Claims
- 1. A copper smelting process comprising the steps of:
- providing a matte-producing means, a converting furnace, a plurality of blister copper refining furnaces and blister copper launder means for connecting said converting furnace and said blister copper refining furnaces and for transferring blister copper from said converting furnace to said blister copper refining furnace;
- producing matte in said matte-producing means and oxidizing said matte produced in said matte producing means into blister copper in said converting furnace;
- subsequently causing said blister copper produced in said converting furnace to flow through said blister copper launder means into one of said blister copper refining furnaces; and
- refining said blister copper into copper of higher purity in said blister copper refining furnaces.
- 2. The process as recited in claim 1, wherein said refining step includes the steps of:
- receiving the blister copper through said blister copper launder means in said blister copper refining furnace;
- oxidizing the blister copper in said blister copper refining furnace by blowing oxidizing gas into said blister copper refining furnace;
- subsequently reducing the oxidized copper in said blister copper refining furnace into the copper of higher purity; and
- subsequently discharging said copper of higher quality from said blister copper refining furnace; and
- wherein said blister copper receiving step and said oxidizing step are carried out at least partly in an overlapping fashion.
- 3. The process as recited in claim 2, wherein said blister copper refining furnace includes a furnace body supported retatably about an axis thereof with said axis being arranged horizontally, said furnace body including a tuyere opening thereinto, and wherein said oxidizing step includes blowing said oxidizing gas into said anode furnace while adjusting a depth of said tuyere from a melt surface in said blister copper refining furnace by rotating said furnace body.
- 4. The process as recited in claim 2, wherein said oxidizing gas is composed of oxygen-enriched air.
Priority Claims (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2-314671 |
Nov 1990 |
JPX |
|
2-314675 |
Nov 1990 |
JPX |
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2-314682 |
Nov 1990 |
JPX |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part of our application Ser. No. 07/795,335 filed Nov. 20, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5.217,527.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1190751 |
Jul 1985 |
CAX |
195046 |
Nov 1992 |
TWX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
C. R. Hayward, An Outline of Metallurgical Practice, pp. 24, 85-87 (D. Van Nostrand Co. 1964). |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
795335 |
Nov 1991 |
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