Search Documents

By Kuo En Chang

Many rare earth - transition metal (RE-TM) compounds absorb/desorb hydrogen reversibly at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. For LaNi5 which is used as a battery material, the electrochemical nature of this process is well known. In the case of Nd-Fe-B which has found wide application as a powerful permanent magnet, the absorption of hydrogen has both significant advantages and disadvantages. However, a fundamental understanding of the hydrogenation process at ambient temperatures and its effect on subsequent corrosion behavior is currently lacking. This paper reports the results of the hydrogenation of NdFeB two alloys, (NdDy)15Fe78.3A10.7B6 and (NdDy)15Fe67Co5V4A12B7, which are compared with that of LaNi5. Results show that hydrogenation can be accomplished by either electrochemical methods or immersion in dilute sulfuric acid. For the latter method, the change in lattice parameter indicates that the level of hydrogen absorbed by the NdFeB particles corresponds fairly closely to an overall composition of Nd2Fe14BH2.7. Cyclic electrochemical charge/discharge experiments show that the maximum hydrogen discharge capacities of the NdFeB, NdFeB-Co-V, and LaNi5 are 40, 60, and 210 mA?h?g-1, respectively. Anodic potentiodynamic polarization measurements and calculated values of icon reveal that absorbed hydrogen in NdFeB-Co-V and the NdFeB may lead to significant increases in corrosion rates.

Jan 1, 1995

By Debbie Marshall

Nickel and cobalt in lateritic ores can be extracted by either a hydrometallurgical or a pyrometallurgical route. The high-iron limonitic fraction of a deposit is best processed' hydrometallurgically while the magnesium-rich transitional and saprolitic fractions are more suited for pyrometallurgical processing. During hydrometallurgical processing, it may be attractive, for economic reasons, to blend the limonitic component with transitional and saprolitic ores, which contain higher nickel levels. However, blending increases the concentration of magnesium in the feed, leading to increased acid demands. The decision on how much ore to process then becomes an economic one. Ore samples with different magnesium contents were prepared for the leach test program by blending limonitic and transitional ores. The ore samples were slurried in seawater and tested in the Falconbridge Hydrometallurgical Pilot Plant. As expected, acid consumption increased with increasing magnesium content of the ore. For target extractions of 95% nickel and 92% cobalt, the required residual free acid concentration increased from 30 g/L at 1.7% magnesium to 50 g/L at 2.7% magnesium. When the magnesium content was raised to 3.8% and 4.6% in subsequent pilot plant testing, the final free acid requirements did not increase beyond what was observed at 2.7% magnesium. Thus, the cut-off ore composition to maximize nickel units and minimize acid requirements is between 1.7- 2.7% magnesium. Keywords: high pressure acid leaching, laterites, magnesium

Jan 1, 2004

By Masayuki Kudoh, Tohru Maruyama, Yohichi. Ito

When hypo-peritectic carbon steel is quenched during unidirectional solidification, the region of fine columnar grain is observed. It is classified into two coexisting phases. One is coexisting phases of liquid, delta and gamma in the upper part of the region, and the other is coexisting phases of delta and gamma in the lower part of the region. To form the coexisting part of the three phases means that solidification in this experiment proceeds in non-equilibrium state. The size of the narrow side of one fine columnar grain coincides with the arm spacing of a primary dendrite and this result is the same as the hyper-peritectic carbon steel. However, the boundary of the fine grain in the hypo-peritectic carbon steel is formed in different location from that of the hyper-peritectic carbon steel. The former is formed in the skeleton of the dendrite, while the latter is formed in the interspacing of the dendrite. The region of the fine grain changes suddenly to that of the coarse grain when the delta phase in the coexisting part of two phases disappears completely. Therefore, the delta phase in the hypo-peritectic carbon steel might prevent the growth of gamma grain. In order to recognize it, ferrite formers such as Mo, V and Ni are added in the sample. Then, the longitudinal length of the fine columnar grain extends in the sequence of the no addition, Mo, V and Nb.

Jan 1, 2000

By Sevinc Yildirim, Cigdem Oruclus

"Metal-Porous Silicon (PS) based structures dipped in water show the direct hydrogen fuel cell behavior. The effect of the thickness of the cupper (Cu) film on the electrical properties of direct hydrogen fuel cell is studied by fabricating Cu/Porous Silicon/n-Silicon/Indium structures. PS samples were produced electrochemical etching of n-type single crystalline silicon with a resistivity of 1,25 Ocm and (111) orientation. The thin films of Cu with different thickness between 200 and 600 nm were deposited on PS surface by electron-beam technique. Investigation of the effect of Cu layer on the performance of the structure indicates that the performance parameters such as open circuit voltage (Voc) and short circuit current (Isc) strongly depend on the Cu layer thickness. It was observed that the divice with an 350 nm Cu layer exhibits the highest open circuit voltage (0,5 V), short circuit current (0,01 mA) and power density (10 W.m-2).IntroductionHydrogen is the most attractive and ultimate candidate for a future fuel and an energy carrier. Hydrogen is recognized as the environmentally desirable clean fuel of the future since it can be used directly in different types of hydrogen fuel cells [1]. In the past years, the rise in portable electronics requires the development of miniature fuel cells compatible with standard silicon micro fabrication technology. Most silicon micro-fuel cells have used the polyperfluo-rosulfonic acid membranes (Nafion R) as a proton exchange membranes (PEM) that is not really integrated with standard micro fabrication techniques [2-5]. The composite materials such as inorganicorganic hybrid materials (Nafion-silica, Nafion-borosiloxane etc) are next generation of proton conducting membrane [4-8]. But, fuel cells run on pure hydrogen gas, which can be produced with other energy resources. Hydrogen smallest atom and thus the H2 gas can leak easiliy. The application of hydrogen for power sources has been greatly restrained due to the lack of safe and convenient generation and storage methods.A kind of hydrogen fuel cells Metal-PS-Si structures used as an energy water directly. There is no need pure hydrogen. Cu-PS-Si Schottky-type fuel cells with as proton-conducting membrane and the thin-film cupper catalist and water as fuel, which are interesting for fabrication of lowcost miniature fuel cells. Generation of the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current has been observed by Cu-PS-Si structure dipping in different hydrogen-containing solution."

Jan 1, 2014

By Jinrong Zhang

Major components of soil were tested for their ability to attenuate cyanide. Feldspar, kaolinite, plagioclase and bauxite are found to degrade cyanide at an appreciable amount mainly through adsorption. A soil near a mining site in northern Nevada was studied in detail using a tall column. Many species of cyanide were anlyzed to determine the mechanisms of the reactions of cyanide with soil. Volatilization, adsorption, oxidation, precipitation and complexing were quantitatively identified, being 5 to 10, 11.7, 4.2, 7.3 and 4 per cent of the total cyanide added, respectively. It is found that the oxidation of cyanide to cyanate is due to the catalytic effect of nickel and copper leached from the soil. Precipitation of metal-cyanide complexes occurred at low pH values.

Jan 1, 1991

By K. Sarveswara Rao

The present paper firstly describes some recent trends from literature on energy management via process intensification to arrive at sustainable technologies for aqueous processing of minerals, metals and materials. Secondly, the energy saving measures practiced in leaching, solid-solution separation, solution purification, metal and material winning and environmental aspects have been discussed. The emerging importance of interdisciplinary nature of hydrometallurgy for practical applications is also highlighted. With the above background, the present paper describes an overview of energy conservation and autoclave processes with a special reference to hydrometallurgical research activities of our Laboratory.

Jan 1, 2008

By Mick O'Meara

Metal Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition (MOCVD) is used in the production of computer circuit boards and metal shapes in nickel, gold, copper, cobalt, etc. All varieties of .MOCVD use the decomposition of a vapour of organometallic compounds to produce different forms of ultra-pure metals, or alloys. CVD Manufacturing's proprietary MOCVD process has been adapted and developed to produce commercially ultra-pure metal shapes, metal powders, and metal foams. Therefore, it is a purification process. The typical process has three steps. First, a volatile metal organic compound is produced from volumetrically contaminated metals, metal oxides, etc. Typical feed materials are metal powders, ores, concentrates, or a slurry of metals and contaminants. Secondly, the volatile. metal organic compound is purified by fractional distillation. Thirdly, the purified metal organic compound is decomposed into different forms of ultra-pure metals, such as net shapes, powders, or metal foams. A mixture of metals can be purified either by the selective production of volatile materials, or a separation can be achieved during the second step, in the fractional distillation stage. The purification and recycling of metals by the MOCVD process will be discussed, particularly with regard to nickel, aluminum, gold, the platinum group and other metals.

Jan 1, 2000

By V. I. Lakshmanan

"Historically flowsheets are developed for efficient separation of metals for economic recovery. With increasing emphasis on reduction, reuse and recycle (3Rs) efficient methods are sought to recover values from a variety of feeds where cost of collection, transportation, local consumer behaviour and regulatory guidelines dictate the development of economically viable flowsheets. Innovative understanding of potential market applications can provide means to develop value added end products. The paper with examples will discuss the use of innovative-separation technologies to obtain value added end use materials from secondary sources.IntroductionFlowsheets are developed for the efficient separation of materials of value for economic recovery. However with increasing societal pressures and regulatory initiatives for stricter environmental guidelines, there is strong need to provide focus to recover materials efficiently and economically in an environmentally accepted manner. North American industries are increasingly caught between demands for high technology value added products and responsibility for environment. An aspect that is receiving increasing attention is Design for Environment'. This incorporates a system wide approach for product design and incorporates environmentally preferable features such as recyclability, disassembly, maintainability, reusability and use of safe materials as part of a product's design objectives.The present paper with case histories will address innovative flowsheet development to convert wastes into recyclables value added products or for minimising generation of waste materials. Case HistoriesProcess for Separating Fibres from Composite Materials 1In the automotive industry, sheet molded compound (SMC) is used to produce panels, bumpers and the like. During the manufacture and at the end of life, considerable waste materials are generated which are potentially recyclable. Fibre reinforced plastics where fibre substrate impregnated with thermosetting resin, find applications in several manufacturing processes and are potentially recyclable at the end of life."

Jan 1, 1996

By Luis W. Pommier

Large quantities of sea sludge containing halogenated organic compounds, such as PCB, oils and metals like arsenic and lead have accumulated throughout the years at the bottom of sea channels and harbors and are obstructing navigation and creating environmental problems which need to be resolved. A sludge from a California port would be dredged by suction pumps, it would be processed in a plant which would be built either on firm soil or on floating platforms. The sludge shows contents of up to 1 ppm of PCB, 15 % oil and 10 ppm of arsenic, which generates a very fetid odor. Bench scale work indicates that most of the contamination concentrates on the solid phase, in fact, only minor amounts of oil report to the sea water and can be readily removed by physical means. After separation of the sea water from the solids of the sludge by decantation, it is possible to solubilize the PCB, the oil and the metals into an organic solvent leaving a non-hazardous soil for disposal near the harbor. The PCB is dehalogenated during the solubilization process leaving a liquor solution containing the oil and metals. The oil is extracted leaving an aqueous solution containing the arsenic. Further process extracts the arsenic from this solution rendering the liquid non-hazardous. Transportation and disposal of the sludge is impractical. There are hundreds of thousands of tons of hazardous soils accumulated in each harbor, which would fill the hazardous waste disposal sites available and it would be, prohibitively expensive to do so. It is not possible to compare the costs of decontamination with a competitive method. If it were, the proposed process would be less expensive than transportation and disposal and it has the advantage of removing the liabilities from the Responsible party. After a full scale continuous pilot project is run to decontaminate a small, 500 cubic yards accumulation of this type of sludge in a California harbor, a full scale environmental project would be initiated. The decontamination of one million tons of sludge would be completed in five years.

Jan 1, 1995

Mineralogical and metallurgical scoping testwork were carried out to investigate the production of separate, marketable gold and platinum concentrates. The study utilized a flotation concentrate assaying approximately 5 wt% gold and 5 grams per tonne platinum. The gold-platinum mineralization was recovered from a placer deposit. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray analysis identified gold as zoned Au- Ag and Au-Ag-Cu alloys. Platinum primarily occurred as weakly zoned, variably magnetic Pt- Pd-Fe alloys. A combination of gravity and magnetic separations resulted in a gold concentrate grading 86.9 wt% Au (and 9.lwt% Ag) and a separate platinum concentrate grading 400 g/t Pt with recoveries of 94.5% and 96.7%, respectively. Magnetohydrostatic separation (MHS) using the Magstream 200 Separator indicated promising results.

Jan 1, 1994

By Francois Barthelat, Sam Goroshin, David Frost, Alexander Cappozi, Atefeh Nabavi

"In this study, a novel chromium–chromium sulfide cermet was produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). Conventional techniques for manufacturing metal sulfides are complex, environmentally harmful, and not suitable for producing complex-shape articles. To overcome these disadvantages, a new method for the preparation of the metal-sulfur precursor charge is proposed, which can be described as reactive casting. The first cermet samples produced with the SHS process were found to be very porous, brittle, and have low mechanical strength. The possible sources for the generation of porosity were identified and analyzed and the process for manufacturing the cermet was modified. By improving the manufacturing process, the porosity inside the produced cermets was reduced from 70% to 12%.IntroductionMetal sulfide composites are in high demand in the chemical, metallurgical, and electrical industries because of their valuable characteristics such as hardness, semi-conductivity, electroluminescence, infrared transparency and catalytic properties. Current manufacturing methods for metal sulfides usually involve one of two different principal methods, including a complex multistage wet chemical process involving the precipitation of the corresponding salts from an aqueous solution with hydrogen sulfide, or hot sintering of the respective elemental reactant powders in a resistive furnace in a high-pressure inert or hydrogen-sulfide atmosphere [1, 2]. These conventional methods for synthesizing ceramic metal composites are complex, extremely time and energy consuming, environmentally harmful, and rarely able to manufacture articles with complex shapes. Therefore, in order to overcome these disadvantages, self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) was considered as an alternative method that offers significant improvements over the traditional cermet manufacturing methods [3]. SHS, which is a relatively new and attractive method for producing a wide range of advanced materials, is based on the self-sustaining feature of the highly exothermic reactions of the reactants. The SHS process results in high product purity, since the high temperatures generatedin the reaction cause any impurities to volatilize [4, 5]. SHS has low energy consumption and doesn’t require an external energy source and complex equipment, and it is self-contained [1, 5]. Since combustion synthesis has low power requirements, it is one of the few methods of materials synthesis that is feasible in outer space. Also, the process has a low cost and is capable of directly synthesizing articles with the desired shape, size and structure [5, 6]. The chemical reactions associated with SHS are typically completed in a few seconds leading to the formation of the condensed product. The high reaction rates and relatively rapid cooling in SHS reactions can avoid undesirable grain growth in products which often occurs with the conventional sintering method [3, 5, 7]. The traditional method for sample preparation in the SHS technique is to compact the reactant mixture powders in a steel die by a press to a typical density of about 80% of the theoretical maximum value, before igniting the mixture [8]. This method requires a large compression force to increase the green density and to minimize any pores in the green compact. To overcome these disadvantages, a new method for the preparation of the precursor charge in metal-sulfur by SHS is proposed which can be described as melt casting of a reactive mixture, or reactive casting in short."

Jan 1, 2012

By K. Krishnapisharody

The phenomenon of slag droplet formation under the action of gas-stirring in steel ladles has been analyzed with experiments conducted in a thin-slice room-temperature model using water and mineral oils as the working fluids. Visual and video investigations have been performed on the interface behaviour along with measurements of liquid velocities in both phases, using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique. The measured velocity data and observations on the interface break-up establish that the droplet formation results primarily from an instability mechanism at the interface.

Jan 1, 2008

A study was undertaken to remove the Se from waste solutions using a raw form of the biomass called Iota Chips derived from the seaweed, Eucheuma spinosum. Removal of Se from solutions was investigated as a function of time, pH, conc. of Se in solution (0.1 to 100 ppm) and lota Chips to liquid ratios of 10-2 to 10-5. For solutions containing initial conc. of 0.1 ppm Se, with the addition of Iota Chips at a solid to liquid ratio of 10-3, the Se conc. decreased to 0.03 ppm in about 3 hours. Iota Chips absorption capacity to the Se and its application to the treatment of the metallurgical processing effluents are discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By Celaletdin Ergun, Ibrahim Erden, Gurbuz Gunes, Thomas J. Webste, Huinan Liu, Abdurrahman Bahadll

"B, Ti, Ag, AI and Cu substituted hydroxyl apatites were synthesized via precipitation method. Then the samples were air-sintered at 1300°C for 2 hrs and characterized with XRD, SEM, FTIR, and cell adhesion behaviors.IntroductionSynthetic hydroxylapatite (HA, Ca10(P04)6(0H)2) has a similar composition and structure to biological apatite. Therefore, it has been safely and extensively used as an implant material for bone substitute. However, synthetic HA has been used for a various applications including medical or non-medical applications, such as matrices for drug release control, bone cements, tooth paste additive, blood purification agent, monolithic implants or coatings on metallic implants, packing media for column chromatography, gas sensors, catalysis and host materials for lasers and luminescent materials, etc. [1-9].The major factors affecting the performance of HA on these applications are crystal morphology, density, porosity, pore size and distribution, chemical composition, and surface structure. As provided by the high flexibility of the apatite structure a great variety of cationic and anionic species can be substituted into HA structure which is specifically considered as an effective method to modify the properties of HA [10,11]."

Jan 1, 2012

By Viktor Mukhin

"Among the methods proposed for spent activated carbon regeneration, the most acceptable is, thermal reactivation, because in this case the existing equipment for manufacture of activated carbon can be adapted for this purpose.In order to conduct the process of thermal re-activation of spent activated carbon directly at gold mills, a fullscale drum-type furnace with external electric heating has been developed, i.e. EPV-300 model with a throughput rate of 50 to 120 kg/hour. Its use ensures restoration of the adsorption properties of carbon up to the level of fresh activated carbon with an insignificant (by 0.7%) decrease in strength and with a high (95% to 97%) yield of reactivated carbon.During the recent years, activated powder carbon has been extensively used in flotation processes for treating polymetallic ores at ore treating plants to improve recoveries of main metals (copper, lead, nickel, etc.).Especially large volumes of activated powder carbon are used at the Talnakh concentrator of the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Complex in Russia for absorption of residual flotation reagents from recycled water in order to ensure efficient selective separation of minerals with similar physical and chemical properties.IntroductionSorption technology based on active carbons use starts being applied in such an important in the widest sense of the word strategical branch of economics as non-ferrous metallurgy. Thus since the middle ninetieth Russian gold extraction industry began to apply widely the processes of sorption from pulps and solutions by means of high-resistant granulated active carbons. That provided the start of gold ore minefield exploration, increasing of gold extraction from the ore and reducing its loss with the ""tails"" of process. At present more than 40% of Russian gold is extracted with the help of sorption technologies [1].Another field of active carbons application in non-ferrous metallurgy is the processes of non-ferrous ores floatation at ore-mining and processing enterprise. For that purpose powdered (less than l00µm) active carbons are used for providing the effective selection of minerals with similar physicochemical properties. This method not only increases the metal extraction level but provides deeper division of them."

Jan 1, 2008

By Ramiro Escudero G.

Since the introduction of column flotation almost forty years ago the column technology has grown into several non-mineral applications such as among others the effluent treatment, soils recovery and de-inking of recycled paper. Recent studies have demonstrated that particular characteristics of the dispersion (bubble size, gas holdup, bubble surface area flux) are needed for a given flotation column duty. In this work, two kind of spargers were tested (i.e., internal and external) using a 4 inch column lab in a two phase system. Results show that the external sparger provides a dispersion with characteristics that include those produced by the two internal spargers.

Jan 1, 2003

By Gerardo H. Achurra

During the last years, the Caletones Smelter, like others copper smelters in the world, has evolved from the conventional, inefficient, pollutant and expensive technologies, to modern, environmentally friendly and efficient ones. For this reason' as well as to improve its competitive position this Smelter shut down the reverberatory furnace, started up two big acid plants and has developed some pyrometallurgical technologies. The main facilities of the Caletones Smelting and Converting Process, in the present and the future, are the Teniente Converters, the reactors with a high operational availability that have reached concentrate top process capacities near to 2,400 tpd. These reactors operate in most of Chilean smelters as well as in other smelters in the world such as in Zambia, Peru and Mexico. Since 2000, the Caletones Smelting and Converting Process, has been adapted in two Teniente Converters, four Slag Cleaning Furnaces and four Pierce -Smith Converters. These facilities, together with the operation of two Fluidized Bed Dryers and two Oxygen Plants have allowed to reach concentrate smelting capacities and copper productions of 1,250 ktpy and 380 kfipy, respectively. Associated to EI Teniente Division Expansion Plan, Caletones Smelter, in the first stage, will increase its capacity to 1,440 ktpy in 2004. In the long term, Caletones has different options, such as the processing of 1,600 to 2,000 ktpy of concentrate, producing anodes, white metal or a mixture of them. These options are connected with CODELCO's Smelters & Refineries Strategic Plan, including Mejillones Project. The main challenges of Caletones Smelter are associated to the development and the consolidation of the Continuous and Environmental Friendly Processes, automation and control of different processes and to the improvement of its leadership between other Copper Smelters in the world.

Jan 1, 2003

By P. T. Velu, R. G. Reddy

"The use of emf measurements to derive classical thermochemical data has been in use for many years. The reaction associated with electrochemical process is harnessed in a galvanic cell and energy involved measured in terms of electromotive force. The property requirements of sensor electrodes used differ for various aqueous, molten salt and solid electrolyte systems. The electrodes for molten salt electrolytes need special care for construction. This paper describes the studies carried out using an Ag/ AgCI reference electrode. This electrode was used to measure the solubility of compounds in molten salt electrolytes. The results obtained using this electrode are in excellent agreement with the values from chemical analysis method.I. IntroductionThe technique of obtaining a metal from its oxides by electrolysis is more than a century old process now. In these processes, it has been well established that for halide electrolytes, only the dissolved oxides are available for the dissociation at the electrode to release the metal during electrolysis. Therefore, the solubility of metallic oxides in the molten salt electrolytes is an important parameter which determines the economical and technical viability of these processes. The widely used molten salts systems in halides are fluorides and chlorides. The fluoride electrolyte system is used in our present study.The viability of obtaining aluminum alloys by in-situ electrochemical processing has been outlined in our earlier publications[1-8]. Studies on the solubility of various alloying element compounds is a part of our ongoing research efforts for the direct production of Al-Li alloys. As mentioned above, the solubility of lithium oxide and lithium carbonate compounds in molten fluoride electrolyte system have studied using EMF technique. The change in potential of the molten electrolyte was measured by a working electrode against the reference electrode with the addition of lithium compound."

Jan 1, 1997

By Y. A. Chang, J. Woodford, C. R. Kao

Reactive diffusion studies between NbC and Si were carried out at 1300 °C under a vacuum of 10-5 torr and a uniaxial pressure of 1 MPa. The annealing time ranged from 8 to 100 hours. The Si used was single crystal silicon; the NbC was hot-pressed powder compact. A NbSi2+SiC two-phase reaction layer formed with NbSi2 as the matrix and SiC as discontinuous particles. The microstructure of the reaction product is homogeneous, dense, and fine. The NbSi2 grain size and SiC particle size are in the micron range. The growth of the reaction products follows parabolic kinetics. Extrapolation of the data to zero thickness suggests an apparent incubation time of 3.5 hours. However, for short annealing time «60 hours), the thickness data can be approximated by linear kinetics with an initial growth rate of about 2 11m/hr. Based on these experimental observations, a growth mechanism for the reactive diffusion between Si single crystal and NbC powder compact is proposed. We propose that the nucleation sites for the SiC particles are at the voids of the NbC powder compact. This proposed nucleation mechanism offers a potential way of controlling the SiC particle size by changing the void size and void density of the NbC powder compact. This hypothesis, if proven to be true, will allow us to control mechanical properties of the composites by tailoring the SiC particles formed. It is also pointed out that the microstructure requires Si to be the dominant diffusing species and to diffuse through the reaction layer, while Nb and Conly have to undergo local rearrangement.

Jan 1, 1996

By Laszlo Kadar, J. D. Lavers

"In the continuous casting of aluminum killed steel, the tundish nozzle often experiences clogging problems. Water model studies have shown that the clogging problem is dependent on the flow pattern in the nozzle entry region. In particular, the flow can separate at the entrance to the nozzle, leading to the development of a recirculation region. Although a nozzle can be designed such that no recirculation develops, even a small misalignment from the vertical positioning of the nozzle may render the design ineffective.To reduce the possibility of nozzle clogging, the recirculation zone must be reduced or eliminated. This may be achieved by moving the fluid downwards or raising the turbulence level in the separation region. In the case of a tundish nozzle, it is proposed that this can be achieved by using electromagnetic forces.To generate the required electromagnetic force, two systems are considered. The first is based on injecting a DC current; the second by using electromagnetic induction. Both methods are described in this paper. Order of magnitude calculations are provided to illustrate that both methods are essentially feasible. The performance of each method in terms of modifying the turbulent flow characteristics in the nozzle entry region is then examined using a numerical model. It is shown that both methods can greatly reduce the recirculation zone. A cylindrical nozzle was chosen for the model studies since it represents a worst case situation.On the basis of the model studies, it can be concluded that whereas both of the proposed methods have the potential to reduce the troublesome recirculation zone, the induction method appears to be simpler in terms of practical implementation."

Jan 1, 1999