Flash smelting furnace
Combined smelting and converting of copper
PROCESS DESCRIPTION
During flash smelting the copper containing raw material, together with aggregates, is added to the furnace chamber; in addition, an oxygen-rich gas is also fed into the chamber. A strongly exothermic reaction leads to melting of the feed material in the lower half of the furnace. The copper containing raw material is largely transformed to “copper matte" with a copper content of 55-60%. Flash smelting is currently the most commonly used method for the processing of primary copper.
