“Gipronickel Institute” LLC, Saint Petersburg, Russia:

Yu. A. Savinova, Junior Researcher
A. B. Portov, Researcher
L. Sh. Tsemekhman, Head of Laboratory of Pyrometallurgy, e-mail: LST@nikel.spb.su

One of methods of smelting shop reconstruction at Kola MMC is transfer to a charge autogenous calcinating, based on coppernickel sulfide concentrate in fluidized bed furnaces with further smelting in ore-thermal furnace and converting of resulted matte. According to the indicated scheme, some specified requirements to cinder content (first of all for residual sulfur content and for deeply oxidized components (spinel and ferrite)) are revealed during the material processing. According to the present study, a number of laboratory tests of concentrate calcinating in fluidized bed furnace is carried out. The aim of the tests is determination of calcinating optimal conditions, which provide cinder production, suitable for further pyrometallurgical treatment. The article describes the results of material composition analysis of initial copper-nickel concentrate and its calcinating products. The study used the methods of scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis (SEM and EPM). There is found that the principle cinder components are sulfate-spinel conglomerates, oxidized, oxysulfide and sulfide particles. Dependence of cinder material composition on temperature (650–950 ^oC) and calcinating duration (30–120 min) is studied. It is demonstrated that, first of all, cinder material composition, depending on process temperature and calcinating duration, has no considerable influence on cinder composition and structure. A clear tendency of volume ratio growth of components with deeper oxidation degree is marked with increasing of temperature. Method of material loading into furnace has an appreciable influence: distributed loading under otherwise equal conditions provides more uniform and predictable material oxidation.

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