CA1115515A - Cupola furnace to enable continuous smelting and refining of cement copper and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

CONTINUOUS SMELTING AND
REFINING OF CEMENT COPPER

Abstract of the Disclosure Use of a shaft kiln in continous smelting and refining of cement copper is made possible with a mix preheater, a re-fined gas preheater, an air preheater, an air mix feeder and forehearths for cement oxidation and reduction, and wherein oxidation is achieved by injecting oxidant gases and reduction by injecting preheated petroleum gas, subsequent to having placed a layer of charcoal on the smelt.

Description

The present invention relates to a novel shaft kiln and a method of continuously smelting and refining cement copper therein and in related e~uipment.
The shaft kiln of one aspect of this invention comprises an upper gas chamber, and an intermediate stack zone including coke charging means, a lower hearth zone including tuyeres for air injection, means for preheating charge with sensible heat from the upper gas chamber, pneumatic charge injection means adapted to inject said preheated charge into the intermediate zone, gas off-take means in communication with the gas chamber, and heat exchange means within the gas off-take means.
In operation, cement copper is mixed with fluxes and preheated in the preheater, and then injected with a heated gas into the shaft kiln containing hot coke at the level of highest temperature, to effect rapid melting without dusting losses and formation of metal and slag phases, oxidizing the copper to purify it, and then treating the metal with a reducing agent, to produce high purity copper.
The present invention, in another aspect, is directed to a method for obtaining metallic copper with a purity of 99.9%
by direct fire smelting and refining of cement copper in a specially designed shaft kiln in a single, continuous operation.
The present invention is advantageously employed in conjunction with the continuous, high-puxity process for producing granular cement copper described in U.S. Patent No. 3,874,94~, assigned to the same assignee as the instant application.
The shaft kiln is a vertical furnace traditionally used for smelting iron, scrap iron or pig iron, and which is provided with nozzles or tuyeres at its lower end. It ~5S~S

uses metallurgical coke as fuel and its interior carries a lining of refractory material. Such a kiln has three main parts:
~a) The lower section o~r hearth of the kiln, where the smelt metal descending from the charge in the shaft is collected. This part is provided with a lower outlet or tap to allow outflow o~ the melt.
(b) The intermediate section, situated immediately above the hearth is the area of the kiln exhibiting the highest temperature, and at its lower end are the tuyeres and wind boxes, through which air is blown in.
(c) The highest section of the kiln, above the mid-section, is where the loading gates or chutes are situated to receive the ore, coke, and flux.
In order to smelt metal, the shaft kiln uses the heat irradiated by an incandescent coke column that is permeable to gases. It is pro~ided with combustion igni- ~
tion and maintaining systems, and air is blown in through -;
the tuyeres. Coke and iron scrap or whatever are loaded ~0 through the charging gates in alternate layers that descend progressively to the intermediate section to Lhe extent that the fuel is consumed, and the metal completes smeltin~
at this area of higher temperature. The smelt metal drips through the incandescent coke and deposits itself on the ~5 hearth.
It is impossible to sme~t cement copper in a conven-tional shaft kiln, because on loading the cement through the upper gates, it is drawn by the gas current originating in the combustion zone and blown out of the furnace. Nor is it possible to load intermi~tently significant amounts ~ .

5~5 of cement, because its fine granulation obstructs the permeabil-ity of the incandescent column, causing the kiln to extinguish.
Although in theory briguetted cement copper could be loaded alternatively with the coke, in practice this is not practical because the added cost of manufacturing briguettes raises costs on non-commercial levels.
The present invention provides for loading the cement mixed with flux directly to the intermediate section of the shaft kiln, avoiding the indicated inconveniences of loading through the upper gates, and without obstructing the normal operation of the kiln. To this effect, specific improvements on the conventional shaft kiln have been designed, enabling cement copper smelting and refining to be carried out in a continuous process.
A general object of the present invention is to provide an improved shaft kiln for smelting and refining of cement copper.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for smelting and refining of cement copper.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method for the continuous fire refining of cement copper.
The present invention in one aspect, as claimed in Canadian Application No. 281,396 (of which the present application is a divisional) provides a method of refining cement copper com-prlslng:
mixing cement copper with desired fluxes and preheating the mixture;
injecting the mixture with a heated gas into an oxidizing shaft kiln at the level of highest temperature, to effect rapid melting of said mixture without significant dust-.~

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ing losses and the formation of molten metal and slay phases;
oxidizing said metal phase to drive impurities into said slag;
removing said slag and covering said metal with a reductant; .
treating said metal with a reducing agent to produce a copper of high purity; and recovering said copper.
The invention further provides the method of substanti-ally continuously refining cement copper comprising:
maintaining a column of incandescent coke in an oxidiz-ing shaft kiln;
continuously charging a preheated mixture of cement copper and desired fluxes into the hottest portion of said column by injection with a heated gas; ~ -collecting molten metal and slag phases in a hearth of said kiln and transferring said phases to a forehearth;
oxidizing said metal to dr.ive impurities into said slag;
replacing said slag with a reductant;
treating said metal with a heated hydrocarbon gas to produce a copper of high purity; and recovering said copper.
This method is likewise claimed in the aforesaid ~:
Canadian Application No. 281,396.
Various other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description of embodiments, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in connection with the appended claims.
Reference will hereinafter be made to the accompanying drawingsj wherein:

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FIGURE 1 is a side ele~ation view, partly in section, of a shaft kiln in accordance with the invention;
FI~URE 2 is a side elevation ~iew, partly in section, of the forehearth used in conjunction with the shaft kiln of FI~.URE l; and FIGURE 3 is an end elevation of FIGURE 2.

A5 shown in FIG. 1, the invention contemplates supp-lementing a con~entional kiln 10 with a mix preheater 12 having a metal tray 14 that is placed in the upper part and over the kiln 10. This tray is indirectly heated by the as-cending stream of hot gases produced by combustion inside the kiln. Combustion gases flow through an oblique lateral shaft 16 protruding out the side of the kiln, immediately unde- the base of tray 14. Coke is loaded through a gate 18 situated on the side of the kiln, i~mediately under the upper gas chamber 20, from where the oblique shaft 16 ori-ginates.
Cement copper and fluxes are loaded onto the tray 14 through hopper 13. The mix is homogenized by means of a mixing pallet or rabble 22 propelled by a conventional motor located in the box 24. Tests ha~e shown that the mix reaches a suitable temperature in the preheater for the purpose of this invention as described hereinbelow. The mix is u~loaded continuously through the down pipe 26 into the hopper of an air feeder 30 upon being pushed therein by the mixing pallet 22.
Air mix feeder 30 comprises the receiving hopper 28 into which the mix drops from the tray 14 through the down pipe 26, and has a conical base connected to the pipe 32 ~l~S5~

that penetrates into th~ inside of kiln 10. Hot air is carried by the pipe 32 and carries the mix that ~alls into the same tube from hopper 28. The location o feeder 30 is important, and should be about 45-50~ of the shaft height.
If the mix is fed too high, cement will be blown out; if the feeder is too low, unmelted cement will reach the ~ -hearth. The mix is dispersed in the column of incandescent coke and it smelts rapidly and drops in a liquid state in-to the kiln hearth, from which it continuously descends down the outlet 34 to the forehearth 36 situated directly ~ -under it.
Oblique lateral shaft 16 carries the outflow of com-bustion gases from the gas chamber 20 placed immediately under the metal tray 14. The shaft dimensions are conven-tionally established in relation to the characteristics of the kiln and it has an inclination of between 30 and 45, to facilitate collection of any fines therein and their return to the shaft by gravity, or removal throu~h gate 17.
To effect the heating of air blown into the air feeder through the tube 32, a coil 38 is set up inside the sha~t 16, the dimensions of which are determined conventio-nally under the specifications for the desirèd operation.
Air is blown in by means of a conventional compressor (not shown) ~hrough a pipe 40, heated in the coil 38 by the latent heat of gases leaving through the shaft 16, and carried hot by pipe 32 to air feeder 30. A second coil 42 is placed inside shaft 16 to heat the previously-gasified liquified petroleum gas ~plied under pressure through pipe 44. The dimensions of the coil axe determined con-,: , .

- ~3L1S5~5 ventionally under the speci~ications of the desired opera-tion. The hot natural gas leaves under pressure through pipe 46 and is carried by conventional means to the fore-hearth 36 for use in reducing the metal. The gas is heated in order to secure a more effective reduction in the fore-hearth.
As shown in FIGURE 2, forehearth 36 comprises conven-tional dumping containers, internally lined with refractory material 47 and provided with conventional displacement means. ~ conventiona} burner 48 is provided on one of the walls to maintain the bath temperature. A lid 50 internally lined with refractory matexial is provided with a conven-tional gas outlet 52. The forehearth is provided with a drop hole 54, through which the smelted metal coming down the slag tap 34 of the furnace drops, and a tapping hole 56.
Forehearths 36 are dumpable for dumping the already refined copper into molds, and are displaceable so that they may be alternated among each other to receive smelted metal from the kiln and likewise in the refiningprocess that is carried out in the forehearth itself. FIG~ 2 also depicts the other common elements of displaceable dumping containers, such as burner hoses, chassis, wheels, dumping shaft, handle and so forth. FIG. 3 is an end ~iew of the forehearth that best illustrates the foregoing.
In accordance with the invention, cont~ ~us smel~
ting and refining are carried out as follows: The kiln is ignited by conventional methods until it reaches operating - temperature, coke being loaded via the loading gate 18.
Loading of cement and flux is started on the tray 14 to preheat them. The mixing pallet 22 homogenizes the mix, ~..

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~1~55~5 that drops down the pipe 26 to reach the air feeder 30.
Air is compressed by the c~mpressor, carried by pipe 40 and preheatea in the coil 38, wherefrom it reaches the air feeder through pipe 32 to enter into injectox 30, that simul-taneously receives the mix from the hopper 28. The cement - and flux mix is in-blown under pressure together with air through the tube in the intermediate section of the fur-nace, that is the one having the highest temperature in the incandescent coke column that drops inside the fur-nace. Experiments carried out indicate that intimate con-tact of the copper cement with the incandescent coke ef-fects the first reducing phase that eliminates the super-ficial oxide from the cement, thereby enabling easy smel-ting of the metal and minimum loss of fines caused by lS the furnace gas current. In the event of very fine or very old cements, which implies excess oxide, a reducing agent (fine coal, for instance) is added to the mix at the tray 14.
The cement drops in the incandescent coke column,

2~ smelts and falls as liquid metal onto the hearth of the ~;
kiln. Experience indicates that on passing in front of tuyeres 58 of the furnace, the metal undergoes its firs~
oxidation, therefore the refining process commences in the same urnace in a primary way. The smelted copper reaches the bottom of the hearth, where tapping is carried out continuously with an open tap hole. On leaving the tap hole, contact of liquid copper with the atmosphere con-tinues, and the oxidation xeaction staxted in passing in front of the tuyeres continues.

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The liquid ~etal and the slag fall in the forehearth through the drop hole 34. The bath temperature at the fore-hearth is maintained by activating the burner 48. Once copper has been accumulated to the extent o~ 1/4 of the total capacity of the forehearth, oxidation of the copper begins. To effect this, the injection nozæle 60 is connec-ted to a hose blowing i~ air, oxygen, or conventional mix-ture of the two, thereby originating direct oxidation, con trolled under conventional techniques, of the remaining impurities of the metal. The main impurity is iron, and this is captured in the oxidation process by the slag to form silicates. Progress of the oxidation process is deter-mined by sample ~acture, according to techniques known to experts, and by conducting periodic flushing to elimi-nate impurities. In the bath, the liquid copper and the slag are separated by the difference of specific graVity~
as known in the art.
Once the forehearth has been filled, it is with-drawn from the furnace and replaced by another that con-tinues to receive the li~uid metal from the kiln. All of the slag is removed from the oxidized bath in the fore-hearth, and a charcoal laye~ is added. Subsequently, a conventional injection nozzle is introduced, connected to the pipe 46 through which the reduction gas flows under pressure. This is oracked at 800C. in the coil 42.
Partial cracking of the gas is featured by the short and brilliant rlame it reflects, as known to the experts in the art, and w~ich IS necessary for the reduc-tion phase that is carried out in the forehearth. This is the final phase o the process accordtng to the invention, ;S15 and its duration is controlled by conventior.al sample fractures.

Once the reduction phase is completed, the copper is refined and it is then cast on molds in the ordin2ry fashion.
The forehearth is then ~ree to return the kiln and, there-fore, start a new cycle.

EXAMPLES
During a first phase, tests are carried out to obtain an experimental verification o~ the smelting process of copper in a shaft ~iln, adjust the operation and optimize operating parameters. Only limited loads of copper cement were used, because only one forehearth to receive the smel-ted copper was available. The follo~ing are typical values of this sequence:
Loads: 200 kg cement copper, 68 to 80% Cu and 8 to 12% Fe 26 kg SiO2 (13% of the cement load~ as flux 13 kg Na2CO3 (6.5% o~ the cement load) as flux The furnace operates at a conventional temperature of about 1300C., which is also maintained in the forehearth by burner 48. The charge preheater ~as ef~ec-tive to heat the charge to about 100-120C./ which was satisfactory. Air from coil 38 was preheàted to about 600 -700C.
Flows used were as follows:
cement injector air : 19 to 20 ft3/min pressure 2 kgr/cm2 oxidation air : 8 ft3/min liquified gas (L.P.G.~ : 0~33 kg/min l5~

preheating coke : 35 to 40 kg smeIting coke : 50 to 60 kg granulation of coke used : 100% between 2" ~ 3"
Times for phases carried out were:
loading smelting in kiln : 50 to 60 min oxidation in forehearth : 15 to 20 min In the series of tests carried out, reduction was accomplished with poling and gas, with and without pre-heating.
Times employed in each case are as follows:
- Poles = 35 to 45 min - Unheated gas = 30 to 45 min - Heated gas = 4 to 10 min It was possible to appreciate that on reducing with poles and unheated gas, the endothermic nature of the reac-tion rapidly cooled the bath. The case was different on reducing with preheated natural gas at approximately 800C, when it was observed that the bath did not cool off, but in fact increased its temperature. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the gas system must be purged of air before start-up to avoid explosion hazards.
Pilot experiences showed the following results:
Smeltin~ speed was 260 kg/hour of total load. With fresh, high purity cement copper, this smelting speed may repre-sent 220 kg/hour or more of ine copper. Coke rate was 22 to 25% of the total load.
This figure is for the pilot equipment, and a lower coke rate would be expected in an industrial facility. This consumption figure does not include preheating coke for the bed, as this is a fixed qua~ti~y.

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~5S15 , Copper of 99.9% purity ~as obtained in a consistent fashion.
Through mass balances, it ~as been determined that the highest loss was 5% of ~he copper loaded. This fisure S may be considered as maximum, 'nasmuch as there are frac-tions of the copper obtained that remain embedded in the lining or in splashes that are hard to detect and that, because they represent small volumes peculiar to a pilot operation, have a greater incidence than they would in an industrial operation.
Various chan~es in the details, steps, materials and arrangements of parts, which have been herein des-cribed and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art, within the principle and scope of the invention as defined n ~he appended claims.

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Claims (8)

B/1009.04 The embodiments of the invention in which an exclu-sive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows;

1. A shaft kiln comprising:
an upper gas chamber;
an intermediate stack zone including coke-charging means;
a lower hearth zone including air-injecting tuyeres;
charge preheating means utilizing sensible heat from said upper gas chamber;
pneumatic charge injection means adapted to inject said preheated charge into said intermediate zone;
gas off-take means in communication with said gas chamber; and heat exchange means within said off-take means.

2. The shaft kiln as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said charge preheating means comprises:
a charge tray in indirect heat exchange relation with said gas chamber;
means for agitating and homogenizing said charge on said tray; and gravity means for transporting preheated charge to said injector.

3. The shaft kiln as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said charge injecting means comprises:
a source of compressed air in communication with said heat exchange means;
an air-powered charge injector;

means for transporting preheated charge from said preheating means to said injector; and means for transporting air from said heat exchange means to said injector.

4. The shaft kiln as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said off-take means is inclined at an angle between 30° and 45°
from the horizontal plane.

5. The shaft kiln as claimed in Claim 1, and addition-ally comprising:
a forehearth adapted to receive metal and slag from said hearth zone;
charging and tapping holes in said forehearth;
burner means for maintaining metal at a desired temperature within said forehearth; and fluid injection means.

6. The shaft kiln as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said forehearth is moveable.

7. The shaft kiln as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said fluid injection means comprises:
a source of fluid in communication with said heat exchange means;
a fluid injector nozzle in communication with the interior of said forehearth; and means connecting said heat exchange means with said nozzle.

8. The shaft kiln as claimed in claim 3, wherein said charge injecting means is located at a point between 45% and 50% of the height of said kiln.