Method and smelting unit for pyrometallurgical smelting of metal-containing raw materials, waste materials and/or secondary waste materials

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and a smelting unit (1) for the pyrometallurgical smelting of metal-containing raw materials, waste materials and/or secondary waste materials (M) in the presence of an oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas (G).

Claims

1.-16. (canceled)

17. A method for pyrometallurgical smelting, comprising: feeding metal-containing raw material, waste material and/or secondary waste material (M) in shredded form to a smelting unit (1) which comprises a smelting zone (6), a main reaction zone (7), and a secondary reaction zone (8); and smelting the material (M) in presence of an oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G), and thereby forming a liquid melt phase (9), a liquid slag phase (10), and a gas phase, wherein the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) is blown into the liquid slag phase (10) via at least one injector (11) arranged in the smelting unit (1) above the liquid slag phase (10) and without contacting the liquid slag phase (10) at an angle of 5 to 85 with respect to a horizontal.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the at least one injector (11), via which the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) is blown into the liquid slag phase (10), has a minimum distance of 0.30 m from a surface of the slag phase (10).

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) blown into the liquid slag phase (10) via the at least one injector (11) is blown in at a speed of at least 50 m/s, preferably at a speed of at least 100 m/s, more preferably at a speed of at least 150 m/s, even more preferably at a speed of at least 200 m/s, more preferably at a speed of at least 250 m/s, and most preferably at a speed of at least 300 m/s.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the at least one injector (11) comprises a Laval nozzle (14) via which the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) is blown into the liquid slag phase (10), and a coaxial nozzle (15) via which a second oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) is blown onto the liquid slag phase (10).

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) is blown into the slag phase (10) at a flow rate of at least 500 Nm.sup.3/h.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the main reaction zone (7) of the smelting unit (1) arranged above the smelting zone (6) has a substantially circular and/or oval-shaped cross-section.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) is blown into the liquid slag phase (10) via the at least one injector (11) tangentially with respect to a notional flow ring (16), wherein the flow ring (16) comprises a diameter that corresponds to 0.1 to 0.9 times an inner diameter of the main reaction zone (7).

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) blown into the liquid slag phase (10) via the at least one injector (11) is pulsed.

25. The method according to claim 17, wherein the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) is an oxidizing gas and/or gas mixture (G) selected from the group consisting of oxygen, air and/or oxygen-enriched air; a reducing gas and/or gas mixture selected from the group consisting of natural gas, methane, carbon monoxide, water vapor, hydrogen, and gas mixtures thereof; and/or an inert gas and/or gas mixture is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide and gas mixtures thereof.

26. The method according to claim 17, wherein the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) is fed in compressed form via the at least one injector (11), is expanded adiabatically within the smelting unit (1), and is then blown into the liquid slag phase (10) as an adiabatically expanded gas and/or gas mixture in such a manner that a cooling effect in the range from 10 J/Nm 3 to 100 kJ/Nm.sup.3 is achieved.

27. The method according to claim 17, wherein the metal-containing raw materials, waste materials and/or secondary waste materials are fed into the center of the liquid slag phase (10) through an opening (17) arranged above the liquid slag phase (10).

28. The method according to claim 17, wherein the metal-containing raw materials, waste materials and/or secondary waste materials are blown into the liquid slag phase (10) through at least one injection lance (18) arranged in a wall (3) of the smelting unit (1).

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the at least one injection lance (18) is arranged in a region of the at least one injector (11).

30. A smelting unit (1) for pyrometallurgical smelting of metal-containing raw materials, waste materials and/or secondary waste materials (M) in presence of an oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G), comprising: a smelting zone (6) bounded by a reactor wall (3), a main reaction zone (7), a secondary reaction zone (8), and at least one injector (11) arranged in the reactor wall (3), wherein the at least one injector (11) is arranged in the secondary reaction zone (8) and is oriented at an angle of 5 to 85 with respect to a horizontal in such a manner that the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) can be blown into a liquid slag phase (10) from above.

31. The smelting unit (1) according to claim 30, wherein the at least one injector (11) is recessed in a cooled port (13) within the reactor wall (3).

32. A method for pyrometallurgical smelting, comprising: feeding metal-containing raw material, waste material and/or secondary waste material (M) in shredded form to a smelting unit (1) which comprises a smelting zone (6), a main reaction zone (7), and a secondary reaction zone (8); and smelting the material (M) in presence of an oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G), and thereby forming a liquid melt phase (9), a liquid slag phase (10), and a gas phase, wherein the oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture (G) is fed in compressed form via at least one injector (11) and is adiabatically expanded within the smelting unit (1) and is then blown as adiabatically expanded gas and/or gas mixture into the liquid slag phase (10) in such a manner that a cooling effect of at least 10 J/Nm.sup.3 is achieved.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of the smelting unit.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows an illustration of the smelting unit in accordance with section line A-A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the smelting unit 1, which is provided for the pyrometallurgical smelting of metal-containing raw materials, waste materials and/or secondary waste materials, hereinafter referred to as material M to be smelted, in the presence of an oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture G. The oxidizing, reducing and/or inert gas and/or gas mixture G is hereinafter referred to as reaction gas G.

[0052] The smelting unit 1 shown here is designed in the form of a conventional bath smelting unit, which comprises a base surface 2 in the lower region along with a substantially cylindrical reactor wall 3 extending vertically from the base surface 2 and having a first conical region 4 and a second conical region 5. The smelting unit 1 comprises a smelting zone 6, a main reaction zone and a secondary reaction zone 7, 8.

[0053] The first conical region 4 of the smelting unit 1 is configured such that it comprises the smelting zone 6 along with the main reaction zone 7. The secondary reaction zone 8 extends above the main reaction zone 7.

[0054] In the first conical region 4, the shredded material M to be smelted is smelted in the presence of the reaction gas G, such that a liquid melt phase 9 and a liquid slag phase 10 are formed.

[0055] As can be seen from the illustration in FIG. 1, the reaction gas G is injected into the smelting unit 1 via injectors 11 arranged in the reactor wall 3. The injectors 11 are arranged between the first conical region 4 along with the second conical region 5 in a ring element 12, which comprises specifically designed and water-cooled ports 13, in which the injectors 11 are correspondingly positioned.

[0056] In the embodiment shown here, the reaction gas G is injected into the slag phase 10 via the injectors 11 arranged in the smelting unit 1 above the liquid slag phase or in the secondary reaction zone 8. As can be seen based on the illustration, the injectors 11 are oriented at a specific angle and are arranged above the liquid slag phase 10. For example, the angle can be in the range of 5 to 85 with respect to the horizontal H.

[0057] Each of the injectors 11 has a respective Laval nozzle 14 through which the reaction gas G can be injected into the slag phase 10 at supersonic speed. Furthermore, the reaction gas G is fed in compressed form into the smelting unit 1 via the injectors 11, which preferably each comprise a Laval nozzle 14, and is adiabatically expanded within the smelting unit 1 and then injected into the liquid slag phase 10 as adiabatically expanded reaction gas, particularly preferably in such a manner that a quantity of heat adapted to the process can be extracted in an exothermically proceeding reaction process.

[0058] On the outside, each of the injectors 11 further comprises a coaxial nozzle 15 through which a sheath gas (not shown) can be blown onto the liquid slag phase 10.

[0059] FIG. 2 shows an illustration of the smelting unit 1 in accordance with section line A-A. What can be particularly seen here are the three injectors 11 arranged at equal distances from one another, via which the reaction gas G is blown tangentially into the liquid slag phase 10 with respect to a notional flow ring 16, wherein the flow ring 16 can comprise a diameter that corresponds to 0.1 to 0.9 times the inner diameter of the main reaction zone 7.

[0060] The material M to be smelted can be fed into the center of the slag phase 10 through an opening 17 of the smelting unit 1 arranged above the slag phase 10. In addition or alternatively, this can also be added to the liquid slag phase 10 via an injection lance 18 arranged in the region of the injector 11.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0061] 1 Smelting unit [0062] 2 Base surface [0063] 3 Reactor wall [0064] 4 First conical region [0065] 5 Second conical region [0066] 6 Melting zone [0067] 7 Main reaction zone [0068] 8 Secondary reaction zone [0069] 9 Melting phase [0070] 10 Slag phase [0071] 11 Injector [0072] 12 Ring element [0073] 13 Port [0074] 14 Laval nozzle [0075] 15 Coaxial nozzle [0076] 16 Notional flow ring [0077] 17 Opening/feeding system [0078] 18 Injection lance [0079] M Material to be smelted [0080] H Horizontal [0081] G Reaction gas