Ausmelt is a leading international supplier of top submerged lance (TSL) smelting technology serving producers of copper, lead, tin, nickel, platinum group metals (PGMs), zinc, and ferrous metals worldwide. The technology processes primary concentrates through three distinct stages: smelting, reduction, and fuming. TSL technology effectively reclaims metal values from various waste materials while producing environmentally benign solid residues. With twenty-four commercial furnaces installed across nine countries and three additional projects in development, Ausmelt technology offers superior partial oxygen pressure control, enabling efficient processing of diverse primary concentrates and secondary lead materials to produce high-quality lead bullion.
Ausmelt Technology provides an efficient solution for processing diverse primary concentrates and secondary lead materials to produce lead bullion. The technology's primary advantage lies in its ability to readily control partial oxygen pressure (pO2) to achieve optimal process conditions for lead smelting operations.The comprehensive Ausmelt lead production process for primary concentrates encompasses three critical stages: smelting, reduction, and fuming. Production scale determines operational flexibility, as all three stages can be executed within a single furnace for batch operations. Alternatively, multiple sequential furnaces enable continuous operation for larger-scale production requirements.Client preferences and existing furnace availability allow for integration of one or more Ausmelt processing stages, creating the most efficient lead production flowsheet tailored to specific site requirements. This adaptability ensures optimal resource utilization and maximizes operational efficiency across diverse industrial settings.
Figure 1: The schematic flowsheet for the Multi Furnace Lead Process
The fundamental advantage of Ausmelt lead technology centers on the TSL's capability to manipulate partial oxygen pressure with exceptional accuracy. This precise control aligns with the metallurgical requirements of each processing stage, ensuring optimal reaction conditions and superior product quality.
Ausmelt technology delivers significant economic benefits through reduced capital costs compared to alternative technologies. The simple furnace construction and streamlined peripheral system arrangement minimize initial investment requirements while maintaining operational excellence.Operating costs remain exceptionally low due to reduced energy consumption, high availability, minimal maintenance requirements, and decreased manpower needs. The process achieves remarkable oxygen utilization during the smelting stage, exceeding 95% efficiency. High levels of oxygen enrichment minimize fuel consumption and reduce offgas volume, contributing to overall operational economy.The technology eliminates the need for expensive and difficult-to-source coke as a reductant, instead utilizing the most cost-effective available fuel sources. This flexibility in fuel selection provides additional economic advantages and supply chain security.
Ausmelt technology demonstrates excellent environmental performance through minimal fugitive emissions from well-sealed, stationary reactors. The concentrated process offgas stream enables efficient sulfur dioxide recovery in the form of sulfuric acid or gypsum, contributing to sustainable operations and potential revenue generation.
The technology offers exceptional flexibility in feed material blending, allowing operators to optimize productivity and economic performance based on available raw materials. Intense mixing within the furnace results in high reaction rates and superior metal productivity per cubic meter of bath, creating a compact plant footprint ideal for retrofitting existing operations.High annual plant availability results from relatively simple operation, making the technology well-suited for remote locations. However, optimal results require astute process management supported by metallurgists with comprehensive lead metallurgy understanding. Ausmelt provides essential training as part of its comprehensive service package.
Ausmelt currently operates two reference plants processing predominantly secondary lead feed and residue sources. Korea Zinc's facility in South Korea and Metaleurop's plant in Nordenham, Germany, demonstrate the technology's effectiveness in secondary lead processing applications.Four additional Ausmelt plants are operational or under design for primary lead feed material processing, including HZL's lead plant in Chanderiya, India. These installations validate the technology's versatility across diverse feed material compositions and processing requirements.
The technical feasibility of recovering copper, nickel, and cobalt from smelting and converting slags using Ausmelt's top-submerged lancing process has been successfully demonstrated at pilot-plant scale and through several commercial applications. Process conditions can be precisely tailored to achieve maximum economic recovery of valuable metals while producing compositions suitable for downstream processing requirements.Strong economic justification for slag-cleaning processes exists when the contained value of recovered metals exceeds $50 per tonne of treated slag. The top-submerged lance system provides a relatively low-cost solution where value is predominantly associated with cobalt recovery.
Maximizing copper, nickel, and cobalt recovery is critical for economic operation of smelters treating these feed materials. Current trends toward higher matte grade production and continuous converting process adoption make effective slag cleaning increasingly important for operational profitability.The technology's versatility spans diverse processes, from copper converting under highly oxidizing conditions to iron-making under highly reducing conditions. This operational range demonstrates the fundamental flexibility of TSL technology across various metallurgical applications.
The most recent development involves constructing a demonstration furnace with a 2-tonne per hour feed rate at Whyalla in the South Australian Steel and Energy project. This installation targets ultimate production of 2.5 million tonnes per year of pig iron, representing significant scale-up potential for the technology.Recent commercial applications predominantly include purpose-designed slag-cleaning furnaces or integrated slag-cleaning process stages, reflecting the growing importance of metal recovery from waste streams in modern metallurgical operations.
Table 1. Recent commercial applications of successful Ausmelt technology implementations
* Development pant' Design/construction in progress
The continued development and deployment of Ausmelt technology across diverse metallurgical applications demonstrates its fundamental value proposition: combining operational efficiency, environmental responsibility, and economic viability in a single, proven technological solution.
Total Materia Horizon enthält physikalische, thermische und elektrische Eigenschaften für Hunderttausende von Werkstoffen, für verschiedene Temperaturen und vieles mehr.
Holen Sie sich ein KOSTENLOSES Testkonto bei Total Materia Horizon und schließen Sie sich einer Gemeinschaft von über 500.000 Benutzern aus mehr als 120 Ländern an.