Authors: G.B. Watson and B.G. Harvey, Impala Platinum Ltd, Rustenburg, Republic of South Africa
Abstract
Impala Platinum has been smelting Ni/Cu concentrates is submerged – arc electric furnaces
since 169 and has a nominal installed capacity of 68 MVA. Because of high capital and
operating costs, maximization of furnace efficiency is essential. Furthermore, as Impala is
primarily a platinum producer, metal recovery is also critical. The quest for maximum power utilisation and minimum metal loss has resulted in many design modifications. Out philosophy regarding technology change is to use a common sense approach, strongly based on experience, with an emphasis on simplicity of design and ease of operation. In this paper, we will discuss the rationale for some of our major design changes.
