Nickel Refining at Inco TNC Limited Matsuzaka Plant

Abstract

Inco TNC Limited is a subsidiary of CVRD Inco, the world’s leading producer of nickel, holding the biggest nickel refining capacity in Japan located at coastal area in Mie prefecture. It has been supplying charge nickel to all of the stainless steel mills in Japan as well as its fellow subsidiary companies in Asia area since 1967.
The raw material which is called nickel matte came from Canada at first. Now it processes nickel matte produced by another fellow subsidiary in Indonesia.
The main processing facilities are as follows; fluid bed roasting furnace (2 lines), fluid bed reduction furnace (3 lines), briquette machine and compacting machine (1 line each). There are two sulfuric acid plants to treat SO₂ gas from the nickel process facilities.
Currently it is producing nickel at full capacity, 60,000 tonne / year that is 13 times of the original plan. Customer satisfaction, safety, and environment are always our most important values in the history of expansion.