The Southern African Institute for Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) says it is ready for an influx of global furnace manufacturers, users and related stakeholders as it prepares to host the first Furnace Tapping Conference at the Misty Hills Country Hotel, in Johannesburg, from May 27 to 29.

Organising committee chairperson and consulting metallurgist Joalet Steenkamp tells Mining Weekly that the event aims to create a platform from which all stakeholders can share perspectives on the industry and discuss ways of improving it.

“The idea of putting together this type of gathering came to me while I was conducting a literature survey for my PhD studies. The topic for my studies was enhancing the tap-hole design for silicomanganese furnaces, and I realised then that there was not much quality information available in open literature on the role that the tap-hole plays in furnace use.

“Further, with my experience in industry and design environments, I identified a need for people from operations, engineering houses, companies serving the industry and research environments to get together and discuss these types of matters at a formal forum. Luckily, the SAIMM was thinking along the same lines and together we organised the event,” she explains.

As this is the first time that SAIMM will host the event, the topics of discussion will be broad to accommodate all attendees and encourage future gatherings, says Steenkamp.

“The initial idea was to obtain as many perspectives on the topic as possible within the context of the Southern African pyrometallurgical industry, which produces 18 commodities through smelting at more than 60 sites.

“However, we later found that there was significant interest from the international community as well, which confirmed the need for a conference dedicated to the tapping of furnaces,” she elaborates.

Two local experts and one international expert – all in pyrometallurgy – will deliver keynote addresses, namely Dr Lloyd Nelson and Dr Nic Barcza, as well as Professor Halvard Tveit, from Norway. Moreover, nine South African authors and other global contributors will present 16 peer-reviewed papers.

“Dr Nelson will share his extensive experience in furnace design and operations, while Dr Barcza and Professor Tveit will share their extensive experience in research and operations.

“I am particularly excited about the modelling aspect that Professor Tveit will address – a hot topic, with him being the only person willing to address it at this conference. Seasoned presenters include Isobel McDougal from electric furnaces and associated plant equipment specialist Tenova Pyromet and Luther Els from environmental challenges solutions provider Resonant Environmental Technologies,” explains Steenkamp.

Other presenters include Siya Mgenge from heavy minerals miner Tronox Namakwa Sands, Hardus Geyer from JSE-listed steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa and Arno Dienenthal of furnace equipment engineering and manufacturing company Dango & Dienenthal South Africa, among others.

At the time of going to print, conference sponsors included Vienna-based heat-resistant refractory products producer RHI AG, local furnace component engineering and production company Thos Begbie, Swedish sensor systems manufacturer Agellis Group, engineering consultancy Hatch Goba, South Africa-based thermal lance expert Trefimet SA and pyrometallurgical product supplier Elkem Carbon.

The sponsors, except Elkem Carbon, will also exhibit their products and services at the Furnace Tapping Conference. The 16 peer-reviewed articles will be published and distributed to conference attendees, with some papers from the conference to be published in the SAIMM journal at a later stage.

Meanwhile, from an operations perspective, the SAIMM expects that documenting tapping prac- tices will take centre stage at the discussions, says Steenkamp.

“For instance, the papers by Isabelle Nolet, titled ‘Tapping of PGM-Cu-Ni Mattes: an Industry Survey’, and by Burger van Beek and co-authors, titled ‘An Overview of the Design, Operation and Maintenance Practices Relating to Tap-holes Management within a PGM Smelting Furnace’, are examples of papers originating from the platinum industry,” she details.

From an engineering and services perspective, Steenkamp states that tap-hole wear monitoring and tap-hole maintenance practices are likely to be high- lighted at the conference.

“It is, however, important to mention that noneof the papers are purely research-based, which is an indication of the opportunity for research institutions to get involved. It also indicates that an integrated approach to addressing problems in furnace tapping is required,” concludes Steenkamp.