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Copper Matte: Hot Calcines Smelted to 50 % Matte in Butte Reverberatories (Peters 1905)
In a coal-fired reverberatory at Butte the hot calcines were melted down into a light siliceous slag, skimmed off, and a heavy copper matte, tapped into moulds for the converters.
Result: matte of above 50 % copper, nearly 30 % of the weight of the charge; about 50 tons of charge a day per furnace.
Source: Edward D. Peters, Modern Copper Smelting (1905), pp. 451-452, 470, 474. Not given: the exact flux ratio, the tapping interval. Picture drawn by Youblob.
Advanced
1 day
Instructions
1
1
Make up the charge
Make up the charge
The charge is mostly hot calcined pyritic concentrates of 10 to 22 % copper (usually about 15 %); 50 to 80 % of it is often hot calcines straight from the calciners. Dry siliceous silver ore is often added to give a slag of 30 to 45 % silica.
Materials for this step:
Calcined Copper Concentrate5 tons per charge2
2
Smelt in the reverberatory
Smelt in the reverberatory
Drop the charge onto the hearth of a reverberatory furnace, inside about 20 ft 6 in by 12 ft 10 in with a 6 by 6 ft fire-box, and work off each 5-ton charge in 2 1/2 hours. Burn coal fast, about 10 tons a day, for about 50 tons of charge a day.
Tools needed:
Reverberatory Furnace
Bituminous Coal
Iron Rake3
3
Skim the slag
Skim the slag
Skim off the light slag at the side doors, leaving the heavy matte on the hearth.
Tools needed:
Iron Rake4
4
Tap the matte
Tap the matte
Tap the matte into cast-iron or steel moulds. Aim at above 50 % copper: about 3 1/2 tons of charge (at some works 2 1/2) make 1 ton of matte.
Tools needed:
Ingot MouldMaterials
1- 5 tons per chargePlaceholder
Tools Required
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