Interconnection of Technical Organization and Technological Capabilities in Modern Lead Smelting Processes

All modern processes for smelting of primary lead raw materials, including those which are not industrially applied, may be divided into two main types: smelting in liquid bath and flash smelting. The paper provides the review of interconnections of technical organization and technological capabilities of the above mentioned processes in terms of objective natural regularities. The paper describes the way and the reasons of impact of lead smelting conditions on limitations of quality and process parameters of lead raw material smelting. It is focused on specific features of KIVCET process, which allow lead smelting using unsurpassed range of lead-bearing materials, including the resistant materials such as highly ferrous residues from zinc electrolysis, complex lead-zinc and lead-copper-zinc concentrates, etc. The main founding of the review is availability of objective physical and chemical regularities of lead and lead compounds behavior stipulating technological capabilities of lead smelting processes. Consideration of such specific features in KIVCET process allows, first of all, adjusting the process to conditions of deficiency of high-grade lead materials in global market, and making it the most appropriate for usage in integrated metallurgical plants, incorporating lead, zinc and in some cases even copper productions.