Recently, Jiangtong Guoxing (Yantai) Copper Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Jiangtong Guoxing"), in collaboration with Dandong Dongfang Measurement & Control Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Dongfang Measurement & Control"), put into operation China's first (set of) neutron activation high-precision elemental online analysis and real-time intelligent batching system for copper smelting furnace front, marking a breakthrough in real-time furnace front detection and dynamic precise batching technology in China's copper smelting industry.
As the digital, intelligent, and green transformation and upgrading of the non-ferrous metals industry accelerates, empowering quality improvement, efficiency enhancement, energy conservation, and carbon reduction through precise detection and intelligent control has become the core direction of high-quality industrial development. For a long time, domestic copper smelting production has generally adopted the traditional production model of offline sampling, laboratory testing, and post-hoc material adjustment, lacking effective online monitoring means. Real-time online elemental detection and data-driven intelligent batching at the furnace front have become urgent problems to be solved in the copper smelting industry.
Against this background, Jiangtong Guoxing, based on the industrial frontier, joined hands with Dongfang Measurement & Control, an advanced enterprise in the domestic intelligent measurement and control field, to carry out collaborative innovation integrating industry, academia, research, and application. Dongfang Measurement & Control has been deeply engaged in the fields of industrial online detection and intelligent mining for many years, led the drafting of multiple national standards for intelligent mining, achieved a domestication breakthrough in neutron activation online detection technology, broke foreign technological barriers, and is one of the few domestic enterprises that masters this technology and has achieved industrial application. The two parties took the lead in successfully applying neutron activation high-precision online analysis technology to key process links at the copper smelting furnace front, achieving technology implementation, scenario verification, and performance compliance.
According to reports, the neutron activation high-precision online analyzer can perform uninterrupted, non-contact, real-time second-level full-element online detection of furnace front materials, accurately capture dynamic changes in incoming material composition, and rely on real-time data to link with the batching system, changing the traditional extensive production model of "experience-based batching, delayed adjustment, and post-hoc remediation," and building a fully closed-loop intelligent production system of "real-time monitoring, data analysis, intelligent proportioning, and precise regulation." After the application of the new technology, it effectively stabilized furnace conditions, reduced furnace lining wear, lowered copper loss in slag, and reduced unplanned downtime. At the same time, it saved flux and fuel consumption and reduced on-site safety risks.
The neutron activation high-precision online detection technology put into operation this time has extremely strong versatility and adaptability, with broad application scenarios. In addition to the copper smelting furnace front process, the equipment can be widely adapted to multiple key process points across the entire industrial chain of non-ferrous metal mining, beneficiation, and smelting, and can provide stable and reliable online elemental detection, composition analysis, process optimization, and intelligent control technical support for various non-ferrous production scenarios, possessing extremely strong value for promotion across the entire industry.
It is understood that, in addition to the copper smelting furnace front process, the equipment can be widely adapted to multiple key process points across the entire industrial chain of non-ferrous metal mining, beneficiation, and smelting, and can provide stable online elemental detection, composition analysis, process optimization, and intelligent control technical support for various non-ferrous production scenarios. Dongfang Measurement & Control, with its technological leadership in online detection and full-process intelligent management and control, supported the smooth implementation of the project. This achievement effectively improved the batching accuracy of the copper smelting industry and also provided a replicable and promotable solution for the national non-ferrous industry to advance intelligent transformation, process upgrading, and lean production.