The event in Helsinki was attended by 85 delegates from 25 Flash Smelting licensees and 18 different countries. The Flash Smelting Congress program continued for a full week from Sunday to Friday and included two smelter tours, one to Boliden’s copper and nickel smelters in Harjavalta, Finland, and another to KGHM’s Głogów 1 smelter in Poland.
Apr 17, 2018
15th international flash smelting congress tours the brand new głogów 1 smelter
The traditional tri-annual gathering of the Flash Smelting Family was held in sunny Helsinki in September of last year. This tradition of the International Flash Smelting Congresses began 45 years ago in 1972 when the smelter engineers from 14 Flash Smelters around the world convened in Pori, Finland to share their operating practices and experience. The tradition was continued in subsequent Congresses in Japan, Spain, Germany, Mexico and since then the International Flash Smelting Congress has been arranged every three years on different continents.
KGHM has been operating the first Direct-to-Blister Flash Smelter in the world, the Głogów 2 smelter, since 1978, and their second Direct-to-Blister Flash Smelter was commissioned in October 2016. This impressive smelter project had replaced the outdated shaft furnace technology with Flash Smelting and completely modernized the facility infrastructure. The Flash Smelting Congress delegates flew from Finland to Poland on a charter flight and had a chance to tour the new Głogów 1 smelter extensively. All the delegates were very impressed by the spacious and well-organized new furnace areas and the efficient operation of the new smelter. At Outotec we are very proud to have been part of this successful smelter project.
In addition to the technical program in Głogów, KGHM hosted the delegates to a gala dinner at the near-by town of Legnica. The Głogów tour and the entire Flash Smelting Congress were once again an unforgettable experience for the Flash Smelting Family.