ZN FOR PEIRCE-SMITH CONVERTERS AND SIMILAR FURNACE VESSELS WATER COOLED HOOD DESI GENERAL INTRODUCTION Since the early part of this century the Peirce-Smith converter has been used to produce blister copper ‘fiom reverberatory furnace matte. Although the reverberatory fumace has been largely replaced as the primary smelting vessel, the converter is still the most common choice for the final stage of the smelting, process Traditionally, converter gases were discharged to atmosphere via a tall stack, using the natural stack draft asthe driving force. Often these gases were discharged without any dust removal except for a drop out chamber or a low velocity balloon flue. Later, electrostatic precipitators were added to reduce dust emissions. ‘The standard method of cooling the gas was to admit large volumes of air at the converter/hood interface. ‘The gas temperature to the balloon flue was limited to less than 500°C which suppressed SOs production in the system. Severe corrosion or overheating was seldom a problem Recent advances in environmental legislation mean that most smelters now have to treat converter gases in an acid plant. In order to make acid economically the SO» strength is usually 6% to 8%, and the total volume of gases, has to be minimized. This means that air infiltration at the hoods has to be kept down to about 100% ‘which results in gas temperatures in the hood of up to 700°C Air-cooled hoods have difficulty handling temperatures in this range, typical problems include ‘© Severe accretion build-up - Hot molten particles carried in the gas stream tend to stick to ‘metal surfaces if the surface temperature exceeds about 400°C. These accretions are very difficult to remove. * Distortion - hoods subjected to high temperatures distort and allow gases to leak into the converter building ‘oindowstenpdounmendajahoodspeperi. doo Page 1Cracking and failure - hood doors and roof panels which are directly in the path of the hot gas "blast" from the converter mouth are particularly susceptible to failure WATER-COOLED HOODS Water-cooled hoods were developed to allow converter off-gas systems to operate at higher temperatures. However, the early designs were not entirely successful and they soon gained a reputation for high maintenance costs and problems with corrosion and leaks. Open circuit systems where cooling is provided by evaporation of some of the circulating water have proved particularly troublesome in allowing solids to build up and block the water channels in the hoods. Improper distribution of water across the hood surface leads to local boiling and structural failure Low pressure boiler systems installed in some smelters have been a disaster, as is evidenced by the boiler drums now being used as head tanks for other systems, In the mid 1980's Drummond Technical Services undertook a study to develop a water-cooled hood system and provide design criteria for general application. ‘The following were examined: Gas and water side heat transfer rates ‘Water velocities and the effect on boiling and bum out Metal temperatures and corrosion Controls and safety Simplicity of fabrication and installation Literature studies, laboratory work, site testing, observations on failed systems and practice in other industries quickly led to what was considered to be an optimal general solution giving satisfactory safety, low maintenance, long life water cooled hoods ‘ovindowtenp drummond&jdhoodspapert doe Page 2DESIGN BASIS Gas Side Heat Transfer In the region of interest the majority of heat is transferred from the gas to the hood by radiation, a wo = 0.1723 —2- }* Eger, an = 017072) ea To = Absolute gas temperature (deg. R) E, = Effective gas emissions ats = Surface factor In addition the radiation from the mouth is transmitted via the gas to the hood in normal working conditions. T, )' 8 | AK 100) -“~™ qu =0. ray, Ts = Slag surface temperature Axe = Mouth area ‘Ku = Mouth factor When “out of stack" this radiation may impinge directly on to the hood surface. It was realized that the heat transfer problem was not readily calculable and the solution had to cover all worst possible conditions. A safe mean radiating temperature equation was derived in order to calculate the total hood heat absorption and a maximum heat flux equation was also derived in order to calculate maximum metal temperatures ‘The process gas is usually 1150°C/1250°C but can be much higher in vessels such as the Noranda reactor which use coal as an auxiliary source of energy. In these vessels it is possible to get secondary buming in the hoods if the fuel/air ratio is allowed to vary outside optimum conditions. ny domes danmendj anya doe Page?