Early completion of anode furnace rebrick: Incident-free and on budget

Mount Isa Mines successfully completed a partial rebrick of Anode Furnace 1 in July, a process required every four years to maintain its operational integrity.

This rebrick was necessary because the furnace's refractory material, which endures extreme temperatures of up to 1,220 degrees celsius, had begun to wear away.

After two years of continuous operation, the worn sections of the refractory are removed and replaced with new bricks, ensuring the furnace can operate efficiently for another two years. At that point, a full refractory rebrick will be required.

The rebrick process involved replacing several critical components, including the charging mouth, pouring spout, gooseneck, gas burner, and tuyeres within the copper smelter's anode furnace. The entire operation took 33 days, or 792 hours, from the furnace’s last cast to its first cast post reline.

Sixty additional contract workers, including specialist refractory bricklayers, boilermakers and riggers were required to complete the works. The work involved lancing out the old charging mouth and pouring spout shell plate, using a robotic demolition machine to remove the refractory, and manually installing the new bricks. Afterward, the team welded in the new charging mouth and pouring spout shell plate.

A notable achievement was the refurbishment of the pot bay beneath the furnace. The team removed old steelwork, remediated concrete, and installed a new lining to protect the furnace’s vital foundations.

This project differs from the more extensive four-yearly Copper Smelter rebrick, in that the Anode Furnace partial relines are conducted ‘on-the-run’ with the rest of the plant still in operation. This added complexity required careful coordination between the operations and the contractors completing the works.

Stephen Constantinou, Acting Copper Smelter Manager thanked the project team for their outstanding performance,

“I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone involved in our operations, including our employees, contractors, suppliers, and support teams, for their invaluable contributions with the Anode Furnace Rebrick. With a special mention to Clinton Fenton, Aaron Conlon, Anthony Lynch, Nick Lanham and Norm Andrews for leading the successful completion of the Anode Furnace rebrick, incident free, three-days ahead of schedule and within budget,” said Stephen.