Process and Cost Optimized Agitator Solutions for Hydrometallurgical Base Metals Processing

摘要

Stirred tank reactors under continuous atmospheric operating conditions fulfill an important key function for many gassed hydrometallurgical leaching processes. Apart from realizing "economies of scale" and implementing advances in process performance, achieving a cost optimization of such systems is a fundamental goal. One side effect of scale-up is that the agitator shaft speeds are reduced, which increases the risk of "flooding" with conventional impeller types. To prevent "flooding", the design criteria for the installed motor power of such agitators is then not driven by the gas mass transfer rate but by the additional power requirements for keeping the three-phase gas-slurry mixture suspended.