The Behavior of Copper-Matte and Copper-Nickel Matte in the Bessemer Converter

This study presents an investigation into the behavior of copper-matte and copper-nickel matte within a Bessemer converter, where nickel was traditionally viewed as an element replacing iron in copper-mattes. The objective was to elucidate the dynamic interplay between copper and nickel during the smelting process and to understand how these metals contribute to the overall chemistry in the generation of metallic copper. Employing a series of experiments focused on high copper and nickel content mattes, we meticulously analyzed the composition changes that occur during the blow phase. Our results reveal significant insights: nickel does not merely replace iron in matte, and, rather intriguingly, nickel-copper alloys behave as a single entity throughout the matte-blowing process. The findings underscore that the laws governing copper during the Bessemer blow also apply to nickel-copper alloys, which challenges previous assumptions about the distinct roles of these metals. This research not only enhances the understanding of the Bessemer process but also prompts further inquiry into the governing principles of metallic output from complex matte systems.