Trustee of SFI Management Group invited an international advisory group of leading foreign scientists and experts to study the current state of production and further improve the efficiency of the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine (AGMK).

As a result, the Program of priority measures for the reconstruction and stabilization of the main production facilities of the AGMK until 2022 was developed. In accordance with it, over two billion dollars of investments will be attracted to the plant. Alim Shadmanov, the head of the metallurgical plant, told about the fact that this will give the enterprise and other planned innovations in the work.

"From mining to finished products. It is in this vein that AGMK works today. But we regard this achievement as an opportunity to move forward once again using a more qualified approach. Over the years, many workshops and equipment have become outdated, some have even failed. the involvement of the SFI Management Group as a trustee has changed a lot, "he said.

According to him, today the metallurgical shop of the copper smelter is not for nothing called the “heart” of not only this division of AGMK, but also of the whole plant: here ends a huge chain from ore mining to anode copper production. In recent years, many events have happened here, one of the main ones is the construction and commissioning of the Vanyukov furnace.

Taking a strategy to introduce effective methods of modernization and systematic re-equipment, they abandoned the reflective furnace of the metallurgical plant at the copper smelter. It was replaced by the Vanyukov stove, which is more relevant today in its technology.

"It is convenient and economical in operation, consumes less energy, exhaust gases can be recycled, which makes a certain contribution to improving the environmental situation in the region. This furnace is completely sealed, which eliminates the gassed shop. It is also more than 10 times smaller than reflective: the inner area of the OP is 240 square meters, the Vanyukov furnace is 21 square meters,” Shadmanov noted.

In the smelting process, a high distribution of copper in matte is achieved - more than 97%, which provides a higher rate of copper extraction than in reflective and oxygen-torch melts. Maintenance of the furnace during its normal operation consists in monitoring compliance with the technological regime, operation of mechanisms, devices and caissons. Also for the first time here used automated control systems for this process.

“Recently, thanks to SFI, we have more suppliers of copper concentrate from abroad, which has significantly increased the production of copper anodes. The imported concentrate, in bags and in bulk, goes to railway cars, unloads on a special site. Then the raw material is loaded into dump trucks.” BelAZ "carrying capacity of 30 tons and transported to the receiving bunkers. From there the concentrate enters the stacking loading box," said the source.

According to him, here is preparing, as metallurgists call, "pie". Why is this culinary name used? Because the concentrate brought from various countries depends on the content of various components in layers in order to achieve the necessary “mixture”. Then the finished "cake" is served in the Vanyukov oven.

There are three compartments in the stack holder: one is under construction, the other is under the formation of the stack, the third is with a ready stack. According to the schedule, repair work is carried out in the compartments: the conveyor rollers and the belt are changed, the metal structures are repaired and the averaging machines themselves. This allows to make a reserve for the smooth operation of the furnace. One compartment "feeds" the furnace for six days.

In addition to the Vanyukov furnace, other melting units are provided for the furnace: a KFP furnace, a reflective furnace, and a converter compartment as well as quartz. After smelting, matte from furnaces is sent to converters, and blister copper from it is loaded into an anode furnace.

The anode compartment is the final link of the metallurgical plant, here they receive finished products - copper anodes. For about five and a half hours, fire refining of copper takes place in the anode furnace, during which various impurities are removed - oxygen, sulfur, nickel, arsenic, bismuth, antimony, lead.

"Copper obtained during this process is cast into copper anodes of 250 kilograms each. The filling takes six to six and a half hours. Thus, the whole cycle - from loading blister copper to obtaining finished products - is 12 hours. After cooling, the anodes are loaded on trolleys and sent to the copper electrolysis shop, which daily receives 500 tons of anodes, "said Alim Shadmanov.

Today, the copper smelter is being reconstructed, the giant metallurgical industry is currently on the verge of radical changes based on the introduction of modern approaches to the management and organization of the entire production. Many big plans are to be realized in the near future, after which the AMMC will be able to increase the production of copper and precious metals, which will further strengthen the economy of Uzbekistan.

UzDaily.com