Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling the thermal balance of a suspension smelting and to a suspension smelting furnace. The suspension smelting furnace, comprising a reaction shaft (1), a lower furnace (2), and an uptake (3), wherein the reaction shaft (1) having a shaft structure (4) that is provided with a surrounding wall structure (5) and a roof structure (6) and that limits a reaction chamber (7), and wherein the reaction shaft (1) is provided with a concentrate burner (14) for feeding pulverous solid matter and reaction gas into the reaction chamber (7). The shaft structure (4) of the reaction shaft (1) is provided with cooling means (8) for feeding endothermic material into the reaction chamber (7) of the reaction shaft (1).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of feeding a fuel gas into the reaction shaft of a suspension smelting furnace and to a concentrate burner for feeding a reaction gas and fine solid matter into the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace. In the method, fuel gas (16) is fed by the concentrate burner (4) to constitute part of the mixture formed by the pulverous solid matter (6) and the reaction gas (5), so that a mixture containing the pulverous solid matter (6), reaction gas (5) and fuel gas (6) is formed in the reaction shaft (2). The concentrate burner (4) comprises fuel gas feeding equipment (15) for adding the fuel gas (16) to constitute part of the mixture that is formed by fine solid matter (6) and reaction gas (5).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method whereby copper is recovered from a copper sulphide ore containing pyrite. According to the method the ore is ground and leached into a solution containing sulfuric acid in atmospheric conditions by means of trivalent copper. As the copper sulphide leaches out, the trivalent iron is reduced to divalent and is oxidized back to trivalent by means of oxygen during leaching. Leaching is carried out in a closed reactor, where the undissolved gas rising from the solution in the supper section of the reactor is circulated back into the suspension of solution, solids and gas. leaching is performed in the presence of both divalent and trivalent iron and preferably with the dissolved copper acting as a catalyst to promote leaching. The conditions are adjusted to be such that the pyrite of the ore essentially does not dissolve.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for treating solids-containing process gas in a suspension smelting furnace, comprising directing the process gas from the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace to a lower furnace and, further, through a raised shaft to a waste heat boiler to cool the process gas, whereby, through one or more gas nozzles placed on the lower furnace top wall, oxidizing gas is fed into the process gas flowing in the lower furnace, whereby the amount of oxidizing gas is adjusted during the process so that the amount of sulphides contained in the solid matter of the process gas that is directed to the waste heat boiler is minimized. The invention also relates to the equipment.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for purifying impure lithium bicarbonate by means of a cation exchange resin. In addition to solution purification by ion exchange, the treatment stages include the regeneration of impurity metals bound to the resin. Regeneration consists of washing the resin with water, elution with acid solution, washing with water, neutralization with alkali solution and washing with water. It is characteristic of the method that neutralization is performed with sodium hydroxide solution.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of using a flotation machine that is used in metallurgical processes and to a flotation machine. The flotation machine foams hydrophobic particles from an aqueous slurry that contains these particles. The flotation machine includes a flotation cell (1), and a rotor (2) that is inside the flotation cell. The rotor (2) is rotated at a mixing power, which maintains the suspension in the slurry and mixing of air with the slurry to form the foam, and the mixing power is controlled by adjusting the rotation speed of the rotor. The amount of solid matter S accumulated on the bottom of the cell (1) is determined, and the rotation speed of the rotor (2) is adjusted on the basis of the determined amount of solid matter. The flotation machine includes a measuring device (5) for determining the amount of solid matter accumulated on the bottom of the cell.

Abstract: A plant for chemical or physical treatment of granular solids includes a fluidized-bed reactor, a solids supply conduit and a central gas supply tube. A cooling tube is disposed relative to the gas supply tube so as to form an annular cooling duct, which is configured to cool the gas supply tube and the process gas and is connected with a coolant source configured to supply a coolant with a temperature of below about 400° C. Outlet openings are disposed in the cooling tube. The fluidized-bed reactor is a Venturi reactor in which the cooling tube opens into a flared portion with the outlet openings connecting the annular cooling duct with the reactor interior. The cooling tube adjoins the gas supply tube and extends substantially parallel to the flared portion of the reactor.

Abstract: A packed tower for the absorption of water or SO3 in sulfuric acid includes a jacket and a domed grid disposed within the jacket. The domed grid is held on an L-shaped ring such that a gap is formed between an outside diameter of the domed grid and the jacket. A bed of packings is held on the domed grid through which the sulfuric acid charged from above trickles. A gas supply tube is disposed in a lower region of the tower. A gas outlet is disposed above the bed. An acid outlet is disposed in the lower region of the tower.

Abstract: A process and a plant for treating ore concentrate particles containing valuable metal and having at least arsenic and sulfur containing components. The process comprises a two-stage roasting process comprising a first roasting step and a second roasting step. A gas mixture is formed from the first process gas component obtained from the first roasting step and from the second process gas component obtained from the second roasting step. Post combustion of the gas mixture is made in a post combustion chamber that uses the sulphide rich first process gas component and the second process gas component as oxidizer gas in order to decompose SO3 in the gas mixture. The exit gas is exposed to subsequent gas cooling and dust removal steps.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for preparing a mother plate of a permanent cathode to be used in a process for electrolytic recovery of metal such as metal electrorefining or metal electrowinning. The apparatus comprises a holder for releasably holding the permanent cathode, a measurer for measuring a shape of the mother plate to obtain measurement data, a calculating device functionally connected with the measurer and configured for calculating geometric deviation of the mother plate in comparison to a predefined reference shape by using the measurement data, and a presser functionally connected with the calculating device and configured for automatically locally pressing the mother plate in accordance with the calculated geometric deviation of the mother plate to plastically deform the mother plate.

Abstract: A plant for producing char and fuel gas includes a fluidized bed reactor having a first inlet in a lower region of the fluidized bed reactor configured to supply a primary fluidizing gas, a second inlet disposed above the first inlet and configured to supply a secondary gas, and a third inlet configured to supply dried and crushed coal. A further reactor is configured to perform a further process, the further reactor being directly connected to the fluidized bed reactor via a first conduit. A pneumatic injection and/or transportation system is disposed between the fluidized bed reactor and the further reactor. The first inlet is connected to a first supply of a first gas having an oxygen content which is smaller than a second supply of an oxygen enriched second gas connected to the second inlet.

Abstract: A method for providing a suspension smelting furnace with constant and continuous feed is disclosed. The method employs intermediate storage bins for fine-grained feed, a feed rate controller for accurately controlling the feed rate of the fine-grained material, and a pneumatic conveyor for lifting the feed up to the top level of the suspension smelting furnace where the burner of the furnace is adapted. The heavy constructions of the storage bins are located close to the ground level and the constructions around and on top of the furnace have been designed essentially lighter than in conventional solutions.

Abstract: The invention relates to a turbine-type high-power impeller, to be used for mixing slurry in hydrometallurgical process reactors. The impeller is formed of at least five blades, each of which blades comprises a front edge, trailing edge, root and tip; the roots of the impeller blades are permanently attached by a joint to the hub or axis of the impeller, so that the front edge of the impeller blade is straight, and the trailing edge is chamfered, in which case the blade is narrowed towards the tip, and the blade is provided with two longitudinal folds arranged in parallel with the front edge of the blade.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting an iron-bearing residue generated in a hydrometallurgical process that contains small amounts of soluble heavy metals into a stable form by means of a neutralizing agent. The residue is elutriated and the elutriated residue is fed into at least one stabilization or homogenization reactor, into which a neutralizing agent is also routed, and the homogenous mixing together of the residue and neutralizing agent takes place by means of a helix mixer, where the ratio of the diameter of the mixer to the diameter of the reactor is 0.75-0.99.

Abstract: An apparatus for electroproduction or electrorefining of material including an electrode having a first conducting layer and a second conducting layer wherein the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer are separated by an electrically insulating layer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of using a suspension smelting furnace and to a suspension smelting furnace and to a concentrate burner (4). The concentrate burner (4) comprises a first gas supply device (12) for feeding a first gas (5) into the reaction shaft (2) and a second gas supply device (18) for feeding a second gas (16) into the reaction shaft (2). The first gas supply device (12) comprises a first annular discharge opening (14), which which is arranged concentrically with the mouth (8) of a feeder pipe (7), so that the first annular discharge opening (14) surrounds the feeder pipe (7). The second gas supply device (18) comprises a second annular discharge opening (17), which is arranged concentrically with the mouth (8) of the feeder pipe (7), so that the second annular discharge opening (17) surrounds the feeder pipe (7) opening (14).

Abstract: An apparatus for use in the electroproduction or electrorefining which includes first and second electrodes, at least one bus bar, and at least one power supply wherein a power supply is associated with an electrode and is arranged to regulate a current supply from a bus bar to the electrode.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for thermally processing ?-spodumene, i.e. lithium aluminum silicate, by which treatment it is transformed into ?-spodumene, which is more advantageous for further processing; in the method, concentrate or ore with a grain size of 20-1,000 ?m is processed in a fluidized bed reactor, at a temperature of 800-1,000° C., by using an oxygenous gas as the fluidizing gas.

Abstract: An X-ray tube includes a cathode, an anode with an electron receiving surface, and a window facing the electron receiving surface of the anode. On the electron receiving surface of the anode it includes a layer of anode material. Deeper in the anode than the layer of anode material, there is a block of attenuator material. The atomic number of the attenuator material is less than one third of the atomic number of the anode material.

Abstract: The invention relates to the hydrometallurgical treatment of laterite ores in order to recover valuable metals. More specifically, the invention presented relates to a method for improving precipitation and solid-liquid separation in conjunction with the leaching of laterite ores. According to the method the slurry exiting the leaching of laterite ores is neutralized, after which part of the slurry is routed to solid-liquid separation. Iron is precipitated from the solid-liquid separation overflow by neutralizing the solution and the solution that is formed, which includes jarosite seeds, is routed to an appropriate point in the process to control the precipitation of iron and to enhance the filterability of the solids.