Claims
- 1. A copper smelting process comprising the steps of:
- providing a blister copper-producing means, a plurality of anode furnaces and blister copper launder means for connecting said blister copper-producing means and said anode furnaces;
- producing blister copper in said blister copper-producing means;
- subsequently causing said blister copper produced in said blister copper-producing means to flow from said blister copper-producing means directly through said blister copper launder means and into one of said anode furnaces; and
- refining said blister copper into copper of higher purity in said anode furnace.
- 2. The process as recited in claim 1, wherein said refining step includes the steps of:
- receiving the blister copper tapping through said blister copper launder means in said anode furnace;
- oxidizing the blister copper in said anode furnace by blowing oxidizing gas into said anode furnace;
- subsequently reducing the oxidized copper in said anode furnace into the copper of higher purity; and
- subsequently discharging said copper of higher purity from said anode 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 anode furnace includes a furnace body supported rotatably 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 anode 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 |
|
2-314682 |
Nov 1990 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/795,335, filed on Nov. 20, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,527.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1190751 |
Jul 1985 |
CAX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
795335 |
Nov 1991 |
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