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Experimental Investigation of Gas/Slag/Matte/Tridymite Equilibria in the Cu-Fe-O-S-Si System in Controlled Atmospheres: Development of Technique

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Abstract

The majority of primary pyrometallurgical copper making processes involve the formation of two immiscible liquid phases, i.e., matte product and the slag phase. There are significant gaps and discrepancies in the phase equilibria data of the slag and the matte systems due to issues and difficulties in performing the experiments and phase analysis. The present study aims to develop an improved experimental methodology for accurate characterisation of gas/slag/matte/tridymite equilibria in the Cu-Fe-O-S-Si system under controlled atmospheres. The experiments involve high-temperature equilibration of synthetic mixtures on silica substrates in CO/CO2/SO2/Ar atmospheres, rapid quenching of samples into water, and direct composition measurement of the equilibrium phases using Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis (EPMA). A four-point-test procedure was applied to ensure the achievement of equilibrium, which included the following: (i) investigation of equilibration as a function of time, (ii) assessment of phase homogeneity, (iii) confirmation of equilibrium by approaching from different starting conditions, and (iv) systematic analysis of the reactions specific to the system. An iterative improved experimental methodology was developed using this four-point-test approach to characterize the complex multi-component, multi-phase equilibria with high accuracy and precision. The present study is a part of a broader overall research program on the characterisation of the multi-component (Cu-Fe-O-S-Si-Al-Ca-Mg), multi-phase (gas/slag/matte/metal/solids) systems with minor elements (Pb, Zn, As, Bi, Sn, Sb, Ag, and Au).

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Australian Research Council Linkage program, Altonorte Glencore, Atlantic Copper, Aurubis, Olympic Dam Operation BHP Billiton, Kazzinc Glencore, PASAR Glencore, Outotec Oy (Espoo), Anglo American Platinum, Umicore, and Kennecott Rio Tinto for the financial and technical support for this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical Engineering, Pyrometallurgy Innovation Centre (PYROSEARCH), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Ata Fallah-Mehrjardi, Taufiq Hidayat, Peter C. Hayes & Evgueni Jak

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  1. Ata Fallah-Mehrjardi
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  2. Taufiq Hidayat
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  3. Peter C. Hayes
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  4. Evgueni Jak
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Correspondence to Ata Fallah-Mehrjardi.

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Manuscript submitted April 21, 2017.

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Fallah-Mehrjardi, A., Hidayat, T., Hayes, P.C. et al. Experimental Investigation of Gas/Slag/Matte/Tridymite Equilibria in the Cu-Fe-O-S-Si System in Controlled Atmospheres: Development of Technique. Metall Mater Trans B 48, 3002–3016 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11663-017-1073-y

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