JSC “Proizvodstvo polimetallov”, subsidiary of JSC “Uralelectromed”, Kirovgrad, Russia:

O. G. Bernyaev, Head of Industrial-Technical Department

M. V. Lobatsevich, Deputy Head of Industrial-Technical Department

Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Ekaterinburg, Russia:

G. V. Skopov, Professor, e-mail: skopov@ugmk.com

This article describes the sequence of changes of copper rich materials processing technology in metallurgical aggregates (units) of former Kalatinsky copper-smelting plant (nowadays — JSC “Proizvodstvo polimetallov”, the branch of JSC “Uralelektromed”). The enterprise was radically redesigned in 1960-s: the share of secondary raw material in the burden for shaft furnaces and converters was significantly increased. Low-grade matte from reverberatory furnace was used for processing of rich scrap in converters. After closure of reverberatory furnace due to environmental reasons and considerable decrease in rich scrap supply, the enterprise faced the raw material shortage and necessity to develop the processing technology for waste materials and intermediates of various metallurgical productions (cakes, slimes, metallurgical dust and zinc production clinker). The article also summarizes the results of industrial tests by blast smelting technology of secondary raw materials, scrap and intermediates of metallurgical productions with oxygen blasting, enriched up to 25–26% and heated up to 400 ^oС. Experiments were carried out on three shaft furnaces with the lance area of 8.35 m² each. Oxygen gas was obtained by gasification of liquid oxygen on equipment of JSC “Linde Uraltekhgaz”, with capacity of up to 60 tons of oxygen per day. The results showed an increase in the furnaces capacity by 4.7% (rel.), coke rate decrease by 17.8% (rel.), reduction of low pressure air flow by 14.7% (rel.), and increase of zinc production clinker processability by 150% (rel). The influence of oxygen enrichment degree was shown on the quality and output of zinc oxide. Drawbacks of oxygen gasification equipment at low ambient temperatures were revealed.

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