Patent EP-2302082-A1 (EP)
Inventor: ADENDORFF MARTIN
IPC: C22B15/06
Filed: 2009-09-03
Abstract: The method for operating a Peirce-Smith-converter during the extraction of metals such as copper, iron, lead and/or zinc, comprises charging a converter (10) with a basic material containing the metal, which is chemically bonded in the basic material partially to a connective material, and holding a temperature within the converter interior, which lies above the melting temperature of the basic material and feeding oxygen-containing process gas over bubble nozzles arranged in the wall of the converter into the interior of the converter. The method for operating a Peirce-Smith-converter during the extraction of metals such as copper, iron, lead and/or zinc, comprises charging a converter (10) with a basic material containing the metal, which is chemically bonded in the basic material partially to a connective material, holding a temperature within the converter interior, which lies above the melting temperature of the basic material and feeding oxygen-containing process gas over bubble nozzles arranged in the wall of the converter into the interior of the converter, where the gas supplied over the bubble nozzle is cold, technically pure carbon dioxide and/or oxygen gas or air and the carbon dioxide in the process gas partially originates the exhaust gas of the converter, collecting the exhaust gas in a exhaust hood (14), cooling the exhaust gas, cleaning the exhaust gas through electrostatic filter (24) and/or wet cloth, drying the exhaust gas through separation of water from the exhaust stream, liquefying sulfur dioxide contained in the exhaust gas through further cooling of the exhaust gas at a temperature that lies below the melting point of the sulfur dioxide, separating and/or collecting the fluid sulfur dioxide from the exhaust gas stream, evaporating fluid oxygen under utilization of heat contained in the exhaust gas and utilizing the extracted oxygen gas as component of the process gas, condensing the exhaust gas at a pressure and liquefying carbon dioxide contained in the exhaust gas, intermediately storing the extracted carbon dioxide in a buffer container, gasifying the fluid carbon dioxide temporarily stored in the buffer tank in order to supply as carbon dioxide gas, cooling the exhaust gas at a temperature that lies below the melting point of the carbon dioxide under utilization of cold of the fluid oxygen that is condensed and separating the fluid carbon dioxide. The oxygen gas is mixed to the carbon dioxide gas. The exhaust gas of carbon dioxide is subjected to pressure swing adsorption and/or high temperature membrane. The exhaust gas is cooled through air that partially receives the exhaust gas after the reception of the fluid carbon dioxide. The exhaust gas is mixed to cold air. The carbon dioxide gas and the oxygen gas are guided in separate gas streams in the converter interior, where the carbon dioxide gas stream surrounding the oxygen gas stream is guided in the converter interior. The converters are parallely operated, where the converters operated in cycle in temporally staggered manner. An independent claim is included for a device for smelting a metal such as copper, iron, lead and/or zinc.