Synergy of energy resources of copper pyrometallurgy in RTB Bor-Serbia

Milorad Ćirković,Vlastimir Trujić,Mile Bugarin

doi:10.5937/metmateng1404261c

Abstract

Copper production is a significant consumer of energy, consisting of almost all fossil fuels, and also including electricity. This work presents a comparison of the specific energy consumption of several metallurgical copper producers in the world, with the installed different technological processes, in comparison to the production of copper in RTB Bor (Serbia). An important place is dedicated to the quantitative participation of energy fuels in the production of copper. In addition to this, an analysis of cost structure for energy fuels was shown in the production process of copper. This work particularly emphasizes the aspect of use the secondary (waste) heat energy as a prerequisite to improve the energy efficiency and economy of pyrometallurgical copper production. Using the waste heat of pyrometallurgical process, the protection of working and life environment is improved Selection and development of new metallurgical processes in order to achieve the best economic effects is achieved selecting the optimum technology, on one side, and selection of energy system with the best performances with the full utilization the secondary heat energy of the process. Concretization of this aspect also relates to the modernization of the Copper Smelter in RTB Bor installing the new technology for smelting of copper concentrates.

Highlights

For operation the technological process of copper production, a large amount of energy is consumed, which includes integrally mining and concentrate production, pyrometallurgical process of anode copper production, electrolytic refining of anode copper
The analysis of energy consumption in the process often comes down to making the heat balance of the entire process or only some of its stages. This analysis does not give a real evaluation of energy consumption
Vol 20 (4) 2014 p. 261-273 consumption, it is necessary to take into account the energy consumption in the overall technological process, considering all technological stages, and energy "losses"

Summary

Introduction

For operation the technological process of copper production, a large amount of energy is consumed, which includes integrally mining and concentrate production, pyrometallurgical process of anode copper production, electrolytic refining of anode copper. The installed pyrometallurgical process includes the following technological units: batch roasting in the fluosolid reactor, calcine smelting in the reverberatory furnaces, converting in the Peirce Smith converters, flame refining of blister copper and anode production. This plant has the electrolytic refining of anode copper and production of sulphuric acid by the contact process in a plant with a single adsorption and single catalysis. The new developmentphilosophical approach of some international companies has integrated all of its creative human resources creating a new generation of autogenous smelting processes of copper concentrate This development trend has lasted for 50 years, and high energy value of sulphide copper concentrates was used for design of technologies in which the smelting process was almost brought to a complete autogenous. Ćirković at al. - Synergy of energy resources of copper pyrometallurgy in RTB Bor-Serbia 263

Electrolytic refining

Findings

Conclusion