Tin smelting is an important and difficult process in the production of tin. To obtain high quality tin ingots, it is necessary to use a top-blown converter. This is a rotary furnace composed of refractories and steel and lined with various linings commonly used as metallurgical vessels for smelting tin and its alloys, such as lead solder, non-full fusible alloy, silvery alloy and jewelry, etc. This kind of furnace is very successful in its smelting capacity and is the preferred choice for pyrometallurgical processes.
When the top-blown converter is used for tin smelting, the first step is to install a converter in the predesigned area. As the converter is a rotary furnace, it can hold and rotate the tin product during smelting process. The next step is to fill the converter with the required materials such as tin, flux and coal. The flux can be added in the form of borax, sal ammoniac, etcand is usually mixed with the coal at a ratio of 2:1. The materials are mixed and heated by burning the coal at the bottom of the converter.
Once the material is heated to the desired temperature, the bottom of the furnace is opened and scraped off the tin slag. The slag is sent to the slag mill for further treatment. The remaining liquid tin is then poured into a special mould for the tin ingot and placed in the furnace for cooling.
The top-blown converter is an important tool for the smelting of tin and its alloys. It can efficiently convert tin into commercial grade ingots, which are universally accepted in the world markets. It can also be used for other metals such as brass, bronze, nickel, etc. It is an environment-friendly process as the emissions from the furnace are recycled and reused during smelting process. The top-blown converter thus provides the highest quality ingots of tin, ensuring a consistent supply of tin in the world markets.
