Delmer TBRC Furnace (Top Blowing Rotary Converter)

The TBRC Furnace, also known as the Top Blowing Rotary Converter, is an advanced and versatile smelting and refining furnace used for precious metal recovery, copper refining, and e-waste recycling applications. Designed to perform both smelting and oxidation refining in a single operation, the TBRC offers a high degree of efficiency, adaptability, and metal recovery rates—making it a preferred solution for processing printed circuit boards (PCBs), black copper, anode slime, and various metal residues.

Working Principle

The TBRC Furnace operates on a continuous rotary smelting mechanism that maintains constant movement during the smelting process. This rotation ensures uniform heating, effective impurity removal, and efficient mixing of alloy and slag. The dynamic motion also helps minimize the inclusion of precious metals into slag, thereby enhancing overall metal recovery efficiency and concentrating platinum group metals (PGMs) into the copper alloy.

During operation, the TBRC passes through three main working positions — feeding, smelting, and slagging/casting.

• Feeding: Can be done vertically through the furnace top or via an online charging system.
• Smelting: Crushed PCB materials and flux are continuously fed into the furnace through an overhead bunker and feeding pipe.
• Slagging & Casting: After smelting, impurities are removed as slag, and molten black copper is cast into moulds for further refining.

Smelting of PCB Materials

Before charging into the TBRC, PCB scrap is crushed to 1–3 cm in size and separated magnetically to remove iron components. The crushed material (bulk density 0.6–0.9 t/m³) is continuously fed at a rate of 0.4–0.6 m³/h. Each smelting cycle lasts 6–8 hours, including:

• Smelting: 5–7 hours
• Clarification: 30–40 minutes
• Slagging and Casting: 10 minutes each

During this process, impurities like Fe, Si, and Al are removed in the slag-forming stage, while trace elements such as Pb and Sn are partly carried away in the off-gas. Continuous furnace rotation improves the separation of metal and slag, ensuring a low copper content (below 0.2%) in slag and nearly zero loss of valuable metals. The resulting black copper alloy is collected and cooled for subsequent refining.

Oxidation Refining of Black Copper

The black copper ingots (approximately 2 tons per batch) are charged back into the TBRC Furnace for oxidation refining.

1. The burners heat the charge to the desired temperature.
2. A compressed-air oxidation lance injects air at supersonic speed to oxidize impurities such as lead, tin, and nickel.
3. These impurities combine with flux to form slag, while refined blister copper is poured into moulds and sent to the anode furnace for electrorefining.

Refining slag and off-gas dust can also be reprocessed in the TBRC to extract any remaining metals, reducing environmental waste.

Furnace Design and Mechanical Structure

The TBRC furnace comprises:

• Furnace Vessel: Made from high-temperature-resistant steel plates, continuously welded using submerged-arc technology and heat-treated to prevent deformation under extreme heat.
• Base Frame and Tilting Device: Provides full hydraulic-driven movement for precise control during charging, smelting, and pouring.
• Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU): Powers the rotation and tilting of the furnace using hydraulic motors and cylinders equipped with lockup valves for safety in case of pressure failure.
• Control and Safety Systems: Equipped with a UPS-backed PLC control cabinet for safe operation during power outages.

Combustion and Oxidation Systems

The TBRC Furnace integrates both combustion and oxidation refining systems:

1. Oxy-Fuel Combustion Burner: 

• Capacity: 1500 kW
• Fuel: Natural Gas (NG) or LPG with 90% pure oxygen
• Equipped with flame detectors and automatic shut-off safety valves to prevent accidents.

2. Oxidation Lance:

• Constructed from a heat-resistant alloy with a Laval nozzle.
• Injects compressed air (1.5–2 Mach) into the molten bath for strong stirring and efficient oxidation.
• Assists in removing residual impurities to produce high-purity copper.

Both systems are skid-mounted and include advanced automation for flow control, temperature monitoring, and combustion management.

Automation and Control

The TBRC Furnace is controlled through a Siemens PLC system with a touchscreen interface for local and remote operation. The system displays:

• Real-time operational status
• Valve and burner conditions
• Temperature profiles
• Gas flow rates and alarms

A wireless remote controller is provided for furnace movement and burner management, ensuring safe and flexible operation.

Technical Specifications

Environmental Control and Safety

The TBRC Furnace is enclosed in a sealed steel casing with an integrated flue gas suction port, directing exhaust gases to an off-gas cleaning system for safe emission management.

All exhaust is processed through multi-stage filtration and scrubbers, ensuring compliance with international environmental standards.

Safety mechanisms include:

• Automatic emergency shutdown
• Hydraulic lock valves
• Flame monitoring sensors
• UPS backup for uninterrupted operation

Applications

The TBRC Furnace is suitable for:

• E-Waste Recycling Plants recovering copper, silver, gold, and PGMs from printed circuit boards.
• Precious Metal Refining Units processing black copper, anode slime, and metal residues.
• Metallurgical and Copper Refineries performing oxidation refining of copper alloys.
• Sustainable Metal Recovery Operations seek high efficiency and low environmental impact.

Key Advantages

• High Recovery Rate: Up to 99% metal recovery efficiency.
• Dual Functionality: Combines smelting and oxidation refining in one system.
• Flexible Raw Material Handling: Suitable for e-waste, copper scrap, and anode residues.
• Energy Efficient: Oxy-fuel combustion system optimizes heat utilization.
• Environmentally Friendly: Integrated gas treatment and slag depletion minimize waste.
• Advanced Automation: Siemens PLC for precise control and monitoring.

Durable Design: Built with heat-resistant steel and refractory lining for long operational life.