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US 10,513,751 B2Granted
Integrated PGM converting process
AssigneeTechemet, LP
InventorsEdward W. Albrecht, Steven D. McCullough
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Integrated PGM converting process. The process includes smelting a catalyst material in a primary furnace, smelting the primary furnace slag in a secondary furnace, converting the collector alloys from the primary and secondary furnaces in a converter to recover PGM enriched alloy and converter slag, separating the recovered converter slag into first and second converter slag portions, and supplying the first converter slag portion to the secondary furnace for smelting with the primary furnace slag. The process can also include low- or no-flux converting; refractory protectant addition; magnetic slag separation; partial feed pre-oxidation; staged slagging; and/or jacketing the converter.
Claims20
A process for recovering and enriching platinum group metals (PGM),comprising the steps of:
- (1) smelting a catalyst material in a primary furnace;
- (2) recovering a primary furnace slag and a first collector alloy from the primary furnace;
- (3) smelting the primary furnace slag in a secondary furnace;
- (4) recovering a secondary furnace slag and a second collector alloy from the secondary furnace;
- (5) converting the first and second collector alloys in a converter to recover PGM enriched alloy and converter slag;
- (6) separating the converter slag recovered from the converter in step (5) into first and second converter slag portions;
- and
- (7) supplying the first converter slag portion to the secondary furnace for smelting with the primary furnace slag in step (3).
5 more elements
A process for recovering and enriching platinum group metals (PGM), comprising the steps of:
- (1) smelting a catalyst material in a primary furnace;
- (2) recovering a primary furnace slag and a first collector alloy from the primary furnace;
- (3) smelting the primary furnace slag in a secondary furnace;
- (4) recovering a secondary furnace slag and a second collector alloy from the secondary furnace;
- (5) partially pre-oxidizing at least a portion of the first and/or second collector alloys;
- (6) converting a feed comprising the first and second collector alloys in a converter to recover PGM enriched alloy and converter slag, wherein the feed to the converter comprises at least 20 parts by weight of the partially pre-oxidized collector alloy per 100 parts by weight total converter feed;
- (7) separating the converter slag recovered from the converter in step (6) into first and second converter slag portions;
- and
- (8) supplying the first converter slag portion to the secondary furnace for smelting with the primary furnace slag in step (3).
6 more elements
A process for recovering and enriching platinum group metals (PGM), comprising the steps of:
- (1) smelting a catalyst material in a primary furnace;
- (2) recovering a primary furnace slag and a first collector alloy from the primary furnace;
- (3) smelting the primary furnace slag in a secondary furnace;
- (4) recovering a secondary furnace slag and a second collector alloy from the secondary furnace;
- (5) converting a feed comprising the first and second collector alloys in a converter to recover PGM enriched alloy and slag, wherein the converting comprises:
- (a) beginning a converter operation cycle by melting the collector alloys in a pot of the converter to form an alloy pool held in the pot;
- (b) introducing the converter feed into the pot holding the alloy pool;
- (c) injecting oxygen-containing gas into the alloy pool to convert iron to iron oxide and enrich PGM in the alloy pool, wherein the introduction of the converter feed and the oxygen-containing gas injection are at least partially concurrent;
- (d) allowing the iron oxide to collect in a low-density layer of slag above the alloy pool;
- (e) stopping the converter feed introduction and the oxygen-containing gas injection, and tapping the low-density layer to recover the slag from the converter;
- (f) repeating a sequence of steps (b), (c), (d), and (e) a plurality of times;
- and
- (g) in non-final sequence(s) in step (f), allowing alloy entrained in the low-density layer to substantially settle into the alloy pool before the tapping of the respective low-density layer(s);
- (h) in a final sequence in step (f), commencing the final tapping in step (e) within 5 minutes of stopping the oxygen-containing gas injection;
- and
- (i) after the final tapping of the low-density layer in step (e) in the last one of the sequences of step (f), tapping the alloy pool;
- (6) separating the converter slag recovered from the converter in step (5) into first and second converter slag portions, wherein the second converter slag portion comprises a higher average PGM content than the first converter slag portion, wherein the separation comprises:
- (A) cooling, solidifying, and comminuting the converter slag recovered from step (5);
- (B) magnetically separating the comminuted slag into a magnetically susceptible fraction and a non-magnetically susceptible fraction;
- (C) wherein the second converter slag portion comprises the magnetically susceptible fraction and at least a portion of the non-magnetically susceptible fraction obtained from the final slag tapping;
- and
- (D) wherein the first converter slag portion comprises at least a portion of the non-magnetically susceptible fraction;
- (7) supplying the first converter slag portion to the secondary furnace for smelting with the primary furnace slag in step (3);
- (8) supplying the second converter slag portion to the converter with the first and second collector alloys;
- and
- (9) supplying a portion of the primary furnace slag from step (2) to the pot holding the alloy pool.
23 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.