Melting of oxidized nickel ores in a barbotage unit: II. Experimental investigations

Abstract

The possibility of efficient processing of oxidized nickel ores (ONOs) to form ferronickel in a barbotage unit (liquid bath melting (LBM), Vanyukov furnace) is corroborated theoretically and experimentally. The processing of the ONOs of the Buruktal deposit with the formation of ferronickel under the conditions that model melting in a barbotage unit is subjected to laboratory investigations. Wet or dried ore and its reduced cinder are melted. It is shown that melting of the reduced cinder of ONO can result in the formation of nickel-rich (up to 40% Ni) ferronickel upon the extraction of more than 91% nickel from the raw materials at a residual nickel content of <0.1% in a slag. Direct melting of the ore results in the formation of ferronickel with at most 18% Ni and a low degree of nickel extraction into ferronickel, which has high sulfur, phosphorus, and carbon contents in this case.