Process for continuous copper smelting

Abstract

There is disclosed a process for continuous copper smelting. At first, a smelting furnace, a separating furnace, a converting furnace, melt launders for connecting the smelting furnace, the separating furnace and the converting furnace in series, a plurality of anode furnaces and blister copper launders for connecting the converting furnace and the anode furnaces are provided. Then, copper concentrate is introduced in the smelting furnace, and melted and oxidized into a mixture of matte and slag. The mixture is received in the separating furnace and the matte is separated from the slag. Subsequently, the matte separated from the slag is oxidized to produce blister copper. Subsequently, the blister copper is caused to flow through the blister copper launders into one of the anode furnaces, and refined into copper of higher quality in the anode furnace. In the refining operation at the anode furnace, the receiving step and the oxidizing step are carried out at least partly in an overlapping fashion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.