Characterisation of the effect of Al2O3 on the liquidus temperatures of copper cleaning furnace slags using experimental and modelling approach

Abstract

Most metallurgical smelting processes operate over a limited range of compositions and temperatures but generally, even with complex slag systems, within a given primary phase field. Knowledge of the sensitivity of the liquidus to changes in composition enables improved temperature control and stability of operation. The paper describes a general approach that was used to characterize the liquidus temperatures of the “Cu2O”“FeO”SiO2Al2O3 slags in an electric slag cleaning furnace operation as function of the principal chemical components using a combination of available computer based thermodynamic database descriptions of complex slags and targeted series of laboratory experiments. An approximate mathematical relationship, valid for a limited range of compositions and temperatures, has been developed describing the liquidus temperature of the slags as a function Fe/SiO2 ratio, Cu, and Al2O3 concentrations in slag.