Ausmelt’s top submerged lance technology applied to copper smelting

Abstract

Ausmelt has developed a process that allows the production of blister copper from copper concentrates, using either one or two furnaces depending on the scale of the operation.

Ausmelt’s top submerged lance technology has been applied to numerous smelting processes including the recovery of most non-ferrous metals, and iron production. Based on its revolutionary top entry submerged lance, the application of Ausmelt technology to the production of blister copper introduces significant advantages in capital and operating costs, and in the environmental, safety and hygiene aspects of smelting.

The flexibility of the Ausmelt furnace system allows it to operate on a batchwise or continuous basis, depending on the scale of the operation. The capital cost savings and ability to operate in batch mode, allow operations using the Ausmelt process to become potentially economic projects at small scales. Continuous operation is generally applicable at larger scales.

The Ausmelt furnace system can also process complex copper concentrates to produce blister copper with low impurity levels, that will meet the requirements of a refinery.

This paper provides an illustration of Ausmelt technology applied to a hypothetical copper smelting operation, outlining the process route, the capital cost, operating requirements and other potential advantages available using this revolutionary technology.