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By J. Boltano

This paper discusses the study, design and implementation of the new gas handling system for the Caletones Smelter of Codelco-Chile. A discussion on design conditions for a future Sulphuric Acid Plant using Teniente Converter gases is also included. The old system which started to be modified in 1985 and relied on natural draft and used balloon flues, resulted in a limited gas handling capacity for operation under future process conditions. This system also caused excessive fugitive gases in the smelter working areas. The new system permits handling of process gases from the higher capacity Teniente Converters Installed in 1987-1989 improving the gas handling of the reverberatory furnaces and Peirce-Smith converters as well as the environmental conditions of the smelter. This system utilises improved converter gas hoods, evaporative cooling and electrostatic precipitators gas cleaning, and is based on natural draft.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. Boitano

This paper discusses the study, design and implementation of the new gas handling system for the Caletones Smelter of Cbdelco..Chile. A discussion on design conditions for a Mure Sulphuric Acid Plant using Teniente Converter.gases.is also included. The old system which started to be modified in 1985 and relied on natural draft and used balloon flues, resulted in a limited .gas handling capacity for operation under Mure process conditions. This system also caused excessive fugitive gases in the smelter working areas. The new system permits handling of process gases from the higher capacity Teniente converters installed in 1987-1989 Improving the gas handling of the reverberatory furnaces and Peirce-Smith converters as well as the environmental conditions of the smelter. This system utilises improved converter gas hoods, evaporative cooling and electrostatic precipitators gas cleaning, and is based on natural draft.

Jan 1, 1992

By Helfried Nafe

"For about a century thermodynamically absurd facts have been propagated in conjunction with the iron-carbon phase diagram. These facts concern fundamental relationships of chemical thermodynamics. Attention is turned here to the discussion of only one of the relevant aspects of the subject, i.e. the definition of the thermodynamic activity of the solute and its implications for the iron-carbon solution.IntroductionThe view on the iron-carbon solution is characterized by the assumption that the solute may appear in two different forms, i.e. graphite and cementite. Accordingly, two carbon solubilities are differentiated, on the one hand for graphite and, on the other hand, for cementite. As a consequence, two versions of the phase diagram exist simultaneously, the application of which depends on the prevailing conditions, (i) the so-called stable phase diagram with graphite as solute and (ii) the metastable one that is based on the cementite-in-iron solution. These diagrams are joined together in the double phase diagram that originates from Heyn [l ], with the first ideas mainly going back to Stansfield [2] and Charpy [3].Thermodynamically, the most inadequate implication of the Fe-C double phase diagram is that the carbon activity may take values larger than unity. With the standard state of the activity being that of the pure substance, i.e. the Raoultian one, such a value implies the nonsensical existence ofa state purer than pure. The explanation of this physical state, ifthere is any, vaguely refers to supersaturation and, in the wider sense, to the physico-chemical phenomenon of metastability. Other aspects of chemical thermodynamics are likewise involved. Therefore, the comprehensive investigation into the present subject requires more topics to be considered than only one separate issue. Not only should the criticism of the present view be in the focus but also the discussion of new ideas capable of reconciling the experimental facts, known about the F e-C system, with the fundaments of chemical thermodynamics. All this, however, cannot be provided here because of the limited space available. As a consequence, in what follows only a part of the whole problem is under scrutiny, i.e. the definition of the thermodynamic activity and its role for the interpretation ofrelevant experimental facts."

Jan 1, 2014

By Tianzu Yang, Weifeng Liu, Lin Chen, Wei Chen, DUCHAO ZHANG, HUI XIAO

Oxygen-rich side blow bath smelting (OSBS) technology was developed in 2000 based on Vanyukov process. This technology exceeds the traditional pyrometallurgical methods by its great processing capability, high metal recovery and environmental-friendly property. In the past 15 years, OSBS technology extended its application area from lead industry to bismuth, antimony and waste recycling industries, etc. This paper introduces the history and new developments of OSBS technology. The typical industrial applications examples of the OSBS technology in China, including high lead slag reduction, low grade bismuth-lead concentrate smelting and metallurgical waste recycling, are reviewed. Especially, the unique furnace properties and technical parameters are compared. Finally, the potential research directions of OSBS technology are summarized.

Jan 1, 2016

By Ma Lijuan, Zhang Yubing, Wang Bo, Sun Huilan

The effect of lime ratio on phase composition and alumina leaching property of MgO-contained calcium aluminate clinker were investigated by analytical reagent, the XRD analysis of its mechanism was discussed. The results showed that: when the sintering temperature was 1350 ℃, C/A was 1.4, A/S was 1.3 and the content of MgO was 4%, the increase of the C/A promoted the formation of C12A7 and restrained the formation of Q-phase. The alumina-leaching ratio of the clinker (A/S was 1.3) was increased from 74.33% to 91.34% when the content of CaO was 5.21%.

Jan 1, 2015

By Hojat Naderi

In this research assisted leaching of chalcopyrite using sodium peroxodisulfate was studied. Electrochemical techniques such as Tafel analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to investigate the surface reactions of a chalcopyrite electrode in the presence and absence of Na2S2O8. According to the results, addition of sodium peroxodisulfate increases the current exchange of the corrosion process and prevents the formation of a passive layer on the surface of the electrode. EIS tests show the trans-passive dissolution of the passive layer on the chalcopyrite electrode in presence of Na2S2O8. Equivalent electrochemical circuits were modeled for Na2S2O8-free and -containing solutions and the model parameters were compared to determine the effect of S2O8 2− on chalcopyrite dissolution. Copper dissolution from pure chalcopyrite mineral and chalcopyrite concentrate was carried out using 15 g/L sulfuric acid solution with and without Na2S2O8. Simultaneous presence of 10 g/L ferric ion and 40 g/L peroxodisulfate salt results in about 40 and 18% of Cu extraction from chalcopyrite concentrate and pure chalcopyrite mineral, after 96 h, respectively.

By Shoji Taniguchi, Lifeng Zhang, Kaike Cai

"In the present paper, based on the two-phase (Eulerian-Eulerian) model, the 3D fluid flows in gas-stirred systems, i.e., air-stirred water vessel and argon-stirred liquid steel ladle, are simulated. In the Eulerian-Eulerian two-phase model, gas and liquid are considered to be two different continuous fields. The phases are assumed to share space in proportion to their volume fractions. The exchange between the phases is represented by source terms in conversation equations. Turbulence simulated by the k- e model is assumed to be the property of the liquid phase. The following effects of mathematical treatments and operational factors on the fluid flow are discussed, such as interphase drag force, turbulent model, the size of bubble, and gas injection mode.Some interesting results are derived. Except the interphase drag force, the interphase lift force should be taken into accounted in order to exactly simulate the fluid flow in gas-stirred systems. Suitable turbulent model and drag coefficient have effect on the mathematical simulation. Injecting small bubbles can realize a well mixing flow condition. The distance between the two gas-injection nozzles has effect on the fluid flow."

Jan 1, 2000

By Kazuki Morita

A new route to produce solar grade silicon (SOG-Si 6N) from metallurgical grade (MG-Si 98%) has been developed in Japan, which may satisfy the increasing demand for solar cells in the near future. Since some elements such as P and B have very large segregation coefficients, solidification refining is not effective for their removal and costly processes, such as electron beam vacuum melting and oxidation plasma refining, are required. According to our previous results which showed the effectiveness of leaching procedure with Ca addition for Fe and Ti removal, possibility of P and B removal by acid leaching was focused expecting that their affinities for Ca in molten silicon might be considerable. Hence, the effects of Ca addition on the thennodynamic properties of P and B in molten silicon alloys have been investigated for overall control and optimization of the SOG-Si production process in the present study. The interaction parameters between Ca and P, and Ca and B were determined by chemical equilibration techniques at 1723 K. Although the interaction parameter between Ca and B was slightly negative, that between Ca and P showed a large negative value. Also, the results for the leaching test with various amount of Ca addition revealed that the removal fractions of both elements, especially P, drastically increased with increase in the Ca content, which showed very good agreement with the prediction from the interaction parameters derived in the present work. The present results suggest that the preliminary leaching procedure can reduce the processing time and energy for SOG-Si refining. Keywords: Silicon, Solar Cell, Refining, Acid Leaching, Thennodynamics. Interaction, Phosphorus, Boron, Calcium

Jan 1, 2003

By Liu Chunpeng

Under an inert atmosphere, the temperature enhancement of nickel bearing pyrrhotite irradiated by microwave was measured with a special metal-sheathed thermocouple and the non-isothermal rate equations were obtained. Under the controlled oxygen potential of the reacting gas in the microwave field, over 90% sulfur contained in the pyrrhotite is converted into elemental sulfur directly, the iron and the nickel are transformed into FeO,, NiO, NiFe,O, and FeSiO,. According to the experimental data the rate of the elemental sulfur produced is in diffusional control and the non-isothermal equation derived is

Jan 1, 1993

By G. Diáz

A basic technology coping with a wide range of secondary zinc sources has been developed. The process combines an electrowinning stage, a solvent-extraction unit and a leaching procedure. The acidity generated in zinc electrowinning, transferred by the organic solvent to the aqueous raffinate, is reused to leach the zinc secondary materials. The basic process recovering zinc is described in detail. The route recovering other valuable metals such as copper, cadmium and lead associated with zinc is also described. This non-ferrous metals recovery route is advisable for either ecological and/or economical reasons. Main results of an experimental program aiming at the demonstration of the suitability of the process for several feed materials are summarized. Waelz oxides, galvanizing ashes and EAFD coming from different sources were tested in laboratory and continuous pilot plant campaigns. High zinc recovery, low reagents and utilities consumption, and effluents meeting environmental regulation were confirmed. The paper also includes the main results of a feasibility study of an industrial "base case". A mixed raw material and Spanish EAFD and 20,000 ta of zinc ingots production were chosen. The SGH zinc recovery from secondary raw material by means of the clean, safe and profitable Modified Zincex Process has been demonstrated. This reliable technology is ready for industrial application.

Jan 1, 1995

By M. Hashimoto

The equilibrium distribution ratios of sulfur between molten copper and CaO-fluxes containing caF2 and caC12 were determined in the range of 1300° to 1400° C under carbon monoxide. The rate of approach to equilibrium is rapid and increases with increasing CaCll concentration. In CaO-CaFl-CaCl2 fluxes, the distribution ratio varies in a complex way with temperature and CaFl concentration. The results are compared with those obtained with the binary fluxes of CaO with BaFZ and MgFl ?

Jan 1, 1983

By Christian Wögerer

For material or process development as well as for quality checking of materials, thermal diffusivity measurement may be the tool of choice in many applications. Especially if diffusivity is measured locally resolved, a lot of information can be read out of such a ?diffusivity image?. This paper explains the method to measure coplanar specimen like plates and lists some interpretations of diffusivity images, like inhomogeneity of sintered materials, structural voids or inclusions. Diffusivity is a material property, describing transportation of heat in solids in spatial and temporal terms. With thermo cameras it is possible, to measure diffusivity of larger areas simultaneously. The result is an area of diffusivity values that may be plotted or displayed like an image. Locations with lower diffusivity values could be caused by the presents of structural differences in the material, by decomposition of the material components or by inclusions of other material like air.

Jan 1, 2009

By Marco Olper

After two years of extensive research a new and innovative modification to the CX-EW process has been exploited. This process, called CX-EWS, avoids completely all the critical aspects of the previous process which affected the cost of the energy, of the chemicals and of The maintenance of the insoluble anodes. All these benefits reflect a saving of about 30% of The operating costs compared to the present traditional production and allow for a total operating costs of less than 6.5 cts/lb. lead (net of raw material cost). With this new technology it is allowed for the first time the treatment in the same plant facilities of both primary lead sulphide concentrate and spent batteries. The paper describes the technical and economical aspect of the new process with a feasibility study for 150,000 t/y spent battery facility throughput.

Jan 1, 1995

By E. O. Ávila-Davila, F. R. Barrientos-Hernández, I. A. Lira -Hernández, Miguel Pérez-Labra, M. Reyes-Pérez, J. Antonio Romero-Serrano

Slag from smelting reduction processes were characterized by chemical analysis, XRD, SEM-EDS and XRF. The results revealed Ag concentrations of 362 g/t of slag, the slag mineralogical characterization by XRD and SEM-EDS showed mineralogical species oxidized complex containing Pb, Zn, Ca, Si, Fe, As, S in its structure, silver was found in globules associated lead in the slag and the furutobeite specie. The leaching study was conducted to evaluate process variables such as NaCN concentration: from 7.8x10-3M - 1.26x10-1M, temperature: 25-50°C, particle size: +140 mesh to -400 mesh, stirring speed of 750 rpm - 900 rpm. All studies were performed with a NaOH concentration of 0.2 M. The optimal values of silver recovery encountered in conditions of 7.8x10-3M NaCN, agitation rate of 750 rpm, temperature of 35°C and with a treatment time of 240 min. We also observed that a particle size -400 mesh will have optimum recoveries compared to +140 mesh, +200, +270 and +325.

Jan 1, 2015

By J. C. Agarwal

Most metals are produced from minerals containing one or more of the desired metals, some contaminating metals, silicate, oxides, carbonates, and sulfides. Therefore, in the production of metals, there is generally a gaseous effluent in pyrometallurgical processes and a liquid effluent in hydrometallurgical processes. There are also solid residues such as waste ore, tailings, dust, and slag, created by the metal recovery processes. There are two important distinctions between the effluents and the residues: I. Effluents ? gases and liquids ? affect the neighboring environment for miles from the point of emission, while residues affect only the soil on which they are stored or dumped. 2. The environmental and economic effects of effluents are known and felt essentially immediately. By contrast, the environmental effects of the residues may not be known for a long time. For these reasons, the economic impact and the potential corrective actions required are very different for effluents and residues.

Jan 1, 1992

By Tugba Basargan Çagatay Morall, Gülhayat Nasun-Saygili

"The aim of this study is to prepare the apatitic material using colemanite mineral (2CaO.3B2O3.5H2O) which was obtained from Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. For this purpose, colemanite mineral was reacted with different phosphate sources, namely, dipotassiumhydrogen phosphate, ammoniumhydrogen phosphate and ortophosphoric acid at various temperatures and time periods. Experiments were run in batch system. The apatitic material was prepared by a wet method and followed by heat treatment at various temperatures. Structure of the samples was analyzed by XRD, FTIR, XRF and SEM. The particle size analysis was also made for the result product. The experiments showed that reaction temperature, contact time and heating temperature are important parameters to transform the colemanite into apatitic structure. Reaction of colemanite with dipotassiumhydrogen phosphate and ammoniumhydrogen phosphate results in amorphous, non-stoichiometric hydroxyapatite type structure, while acid based phosphate source gives brushite and monetite type product before and after heat treatment, respectively.IntroductionBoron which has properties intermediate between metals and non-metals is a member of semiconductor group of elements. Its atom is very small and has three valence electrons. Boron exists in Earth's crust (from 5 mg/kg in basalts to 100 mg/kg in shale) and in the oceans (4.5 mg/l) [1]. Turkey has 60% of world's boron reserves which is mostly in the form of colemanite (2Ca0.3B203.5H20). Colemanite is the most important calcium containing commercial borate mineral with 5 mol of crystal water [2].Calcium phosphate cements are very useful for bone repair applications because of its chemical structure. They are injectable, easy to shape and can be maintained locally. Because of those reasons calcium phosphate cements are very effective to fill bone defects with an irregular shape [3]. Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO)6(OHh) is the major component of the bone (70 wt%). However, hydroxyapatite stoichiometry, composition and crystallinity differ in human skeleton system [4, 5].The main objective of the present work was to study the transformation of colemanite to apatitic material using different phosphate solutions at several time spans and temperatures. The experiments were run in a batch system, change in pH and also weight loss were measured after the experiments. Several analysis methods were used to investigate the chemical and structural changes."

Jan 1, 2012

By Akira Kaneda, Nozomu Hasegawa

"In the Mitsubishi Continuous Copper Smelting and Converting Process, slag/matte mixture overflowed from the smelting furnace is separated continuously in an electric furnace (slag cleaning furnace, CL-furnace). In order to improve the separation efficiency of slag and matte and to minimize power consumption, the design and the operating conditions of the CL-fumace should be optimized. In the previous study, the authors developed a mathematical model for simulating phenomena in the CL-furnace. The model consisted of 3 modules, electric field analysis, heat and fluid flow analysis and the particle tracking method. In this study, the model was partially modified: k -E. model was adopted, and the effects of various conditions, such as furnace shape (including accretion) and scale, electrodes configuration, immersion depth of electrodes, and thickness of slag layer, were evaluated. And the optimum design and operating conditions were discussed.IntroductionUnder the recent environmental restriction, advantageous features of the Mitsubishi process have attracted much attention. The process uses 3 furnaces connected by launders. Mixture of matte and slag formed in a smelting furnace flows continuously to a slag cleaning furnace (CL-furnace), where the matte is separated from the slag. The matte is continuously siphoned out to a converting furnace and converted to blister copper. The slag overflowed from the CL-furnace is discarded. Because the slag contains about 0.6 % copper, improving slag/matte separation efficiency and decreasing copper loss make a great profit. Moreover the process requires a large amount of electric energy, so reduction of electric power consumption brings in enormous benefit.The objective of this study is to optimize the design and the operating conditions of the process, especially the CL-furnace. This will be achieved by developing the mathematical model and clarifying relations between the design or the operating conditions and various phenomena in the furnace. Fig. 1 shows an outline of the CL-furnace. The mixture entering through an inlet is separated to slag layer and matte layer . In order to maintain the temperature of the melt at a predetermined level, 6 electrodes are immersed into the lag and Joule's heat is generated by 3-phase alternating current flowing."

Jan 1, 2000

By Andreas Dietrich

Laser off-gas measurement of CO, O2 and temperature has been carried online in EAFs. A visualization screen shows the values of CO and Oxygen and temperature for the entire heat, and includes the status of furnace equipment. The historical data of the heats are stored such that the furnace performance can be evaluated and optimized. A short comparison between laser based and conventional systems has been carried out related to speed, influence of dust, water, pressure, protection for bag house explosions. A high water and/or dust content in the sample does not represent a problem for this type of system. The measurement method works without interruption even under worst conditions such as dirty scrap, carbon injection etc. The installation was developed in conjunction with Marienhuette, Graz. They are 100% scrap based with a tap to tap time of ca. 46 min. Keywords: Laser Measurement, Off Gas, CO, O2, Temperature

Jan 1, 2003

By Denise Corrêa de Oliveira

Household zinc based batteries, dry and alkaline, has become the most popular sources of electrical energy, and are widely used. Because of their heavy metals content such as mercury, zinc and manganese, spent batteries cannot be directly placed in common landfills without a pretreatment. As a municipal solid waste, these batteries may cause serious health problems and environmental impacts. These damages can be reduced by recovery (which means saving natural sources and energy), recycling and adoption of cleaner technologies. Although this worry has been increasing recently, and producers are doing efforts to reduce the mercury content, batteries still need proper safe disposal conditions or recycling processes. This work presents the efforts in progress to characterize and recycle mixed - dry and alkaline - spent batteries, by using low cost unit operations. Some possible recycling stages and recovery parameters of metals as zinc and manganese are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2001

By Simon N. Lekakh, D. G. C. Robertson

A new integrated CFD-combined reactors approach is proposed for the description of processes in metallurgical vessels. CFD simulations were used to obtain the melt flow pattern in the vessels (ladle, tundish, and continuous caster mold). From these simulations, the characteristic curves were derived: (i) the residence time distribution curves (RTD) for flow-through systems (at tundish exit or at dendrite coherency surface in the mold) and (ii) the mixing curves for closed systems (ladle). In the next step, the melt flow was represented in a “combined reactors” system consisting of a combination of unit reactors (Plug Flow, Mixer, and Recirculated Volume). An inverse simulation was used to define the volumes of the reactor units and the melt flow rates between them by fitting to the characteristic curves from both methods (CFD and combined reactors). The suggested approach is demonstrated for multiple designs of Ar-stirred ladles, tundish, and SEN. This methodology can be used to enhance traditional post-processing CFD analysis and also as a tool for on-line process control.

Jan 1, 2014