Copper Smelting - An Overview H. R. Traulsen, J. C. Taylor, and D. B. George

SUMMARY

Investment costs for copper smelter projects have Tlsen substantially in recent years, and there are a number of factors which must be taken into account when considering a new smelting facility or modernizing an existing operation.

Recent developments in copper smelting are reviewed with particular reference to the newer smelting processes. Cri­teria for process selection, the impact of oxygen enrichment, energy consumption, environmental controls, and investment costs are discussed.

INTRODUCTION

The International Symposium, sponsored by AIME in 1976, reviewed copper extraction and presented papers! on new processes which would meet the changing requirements of the copper industry. Since 1976 significant advances have been made in copper pyrometallurgy which merit reviewing with respect to the current requirements of the industry.

In the next decade pyrometallurgical operations, whether they be for copper, nickel, or lead, will have to meet cer­tain criteria to be cost effective and accepted by regulatory agencies. They must:

• be energy efficient; • have low labor requirements; • be capable of meeting strict internal and ~xternal environ­mental requirements; • be sufficiently flexible to handle relatively dirty concentrates; • be amenable to the recovery of by-products; and • make efficient use of the capital invested.

Over the next 10 years, companies initiating new smelter projects will adopt processes which meet the majority of the above criteria. Older smelters will require extensive revisions to upgrade their facilities in order to meet at least the first three requirements. In the case of plants without significant environmental control equipment, retrofitting of new technology is probably not an efficient use of capital when compared with construction of a greenfield smelter. Where sulfur fixing equipment is avail­able, a plant retrofit may be more feasible such as at Asarco's Hayden smelter, the Chino Mines Company smelter at Hurley (a Kennecott-Mitsubishi joint venture), and the Phelps-Dodge Morenci facility.

TECHNICAL FACTORS AFFECTING PROCESS SELECTION

The principal factor governing any smelter project is the overall economics. In reviewing the processes suitable for a project, concentrate mineralogy, analysis, and the plant site are significant factors in process selection. However, the criteria outlined previously must be considered and will have an important impact on the final process selec­tion decision.

Energy Requirements

In a recent report prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy,2 the energy requirements for various copper

JOURNAL OF METALS· August 1982

Table I: Energy Use in Production of Cathode Copper,2 million Btult Cathode Copper

Category Smelting

Older proven processes

Newer proven processes

New unproven

Process

Conventional reverber­atory and electrical furnace

Flash smelting

Continuous smelting

Oxy-fuel reverberatory

Top-blown rotary converter

processes Various

Hydrometallurgy Various

Range

30 - 44

19 - 21

20 - 24

29

24

20 - 23

24 - 75

processes were evaluated (summarized in Table Il. Diffi­culties in this type of comparison are that, in practice, the various forms of energy are not always directly interchange­able and the lowest energy consumption process is not always the lowest energy cost process.

Based on the Department of Energy study, hydrometal­lurgical processes will have difficulty competing with the lower energy consumption of the newer pyrometallurgical processes.

Older, established processes, such as the reverberatory and possibly the oxy-fuel reverberatory, are less attractive from several points of view when considering a new smelter for the future. The use of coal, shredded tires (as is done in Japan), and oxy-fuel burners will assist the operating eco­nomics of such smelters but cannot be considered attrac­tive long-term alternatives to a new plant. The energy requirements are higher for older, traditional processes than for those shown for the newer processes and it is doubtful they can meet the requirements for low labor and stricter environmental controls. Both labor and environ­mental controls are significant cost items and, in conjunc­tion with energy costs, significant factors in the process selection.

Electric furnace technology has found application in sev­eral areas of the world having low electric power costs. Oxygen-based smelting processes, in which oxygen is pro­duced by electric power, have lower power costs than elec­tric smelting processes. The future for electric smelting will likely be for application where special metallurgical considerations dominate the process selection decision.

The use of tonnage oxygen is now a practical method of reducing overall energy costs and increasing production. Oxy-fuel burners could well be applicable in a retrofit situation where a lower investment cost is an important factor' however it is unlikely that they would be conSid­ered for a new' smelting complex. Similarly the sprinkle smelting type processes now under development by Phelps Dodge and Dravo and others are more suitable for a retro-

35

Table II: Cost Comparison: Oxygen Enrichment Versus Fuel Addition: ¢/lb of copper produced

Smelting Process Percent oxygen enrichment

Power required for oxygen production

Additional fuel oil required <Bunker C)

Coal added

Total cost of power and fuel added to smelting furnace

Matte grade % Cu

'Based on the following costs: Power ~ 3 .5~!kWh

Mitsubishi Continuous Smelter

at Naoshima5

30% 50%

0.27

1.56

0.09

1.92

65

0.86

0.57

0.09

1.52

65

Bunker C Oil ~ $225/metric ton Coal ~ $40.00/metric ton

Outokumpu Type, Flash Smelter

at Ashio6

21 Iff

o

2.66

2.66

48

411ff

0.48

0.37

0.85

60

Inco Type Flash Smelter

at Copper Cliff7 100%

0.44

o

0.44

50

Exclusions: (a) Power and fuel for drying furnace feed since all above processes require dry charge. (b) Power to operate blowers , furnace equipment, and ofTgas system since they do not represent an energy input to the smelting fu rnace itself.

fit project. Both approaches are directed towards improv­ing reverberatory furnace operation, and it is unlikely that they are practical for greenfield smelter project where emis­sions in the workplace, labor requirements, and operability are important considerations.

The top-blown rotary converter (TBRC) can now be con­sidered a proven process since the converter itself has been in operation in the ferrous and nonferrous industry for many years. The Afton smelter3 started up in March 1978 utilizes one TBRC to treat a high-grade copper concen­trate. More recently Boliden4 commissioned a copper TBRC at their Ronnskar smelter in Sweden. Although it has an energy consumption higher than flash smelting processes, the TBRC is a compact smelting unit which has a high degree of flexibility and can handle a relatively wide range of raw materials. This can be a decided advantage in cases where concentrates contain high levels of undesirable impu­rities. Further, the TBRC becomes more attractive for small capacity smelters or for incremental production increases in existing plants.

Oxygen Enrichment

The energy-efficient processes utilize oxygen enrichment to various degrees in order to fully utilize the fuel value contained in the concentrate and to reduce the volume and increase the S02 content of thp offgas. The use of tonnage oxygen in copper smelters has increased steadily since the 1950s and increasingly higher enrichment levels will be used in the future. It is interesting to note that, in spite of high power costs, the Japanese copper smelting industry is swinging over to oxygen enrichment.

Table II shows typical North American unit costs applied to published data on increased oxygen enrichment for three types of smelting furnace. A reduction in power and fuel costs, with increased oxygen enrichment, is shown. Depending on the cost of power, fuel, and the matte grade, there are advantages to using tonnage oxygen in most smelting operations. At power costs in the range of 5 -6¢lkWh, there are savings in the cost of energy to the smelting furnace by using oxygen enrichment. At higher power prices, the fuel-fired flash smelting processes probably retain some advantage, whereas in some of the other processes, the cost of savings will decrease.

Both the Outokumpu and the Mitsubishi process are operated so that additional fuel is required to make up heat deficiencies. Both processes have the potential to reduce the fossil fuel requirement by increasing the matte grade which means additional sulfur and iron have been oxi­dized. The Inco case is an example of high oxygen enrich­ment. As the level of enrichi11t:nt is increased in the other

36

flash processes, they will approach the case shown for the Inco furnace . The delivered cost for power and fossil fuel to a specific plant site, concentrate, and matte grades, can radically change the relationships shown in Table II.

There are additional cost savings resulting from the use of oxygen enrichment in the gas cleaning and sulfur fixa­tion systems. By excluding nitrogen from the system, the off gas volume is reduced and the S02 concentration increased, both of which contribute to reducing the capital and oper­ating costs of the gas treatment facilities. On the negative side, however, the lower offgas volume reduces the amount of waste heat stream which can be recovered which may be an important factor in certain cases. A number of smelters use this steam elsewhere in the process for direct turbine drive, the generation of power, or heating purposes.

All these factors have to be considered in the selection of the smelting process and the evaluation of the capital investment in a smelter project.

Environmental Considerations

Environmental regulations have received considerable attention in recent years and are still under review. Regard­less of the outcome of this review, it is certain that smelt­ers will not be allowed to return to the standards accepted in the 1950s and over the long term, most agree that regulations will become stricter.

Table III summarizes the ambient air regulations for various industrialized regions around the world.8 It is impos­sible to compare all the variations in environmental regu­lations due to differences in wording, methods of calculation, etc. The table does, however, indicate the level of control relative to the external environment which must be met by a smelter located in various industrialized areas around the world.

It is interesting to note that in Europe the Standard for Urban Areas allows a higher limit in the winter months and makes an allowance, up to three days, for exceptional conditions. In Canada, the Clean Air Act sets objectives which the federal government hopes the provinces will adopt as standards.

In some major copper-producing countries such as Chile, Peru, Zambia, and Zaire, pollution control regulations have not as yet, or just recently have been formulated. 8 Howev­er, for new projects in these areas it is quite possible that some degree of environmental control will be required. The government of Indonesia requires that new metallurgical plants meet S02 standards specified by a formula similar to that shown for Japan. However, when the value of K and the height of the stack are the only considerations, the standard is stricter than would be applicable in Japan. In

JOURNAL OF METALS· August 1982

both Indonesia and the Dominican Republic, emissions to the working environment are coming under closer scrutiny by government agencies, particularly with respect to dust control.

It is reasonable to expect that new smelters built in the future will be required to include some degree of environ­mental control , regardless of the area of the world where they are located.

provide conditions which attract and retain the skills and manpower necessary to ' efficiently operate a modern metal­lurgical complex. The pyrometallurgical industry is not particularly popular today and new plants which have recently come on line have experienced difficulty recruiting skilled personnel. Turnover in the smelter crew can be a cost factor, and it is worthwhile at the design stage to incorporate features which minimize this cost.9

A review of the major copper smelters in North America, Europe and Japan having sulfur fixation facilities indi­cates the following average percent sulfur fixation (see Table IV).

Some degree of environmental control is necessary to meet statutory regulations, but it is equally necessary to

Ladle transfer of molten material and the conventional Peirce-Smith converters are two major emission sources which must be controlled.9 They are also the most difficult to control satisfactorily. In Japan, smelters such as Hibi Tamano and ToyolO have achieved high levels of emission control through the use of double hoods, covered ladle pits,

Table III: Summary of Air Pollution Control Regulations Affecting Copper Smelters

Country and Standard

UNITED STATES Federal Ambient Air:

(a) Primary standard

(b) Secondary standard

New source performance standards for copper, zinc, and lead smelters

CANADA Clean Air Act-objectives:

(a) Maximum desirable

(b) Maximum acceptable

(c) Maximum tolerable

JAPAN National Ambient Air Quality Standard

Individual Source Standard

INDONESIA Individual Source Criteria

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY Standard for Urban Areas

WEST GERMANY

Basis of Determining Compliance

Annual arithmetic mean Annual geometric mean of 24-h concentrations Maximum 24-h concentration, permissible

once per year

Annual arithmetic mean Annual geometric mean of 24-h concentrations Maximum 24-h concentration of 24-h

concentrations Maximum 3-h concentration, permissible

once per year

Maximum permissible S02, emission For copper smelters

Annual arithmetic mean Annual geometric mean Average 24-h concentration Average 1-h concentration

Annual arithmetic mean Annual geometric mean Average 24-h concentration Average 1-h concentration

Average 24-h concentration

Hourly concentrations averaged over 24 h Maximum hourly concentration q = k·1Q-3·He2*

q = k·1Q-3·He2**

Annual median of daily means Annual median of daily values Annual median of daily means (winter, October-

March) Annual median of daily values (winter, October-

March) Maximum arithmetic mean over 24 h Exceptional conditions (up to 3 days), maximum

average 24-h arithmetic mean

Federal Ambient Air Standard Annual yearly average Short term (underfined)

·Japanese individual source standard: q = Nmlh of SOx, He = height of stack and plume in meters k = constant established by government for each air control region in Japan.

ulndonesian individual source standard: q ....::: same as abo~, He .=. height of stack only in meters

Sulfur Dioxide ppm ILg/m 3

0.03 80

0.14 365

0.02 60

0.09 260

0.50 1300

650

0.01 30

0.06 150 0.34 450

0.02 60

0.11 300 0.34 900

0.28 800

< 0.04 < 110 0.1 285

k=1.17-17.5

k=4

0.03-0.04 85-100

0.05-0.06

0.09-0.12 250-340

0.12-0.18 340-510

0.05 140 0.14 400

Particulates J.Lg/m 3

75

260

60

150

none

50,000

60

none

70 120

400

< 100 200

80

130 250

300

none none

Reference: Air Pollution Control Directorate, Environment Canada, A Study of Air Pollution Control Systems on International Copper and Nickel Smelters, Contract No. OSS 80-00108, March 1981.

JOURNAL OF METALS· August 1982 37

Table IV: Average Percent Sulfur CaptureS (Smelters having Sulfur Fixation Facilities)

Smelters Sulfur Country Surveyed Capture, %

United States 12 72

Canada 5 78

Europe 5 90

Japan (with tail gas scrubbing) 7 97.4

and scrubbing of the collected gases. However, these fugi­tive capture systems require considerable care on the part of operators and a high level of maintenance to be effec­tive . Whether or not these devices would be as effective in North America is another question. Further, they do not solve the problem of emissions during ladle matte and metal transfers.

In order to meet roof-line emission limits and other environmental standards, continuous smelting and converting processes are the most effective options.9 With the devel­opment of continuous copper converters, such as the Mitsubishi converting furnace,12 it is possible in the future that such units will be linked with some of the more energy-efficient smelting furnaces, those which utilize the fuel value in the concentrate and provide a uniform flow of a reasonably high-grade matte. Combinations of technol­ogy in this manner would combine the advantages of each system while eliminating the disadvantages of ladle trans­fer, emissions, intermittent gas flow, and operating prob­lems of the conventional converter. The disadvantage of this combination is that it limits the flexibility of the process to remelt scrap and eliminate certain impurities, particularly bismuth, antimony, and arsenic. The adoption of combined technology therefore will depend on the con­centrate to be treated and provision of alternative methods for treating scrap.

IMPROVEMENTS TO PROVEN PROCESSES

Flash Smelting

In the past five years, there have been some significant advances in copper smelting. These include improvements in existing processes, startup of smelters using new processes, and the development to the pilot plant stage of some new concepts. In future smelting projects, undoubtedly some of these advances will be considered in the process evaluation.

Although the flash smelting process has been in use for a number of years, when operated with oxygen enrichment it is economic and efficient from an energy point of view, as shown in Tables I and II. It is also a high-capacity smelting process and thus benefits from the economics of size. Flash smelting has now replaced the reverberatory as the "conventional" copper smelting process against which new processes are compared.

In recent years a single burner has been developed for the Outokumpu furnace to replace multiple burner arrange­ments. This simplifies the feed system, improves operation of the furnace and permits the use of high oxygen enrichment.

Tests have been carried out in the pilot plant at Pori in which concentrate has been smelted directly to blister copper. A commercial plant has been in operation since 1978 at Glogow in Poland, to smelt a low iron-sulfur, carbonaceous, comparatively high-copper concentrate directly to blister. Direct smelting to blister is only practical where the levels ofPb, As, Bi, etc., in the concentrate are low. This approach does eliminate the converting step and thereby reduces capital costs and emission control requirements. However,

38

due to high copper lock-up in the slag, a separate processing system consisting of electric furnace slag cleaning, con­verter for copper matte blowing and fire refining is required. 11

Increasing interest in Inco's oxygen flash smelting fur­nace has led to design of furnaces accommodating a wide range of throughput rates. Capacities up to 3,000 t /day of concentrates appears feasible. At least two U.S. smelters, Asarco's Hayden smelter and Chino Mines Company's Hurley smelter, have selected the Inco process for retrofit of existing plants.

Noranda Process

This concept has now been translated into commercial operation at the Noranda Mines Ltd. Horne smelter and on a larger scale at the Kennecott Minerals Company Utah smelter. The Kennecott smelter has been operating with high level of oxygen enrichment at instantaneous through­put rates in excess of 2,000 t /day per reactor. The Utah and Home reactors both use coal, fed to the bath, as the primary fuel which results in substantial fuel savings. Production of high-grade matte rather than blister copper has proven to be more practical at both these smelters. The process is capable of smelting much coarser fed than flash smelting process and the highly agitated bath allows ready treatment of non-sulfide materials such as oxide slags and reverts. Similar technology has been adopted by Codelco at the Caletones Smelter. Noranda is now considering reactor designs for higher and lower tonnage throughput rates which may expand the application of this technology.

TBRC Process

For low tonnage applications treating impure raw mate­rials, Metallo Chimique of Beerse in Belgium are dead roasting the feed and reducing with coal in a TBRC to produce a blister copper.

Volatiles such as zinc, etc., are driven off and recovered in the gas cleaning system for subsequent treatment. Fur­ther processing of the slag recovers zinc, lead, etc. This is an example of the flexibility of the TBRC unit; however, it is a batch process and this may limit its application to all but specialized cases.

Mitsubishi Continuous Process

The Texasgulf smelter-refinery complex at Timmins13

was successfully started up in July 1981. This smelter is designed to produce 65,000 ton/day of copper; however, the feed preparation and anode casting areas are designed for twice this production. This is the first installation of the Mitsubishi continuous process outside Japan, and is of particular interest to the industry in North America. Based on test work and developments at Naoshima, a number of improvements have been incorporated in the Timmins proj­ect which could result in increased production from the present single furnace line. One feature that became appar­ent shortly after startup is that, with optimum furnace layout, the launder fuel can be reduced to less than 8% of the total hydrocarbon fuel used in the smelter.

Development work is continuing at Naoshima5 and last year the standby furnaces were removed completely. The recent improvements include the use of coal to reduce fuel oil requirements and increase operating efficiency, conver­sion to a circular furnace design, improved burner design, and increased oxygen enrichment (see Table II). These advances have increased the monthly production by 10-20% over the design capacity and extended the campaign life of the furnace.

It is quite possible that once the Timmins complex is run-in there will be additional advances in the Mitsubishi process.

JOURNAL OF METALS· August 1982

NEW PROCESSES UNDER INVESTIGATION

Q·S Oxygen Process

The Q-S process is described in a paper presented in 1976.14 As a copper-smelting process, there has been no further development over the past five years; however, a semi-commercial plant to treat lead concentrates started up in March 1981 at Berzelius in Germany.

The direct smelting from concentrate to blister would have the advantage of eliminating ladle transfer of matte and the separate converting step, as in the case in the Noranda process operating in the blister mode.

As with all direct smelting processes, the question of impurity distribution must be resolved, based on test work. It would seem reasonable that the Q-S process, like the Noranda reactor in the blister mode, will not produce accept­able blister from a "dirty concentrate." This may well limit the application of such processes as concentrate pro­duced in the future is drawn from more complex ore bodies.

Flame Cyclone Process

A high-temperature reaction process has been suggested by Lurgi and process development over the past 10 years has progressed to a lO-metric-ton/h demonstration plant at Norddeutsche Affinerie in Hamburg. The objective of the continuing work at Norddeutsche Affinerie is to treat dirty concentrate and maximize the recovery of primary and secondary metals while efficiently utilizing the energy input.

Con top Process

Three years ago, KHD built a I-metric-ton/h pilot plant near Cologne, Germany to develop a variation of the cyclone smelting process.15 From a metallurgical point of view, the main advantage of this process is the high temperature (1500 - 1700°C) produced and the continuous slag fuming using gas lances.

As is the case of the Kivcet processes for copper and lead, the Contop is designed to treat relatively dirty con­centrates and separate the volatile impurities in the smelting and particularly in the slag cleaning step. A high-grade

matte is produced in the smelting furnace which is con­verted in a stat.ionary top-blown furnace, an approach sim­ilar to that followed in the Mitsubishi process.12 This will be an advantage with respect to emission control.

INVESTMENT IN NEW SMELTING FACILITIES

The new smelting facilities at such places as Afton, Garfield, Hidalgo, and Timmins commissioned over the past few years are examples of the high investment costs for new installations built in North America today. The worldwide situation is very similar, although investment costs vary from area to area in accordance with the special local conditions. Specific investment costs in the range of 1,500 to 2,500 US. dollars per annual ton of copper pro­duced have recently been reported for greenfield smelter plants. This is a very generalized approach to the presen­tation of capital costs, since tonnage level, battery limits, etc., are not specified, and such figures should be used with extreme caution. Although costly, investment in new and expanded processing facilities is necessary for the industry to remain competitive and to meet the demand for copper in the future.

Table V contains a comparison of investment and direct operating costs for three copper smelter concepts recently considered for new projects, with respect to the conven­tional partial roasting/electrical furnace coricept. The selec­tion of the two flash smelting and the continuous Mitsubishi process indicates no specific preference of the authors, but serves as a comparison to illustrate of some general trends. For a site-specific, detailed smelter evaluation, other processes such as Noranda continuous smelting would be considered.

The information in Table V is based on a greenfield copper smelter of approximately 150,000 metric ton/year anode production from concentrates.

All facilities necessary to meet environmental standards for air and water pollution are included.

The investment cost for the modern smelting technologies seem to be lower than for conventional smelting, although no extraordinary difference is indicated. The reason is that the investments necessary to meet environmental regula­tions offset cost savings which may result from smelting

Table V: Investment and Operating Cost Relations Assuming Greenfield Smelter of Approximately 150,000 Ton/Year Anode

Copper from Concentrates

Direct Direct Direct Operating Cost Operating Cost Operating Cost

Relation at Relation at Relation at Direct Energy Cost Fuel Cost Labor Cost

Investment Operating Cost Increased by Increased by Increased by Matte Process Cost Relation, Relation, 350%, 100%, 150%, Grade,

Configuration % % % % % % Outokumpu Flash Smelting Furnace, Peirce-Smith Converter, 80-95 82-90 75-90 90-95 90-98 60 Conventional Anode Casting

Inco Flash Smelting Furnace, Peirce-Smith Converter, 80-95 80-90 75-85 90-95 88-95 55 Conventional Anode Casting

Mitsubishi Two-Line Continuous Converter, 85-100 85-95 80-90 95-100 93-100 65

Conventional Anode Casting Roasting/Electric Furnace, Peirce-Smith Converter, 100 100 100 100 100 55 Conventional Anode Casting

JOURNAL OF METALS· August 1982 39

units themselves. Therefore, the specific site conditions may change the aforementioned relations.

The capacity of the smelter is another factor which may change the investment cost relations of smelting processes. For example, at smelter capacities in the range of 50-100,000 t/year, the flash smelting concepts may lose the advantage of "big unit" operation16,17 so that a conventional concept like electric furnace smelting or the Noranda process may become one of the attractive alternatives. Very large unit operations may result in the selection of a particular smelting technology, simply because it may be the only one able to achieve a high product rate with the fewest smelting and converting furnaces and ancillary facilities.

The direct operating cost relations indicate clearly the tendency in favor of the modern processes. One of the reasons is that these concepts are utilizing as much as possible of the "fuel value" contained in the sulfide con­centrates in the smelting unit in combination with oxygen, thus reducing the fuel requirement. Table V, furthermore, gives indication of the sensitivity of direct operating costs to increasing costs for electrical energy, fuels and labor. There is no change in the general tendency in favor of modern smelting processes.

The comparison includes only the Mitsubishi process as a completely continuous system. All other processes are based on matte conversion to blister copper in Peirce-Smith converters. More recently continous converting is being discussed as an alternative. For a greenfield smelter based on flash smelting, investment and direct operating costs compare as follows:

Smelter with Peirce-Smith

Converter

Smelter with Continuous Converter

Investment cost relation,% 100 90-95

Direct operating cost comparison

relation,% 100 100

Savings may be expected in the investment cost due to smaller gas handling facilities and environmental protec­tion equipment. The operating cost may be expected to be at the same level.

CONCLUSION In summary, it can be said that, for a modern greenfield

smelter process, selection ultimately depends on the spe­cific site conditions. However, modern-flash, Noranda-type, or continuous smelting concepts using oxygen appear more favorable than a conventional technology.

40

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Process development efforts in copper pyrometallurgy are under way by several companies and significant devel­opments can be expected over the next five to ten years.

References 1. J. C. Yannopoulos and J. C. Agarwal, Extractive Metallurgy o(Copper, Proceedings

of a symposium held in conjunction with the AIME Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, February 22-26, 1976. The Metallurgical Society of AIME, New York, 1976.

2. C. H. Pitt and M. E. Wadsworth, "An Assessment of Energy Requirements in Proven and New Copper Processes," U.S. Department of Energy, Contract EM-78-S-07-1743, 1980.

3. W. P. T. Nickel, P. Siewert, and G. W. Thornton, "Commissioning of the Afton Smelter," paper presented at AIME Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, 1980.

4. S. Petersson, S. Eriksson, E. Fridfelt, "Treatment of Complex Copper Concentrates in TBRC," Annual Meeting CIMM, Vancouver, 1977.

5. T. Suzuki, "Recent Operation of Mitsubishi Continuous Copper Smelter at Naoshima," British Columbia Copper Technology Seminar, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1980.

6. O. Fujii and M. Shima, "Flash Smelting with Oxygen Enriched Air in Ashio," Fourth Joint Meeting MMIJ-AIME, Tokyo, 1980.

7. T. N. Antonioni, A. D. Church, C. Landolt, and E. Partelpoeg, "Operation of Inco Flash Smelting Furnace with Recycle Converter Slag," 18th CIM Conference of Metal­lurgists, Sudbury, 1979. 8. Environment Canada, Contract No. OSS-80-00l08, "A Study of Air Pollution Con­

trol Systems on International Copper and Nickel Smelters," 1981. 9. J. C. Taylor, "Approaches to Dust and Fume Control in Copper and Nickel Smelt­ers," AIME Annual Meeting, New Orleans, February 18-22, 1979, A-79-40, The Metal­lurgical Society of AIME, Warrendale, Pennsylvania, 1979. 10. T. Terayama, T. Hayashi, and I. Inami, "Ten Years Experience on Pollution Preven~ tion of Sumitomo's Toyo Copper Smelter," Dioxide Control in Pyrometallurgy, ed. by T. D. Chatwin and N. Kikumoto, Proceedings of a symposium held in conjunction with 110th AIME Annual Meeting, Chicago, February 22-26, 1981, The Metallurgical Society of AIME, Warrendale, Pennsylvania, 1981, pp. 121-142. 11. W. R. N. Snelgrove and J. C. Taylor, "The Recovery of Values from Non-Ferrous Smelter Slags," CIMM International Symposium on Metallurgical Slags, Halifax, 1980. 12. M. Goto and K. Kanamoro, "Converting Furnace Operation of Mitsubishi Process," in Copper and Nickel Converters, ed. by R. E. Johnson, Proceedings of a symposium held in conjunction with 110th AIME Annual Meeting, Chicago, February 18-22, 1979, The Metallurgical Society of AIME, Warrendale, Pennsylvania, 1981, pp. 210-224. 13, M. P. Amsden, R. M. Sweetin, and D. G. Treilhard, "The Selection and Design of Texasgulf Canada's Copper Smelter and Refinery," AIME Annual Meeting, Atlanta, 1978. 14, R Schuhmann and P. E. Queneau, "Thermodynamics of the Q-S Oxygen Process for Coppermaking," in Extractive Metallurgy o{Copper, edited by J. C. Yannopoulos and J. C. Agarwal, The Metallurgical Society of AIME, New York, 1976, pp. 76-89. 15. H. Hibrans and F. Sauert, "The Humboldt Cyclone Smelting and Top Blowing Process," AIME Annual Meeting, Chicago, 1981. 16. W. Schwartz, "Economics of Pyrometallurgical Copper Extraction Processes," AIME Annual Meeting, 1975, The Metallurgical Society of AIME, Warrendale, Pennsylvania, Paper No. A 75-57. 17. W, Schwartz, ErzmetaIl, 28 (1975), pp. 501-505.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Heinrich Traulsen, Senior Manager, Lurgi Chemie und HOttentecknik GmbH, Lurgi Haus, Gervinusstrasse 17/19, D-6000 Frankfurt, West Germany,

Dr. Traulsen received his doctorate in engi­neering from the Technical University of Berlin, He has over 15 years of experience with Lurgi as research and development group leader, proj­ect engineer, project manager, and startup man­

ager for various nonferrous plants. He is currently responsible for all of Lurgi's activities in the smelting and refining of copper and related metals. He is a member of The Metallurgical Society of AIME

John C. Taylor, Consulting Engineer, Jan H. Reimers and Associates, 221 Lakeshore Road, East, Oakville, Ontario, Canada L6J 1 H7.

Mr. Taylor received his BA in metallurgical engineering from the University of Toronto, He served as assistant division metallurgist with Inco Metals before joining Jan H, Reimers and Associates in 1973. Since that time he has been involved in a number of copper projects

including the continuous smelter of Kidd Creek Mines at Timmons, He is a member of The Metallurgical SOCiety of AIME.

AIME

David B. George, Manager, Pyrometallurgy, Kennecott Minerals Company, P.O. Box 11248, Salt Lake City, Utah 84147.

Mr. George received his BS in metallurgical engineering from the University of Utah in 1969. At Kennecott, he has been involved in a wide range of activities including process optimization, new facilities design, and process development. He is a member of The Metallurgical Society of

JOURNAL OF METALS· August 1982