Isasmelt process

The Isasmelt process uses a simple stationary, cylindrical, refractory-lined reaction vessel. The typical blended feedstock to the vessel is of a moist lumpy consistency and this feature greatly simplifies environmental control equipment requirements. 

K. Ramus and P. Hawkins, "Lead Acid Battery Recycling and the New Isasmelt Process," 3rd European Eead Battery Conference, Munich, Germany, Oct. 1992. 

Boliden s Kaldo process of, 14 742-743 Isasmelt process of, 14 743-745 Kivcet process of, 14 739-740 Outokumpu process of, 14 745 QSL process of, 14 740-742 Lead stabilizers, for PVC polymers, 25 671 Lead storage battery, 14 783. See also Lead-acid batteries Lead-calcium alloy batteries... 

Sirosmelt [CSIRO smelting] A copper smelting process developed in the 1970s by J. Floyd at the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia. It formed the basis for the Isasmelt process. 

Initial application of this process to lead (and copper) was developed by Mount Isa Mines and was termed the Isasmelt process. Other applications and later also tin, copper and lead smelting and zinc fuming were developed by Ausmelt Limited, both as licensees of the Sirosmelt technology. 

Matthew, S P, McKean, G R, Player, R L and Ramus, K E, 1990, The continuous Isasmelt process, in Proceedings Lead-Zinc 90, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) Symposium, Anaheim, pp 889-901. 

Direct smelting processes provide alternatives to the sinter plant-blast furnace above, up to the stage of crude bullion production, but still require the addition of refining operations to produce high-grade lead. Three alternatives have been evaluated - the Kivcet process, the QSL process and the Isasmelt process - as typical of the top submerged lance slag bath reactor. Evaluations are based on comparable feeds, predominantly lead concentrates with low residue inputs. 

Operating parameters for the Isasmelt process have been assumed as follows per tonne of product lead ... 

Table 17.7 gives the capital cost estimate for the production of 100 000 t/a of lead in bullion by the Isasmelt process. 

Lead smelter capital costs - Isasmelt process (cost basis - June 2005). 

Table 17.9 gives a comparison of estimated capital and operating cost for the standard sinter plant-blast furnace technology with the Kivcet and Isasmelt processes as two examples of direct smelting technologies. 

The two direct smelting technologies show similar overall direct operating costs, although the Isasmelt process may have lower capital cost. However, lead losses in slag are higher and recovery correspondingly lower for the Isasmelt process, which will raise raw material costs. This is covered in more detail below in the section on overall economics for refined lead production. 

The Isasmelt process functions in basically the same way as the QSL technology, processing moist feed in a submerged bath. However, in contrast, it uses two furnaces operated in series, for separate oxidation and reduction phases, and operates as a batch process. A key feature of the Isasmelt system is that air is blown into the oxidation furnace using a... 

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