Redoubling platinum group metal smelting intensity-operational challenges and solutions
The 2003 redoubling in power to 68MW on the Polokwane Smelter furnace represented a significant intensification in platinum group metal (PGM) smelting. Combined with onerous 'green' PGM concentrate smelting requirements, this yielded conditions unusually corrosive to copper coolers and ref...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Conference Paper |
| Published: |
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/53406 |
| _version_ | 1848759136597049344 |
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| author | Hundermark, R. Nelson, L. de Villiers, Bertus Ndlovu, J. Mokwena, D. Mukumbe, P. Pieterse, B. Seyanund, W. Van Manen, P. |
| author_facet | Hundermark, R. Nelson, L. de Villiers, Bertus Ndlovu, J. Mokwena, D. Mukumbe, P. Pieterse, B. Seyanund, W. Van Manen, P. |
| author_sort | Hundermark, R. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The 2003 redoubling in power to 68MW on the Polokwane Smelter furnace represented a significant intensification in platinum group metal (PGM) smelting. Combined with onerous 'green' PGM concentrate smelting requirements, this yielded conditions unusually corrosive to copper coolers and refractories. This presented unexpected operational and design challenges to reliable crucible operation and maintenance. Combined with specific operational control intervention, development of protective coatings has led to the life of water-cooled copper components improving from 9 to 40 months. The furnace matte endwall was extended in 2010 to address accelerated wear of refractories and the potential risk for contact of copper components by superheated matte. An 18 month planned endwall rebuild cycle has been demonstrated (versus catastrophic failure within 9 months). Finally, benefits including lower energy consumption, improved metal recoveries and higher productivity resulting from operational and in-house design developments will be described, that justify "Celebrating the Mega-scale" in PGM smelting. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:55:05Z |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-53406 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:55:05Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-534062017-06-23T02:59:52Z Redoubling platinum group metal smelting intensity-operational challenges and solutions Hundermark, R. Nelson, L. de Villiers, Bertus Ndlovu, J. Mokwena, D. Mukumbe, P. Pieterse, B. Seyanund, W. Van Manen, P. The 2003 redoubling in power to 68MW on the Polokwane Smelter furnace represented a significant intensification in platinum group metal (PGM) smelting. Combined with onerous 'green' PGM concentrate smelting requirements, this yielded conditions unusually corrosive to copper coolers and refractories. This presented unexpected operational and design challenges to reliable crucible operation and maintenance. Combined with specific operational control intervention, development of protective coatings has led to the life of water-cooled copper components improving from 9 to 40 months. The furnace matte endwall was extended in 2010 to address accelerated wear of refractories and the potential risk for contact of copper components by superheated matte. An 18 month planned endwall rebuild cycle has been demonstrated (versus catastrophic failure within 9 months). Finally, benefits including lower energy consumption, improved metal recoveries and higher productivity resulting from operational and in-house design developments will be described, that justify "Celebrating the Mega-scale" in PGM smelting. 2014 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/53406 restricted |
| spellingShingle | Hundermark, R. Nelson, L. de Villiers, Bertus Ndlovu, J. Mokwena, D. Mukumbe, P. Pieterse, B. Seyanund, W. Van Manen, P. Redoubling platinum group metal smelting intensity-operational challenges and solutions |
| title | Redoubling platinum group metal smelting intensity-operational challenges and solutions |
| title_full | Redoubling platinum group metal smelting intensity-operational challenges and solutions |
| title_fullStr | Redoubling platinum group metal smelting intensity-operational challenges and solutions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Redoubling platinum group metal smelting intensity-operational challenges and solutions |
| title_short | Redoubling platinum group metal smelting intensity-operational challenges and solutions |
| title_sort | redoubling platinum group metal smelting intensity-operational challenges and solutions |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/53406 |