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By J. A. Voigt

In an effort to determine the optimum conditions for preparing high purity, fine particle size high temperature superconducting oxide powder, we have investigated how calcination conditions influence the conversion of a chemically prepared hydroxycarbonate precursor powder to YBa2Cu307. We find that the precursor can be converted to phase pure YBa2Cu307 in either oxygen or synthetic air (20% 02. 80% N2) at 850°C. This temperature is substantially lower than the temperature (>900°C) normally used for the calcination of mixed-oxide powders. The lower calcination temperature prevents particle sintering and maintains the desired fine particle size. Powder processed in synthetic air shows a low degree of crystallinity indicating it may be more sinterable than the highly crystalline powders produced when an oxygen atmosphere is used. Intimate contact between powder particle surfaces and a flowing gas atmosphere promotes the reaction between the BaCO3 component of the precursor powder and the Y and Cu constituents.

Jan 1, 1989

By A. Cullaj

During a period of 15 years the metallurgical and chemical complex of Elbasan containing more than 15 principal plants, producing cast-iron, steel, coke, nickel carbonate, nickel, cobalt, chromium and other products, discharged into air, river water and soil an extensive amount of hazardous wastes containing high toxic substances. A monitoring study for the levels of heavy metals in soils nearby the former plant is carried out for the first time. Very high levels (total and extractable) of contaminants such as nickel, cobalt and chromium are found in samples taken from a relatively vast territory including the city of Elbasan, situated 8 kilometres far from the plant. The most polluted samples present a total content of 1211.8 ? 2949.6 mg/kg Ni, 97.0 ? 181.2 mg/kg Co and 1358.7 ? 4130 mg/kg Cr. These levels exceed several times the phytotoxic thresholds and present a potential hazard for the inhabitants. This study, as part of a bigger multinational project on solid decontamination, will also serve to the possible application of the new phytoremediation and phytoextraction technologies, being developed in parallel in this project.

Jan 1, 2006

By María Cristina Ruiz

In the processing of copper concentrates by the conventional smelting-converting technology, complying with the increasingly severity of environmental legislation in some countries has become difficult, mainly due to severe fugitive emissions of gases produced during the batch PS (Peirce-Smith) converting step. In this work, the results of an investigation on the pressure leaching with sulfuric acid and oxygen of white metal (produced in a Teniente Converter reactor) are discussed. The study was carried out at laboratory scale and the main variables studied were temperature, concentration of sulfuric acid and partial pressure of oxygen. The experimental results indicated that most of the sulfur in the white metal was oxidized to sulfate in the whole range of temperature studied (105ºC to 150 ºC). The concentration of sulfuric acid over 0.05 M, and oxygen partial pressure over 6 atm had little effect on the dissolution of copper from the white metal. On the other hand, temperature had the most significant effect on copper dissolution; below 130 ºC copper dissolution was incomplete after 5 hours of leaching while at 150 ºC the dissolution was complete in 90 minutes and 10 atm of partial pressure of oxygen

Jan 1, 2006

By Paykan Safe

The primary source of fugitive gas emissions in most copper smelters are the Peirce Smith converter operations. The modem trend is towards installation of secondary gas collection systems which are intended to collect fugitive gases from charging, standby, and skimming operations. These have been installed with varying degrees of success. Often, the major source of emissions from the converter area is leakage of process gas from the primary hoods when the converter is blowing. This gas is typically collected by the secondary system and discharged to atmosphere or scrubbed with an alkaline agent. Those smelters considering installation of secondary hoods or scrubbing of gases from secondary systems should first address the issue of gas leakage from the primary hoods. Improving the primary hood gas collection efficiency will often be more cost effective than installing secondary hooding. In the case of secondary gas scrubbing, it will significantly reduce the reagent consumption and operating cost of the scrubbing system. This paper examines the parameters that determine whether or not a primary hood will effectively collect process gases without leakage and demonstrates, using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the effects of variations in these parameters on the overall performance of the hood. It also looks at the application of CFD techniques in the design of secondary hoods and presents a summary of measured emissions from converter buildings.

Jan 1, 2002

By A. V. Tarasov

In order to improve the efficiency of hydrometallurgical processing of pyrrhotite concentrates, an integrated set of research has been carried out to investigate the use of sulfur dioxide in individual unit operations and as a leaching agent in the autoclave process as a substitute for oxygen. Treating iron-containing raw materials for production of nonferrous metals are based on the selective reaction of SO2 with iron sulfides and oxides. Iron is dissolved as sulfate, which can be treated in a separate circuit to produce iron-containing pigments or it can be disposed of after neutralization. Nonferrous and precious metals contained in pyrrhotite concentrate do not react with sulfur dioxide and remain virtually completely in the solid phase, i.e. high-grade sulfide concentrate to be treated by hydro- or pyrometallurgical methods. Elemental sulfur formed in the process of leaching is separated from the pulp in granulated form as a result of the use of special surfactants. The process of sulfide concentrate leaching with the use of sulfur dioxide is conducted at temperatures above the sulfur melting point (119°C) with distributed feeding of surfactant and under a partial pressure of sulfur dioxide of up to 0.3 to 0.5 MPa.

Jan 1, 2006

By Vinod K. Namilakonda

In situ synthesis of discontinuously reinforced aluminum alloy metal matrix composites was investigated. Aluminum alloy (A356: Al-7 wt% Si) was reinforced with dispersed AlN particles. Thermodynamic calculations were made for the composition determination of various phases formed during bubbling of NH3 gas into the Al alloy melts in the temperature range 1173-1473 K. Experiments were carried out for in situ production of AlN particles with the reaction between Al melt and NH3 gas in high temperature resistance furnace at 1473 K. The products were characterized using SEM, EDS and XRD. Effect of bubbling time of NH3 gas on the AlN formed in the composites was studied. The amount of AlN reinforcement in the Al alloy composites was observed to be in the range of 5 to 35 wt%. Good agreement was observed between the experimental and thermodynamic calculated data on the composition of AlN in Al alloy composites.

Jan 1, 2006

By H. Roberts, C. Hassall

The opening years of the new millennium will be characterised by the closure of many lead and zinc mines because of reserve depletion. However, weak commodity prices through the second half of the 1990s have slowed project evaluation and have made it difficult to raise finances for the development of new mines required to replace lost output and to meet increasing demand for metal in the future. Growth of lead and zinc demand will be determined by the pace of global economic activity, especially in the emerging economies. How rapidly demand grows will have a key bearing on the possible shortfall in mine output and the response of prices to the implied tightening of metal supplies early in the new millennium. These issues are the focus of a discussion of the critical lead and zinc supply developments which will unfold post 2000, taking into account project lead times and the role that recycled metal plays in meeting market demand.

Jan 1, 2000

By G. St-Amant, V. Cloutier, E. Ghali, S. Jin, G. Houlachi

During the casting of lead-silver anodes, variations in cooling rates result in the formation of an uneven microstructure. The slowly cooled areas (SCA) have a coarser microstructure than that of the remaining part (called "the general zone"). The effect of anode microstructure on the electrochemical behavior was investigated using galvanostatic, potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance techniques. The results show that the resistances for the two steps of the oxygen evolution reaction on the slowly cooled areas of Pb- Ag anodes are higher than that on the general zone. The double layer capacitance for the first step of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the pseudocapacitance of the second step of OER on SCA are smaller than those on the general zone. The potentiodynamic results show that the amount of lead dioxide formed on the SCA is greater than that of the general zone of the anode. The potential decay curves after 30 minutes of galvanostatic polarization at 45 mA/cm2 show that the corrosion potential of the SCA is 200 mV lower than that of the general zone. This can lead to perforation because of the formation of a galvanic cell with a small anode and a large cathode.

Jan 1, 2000

By V. M. Paretsky

Most recent developments made in the Gintsvetmet Institute in the field of technologies and equipment for single-stage autogenous smelting of copper sulfide raw materials to produce white metal and blister copper on the basis of oxygen-flame smelting process and separation of highly basic calcium-containing slags have been discussed. This technology includes the oxygen-flame smelting process (KFP Process) to produce highly basic self-disintegrating ferrite-calcium slags with their subsequent flotation to recover copper and a basically new sparging smelting process (FBP Process) to produce combined slags subjected to decopperizing inside the same furnace. Results of special investigations of the slag structure obtained in the KFP and FBP processes and substantiating selection of their chemical and phase composition have been presented. It has been demonstrated that the above processes meet the stringent world-level requirements to advanced technologies with respect to energy conservation and environmental safety with different scales of production and within a wide range of specific conditions of particular operations.

Jan 1, 2006

By Jin Liu

In the early 1990?s, Inco successfully installed two new flash furnaces as part of their SO2abatement project to reduce SO2 emissions from the Copper Cliff Smelter by 60%. The flash furnace off-gas is cooled and cleaned through two new Monsanto Dynawave gas cleaning systems that replaced the traditional venturi scrubbing system. It was discovered that the flash furnace production capacity is often limited by the capacity of the gas cleaning system. The key task is to eliminate pressure drop from the system. The froth column is responsible for by far the largest pressure drop in the gas cleaning system. Initially, the column was fitted with 22 plates. In 1994, both #1 and #2 froth columns were modified by reducing the number of plates in each column from 22 to 18 and increasing the interplate spacing on lower plates. With increasing demand for more throughput in the flash furnaces, further modifications on the froth columns were made in 2005. This paper describes these modifications and results together with some fundamental analysis of the froth column characteristics.

Jan 1, 2006

By Ahmet Geveci

[Generally accepted formula related to sulfur slag-metal distribution ratio is given by the following equation: [ ] According to the above equation it can be deduced that sulfur distribution between slag and metal is governed mainly by metal composition (?s term), slag composition (slag basicity and in turn sulfide capacity), oxygen potential of the system (ao¬¬ term) and temperature(related to equilibrium constant, K). In this study, the results of ladle furnace operations conducted in Erdemir-Iron and Steel Works Co. (Turkey) in relation to sulfur removal, have been given. Typical ladle furnace slag analyses of 4937K quality steel have been presented. Activity coefficient of FetO,?FetO, have been calculated with the relation obtained fromthe literature. Activity calculations have been performed with the program written in Mathcad. The changes in activity of aFetO in the slag phase,, have also been studied in relation to the sulfur removal: The relation between % Decrease aFetO and %DeS (measured)have been investigated for 4937K runs and someother types of steel produced in the Erdemir Plant. Related to ladle operations %desulfurization defined as [(%Sinitial-%Sfinal)/S%initial]*100 values have been presented for different steel qualities.]

Jan 1, 2006

By Jason Eric Sallee

Ongoing operations at the Cyprus Miami Smelter involve the use of an electric furnace for settling of copper matte from discard slag. Proper operation of the electric settling furnace is a major factor in minimizing losses of copper to the discard slag. Recent test work at the smelter has shown improvement in the operation of the electric furnace with a subsequent improvement with regard to the copper losses. This paper presents a general discussion of the Cyprus Miami Smelter operation, past results with respect to copper losses, recent operational changes and test work, and the subsequent results.

Jan 1, 1999

By K. Rajani Kanth

Environmental problem is the major concern for any industry and there is a great need to that along green lines. Sangam Dairy being one of the most famous and wide spread Dairies in India, produces wide spectrum of milk products. The BOD levels of effluent water of this industry with MIF treatment were found to be around 100 ppm. Lot of research has been expended in the past to bring down the BOD levels to bare minimum. The main objective of the present study is to minimize the BOD level to the required level stipulated by environmental standards by employing various seeding materials. For this purpose microbes like Bacillus Subtiles, Pseudomonas, Aspergillas, Staphylococcus, and Pencilium have been employed and BOD levels were analyzed. Various Reagents, solutions with different dilution levels have been successfully prepared. Initial and final Dissolved Oxygen levels were determined before and after incubation. From the DO data, BOD was evaluated for all samples and comparison analysis of various seeding material was carried to suggest the efficient seeding material for the ETP plant. In the process, solutions of different dilutions have been prepared using difficult reagents. These samples are treated with above mentioned microbes and BOD levels are estimated. It has been observed that staphylococcus and Pseudomonas proved to be the best seeding materials. When there microbes have employed BOD levels fall to less than 10 and 20 ppm respectively

Jan 1, 2006

By Li Fangi

This paper describes the characteristics and regularities of a process to recover rare earth minerals from Baotou Ore with H-205 collector. H-205 is a kind of hydroxamic acid with amide as a polar group and poly-cycle aromatic hydrocarbon as a non-polar group, having strong ability to capture RE minerals (bastnasite, monazite). When adding a certain dosage of water glass and some other modifying agents, and maintaining pH value between 8.5 and 9.5, RE minerals can be effectively separated from calcium and barium minerals, such as fluorite and barite, etc. Under normal flotation temperature and concentration, when using H-205 to float RE minerals, it needs a bit longer conditioning time (a few minutes longer than that for the conventional collectors). It is also shown that the reagent has the property of resistance to hard water. The laboratory scale and pilot scale tests of the process have been carried out on bulk froth containing RE minerals and fluorite taken from Ore Dressing Plant of Baotou Iron and Steel Company, in both cases, high grade RE concentrates were obtained and the recovery increased remarkably. Therefore, the process has a great practical value.

Jan 1, 1989

By Funsho K. Ojebuoboh

With several "green" applications in the horizon, bismuth has become an even more important minor metal in the smelting and refining of lead. Smelters with a complex sulfide feed invariably deal with bismuth. Its behavior during the smelting of lead in conventional sinter - blast furnace operation is discussed. Because it readily deports to the lead phase during the refining of lead, its separation from refined lead remained unsatisfactory in early lead production. When commercial requirements of bismuth in lead became more stringent early this century, the procedure whereby calcium and magnesium is used to debismuthise lead was developed. The present conduct of this 1936 process, the Kroll Betterton process, is discussed with emphasis on operational improvements.

Jan 1, 1995

By R. Vasant Kumar

Measurement and control of trace elements in molten metal are often critical in order to achieve optimum production, refining, alloying or recycling. Solid electrolyte sensors for monitoring oxygen and very recently for hydrogen have made major impact in the metal industry. It has not proved straightforward to develop solid electrolyte sensors for many other elements that can be industrially applied in metal production. Novel self-tuning chemical sensors have been developed by the authors that may open up new technological opportunities. Three such examples will be presented in this paper: (i) a self-selecting oxygen-sulfur dual sensor using a composite beta-alumina/zirconia solid electrolyte; (ii) a copper sensor for liquid matte based upon cusicon solid electrolyte operating in a current reversal mode; and (iii) an aluminium sensor on solid NaCl containing channels of molten NaAlCl4 electrolyte formed by electrochemical charging in molten zinc.

Jan 1, 2006

The resist profile simulation is carried out using the combined data obtained. The nematic liquid crystal is clear only when a long range order exists, in the whole medium. using the Jones matrix method. Director can change from point to point and is, in general, a function of space. Details of the lens structure and of the devices fabrication and performance are described. Light from conventional light source or laser is passed through a polarizer and then incident on the specimen At the nematicisotropic, transition temperature, the medium becomes isotropic and looks clear and transparent. The transition can be approached by changing the impurity concentration or, indirectly, by tuning the temperature since the pinning strengths of the random and crystal potential have in general a different temperature dependence.

Jan 1, 2006

By B. Yalamanchili

Gerdau Ameristeel Beaumont presents its systematic approach for upgrade decisions that has developed over 30 years of ongoing capital projects for quality and cost improvements. This system serves to identify product needs, select process improvement strategies, justify them, and assist multi-department communications and decision-making. This is illustrated with Beaumont mills? last Stelmor upgrade and leads to a discussion of the need to consider Life Cycles of both products and technologies as we move to answer the challenges of the future.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. Boussuge, M. -D. Dupuits, A. Piant

This paper summarises a part of the work that has been essentially carried out at the Ecole des Mines de Paris in the framework of an Eureka European programme funded by the French Ministry of Industry, in partnership with Metaleurop and Carborundum (subsidiary of Saint Gobain). It deals with the measurement of different properties (density, thermal linear expansion, elastic modulus, strength) of a SiC-based refractory constituting the trays that are used in the refining columns in the New Jersey zinc distillation process, especially in the boiling section. These parameters have been investigated to check the homogeneity of the asreceived trays as well as to estimate the influence of ageing of the material under operating conditions. With this aim, specimens have been sampled in used trays having more than two years of operation. The as-received trays exhibited a good homogeneity, the strength being slightly lower in the direction in which they are compacted. Despite microstructural changes, most of the properties measured at room temperature are not significantly affected by ageing. High temperature tests involved thermal treated under vacuum to remove metallic zinc before testing at high temperature. An increase in temperature, as well as ageing, induces a decrease in the elastic modulus and strength.

Jan 1, 2000

By Boris Arlyuk

The system of short term forecast of metal prices at LME is based on correlation between prices within the quarter forward and at the first place by economic parameters at the West, determining the consumption of metals. Such economic parameters are presented by data of indexes of Western World industrial production (WW IP), official data of IP and Dow Jones indexes at USA. For price forecast within the quarter forward (one day ahead, 3 day -65 days MA forward prices) are significant the changes of actual prices (official and close) at the past and the parameters of daily trade at LME at the past (futures turnover, open interest, LME stocks). It is developed subsystem of price forecast within the quarter forward based on analytical approach determining the relations between the participants of the market. It gives the opportunity to reduce the number of empirical coefficients at the model and receive good accuracy of forecast the MA prices and its direction at the future. Very important part of short term forecast is subsystem determining analytically the probability that the price forecasted for the next trading day will be the maximum or minimum daily price within the quarter forward. The thresholds probabilities are defined by identification the model at the past by maximal commercial efficiency. Such system was tested at the past at period since 2000 till 2005 and gives very high commercial results at operations on 1M forwards and hedging the sales of nonferrous metals traded at LME (primary aluminium, light alloys, nickel, copper, zinc, lead and tin).

Jan 1, 2006