

Add to Cart
1.Working principle
Copper smelting electric furnaces generally use arc heating or
resistance heating methods. Arc heating is the use of arc discharge
between electrodes and furnace materials to convert electrical
energy into thermal energy, rapidly raising the temperature of the
furnace materials above their melting point for melting. Resistance
heating is the process of heating the furnace material by passing
current through the resistor inside the furnace to generate heat.
During the smelting process, copper and other valuable metals in
copper containing materials are reduced to form copper liquid and
slag. Due to their different densities, the copper liquid and slag
will separate into layers, thus achieving separation.
2.Structural composition
Furnace body: usually made of steel plate shell, lined with refractory materials
inside to withstand high temperature and slag erosion. The shape of
the furnace body is mostly circular or elliptical, with different
sizes and capacities to adapt to different production scales.
Electrode system: including electrodes, electrode holders, electrode lifting
devices, etc. The electrode is generally made of graphite electrode
or self baking electrode, which is fixed by an electrode holder and
connected to the power supply. The electrode lifting device can
automatically adjust the electrode position according to the
reaction situation in the furnace and the height of the furnace
material to ensure the stability and heating effect of the arc.
Feeding system: used to add copper concentrate, flux (such as limestone, quartz
sand, etc.), and other auxiliary materials to the electric furnace
in a certain proportion. The feeding system usually includes
equipment such as silos, feeders, and conveying pipelines, which
can achieve precise batching and continuous feeding.
Copper outlet and slag outlet: The copper outlet is located on one side of the bottom of the
furnace and is used to discharge the melted copper liquid. The slag
outlet is located at a higher position of the furnace body, which
facilitates the discharge of slag before copper discharge. Both the
copper outlet and slag outlet are equipped with corresponding
opening and closing devices to control the discharge of copper
liquid and slag.
Smoke exhaust system: installed on the top or side of the furnace, used to exhaust the
smoke generated during the smelting process. Smoke contains harmful
substances such as sulfur dioxide and dust, which need to be
purified before being discharged into the atmosphere. The smoke
exhaust system also includes equipment for flue gas cooling, dust
removal, desulfurization, etc.
3.Technical Parameter
Electric furnace power: Depending on the production scale and process requirements, the
power of copper smelting electric furnaces is generally between
several thousand kilowatts and tens of thousands of kilowatts.
Large copper smelters typically use high-power electric furnaces to
improve production efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
Working temperature: The working temperature of copper smelting electric furnaces is
generally around 1100-1300 ℃, depending on factors such as the composition of the furnace
charge, smelting process, and product quality requirements. During
the refining stage, the temperature may be adjusted to meet the
needs of removing different impurities.
Electrode diameter: The size of the electrode diameter is determined based on the
power and current density of the electric furnace, generally
ranging from a few hundred millimeters to thousands of millimeters.
Larger diameter electrodes can withstand higher currents and are
suitable for high-power electric furnaces, but they also require
corresponding electrode holders and lifting devices to cooperate.
4.Advantages and Applications
Advantages: Compared with traditional pyrometallurgical processes, copper
smelting electric furnaces have the advantages of high production
efficiency, low energy consumption, stable product quality, and low
environmental pollution. Electric furnaces can accurately control
temperature and furnace atmosphere, which is beneficial for
improving copper recovery rate and reducing impurity content. In
addition, electric furnaces have strong adaptability and can
process copper concentrates of different grades and compositions,
as well as recover secondary resources such as scrap copper.
Application: Copper smelting electric furnaces are widely used in the copper
smelting industry and are one of the main equipment for modern
copper production. It can not only be used for large-scale copper
concentrate smelting, but also for processing various copper
containing waste materials, slag, etc., achieving comprehensive
recycling and utilization of copper resources. Meanwhile, with the
continuous development of technology, copper smelting electric
furnaces are also moving towards large-scale and intelligent
directions to further improve production efficiency and reduce
costs.