China Nonferrous Metallurgy

The pyrometallurgical copper smelting process is restricted due to environmental protection issues, and the development of the direct oxygen pressure leaching process has become the focus of attention. The influencing factors of the oxygen utilization rate in the oxygen pressure leaching process was analyzed. The gas-liquid two-phase flow was numerically simulated by the technology of computational fluid dynamics. The effects of the shape of the stirring blade, the rotation speed, and the liquid-solid ratio during the leaching process on the oxygen concentration distribution in the autoclave were clarified. Three sets of copper sulfide concentrate oxygen pressure leaching industrial tests were carried out in a 30L four-compartment horizontal autoclave by changing the feeding speed, liquid-solid ratio and exhaust time and other parameters. The results show that the oxygen utilization rate can reach 94.1% when the liquid-to-solid ratio is 8∶1, the rotation speed is 300r/min, and the blade type is double-layer propulsion.