The evolution of copper smelting practices in the last four decades

Carlos Daz CIM-ICM 2008-2009 Lecture

Typical Cu concentrate
CuFeS2, Cu5FeS4, Cu2S, FeS2 Rock minerals - SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, Fe3O4, etc. Precious metals Au, Ag Impurities Pb, Zn, As, Sb, Bi, etc.

Pyrometallurgical processing of Cu concentrate

Progressive oxidation of S to SO2 and of Fe to FeO and Fe3O4 usually conducted in two stages (smelting, converting). The SO2 is normally captured as sulfuric acid. The iron oxides and the rock components of the concentrate are collected as molten slag. The product of smelting is matte. The product of converting is blister copper.

Copper smelting in the early 1970s

Reverb furnace Peirce-Smith converter dominant technology in the Americas, Africa, USSR.

Reverb Furnace

Peirce-Smith Converter

Copper smelting in the early 1970s

Outokumpu flash smelting adopted in Japan and Western Europe (1960s 1970s) Noranda (1973), Mitsubishi (1974), El Teniente (1977), Vanyukov (1977) bath smelting processes commercialized

Outokumpu Flash Furnace

Noranda Reactor

Features of new processes

Use of oxygen-enriched air or just tonnage oxygen as reacting gas. Utilization of the heat of reaction of the sulfide minerals of the feed. High specific smelting rates. High grade matte (60-70% Cu). Low-volume, strong off-gas streams.

The Americas (early 1970s)

31 smelters over 50% of western world copper smelter production. 16 USA smelters - producing half of this copper; capturing less than 20% sulfur input as acid. 1971 EPA regulation - 90% sulfur capture.

USA smelter environmental clean up Phase 1 (1970s)

Retaining reverb for primary smelting. Capturing particulates from process gas streams. Processing converter gas in acid plants. Erecting tall stacks for dispersing reverb off-gas. Curtailing production under adverse meteorological conditions.

USA smelter environmental clean up Phase 1 (1970s)

Sulfur capture 60% input

The oil price factor

USA smelter environmental clean up Phase II (1980s)

Substitution of new technologies for reverbs - Modernized plants had bigger capacity. Closing of plants that did not justify modernization 8 smelters in 1987.

USA smelter environmental clean up Phase II (1980s)

90% sulfur capture achieved

Elsewhere in the Americas I

Chile Teniente Converter adopted by Codelco/Enami. Strict environmental standards imposed in the 1990s.

Elsewhere in the Americas II

Canada Inco oxygen flash smelting commissioned in 1952. Noranda Reactor commercialized in 1973. Kidd Creek adopted Mitsubishi process (1981) Countdown acid rain program mandated substantial reductions in smelter emissions by 1994.

Elsewhere in the Americas III

Outokumpu technology adopted by new smelters in Brazil (Caraiba) and Mexico (La Caridad).

Copper smelting landscape in early 1990s

Proven energy efficient and environmentally sound flash and bath smelting routes. One proven continuous converting process. Over 90% of smelter sulfur input captured in important copper producing regions of the world. Copper smelter CO2 emissions dramatically reduced. R&D focused now on increasing process intensity and smelter productivity.

A new industry standard

Processing over ONE MILLION tonnes of copper concentrate per year through one single smelting furnace

Outokumpu flash smelting

High O2 enrichment of the reaction gas. Improved solids feed system and burner design. Water-cooling protection of furnace integrity. Advances in process modeling and control. Higher operating factor.

Toyo smelter Furnace capacity increase

Oxygen enrichment of reacting gas, vol% Dry concentrate feed rate, tonnes/day Matte grade, Cu % Dusting rate, weight % of DSC

1980 21 1,000 52.1 10

1989 29 1,600 59.5 5.5

2003 50-60 2,450 65 3-4

2006 73 3,600

The secret of Toyos success

Focused, long term (still on-going) program carried out by researchers and operators in close cooperation. Continuous validation and revision of in-house burner mathematical model against pilot plant and commercial furnace data (SzekellyJorgensen principle).

TSL technology

TSL Isasmelt, Ausmelt

High intensity. Versatile - wide temperature and pO2 ranges; wet/dry, fine/coarse feed.

Isasmelt
Commercialized in 1992. Fast increase of annual furnace smelting capacity, reaching ONE MILLION tonnes of concentrate in less than 10 years. Ilo (Peru) Sixth smelter to adopt the technology.

The secret of Isasmelts success

Improvements in process control, achieved over more than 13 years of operation at Mount Isa, have resulted in a highly advanced control system that ensures that refractory wear is minimized. This sort of development can only be achieved over many years in an operations environment

Converting
Two new continuous converting processes commercialized KennecottOutokumpu (1995); Noranda Continuous Converting (1997). Peirce-Smith Converter still dominant technology.

Commercial continuous converters

Mitsubishi Converter Noranda converter

Flash converter

TSL continuous converting

Ausmelt and Isasmelt have been developing copper continuous converting processes, C3 and ISACONVERT respectively. The feed consists of granulated matte. First ISACONVERT vessel will start up in the Mufulira Smelter in 2009 . Both C3 and ISACONVERT allow decoupling of smelting from converting.

Modern Peirce-Smith converting

Highly intensive, versatile pyrometallurgical reactor. High productivity. Substantially reduced secondary emissions. Steady, low-volume, strong gas fed to acid plants.

Evolution of the industry

Substantial increase of smelter capacity. Radical changes in world distribution of copper smelter production.

World's largest copper smelters since 1900

Proportion of world copper smelter output vs. smelter size, 1975-2005

Smelter copper output 1960-2006 USA, Canada, Chile, Japan, Western Europe, China
(The output for each country is represented by the width of its coloured band) 9000 8000 Smelter output, kt per year 7000 6000 5000 4000 Japan 3000 2000 1000 0 Chile Canada USA Western Europe China

96

99

72

75

60

63

66

69

78

84

81

87

90

93

02 20

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

Year

19

19

19

19

19

20

05

Copper smelters in the 1960s

Caletones Smelter, Chile

Noranda Horne Smelter

Trend in SO2 fixation 1960-2006

The present
Copper smelting is close to achieving the status of sustainable technology; more work remains to be done.

An interesting and important lesson

The most significant advances have been achieved with researchers and operators working in close co-operation.

Future technology trends - I

Size of smelters will increase further; expected average plant size ~300,000 tpy copper. Proportion of large custom smelters will also increase. Flash smelting and TSL will compete for additional territory.

Future technology trends - II

New green-field smelters and probably expanded/modernized smelters will incorporate continuous converting. However, the Peirce-Smith converter will continue having and important place in copper smelters.

Future technology trends - III

The 400 tonne anode furnace and 100 tph twin-wheel anode caster will become standard; inroads will be made towards continuous anode refining. Advanced process control and automation will be introduced in all areas of the smelter.

Future technology trends - IV

Average world SO2 capture will exceed 95%. Physico-chemical models to predict impurity behavior and control will be perfected.

Future technology trends - V

Pyrometallurgical processes will continue having an important place in the production of copper from sulfide feeds in the foreseeable future.

Acknowledgements
Dr. Phillip Mackey The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Atlas Copco The University of British Columbia The Vancouver CIM Branch