Ausmelt/Isasmelt Matte Smelting

Chapters 5 and 6 describe flash smelting, the predominant worldwide technology for
producing copper mattes. The advantages of flash smelting are well-known and the
technology is well established. However, flash smelting also has disadvantages. The
biggest is its use of fine, dry concentrate particles as feed. Fine particles react faster, which
is desirable. However, they also settle less quickly. As a result, flash furnaces generate
considerable quantities of dust. To reduce this dust generation, a large settling area is built
into flash furnaces. This increases the size of the vessel, and thus its cost.

In 1971, researchers at the [Australian] Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research

Organization began investigating the use of top-lancing technology for injecting coal into
tin slags to improve reduction kinetics (Pritchard and Hollis, 1994). This research led to the
development of technology suitable for a variety of pyrometallurgical applications
(Robilliard, 1994; Mounsey and Robilliard, 1994), including smelting and converting of
sulfide concentrates. This technology is now marketed by two separate organizations under
the names Ausmelt and Isasmelt. The technology has found commercial application
worldwide. It has become a significant factor in copper smelting.

Both Ausmelt and Isasmelt smelting are based on the technology developed at CSIRO in
the 1970s. Their furnaces (Fig. 8.1, Table 8.1) and operating procedures (Table 8.2) are
similar. Because of this, they are described together throughout.

8.1 Basic Operations

Ausmelt/Isasmelt copper smelting entails dropping moist solid feed into a tall cylindrical
furnace while blowing oxygen-nriched air through a vertical lance into the furnaces
matteislag bath (Pritchard and Hollis, 1994). The products of the process are a matte/slag
mixture and strong SO, offgas. The matte/slag mixture is tapped periodically into a fuel-
fired or electric settling furnace for separation. The settled matte (-60% Cu) is sent to
conventional converting. The slag (0.7% Cu) is discarded.

The offgas (25% SO,) is drawn from the top of the smelting furnace through a vertical flue.
It is passed through a waste heat boiler, gas cleaning and on to a sulfuric acid plant. A
small amount of oxygen is blown through the side of the smelting furnace or lance (about
halfway up) to ensure that sulfur leaves the furnace as SO, rather than S,. This prevents
sulfur condensation in the gas cleaning system

most of the energy for smelting comes from oxidizing the concentrate charge. Additional
energy is provided by combusting (i) oil, gas, or coal fines blown through the vertical lance
and (ii) coal fines in the solid charge.

8.2 Feed Materials

Ausmelt/Isasmelt feed is moist concentrate, flux and recycle materials, sometimes

pelletized, Table 8.2. Drying of the feed is not necessary because the smelting reactions
take place in the matteislag bath rather than above it. Moist feed also decreases dust
evolution.

Oxygen enrichment of the air blown into an Ausmelt/Isasmelt furnace is standard practice.
The 'blast' typically contains 50 to 60 volume% 02, 02 levels higher than this tend to
cause excessive lance wear.

Because of (i) this upper limit on 02, enrichment and (ii) the presence of moisture in the
solid feed, autothermal operation is usually not achieved. Instead, hydrocarbon fuel is
added. Ausmelt/Isasmelt furnaces are designed to use natural gas, oil and coal. A cool lance
tip is important for reducing lance wear. As a result, coal is often added to the feed as a
partial substitute for flammable fuel oil and natural gas (Binegar, 1995).

8.3 The Isasmelt Furnace And Lance (Isasmelt Technology, 2002)

Figure 8.1 shows an Isasmelt furnace. It is a vertically aligned steel barrel, -3.5 m in
diameter and -12 m high. Depending on size, it smelts up to 3000 tonnes of concentrate per
day. It is lined inside with chrome-magnesite refractory, sometimes backed with copper
watercooling blocks, Table 8.1. Its roof consists of water-cooled copper slabs or steel
panels (Binegar, 1995).

Figure 8.2 shows an Isasmelt lance. It consists of a stainless steel outer pipe (up

to 0.5 m diameter) for oxygen-enriched air and a steel inner pipe for oil or natural gas.
The outer pipe is normally immersed about 0.3 m into the furnace slag. The inner pipe
ends about 1 m above the slag surface
Fig. 8.1. Cutaway view of Isasmelt furnace, 2001. A furnace is typically -3.5 m diameter and 12 m
high. It smelts up to 3000 tonnes of new concentrate per day. The outside of the furnace is often
watercooled with copper cooling blocks. The main product of the hmace is a mixture of molten
matte and slag, which is sent to an electric or gas- fired matteklag separation furnace.
Fig. 8.2. Sketch of Isasmelt lance tip. Vanes for swirling blast down the lance tip are shown. The
swirling gives rapid heat transfer from lance to blast, causing a protective layer of slag to freeze on
the outside of the lance tip (Solnordal and Gray, 1996).
The lance tip is cooled by swirling the enriched air 'blast' in the annulus between the pipes.
The swirled gas extracts heat from the outside pipe and causes a protective slag layer to
freeze on the pipe surfaces. Helical swirl vanes in the annulus are used to create this effect,
Fig. 8.2.

Despite this, the immersed lance tip slowly erodes away. The lance is lowered to
compensate for this erosion. It is removed and replaced when -1 m has eroded - about every
week (Binegar, 1995). The used lances are refurbished for re-use by welding a new 1 m
section of outside pipe to the bottom tip. Lance wear is minimized by avoiding excessive
immersion and %O,-in-blast

8.4 SmeltingMechanisms

Ausmelt/Isasmelt smelting is different from flash smelting in that the smelting reactions
take place primarily in the bath rather than above the melt. As a result, the reaction
sequence is different. It is commonly believed that dissolved magnetite in the slag serves as
a catalyst of sorts for the overall process (Binegar, 1995; Mounsey et al., 1999). Mounsey
et al., list the reaction sequencc as follows:

As a result, the presence of about 5% magnetite in the slag is important (Binegar, 1995).
This requires a low bath temperature (1150-1200C) and low silica/iron ratio(0.7-0.8 for
Isasmelt,0.6-0.7 for Ausmelt )

Impurity elimination

Player (1996) reports impurity elimination into slag and offgas during Isasmelt smelting as:
91%As,85%Cd,75%Bi,68%Zn,60%Sb,60%TI,45%Pb,and 30% Te. Elimination of As, Bi,
Pb, and Sb is encouraged by decreasing oxygen enrichment. Offgas solids are recycled to
the smelting furnace for Cu recovery, so they are not usually an escape route for impurities
8.5 Startup and Shutdown

Smelting is started by:

. (a) preheating the furnace

. (b) slowlychargingabout2mofsolidslagpieces

. (c) melting the slag, using the lance as an oxy-fuel burner

. (d) immersing the smelting lance in the molten slag

. (e) beginning normal concentrate smelting.

At least one day is required. Smelting is terminated by stopping the solid feed, draining the
furnace and turning off the lance. The furnace is then allowed to cool at its natural rate.

Steady operation consists of continuous feeding of solid charge through the roof feed port
and continuous blowing of oxygen-enriched air into the molten bath. The furnace is
computer controlled to give a specified concentrate smelting rate while producing matte
and slag of desired composition and temperature. Matteislag temperature is sensed by
thermocouples embedded in the furnace walls. It is controlled by adjusting the rate at which
fossil fuel is supplied through the lance.

Matte and slag compositions are determined by X-ray fluorescence analysis of samples
from each matteislag tap. The compositions are controlled by adjusting the furnaces 02/
concentrate and fluxiconcentrate input ratios.

8.6 Current Installations

Ausmelt and Isasmelt have been active in commercializing their technology over the past
ten years. This has resulted in several new installations. Ausmelts installations include
(Ausmelt Commercial Operations, 2002):

. (a) a smelter for Cu/Ni leach residue operated by Anglo American in Bidura, Zimbabwe
(1996)

. (b) a lead smelter converted to copper matte production for Consolidated Goldfields in
Tsumeb, Namibia (1996)

. (c) the Zhong Tiao Shan Cu smelting and converting facility in Houma, China (1 999)

. (d) a smelter to be operated by Anhui Tongdu Copperin Tongling,China (startup, 2002).

Isasmelts copper processing installations include (Isasmelt Installations, 2002):

(a) Mt. Isa smelter, Mt. Isa, Queensland, Australia (1992) (b)
PhelpsDodgesmelter,Miami,Arizona,USA(1992)