SMS Group subsidiary Paul Wurth notes that its INBA slag granulation and dewatering system is the proven route for converting molten slag into a value-added product not only in the field of blast furnaces (BFs) but also for the non-ferrous (NF) industry.

With more than 300 references worldwide, this technology is the most common granulation system for large BF plants and is additionally used for various NF slags – copper-nickel slags, platinum group metal slags – as well as mattes.

The INBA system comprises two main components – the granulation unit with a granulation tank with integrated blowing box and the INBA dewatering drum.

The system provides the customer with an installation whose operation is largely independent from furnace operations.

As it is a dynamic system, even extremely long tap times do not affect or limit the granulation and dewatering process.

Different INBA dewatering drum sizes are available which allow a customised tailoring of the INBA system to the given furnace slag flow rates. Its modular flexibility enables the implementation of the system in compact layouts.

The slag is granulated into the granulation tank from where it is either discharged by gravity to the dewatering drum or by slurry pumps, in case the dewatering drum is installed remotely.

For batch-wise operated furnaces having only small quantities of material to be granulated, dewatering bins can be used as an alternative to the dewatering drum. After dewatering, the material can be directly discharged from the bins to downstream transport facilities.