May 18, 2019, the Environment Protection Relocation and Renovation Project for of Chifeng Yunnan Copper Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd., which was overall designed by China Nerin, was successfully put into operation. At 10:48 a.m., May 22, the first qualified anode plate was produced. The success of the project marks China Nerin has again successfully applied the new continuous copper smelting technology of “side-blown + top-blown” after the project of Nanguo Copper.

         The Relocation and Renovation Project for Environment Protection of Chifeng Yunnan Copper was designed to produce 400kt/a high purity cathode copper and 1,690kt/a sulfuric acid. Its hydrometallurgical plant adopts the process of three-furnace continuous copper smelting, that is, side-blown furnace smelting + multiple-burner top-blown furnace converting + rotary anode furnace refining, the tankhouse adopts the process of copper electrolysis with permanent stainless steel cathodes, and the acid plant adopts the process of high-concentration SO2 conversion.

         The smooth completion and successful commissioning of the project further prove that the three-furnace process of “side-blown furnace smelting + multiple-burner top-blown furnace converting + rotary anode furnace refining” is adaptable to various materials and produces high-quality blister copper with high copper and low sulfur contents. It effectively solves the problem of some complicate concentrates and frozen concentrates. China Nerin also supplied specialized equipment such as twin casting wheels, anode scrap washing machine, anode scrap conveying & feeding machine, stainless steel cathodes, as well as plant-wide automatic control system.

         The project is located in Malin Nonferrous Metals Industrial Park, Chifeng Economic Development Zone, China. Since 2013 China Nein had made a large amount of comparisons and selection demonstrations on project capacity, process scheme, and plant location. In the second half of 2016, the basic engineering design started. During the basic engineering design, China Nerin and Chifeng Yunnan Copper made thorough exchanges and communications. With China Nerin’s engineering rich design experience in copper smelting projects, the main process scheme was optimized and upgraded greatly, and the height difference at the plant site was fully utilized for a better layout of smelting plant, concentrate storage and other plant facilities. Moreover, a concentrate storage and conveying system was well arranged to adapt to various complicate conditions such as transport by train and by truck, concentrate in jumbo bags, bulk concentrate, and crushed frozen concentrate, and a plant-wide highly efficient comprehensive energy utilization system was established to make the project advanced in comprehensive energy consumption, environment protection, and energy conservation in China. Its CAPEX and OPEX per ton of copper were both obviously reduced. Meanwhile, an integrated smart plant information system for operation control was also built for the project.

         The project being completed and put into operation marks a breakthrough in applying the three-furnace copper smelting technology and actively contributes to technical progress of copper smelting in China.

Relocation and Renovation Project for Environment Protection of Chifeng Yunnan Copper

 Project Site

Project Site

Central Control Room