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KOLA MINING AND METALLURGICAL COMPANY: ON THE WAY OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
ArticleName Analyzing the performance of Kola MMC’s pyrometallurgical site producing metallized nickel powder
DOI 10.17580/tsm.2022.11.01
ArticleAuthor Ryabushkin M. I., Tsymbulov L. B., Pakhomov R. A., Ozerov S. S.
ArticleAuthorData

Kola MMC, Monchegorsk, Russia:

M. I. Ryabushkin, First Deputy General Director – Chief Engineer, e-mail: ryabushkinmi1@kolagmk.ru

 

Gipronikel Institute LLC, Saint Petersburg, Russia:
L. B. Tsymbulov, Director of the Research and Development Department, Doctor of Technical Sciences, e-mail: TsymbulovLB@nornik.ru
R. A. Pakhomov, Senior Researcher at the Pyrometallurgy Laboratory, Candidate of Technical Sciences, e-mail: PakhomovRA@nornik.ru
S. S. Ozerov, Lead Researcher at the Pyrometallurgy Laboratory, Candidate of Technical Sciences

Abstract

The current pyrometallurgical process applied to nickel concentrate – the product of copper-nickel converter matte separation – involves the stages of thickening, filtration, fluidized-bed furnace roasting, reduction of the roasted product in tube kilns followed by separation of the resulting product into magnetic and nonmagnetic parts, as well as hydrometallurgical processing of magnetic powder and production of N-1u and N-1 grades of nickel cathodes. In spite of a rather high metallization degree of the nickel powder, which is subjected to chlorine leaching, there are certain aspects of the process that require further analysis and optimization. For example, a recent trend is a significantly higher concentration of carbon in the flotation tailings resulting from flotation of left-over hydrometallurgically processed powder, which cannot be attributed to high metallization and dissolution degree only. The process that leads to the formation of metallic conglomerates in tube kilns requires further study and can be a potential area of optimization with regard to nickel concentrate processing. The aim of the conducted experiments is to analyze the performance of fluidizedbed furnaces and tube kilns and define the best parameters. Minimum requirements were defined for obtaining high-quality powder under laboratory conditions. The authors looked at such parameters as dwelling time, consumption of reducing agent and conglomeration. The final section of this paper provides recommendations to reduce the carbon component in the final product while maintaining the reached metallization degree. It also provides guidelines for lowering the output of reduced sintered mass after the tube kiln.

keywords Reduction, nickel powder, tube kiln nickel powder, Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company, tube kilns, magnetic separation, fluidized-bed furnaces
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