Column: Zinc concentrates squeeze but there’s no shortage of metal
Global zinc mine production continues to slide and the raw materials squeeze is now starting to bite, particularly in China.
Electric furnaces and associated plant equipment specialist, Tenova Pyromet, has been awarded a contract by Xstrata Technology for the supply of its industry leading copper cooling technology. This award follows the successful installation of plate coolers in two platinum group metal furnaces in South Africa. Tenova Pyromet is part of the global Tenova Mining & Minerals Group.
Tenova Pyromet’s first copper coolers were installed in a Forteleza De Minas furnace in Brazil in 1996. Since then, the company has consolidated its position as a leading supplier of copper cooling panels and water cooled copper components for electrical arc furnaces, processing materials such as platinum group metals, ferronickel, copper and ferrochrome. Its range includes water-cooled copper contact shoes which have been a standard in the industry for many years, with Tenova Pyromet’s products offering a cost-effective, maintenance friendly and reliable solution.
In addition, Tenova Pyromet provides a full range of copper cooling elements for use in the slag zone of furnaces. These coolers include “cigar” coolers which are used for localised cooling and also, Tenova Pyromet’s registered SafeCool® finger coolers and MAXICOOL® coolers. MAXICOOL® coolers have been supplied for an oval furnace as well as for more conventional circular furnaces, ranging from 3 m to 16 m in diameter. Plate coolers have been supplied to both circular and rectangular 6-in-line furnaces.
Tenova Pyromet has supplied slag, metal and matte tapholes to clients worldwide. Its copper cooled equipment range for slag and metal launders incorporates a number of patented safety features, which improve equipment lifetime and prevent burn-throughs, in addition to limiting the damage caused by leaks. Tenova Pyromet’s design team customises launder designs, such that they can be retrofitted into existing systems, obviating the need to replace an entire launder system when a single launder segment needs to be replaced or modified.
In addition to the well-established sidewall cooler and launder technology, water-cooled copper feed chute tips and gas off-take ducts, roof panels are also supplied.
Tenova Pyromet copper cooled equipment for slag and metal launders incorporates patented safety features.
“One of the major reasons for the continuing strong demand for Tenova Pyromet’s copper products, is that all our product designs can be customised to suit a variety of furnace shapes and sizes and cooling requirements,” says Andre Esterhuizen, Tenova Pyromet General Manager Sales and Marketing. “Our specialist design team has a well-established track record in successfully meeting challenges presented by non-standard furnace cooling requirements.”
Tenova Pyromet is a leading company in the design and supply of high capacity AC and DC furnaces and complete smelting plants for production of ferroalloys, base metals, slag cleaning and refining. Tenova Pyromet also designs and supplies equipment for material handling and pre-treatment, alloy conversion and refining, granulation of metal, matte and slag, furnace off-gas fume collection and treatment, and treatment of hazardous dusts and waste. Tenova Pyromet has several technologies to reduce operating costs and increase production power consumption.
Tenova Mining & Minerals is a total integrated solutions provider to the global mining, bulk materials handling and minerals beneficiation and processing sectors, offering innovative technological solutions and full process and commodity knowledge across the mining & minerals industry value chain.
Technical Contact: Andre Esterhuizen [email protected] Tel: +27 11 480 2000
Tenova is a worldwide supplier of advanced technologies, products, and engineering services for the metals and mining & minerals industries. More information is available at www.tenova.com.
