US 5,449,395 A · Apparatus and process for the production of fire-refined blister copper

Abstract

Fire-refined blister copper is produced from copper concentrate by a process comprising: A. melting and oxidizing the copper concentrate in a smelting furnace to produce molten matte and slag, and to separate one from the other; B. removing the molten matte from the smelting furnace; C. solidifying the molten matte; D. injecting the solidified matte into a converting furnace in which the matte is converted to blister copper and slag; and E. transferring the blister copper from the converting furnace to an anode furnace to produce fire-refined blister copper. After the fire-refined blister copper is produced in the anode furnace, it is typically transferred to an anode casting wheel on which it is converted to copper anodes suitable for subsequent electrolytic refining to cathode copper.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A process for smelting copper concentrates containing sulfur values to produce fire-refined blister copper as a principal product and slag and sulfur dioxide as by-products, the process comprising:

A. melting and oxidizing the copper concentrate in a smelting furnace to produce molten matte, molten slag, and gaseous sulfur dioxide;
B. removing the molten matte, molten slag and gaseous sulfur dioxide from the smelting furnace in separate streams;
C. solidifying the molten matte;
D. feeding the solidified matte into a converting furnace in which the matte is converted to molten blister copper, molten slag and gaseous sulfur dioxide;
E. removing the molten blister copper, molten slag and gaseous sulfur dioxide from the converting furnace in separate streams;
F. transferring the blister copper from the converting furnace to an anode furnace through an arrangement of covered launders and a covered divertor;
and
G. fire-refining the blister copper in the anode furnace to produce anode copper and sulfur dioxide;
the process conducted in a manner such that less than about 2 percent of the sulfur values in the copper concentrate and less than about 5 kilograms per metric ton of copper of sulfur dioxide are released to the enviroment.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and process for the production of fire-refined blister copper

Life of this patent

Apparatus and process for the production of fire-refined blister copper

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20