Lecture23:ReductionSmelting

Contents
Preamble
Salientfeaturesofleadreductionsmelting
Materialbalanceinleadsmelting

Keywords:Ironmaking,imperialsmeltingprocess,smelting,metalextraction

Preamble
Reductionandsmeltingaretwoindependentunitprocessesemployedinmentalextractionthrough
pyromettallurgicalroute.Reductioniscarriedmostlybycarbon.Forexamplereductionof
Fe
2
0
3,
Zn0anu Pb0.Whereassmeltingconsistsinheatingtheproductstoatemperatureabovethe
meltingpointtoseparateliquidmetalfromliquidslag.Bothunitprocessescanbecarriedout
simultaneouslyinonereactororintwoindependentinterconnectedreactors.
Typicallylead,zincandhotmetalareproducedinasinglereactorcalledblastfurnace.InKorexprocess
twoindependentinterconnectedreactorsareusedtoproducehotmetal.Shaftfurnaceisconnected
withasmeltergasifiesunit.

Salientfeaturesofleadreductionsmelting
Inthefollowinglecturewewilldealwithproductionoflead.Asalientfeatureofleadblastfurnacewill
begivenandthelectureisfollowedbymaterialbalance.Adetaileddescriptioncanbefoundinthe
referencesgivenattheendofthislecture.
Pbisproducedbycarbonreductionofthesintercontainingleadoxideinaleadblastfurnace.
SinterconsistsofPbS, Pb0, PbS0
4
, Si0
2
, Al
2
0
3
etc
Heightofblastfurnace8m,topdia3m,crucibledepth.
m
andstackheight5m.
TemperatureatboshN12uuc .
Airisblowninthrough15tuyeres(1520)aroundtheboshtooxidizeCchargedwithsinterwhich
producesrequiredheat.
Attopoffurnacebaghousesareprovidedtocollectleadfurnacesfromoutgoinggases.
Limestoneandquartzareaddedtomakeaslag.
Scrapironischarged.Thefollowingreactionsoccur.
PbSi0
3
+Fe = FeSi0
3
+Pb.
Pb0 + Fc = Fc0 +Pb.
Theproductsofsmeltingareliquidlead,matte,speiss,slagandgases.Leadhasdensity11g/cm
3
,matte
containingcopperhasdensity5g/cm
3
,whereasspeisshasdensity6g/cm
3
Materialbalanceinleadsmelting
A)Leadoreconcentrateofcomposition6u%PbS, 4% FeS
2,
S% Al
2
0
3,
2% C
a
0 anu S1% Si0
2
is
roastedbyusing300%theoreticalair.Duringroastedall FeS
2,
onJ 9u%PbSisoxidized.Determinefor
1000kgconcentrate.
1) Volumeofairat1atmand273K
2) Amountandcompositionofroastedproduct
3) Amountandcompositionoffluegas
B)Theroastedproductdeterminedaboveissmeltedinblastfurnaceusingfluxas Fe
2
0
3,
anu C
a
C0
3
to
produceslaghavingaratioSi0
2
: Fe0: Ca0equalto35:50:15.Theamountofcokeis16%ofweightof
concentrate.Thecokecontains8S% C anu 1S% Si0
2
. Find
4)Amountofeachflux
5)Amountofslag
Solution:
MolecularweightPb = 2S9, Fe = S6, Al = 27, Ca = 4u, Si = 28
Roastingreactionsare
PbS + 1.S0
2
= Pb0 + S0
2

FeS
2
+ 2.S0
2
= 2Fe0 + 2S0
2

Volumeofair=(theoreticalamount)x3
Theoreticalaircanbecalculatedfromthestoichiometricequation.
Volumeofair=1SS m
3

RoastedproductconsistsofPbS, Pb0, Fe0, Al

2
0
3,
Ca0 anu Si0
2
. Wehavedoneearliermaterialsbalance
(Referlectures17,18,19,21,).
Amountofroastedproduct=948kg
Amountoffluegas=59kgmoles

SmeltingofroastproductconstitutespartB.FluxusedislimestoneandFe
2
0
3,

Amount of CaC0
3
(ueteimineu fiom Ca0) = 22u Kg.
Amount of Fe
2
0
3,
= SuS Kg
Amount of slag = 984.S kgy

Doyourself
2)ThechargeforPbblastfurnaceconsistsof
RoastedOrePb0 S1% , PbS 19% , Si0
2
4u% anu fe0 1u%
(1000Kg)
PyritecinderFe
2
0
3,
88%, CuS
5
S %, Si0
2
7 %
(600Kg)
CokeC 89 %, Si0
2
11%
(180Kg)
FluxC
a
C0
3
1uu%
(220Kg)
Mattecontainsallof Cu, S anu 2% Pb.NoPbislostinslagorgases.
ThegasescontainC0: C0
2
= 1: 1 byvolume
Calculate:
a) Chargebalanceoffurnace
b) Proximatecompositionofmatteandslag
c) Volumeofblastused(at1atmand273K)
Answers:
d) Amountoflead443kg
e) Amountofmatte106.54Kg
f) Amountofslag1106Kg
g) Volumeofblast=543m
3

Referencesforlectures23to30
1.H.SRay,RSridharandK.P.Abraham:
2.Rosenquist:Principlesofextractivemetallurgy
3.Butts:Metallurgicalproblem
4.Coudrier;l,HupkinsD.WandIWilkomirnky:Fundamentalsofmetallurgicalprocesses.
5.Y.KRao:Strichiometricalcalculationinmettalurgical;processes.