A Mineralogical study of nickel mattes from the kalgoorlie nickel smelter, kalgoorlie, western australia
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INTRODUCTION
IN November, 1978, as a result of agreement with Agnew Mining Limited to toll-smelt nickel concentrate from their new mining project, the new enlarged flash smelting furnace at the Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter was commissioned. During routine mineragraphic examination of flash furnace matte samples, it was decided to document the mineralogy and mineral chemistry of the constituent phases, in order to form a basis of understanding which could be used in the operation and further research into the new facility. For convenience, mineral names will be used throughout the text, although it is acknowledged that the studied phases are synthetic in nature. II.
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WESTERNAUSTRALIA i
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
After the discovery of the Kambalda nickel deposit in 1966, which contains a significant proportion of the western world's nickel reserves, studies commenced on the feasibility of a nickel smelter. Eventually the decision to build was made and construction began in early 1971 outside Kalgoorlie (Figure 1). The original flash smelting complex began operating in December, 1972 and was designed on the Outokumpu flash smelting system. Initial capacity was 200,000 tons p e r a n n u m ; however, this was expanded in 1974 to 320,000 tons p e r a n n u m by providing oxygen-enriched air from newly installed oxygen plants. Final expansion of capacity to 350,000 tons p e r a n n u m was accomplished by the incorporation of smelting electrodes in the settler area (Figure 2 (a)). Slag from the flash furnace went to separate slag cleaning MICHAEL L. PAGE is Officer-in-Charge at the Geological Research Laboratory, Western Mining Corporation Limited, Exploration Division, P.O. Box 71, Kalgoorlie, W. A., 6430 Australia. Manuscript submitted January 29, 1981. METALLURGICALTRANSACTIONS B
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ISSN 0360-2141/82/0611-0141500.75/0 9 1982 AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR METALS AND THE METALLURGICAL SOCIETY OF AIME
VOLUME 13B, JUNE 1982-- 141
Nickel Concentrate Silica Flux Miscellaneous
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