Wet smelting plant for nickel oxide ore and method of operating the same

Abstract

A wet smelting plant for nickel oxide ore is provided in which, even when a serious trouble occurs in a processing facility, the preparation period of time of the processing facility required for discontinuing and restarting the operation can be minimized. The wet smelting plant for nickel oxide ore ( 20 ) comprises two or more series of the processing facilities, each processing facility including a step operating facility, a utility feed facility ( 8 a ), ( 8 b ), a hydrogen sulfide feed facility ( 10 a ), ( 10 b ), a flocculant feed facility ( 14 a ), ( 14 b ), and a neutralizer feed facility ( 12 a ), ( 12 b ) and is featured in that connecting installations are further provided for connecting between the utility feed facilities ( 8 a ) and ( 8 b ), between the hydrogen sulfide feed facilities ( 10 a ) and ( 10 b ), between the flocculant feed facilities ( 14 a ) and ( 14 b ), and between the neutralizer feed facilities ( 12 a ) and ( 12 b ) in order to make the delivery of utility supplies, hydrogen sulfide, flocculant, and neutralizer for mutual substitution.

1 . A wet smelting plant for nickel oxide ore, the plant comprising; two or more series of processing facilities, wherein each processing facility including:
 a step operating facility having a pre-process unit, a leaching unit, a solid/liquid separation unit, a neutralization unit, a dezincification unit, a sulfurization unit and a purifying unit;   a utility feed facility for feeding the pre-process unit, the leaching unit, the solid/liquid separation unit, the neutralization unit, the dezincification unit, the sulfurization unit and the purifying unit with the utility supplies including steam, water, and electric power;   a hydrogen sulfide feed facility for feeding the dezincification unit and the sulfurization unit with hydrogen sulfide;   a flocculant feed facility for feeding the solid/liquid separation unit and the neutralization unit with a flocculant; and   a neutralizer feed facility for feeding the neutralization unit and the purifying unit with a neutralizer; and   
       connecting installations for providing connections between the utility feed facilities, between the hydrogen sulfide feed facilities, between the flocculant feed facilities and between the neutralizer feed facilities in order to make the delivery of the utility supplies, the hydrogen sulfide, the flocculant and the neutralizer for mutual substitution. 
     
     
         2 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 1 , wherein the connecting installations are arranged for connecting between the feed facilities at the uppermost of supply paths along which the utility, the hydrogen sulfide, the flocculant and the neutralizer are fed from the feed facilities. 
     
     
         3 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 1 , wherein the processing facilities of the two or more series are equal in the processing capability. 
     
     
         4 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 1 , wherein the number of the two or more series is two. 
     
     
         5 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 1 , wherein the connecting installation includes an opening and closing mechanism. 
     
     
         6 . A method of operating a wet smelting plant, the plant of  claim 1  is employed. 
     
     
         7 . The method of operating a wet smelting plant of  claim 6 , wherein when the action of at least one of the feed facilities in one of the series including the utility feed facility, the hydrogen sulfide feed facility, the flocculant feed facility and the neutralizer feed facility is discontinued, the feed facilities in the other series are operated at a level higher than the normal operational efficiency and the processing facilities of the series are lowered in the operational efficiency. 
     
     
         8 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 2 , wherein the processing facilities of the two or more series are equal in the processing capability. 
     
     
         9 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 2 , wherein the number of the two or more series is two. 
     
     
         10 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 3 , wherein the number of the two or more series is two. 
     
     
         11 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 2 , wherein the connecting installation includes an opening and closing mechanism. 
     
     
         12 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 3 , wherein the connecting installation includes an opening and closing mechanism. 
     
     
         13 . The wet smelting plant of  claim 4 , wherein the connecting installation includes an opening and closing mechanism. 
     
     
         14 . A method of operating a wet smelting plant, the plant of  claim 2  is employed. 
     
     
         15 . A method of operating a wet smelting plant, the plant of  claim 3  is employed. 
     
     
         16 . A method of operating a wet smelting plant, the plant of  claim 4  is employed. 
     
     
         17 . A method of operating a wet smelting plant, the plant of  claim 5  is employed.