Patent AU-2012323996-B2 (AU)
Title: Fluid cooled lances for top submerged injection
Inventor: MATUSEWICZ ROBERT
IPC: C21C5/32
Filed: 2012-11-26
Granted: 2015-01-15
Abstract: (12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (10) International Publication Number (43) International Publication Date W O 2013/080110 Al 6 June 2013 (06.06.2013) W I PO I P CT (51) International Patent Classification: (74) Agent: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK; Level F27D 3/16 (2006.01) C21C 5/46 (2006.01) 21, 22 & 23, 367 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 F27D 3/18 (2006.01) (AU). (21) International Application Number: (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every PCT/1B2012/056714 kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, (22) International Filing Date: AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BN, BR, BW, BY, (2 Interntiona Fi Date:1.201) BZ, CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, 26 November 2012 (26.11.2012) DO, DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, Fl, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, (25) Filing Language: English HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, (26) Publication Language: English ME, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, (30) Priority Data: NO, NZ, OM, PA, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, QA, RO, RS, RU, 2011904988 30 November 2011 (30.11.2011) AU RW, SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, TN, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, (71) Applicant: OUTOTEC OYJ [FI/Fl]; Riihitontuntie 70, ZM, ZW. FI-02200 Espoo (Fl). (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every (72) Inventors; and kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, (71) Applicants (for US only): MATUSEWICZ, Robert GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, RW, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, [AU/AU]; 27 Abbeygate Street, Oakleigh, Victoria 3166 UG, ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, RU, TJ, (AU). REUTER, Markus [AU/FI]; Temppelikatu 8 A 11- TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, 12, FI-00100 Helsinki (FI). EE, ES, Fl, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). [Continued on next page] (54) Title: FLUID COOLED LANCES FOR TOP SUBMERGED INJECTION (57) Abstract: A TSL lance has an outer shell of three substantially con centric lance pipes, at least one further lance pipe concentrically within COOLING FUEL the shell, and an annular end wall at an outlet end of the lance which - IN Fjoins ends of outermost and innermost lance pipes of the shell at an out OUT OXYGEN let end of the lance and is spaced from an outlet end of the intermediate lance pipe of the shell. Coolant fluid is able to be circulated through the shell, by flow to and away from the outlet end. The spacing between the end wall and the outlet end of the intermediate pipe provides a constric X tion to the flow of coolant fluid to increase coolant fluid flow velocity therebetween. The further lance pipe defines a central bore and is spaced A from the innermost lance pipe of the shell to define an annular passage, L whereby materials passing along the bore and the passage mix adjacent P4_ - to the outlet end of the lance. The end wall and an adjacent minor part of the length of the shell comprise a replaceable lance tip assembly. S ' P2 -- 1P3 W O 20 13/08 0 1 10 A 1l II |III ||VIIIlllI ||I|||||||||||II|I|||||II|I|||||||||lI||I|||||||||||||I| Published: - with international search report (Art. 21(3)) WO 2013/080110 PCT/IB2012/056714 FLUID COOLED LANCES FOR TOP SUBMERGED INJECTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to top submerged injecting lances for use in molten bath 5 pyrometallurgical operations. Background to the Invention Molten bath smelting or other pyrometallurgical operations which require interaction between the bath and a source of oxygen-containing gas utilize several different 10 arrangements for the supply of the gas. In general, these operations involve direct injection into molten matte/metal. This may be by bottom blowing tuyeres as in a Bessemer type of furnace or side blowing tuyeres as in a Peirce-Smith type of converter. Alternatively, the injection of gas may be by means of a lance to provide either top blowing or submerged injection. Examples of top blowing lance injection are 15 the KALDO and BOP steel making plants in which pure oxygen is blown from above the bath to produce steel from molten iron. Another example of top Mitsubishi copper process, in which injection lances cause jets of oxygen-containing blowing lance injection is provided by the smelting and matte converting stages of the gas such as air or oxygen-enriched air, to impinge on and penetrate the top surface of the bath, 20 respectively to produce and to convert copper matte. In the case of submerged lance injection, the lower end of the lance is submerged so that injection occurs within rather than from above a slag layer of the bath, to provide top submerged lancing (TSL) injection, a well known example of which is the Outotec Ausmelt TSL technology which is applied to a wide range of metals processing. With both forms of injection from above, that is, with both top blowing and TSL injection, the lance is subjected to intense prevailing bath temperatures. The top blowing in the Mitsubishi copper process uses a number of relatively small steel lances which have an inner pipe of about 50 mm diameter and an outer pipe of about 30 100 mm diameter. The inner pipe terminates at about the level of the furnace roof, well above the reaction zone. The outer pipe, which is rotatable to prevent it sticking to a water-cooled collar at the furnace roof, extends down into the gas space of the furnace to position its lower end about 500-800 mm above the upper surface of the WO 2013/080110 PCT/IB2012/056714 molten bath. Particulate feed entrained in air is blown through the inner pipe, while oxygen enriched air is blown through the annulus between the pipes. Despite the spacing of the lower end of the outer pipe above the bath surface, and any cooling of the lance by the gases passing through it, the outer pipe burns back by about 400 mm 5 per day. The outer pipe therefore is slowly lowered and, when required, new sections are attached to the top of the outer, consumable pipe. The lances for TSL injection are much larger than those for top blowing, such as in the Mitsubishi process described above. A TSL lance usually has at least an inner 10 and an outer pipe, as assumed in the following, but may have at least one other pipe concentric with the inner and outer pipes. Typical large scale TSL lances have an outer pipe diameter of 200 to 500 mm, or larger. Also, the lance is much longer and extends down through the roof of a TSL reactor, which may be about 10 to 15 m tall, so that the lower end of the outer pipe is immersed to a depth of about 300 mm or 15 more in a molten slag phase of the bath, but is protected by a coating of solidified slag formed and maintained on the outer surface of the outer pipe by the cooling action of the injected gas flow within. The inner pipe may terminate at about the same level as the outer pipe, or at a higher level of up to about 1000 mm above the lower end of the outer pipe. Thus, it can be the case that the lower end of only the outer pipe is 20 submerged. In any event, a helical vane or other flow shaping device may be mounted on the outer surface of the inner pipe to span the annular space between the inner and outer pipes. The vanes impart a strong swirling action to an air or oxygen enriched blast along that annulus and serve to enhance the cooling effect as well as ensure that gas is mixed well with fuel and feed material supplied through the inner 25 pipe with the mixing occurring substantially in a mixing chamber defined by the outer pipe, below the lower end of the inner pipe where the inner pipe terminates a sufficient distance above the lower end of the outer pipe. The outer pipe of the TSL lance wears and burns back at its lower end, but at a rate 30 that is considerably reduced by the protective frozen slag coating than would be the case without the coating. However, this is controlled to a substantial degree by the mode of operation with TSL technology. The mode of operation makes the technology viable despite the lower end of the lance being submerged in the highly WO 2013/080110 PCT/IB2012/056714 reactive and corrosive environment of the molten slag bath. The inner pipe of a TSL lance may be used to supply feed materials, such as concentrate, fluxes and reductant to be injected into a slag layer of the bath, or it may be used for fuel. An oxygen containing gas, such as air or oxygen enriched air, is supplied through the 5 annulus between the pipes. Prior to submerged injection within the slag layer of the bath being commenced, the lance is positioned with its lower end, that is, the lower end of the outer pipe, spaced a suitable distance above the slag surface. Oxygen containing gas and fuel, such as fuel oil, fine coal or hydrocarbon gas, are supplied to the lance and a resultant oxygen/fuel mixture is fired to generate a flame jet which 10 impinges onto the slag. This causes the slag to splash to form, on the outer lance pipe, the slag layer which is solidified by the gas stream passing through the lance to provide the solid slag coating mentioned above. The lance then is able to be lowered to achieve injection within the slag, with the ongoing passage of oxygen-containing gas through the lance maintaining the lower extent of the lance at a temperature at 15 which the solidified slag coating is maintained and protects the outer pipe. With a new TSL lance, the relative positions of the lower ends of the outer and inner pipes, that is, the distance the lower end of the inner pipe is set back, if at all, from the lower end of the outer pipe, is an optimum length for a particular pyrometallurgical 20 operating window determined during the design. The optimum length can be different for different uses of TSL technology. Thus, in a two stage ba