Method for the continuous refinement of contaminated copper in the molten phase

Claim 1

In a method for continuously refining impurities from a copper melt, wherein molten copper is conveyed sequentially through reduction and oxidation zones where it is reacted with gases to free it from impurities, and wherein fuel and a first oxygen containing gas are passed in countercurrent relationship to the flow of molten copper in said reduction zone, said oxygen being present in less than stoichiometric quantities thereby producing a hot reducing gas, the still unburnt fuel being passed to said oxidation zone where it is reacted with a second oxygen containing gas, said second oxygen containing gas being first brought into contact with said molten copper as a reactive stream before it contacts said still unburnt fuel, the improvement which comprises: blowing said second oxygen containing gases substantially vertically in the form of a confined energy-rich stream at the essentially smooth surface of the metal bath to produce a torus-type rotating stream at a pressure between 10 and 20 kp/cm 2 through an acceleration nozzle with a velocity between 1 Mach and 3 Mach, at a distance of less than 1 meter, with a jet force of from 5 to 25 Newtons such that a definite convective system results having a dimension perpendicular to the jet direction of approximately 0.34 to 0.85 meter, and a depth substantially less than said perpendicular dimension.