Concentrate Burner Improvement and Swirl Disperser Technology Development

Achieving unprecedented smelting performance

BHP Billiton | Australia | 2013–2014

99%

oxygen efficiency

Reduced

fuel consumption

Increased

throughput

10x longer

intervals between maintenance

Challenge

  • Achieve a step-change improvement in copper concentrate burner-combustion performance to debottleneck production at the Olympic Dam smelter.

Solution

  • Developed innovative, patent-pending swirl disperser technology.

Highlights

  • Exceptional improvement in burner-combustion efficiency
  • Reduced oxygen and fuel consumption
  • Increased throughput and smelter availability

“In addition to the other benefits, the new disperser has significantly improved process stability.”

Shu Chen | Senior Metallurgist, BHP Billiton, Olympic Dam

Project numbers

11% improvement oxygen efficiency
10x more concentrate smelted per disperser campaign
3x reduction in SO3 production in electrostatic precipitator

Services & technologies provided

Copper

Technology Development

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