Modelling of liquid phases and metal distributions in copper converters: transferring process fundamentals to plant practice

Abstract

The quantity and accuracy of fundamental data available on copper smelting and converting systems has greatly increased over the past several decades. Engineers need no longer rely on approximations and interpolation of chemical behaviour from idealised or simplified low-order systems. Sophisticated thermodynamic databases and dedicated thermodynamic computer platforms make it possible to predict the outcomes of complex multicomponent, multiphase reactions, and to present this information in forms that are useful for industrial practice. In the present paper a summary and review of phase equilibria data on key Cu-Fe-O-S sub-systems including Ca, Si and minor elements, is provided, as are examples of the application of thermodynamic and thermochemical calculations to the modelling of copper converting. As further information on chemical behaviour and integration with process models become available these sophisticated predictive tools and approaches will become increasingly used to improve metallurgical process design and efficiency, and to optimise the productivity of integrated copper production operations.