New lining technology upgrades the flash furnace at Olympic Dam
Bateman Engineering has successfully upgraded the copper flash smelter at BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam operation, where mining, smelting and refining produces 200,000 t of copper annually, with by-products such as uranium, gold and silver. The furnace produces blister copper from a feed of copper concentrate.
The project involved the design and engineering of the copper cooling elements of the flash smelter. These elements, installed in the furnace’s upper sidewalls, roof and off-gas duct, are more effective than those used previously and will extend the life of the furnace.
The design of the new copper cooling elements is based on the composite furnace module (CFM) cooling technology. The advantage of the CFM technology is that its application is flexible and that it can cope with high heat loads. Its advanced performance monitoring system ensures safe operation.
During the project Bateman Engineering also developed a means to cool the copper elements in the off-gas duct and control the temperature of the hot faces of the duct. This avoids the condensation of sulphuric acid, which in the previous system had attacked the copper elements and destroyed the integrity of the duct.
The elements, containing about 150 t of copper, were manufactured in South Africa. Bateman Engineering was responsible for the quality inspection and expediting the manufacture and acted as technical advisor during the installation over a total shutdown period of 16 days. The complete project, from concept design to manufacture, shipping and installation, was completed in less than a year.
This lump-sum R5.5 million contract was awarded to Bateman Engineering as a result of the successful completion of a similar cooling-system upgrade on the slag-cleaning furnace at Olympic Dam in 2003. This type of project has confirmed the company’s expertise in the design of the linings of pyrometallurgical vessels.
Olympic Dam is Australia’s largest underground mine with the world’s fourth-largest remaining copper deposit and the largest uranium deposit. It is located 16 km from Roxby Downs, which is 560 km north-west of Adelaide in South Australia.
More details are available from Ted Fulton, General Manager, Pyrotechnologies or Frik Marx, Senior Engineer, on +27-11-899-9111 or email Pyrotechnologies@BatemanEngineering.com.
