Kennecott Flash Converting Furnace design improvements

摘要

In July 2001, the Kennecott Flash Converting furnace was shut down on a planned basis to implement design improvements to enhance furnace integrity. Prior to this shut down, the furnace had been in operation for 29 months and had converted more than 1,000,000 tonnes of matte. The improvements were successfully completed during a 30 day shut down with furnace start up in August 2001. The new design includes the following features: redesign of all side wall cooling elements to include the latest cooling element design technology from Hatch; redesign of the furnace hearth to include a stadium hearth at the reaction shaft end of the furnace; redesign of the furnace hearth to include a stepped hearth design adjacent to the furnace side walls; addition of flat settler roof cooling elements around the reaction shaft; replacement of reaction shaft transition elements with an improved design and improvements to the furnace cooling element monitoring systems. The performance of these improvements since the shut down will be summarized and an update on smelter performance will be given.