Mathematical Modeling of the Flash Converting Process of Solid Copper Matte

The continuous flash converting process (FCP) of solid copper matte is an innovative technology for copper matte converting. The process offers several benefits over the conventional batch operation carried out in Peirce-Smith converters. This chapter reviews the mathematical formulations reported in the literature to predict the behavior of the FCP. The models are classified into three groups: overall material and energy balances coupled with thermodynamic relationships, computational fluid dynamics models aimed at predicting the spatial distribution of particles and gas-phase properties in the reaction chamber, and simplified rate descriptions of the reaction path followed by the particles. The relevance of these formulations is discussed. Future improvements to represent the FCP in a more realistic manner are addressed.