Integrated Experimental and Thermodynamic Modeling Study of the Effects of Al2O3, CaO, and MgO on Slag–Matte Equilibria in the Cu-Fe-O-S-Si-(Al, Ca, Mg) System

Abstract

Al2O3, CaO, and MgO are present as impurities in fayalite-based copper smelting systems. A thermodynamic database has been developed to characterize the effects of these impurities on equilibria among the slag, matte, metal and gas phases, using a progressive integrated approach that combines both experimental measurements and thermodynamic modeling. The approach involves the initial assessment of the existing data, planning and undertaking new critical experiments for selected conditions and using the new data to refine the model parameters of the database. The resulting thermodynamic database is capable of predicting, with improved accuracy, the phase equilibria and the distribution of all elements between all of the phases in the Cu-Fe-O-S-Si-(Al, Ca, Mg) system.