Pierce-Smith converters

Pie filling Pierce-Smith converter Pierre Cardin Piezoelectric Piezoelectric atomizer... 

The environmental problem of sulfur dioxide emission, as has been pointed out, is very much associated with sulfidic sources of metals, among which a peer example is copper production. In this context, it would be beneficial to describe the past and present approaches to copper smelting. In the past, copper metallurgy was dominated by reverberatory furnaces for smelting sulfidic copper concentrate to matte, followed by the use of Pierce-Smith converters to convert the matte into blister copper. The sulfur dioxide stream from the reverberatory furnaces is continuous but not rich in sulfur dioxide (about 1%) because it contains carbon dioxide and water vapor (products of fuel combustion), nitrogen from the air (used in the combustion of that fuel), and excess air. The gas is quite dilute and unworthy of economical conversion of its sulfur content into sulfuric acid. In the past, the course chosen was to construct stacks to disperse the gas into the atmosphere in order to minimize its adverse effects on the immediate surroundings. However, this is not an en-... 

Pierce-Smith converter, 16 145 Piezochromic materials, 6 606-614 22 708t coordination compounds and metal cluster compounds, 6 610-611 organic molecules in crystals and polymer films, 6 607-610 organometallic complexes of Cu(II),... 

FIGURE 6.13 Effect of oxygen enrichment on blowing time in Pierce-Smith converter.14... 

Bullion was tapped continuously via a siphon from the centre of the furnace and slag was tapped intermittently from one end. Lead bullion contained around three per cent S, which was transferred to either of two small batch operated Pierce Smith converters, blown with air to remove sulfur. Slag from the converters and dusts collected from converter gases were also returned to the electric furnace. A copper matte was periodically recovered from the converters and the bullion was sent to the lead refinery. 

In addition to the above processes, there are a number of newer processes such as Noranda, Mitsubishi, and Contop, which replace roasting, smelting, and converting, or processes such as ISA-SMELT and KTVCET, which replace roasting and smelting. For converting, the Pierce-Smith and Hoboken converters are the most common processes. 

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