ORAL

SESSION: Non-ferrousMonAM-R1	Barrios International Symposium on Sustainable Non-ferrous Smelting and Hydro/Electrochemical Processing (5th Intl. Symp. on Sustainable Non-ferrous Smelting and Hydro/Electrochemical Processing)
Mon Oct, 23 2017	Room: Condesa II
Session Chairs: Guillermo Rios; Thomas Gonzales; Session Monitor: TBA

15:30: [Non-ferrousMonAM07]
Distribution Air Improvements at Rio Tinto Kennecott Copper
Bijan Shahriari¹ ; Michael Loveless² ; Maciej Jastrzebski¹ ; Kenly Ochoa³ ; Adam Blackmore¹ ; Ryan Wilde³ ; Ivan Marincic¹ ; Stephanie Gangl¹ ; Melvin Pong¹ ; Thomas Gonzales⁴ ; Volodymyr Ponomar¹ ; Rafik Chekiri⁵ ; Philippe Lavoie⁵ ; Dustin Vickress¹ ; ¹Hatch, Mississauga, Canada; ²Rio Tinto Kennecott Copper, South Jordan, United States; ³Rio Tinto Kennecott, South Jordan, United States; ⁴Hatch Associates, Scottsdale, United States; ⁵University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, Toronto, Canada;
Paper Id: 288 [Abstract]

In flash smelting and converting, burner performance depends on achieving a uniform spatial distribution of feed, and an optimal distribution of particles of different size in the feed plume. Matte and concentrate burners typically achieve this by using feed distribution air, which is introduced radially through nozzles located at the burner lance tip. Conventional distribution air nozzles comprise several cylindrical holes drilled in the outer circumference of the central jet distributor. Conventional nozzles, particularly those in flash converters and direct-to-blister furnaces, are prone to clogging by built-up accretions. This can degrade burner combustion performance over time, by introducing asymmetries to the plume and particle distribution. Due to excess clogging, these nozzles may need to be frequently cleaned, which leads to frequent furnace downtime. Recently, Hatch and Rio Tinto Kennecott Copper (RTKC) have conducted trials of new proprietary distribution air nozzle designs. Two of the nozzle designs have shown a three-fold improvement in cleaning related downtime, and a 2–3.5% reduction in oxygen requirements per ton of smelted matte. Initial observations also indicate easier to remove reaction shaft accretions using one of the nozzles. A third distribution air nozzle is scheduled to undergo testing soon, at the time of writing. The new nozzle designs represent an inexpensive, low-risk means for improving the combustion performance and maintenance requirements of flash furnaces, leading to substantial economic performance improvements.