprising feeding copper concentrate and/or reaction gas into the reaction shaft so that the temperature of the slag fed from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace is between 1250 and 1400° C.

10. The method according to claim 1 , comprising feeding inert gas or inert gas mixture into the slag cleaning furnace.

11. The method according to claim 1 , comprising
feeding blister from blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace without refining the blister fed from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace prior feeding the blister fed from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace.

12. The method according to claim 1 , comprising
using an additional slag cleaning furnace in addition to the slag cleaning furnace,
feeding slag from the slag cleaning furnace into the additional slag cleaning furnace,
treating slag in the additional slag cleaning furnace with a reduction agent to obtain a bottom alloy layer containing bottom alloy and a waste slag layer containing waste slag,
discharging bottom alloy from the bottom alloy layer in the additional slag cleaning furnace, and
discharging waste slag from the waste slag layer in the additional slag cleaning furnace.

13. The method according to claim 12 , comprising using an electric furnace as the additional slag cleaning furnace.

14. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the copper concentrate being copper sulfide concentrate and/or copper matte.

15. An arrangement for refining copper concentrate, wherein the arrangement comprises
a suspension smelting furnace comprising a reaction shaft, and a settle, wherein the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace is provided with a concentrate burner for feeding copper concentrate and additionally at least reaction gas into the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace to obtain a blister layer containing blister and a first slag layer containing slag on top of the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace, and
a slag cleaning furnace,
wherein the arrangement comprises a feeder being configured for feeding blister from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace and configured for feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace from the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace,
wherein the slag cleaning furnace being configured for treating blister and slag in the slag cleaning furnace with a reduction agent to obtain a bottom metal layer containing bottom metal copper and a second slag layer containing slag on top of the bottom metal layer in the slag cleaning furnace,
wherein the arrangement comprises a bottom metal discharger configured for discharging bottom metal copper from the bottom metal layer in the slag cleaning furnace, and
wherein the arrangement comprises a slag discharger configured for discharging slag from the second slag layer in the slag cleaning furnace.

16. The arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein the feeder configured for feeding blister from the blister layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace and configured for feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace from the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace includes a separate first slag feeder configured for feeding separately slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace from the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace.

17. The arrangement according to claim 16 , wherein the separate first slag feeder configured for feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace is configured for feeding slag from the first slag layer in the settler of the suspension smelting furnace into the slag cleaning furnace without refining the slag prior feeding the slag into the slag cleaning furnace.

18. The arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein the feeder configured for feeding blister from the blister lay

Assignees

• Outotec Finland Oy

Inventors

• Ahokainen Tapio
• Björklund Peter
• Jokinen Tuomo
• Rannikko Harri
• Metsärinta Maija
• Lahtinen Markku

Classifications

• C22B15/005 Primary

  in a succession of furnaces · CPC title

• C22B4/04

  Heavy metals {(C22B4/005 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F27B19/04

  arranged for associated working · CPC title

• C22B7/04

  Working-up slag · CPC title

• C22B15/0047

  flash smelting or converting · CPC title