Starting a smelting process
AssigneeTechnological Resources Pty. Limited
InventorsCarolyn McCarthy, Rodney James Dry
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of starting a molten bath-based process for smelting a metalliferous material is disclosed. The method includes using the heat flux of water-cooled elements in lower parts of a smelting vessel to provide an indication of molten bath temperature during at least an early part of the start-up method and adjusting injection rates of oxygen-containing gas and/or carbonaceous material into the smelting vessel to control the molten bath temperature during start-up without exceeding critical heat flux levels and tripping the start-up method.
Claims14
A method of starting a molten bath-based process for smelting a metalliferous material in a smelting vessel and producing molten metal, the smelting vessel including (a) an initially empty smelting chamber having a hearth and a side wall extending upwardly from the hearth, with the side wall including water-cooled elements at least in a lower section of the side wall, (b) a forehearth, and (c) a forehearth connection that interconnects the smelting chamber and the forehearth, with the method including the steps of:
- (a) supplying a charge of molten metal into the smelting chamber via the forehearth;
- (b) supplying a solid carbonaceous material and an oxygen-containing gas into the smelting chamber after completing the molten metal charge and igniting the carbonaceous material and heating the smelting chamber and molten metal and forming molten slag and thereafter increasing the amount of molten slag, with the molten metal and the molten slag forming a molten bath in the smelting chamber;
- (c) supplying a metalliferous material into the molten bath and smelting metalliferous material to molten metal;
- and wherein, during step (b), the method including controlling the temperature in the molten bath by:
- (i) monitoring heat flux of water-cooled elements in contact with the molten bath to obtain an indication of the temperature in the molten bath, and
- (ii) adjusting the supply rates of the solid carbonaceous material and/or the oxygen-containing gas having regard to water-cooled element heat flux to adjust the heat input into the smelting chamber and thereby control the temperature of the molten bath.
A method of starting a molten bath-based smelting process for a metalliferous material in a smelting vessel that defines a smelting chamber and producing molten metal, with the method including supplying a charge of molten metal into the smelting chamber, supplying feed materials including solid carbonaceous material and oxygen-containing gas into the smelting chamber and generating heat and forming molten slag and thereafter increasing the amount of molten slag in the smelting chamber, with the molten metal and the molten slag forming a molten bath in the smelting chamber, monitoring heat flux of a side wall of the vessel in contact with the molten bath to obtain an indication of the temperature in the molten bath as the amount of slag increases towards a suitable slag inventory, and adjusting the supply rates of solid carbonaceous material and/or oxygen-containing gas into the smelting chamber to adjust heat input into the smelting chamber and thereby control the temperature of the molten bath.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.