Mineral Roasting/Smelting

The roasting and smelting of minerals have long been the main method of refining refractory and sulfide-based ores.

Air is passed through the ore supplying the oxygen required to transform the ore from sulfide to oxide. Unfortunately, due to increasing metals demand and more complex ore types, the oxygen obtained from the air stream is sometimes not enough. Increasingly the roaster and smelting industry is having to rely on oxygen enrichment for the process.

Oxygen can be added to a roaster or smelter in a few different ways. Each method has different benefits and drawbacks:

Air enrichment

Oxygen is added to the airstream supplying the roaster or smelter. This is the simplest way of applying additional oxygen to the process, as it does not affect the structure of the smelter or roaster and can potentially be retrofitted while the process is running. This method is perfect for enriching the concentration of oxygen in the air, up to a maximum of 23.5%. Above this level, the risk of a fire is greatly increased and as such, specialised materials are then required, adding significant expense. BOC's Oxymix® system is the perfect technology for oxygen enrichment of an air stream. It has been designed to minimise high oxygen concentrations within the air stream to enhance safety.

Oxygen lancing

Pure oxygen is injected directly into the roaster or smelter. This method of injection allows much higher levels of enrichment but involves significant modification of the installation. BOC’s oxygen lancing technology can optimise the addition of oxygen to the process, without adding any hazards due to the elevated oxygen levels.

Oxy-fuel burners

Additional heating may be added via BOC's suite of oxy-fuel burners. BOC has a wide range of burner types and technologies for your process.