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By P. N. Anyalebechi

Keywords: Aluminum alloy 3004, Solidification rate, Homogenization, Second phase particles The effects of the fineness of as-solidified cast microstructure and temperature on the response of aluminum alloy 3004 to homogenization heat treatment (a.k.a. preheat) have been investigated. The study was conducted at 538oC and 595oC on directionally solidified laboratory-size ingots with a range of solidification rate of 0.10oC/s to 29.4oC/s. Optical and electron microscopy, quantitative image analysis, electrical conductivity, and electron probe microanalysis were used to quantify the effects of the homogenization heat treatment on the microstructure of aluminum alloy 3004. In general, increase in fineness of as-cast microstructure and homogenization temperature enhances the a-transformation reaction, dissolution of Mg2Si, elimination of dendritic microsegregation, and dispersoid formation. The homogenization heat treatment reduces the average size of second phase particles in castings solidified at <1oC/s. However, in castings solidified at above 1oC /s, homogenization causes the coarsening of the second phase particles. Mn in solid solution is independent of homogenization heat treatment temperature.

Jan 1, 2005

A three?stages countercurrent fluidized bed prototipe reactor to neutralize the SO2from smelter gases has been developed. For gases with 8 vol-%SO2, at 800°C and for 4 h mean reaction time of the limestone, the capture of SO2 is 99%, with off gases with 0.07 vol-%. For 2 vol-%SO2, the total capture of SO2 can be obtained at 750°C and 4 h reaction time. The calcine obtained contain a blend of unreacted limestone and calcium sulphatewith minor amounts of residual lime.

Jan 1, 2006

By Tian Sugui

By direct aging treated, creep properties measurement and microstructure observation, the influences of the direct aging treatment on the creep behaviors of Hot Continuous Rolled GH4169 superalloy are investigated. Results show that the creep resistance of Hot Continuous Rolled GH4169 superalloy may be obviously improved by directly aged treatment. Under the applied stress of 700MPa at 660, the creep lifetime of the alloy is enhanced to 126h from 60h. During hot continuous rolling, the deformation features of the alloy are the twinning and the double orientations slipping of the dislocation activated within the twinning regions. After direct aging treated, the alloy displays a smaller grain size, and the finer g² phase is dispersedly precipitated in the matrix of the alloy, which is thought to be a main reason of enhancing creep lifetime of the alloy.

Jan 1, 2010

By Junfeng Shen

Geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) is a kind of waterproofing material used widely in engineering. The waterproof mechanism is understood in terms of bentonite particles becoming a water-obstructcolloid layer after they absorb water and swell. The swell stress, however, has not been determined directly till now. In our experiment, the swell stresses of the GCL under saturated and water absorbing conditions are measured directly using a custom-made instrument. The results show that (1) the instrument designed by the authors performed satisfactorily and the test results are reproducible; and, (2) The trend line of swell stress variation with time can be divided into three segments. The first segment is characterized by a quick increase of the swell force in the first 0?50 hours. The swell stress increases by 7.00×10-4?1.00×10-3 Mpa / hour. The second segment shows a slow increase of the swell stress during the 50?1730 hours. The swell force increases by 7.54×10-6?2.02×10-5Mpa / hour. The third segment is characterized by little variation in the swell stress after 1730 hours. In this segment, the average value of the swell stress measurements is 0.0719Mpa and the maximum value is 0.0729Mpa. It is suggested that the swell stress is mainly raised by water entering the pores among montmorillonite particles and the interstitial layers in individual montmorillonite crystals, leading to an increase in volume and manifested as a stress on the surrounding materials.

Jan 1, 2006

By Xiaodong Wang

A liquid metal flow generated by a magnetic field whose traveling direction is periodically reversed, the Reversed Traveling Magnetic Field (R-TMF) is studied. The modulation frequency ranges from 0 to 6 Hz. Ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry probes the generated fluid flow. Depending on the modulation frequency, a number of characteristic flow features are exhibited. A transition frequency (approximately 4 Hz) exists, above which the flow is no longer sensitive to the force modulation. Below this transition point, the amplitude of the velocity oscillation increases, and then below fm = 0.05 Hz, it saturates around a value close to that observed without any modulation. A theoretical model to obtain an analytical solution of electromagnetic force and to predict flow motion is developed, which is fairly in agreement with the experiments.

Jan 1, 2009

By M. Drozd

Multi-use pad operators require an efficient and economic method to destroy cyanide in their process residues so new material can be stored on the pad and leached. Operators of the dedicated or single-use pads require an effective cyanide destruction method for pad closure. Cyanide destruction can be accomplished by utilizing oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide or calcium hypochlorite, or by utilizing ferrous sulfate which sequesters the cyanide in strong acid dissociable complex. Ferrous sulfate can be the preferred method of cyanide destruction because it is a less costly chemical, reaction rates are almost immediate and unlike oxidants, it can penetrate the total depth of a pile without being destroyed by side reactions. Literature indicates that the (Fe(CN)6)-4 com~lex is produced slowly but it appears that complexes such as Fe(CN)4(H20)2-or Fe(CN)4(OH)2)-4, are formed quickly and should have no U.V. sensitifity, unlike (Fe(CN)6)-4. Stoichiometry of the testwork indicates that Fe«CN)4(OH)2)-4 complex may be the species formed. The usage of ferrous sulfate has the advantage of being able to bring ~ level down that divalent metal ions such as Cu++, Cd++, Hg++, Pb++ and Zn will form insoluble complexes and precipitate from solutions does not destroy weak acid dissolvable complexes and can leave a heavy metal problem behind after cyanide destruction.

Jan 1, 1990

By Naiyang Ma

"High oil concentration is one of the major barriers for recycling of mill scale of steel hot rolling mills. It is of vital importance to find cost-effective technologies of reducing oil concentration in mill scale in order to recycle the mill scale without causing detrimental effects on production and environment. This paper discusses in-process separation of mill scale from oil at steel hot rolling mills. Formation of mill scale and status of oily wastewater at hot rolling mills are reviewed in the first place. A mathematical model is then formulated to relate oil concentration in mill scale to physical properties of mill scale, chemical and physical properties of wastewater and interacting parameters between mill scale particles and wastewater. From this model, three approaches of in-process separation of mill scale from oil are derived: (1) avoiding contacts between mill scale particles and oily wastewater, and (2) maintaining low oil concentration in wastewater, and (3) collecting mill scale in upper streams of wastewater flows. In-process separation of mill scale from oil might have advantages of lower capital cost, lower operating cost and less additional environmental concerns, compared to other strategies of separating mill scale from oil.IntroductionHot rolling is an inevitable step in producing finished steel products. Figure 1 schematically shows a steel hot rolling process. Semi-finished steel products, slabs here, are reheated first, and then the reheated slabs are discharged from the furnaces and transported on hot rolling trains to descaling units for removing scale with pressurized water. After being descaled, the slabs are rolled by roughing mills. After treated with cropping and the second descaling, the slabs are finally rolled into finished products, coils here, by finishing mills."

Jan 1, 2012

By Jorge A. S. Tenorio, Chuanwei Zhuo, Joner O. Alves, Yiannis A. Levendis

"The disposal of wastes is a serious environmental problem, since available landfill space is dwindling. Their treatment by pyrolysis or combustion has merit, and the corresponding fuel or power production is of technological interest. However, such processes need a rigid control of emissions. This work addresses the gaseous light hydrocarbons (LHCs) generated during sequential pyrolysis and partial oxidation of unserviceable tires, PET bottles, com wastes (DDGS) and sugarcane bagasse in a two-stage laminar-flow horizontal furnace, kept at 1000 °C. Gas chromatography was used to identify and quantify the components of the emitted gaseous light hydrocarbons. The results showed that the biomass residues generated the highest emissions of aliphatic hydrocarbons, whereas PET generated the most aromatic hydrocarbons. When stainless steel meshes were inserted in the exhaust flow, it was found that hydrocarbon emissions were curtailed; as such meshes catalyzed partial conversion of these carbon-bearing gases to carbonaceous nanomaterials.IntroductionLight hydrocarbons (LHCs) are volatile organic compounds, consisting of hydrogen and carbon with low molecular weight; the most common species are methane, ethane, propane, butane, etc. LHCs are valuable since they are a very important energy resource. However, uncontrolled release of light hydrocarbon gases to the atmosphere should be avoided [l, 2]. In this work, a development is presented for the evaluation of LHCs generated during the controlled pyrolysis/combustion of several wastes in a two-stage laminar-flow horizontal furnace. Samples of unserviceable tires, post-consumer PET bottles and waste residues from the bioethanol industry (DDGS and sugarcane bagasse) were burned. A catalyst system, consisting of stainless steel screens, was tested for its effects on the gaseous emissions."

Jan 1, 2011

By James Douglas

A century ago the AIME meeting of 1899 was held at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco California in September. For his presidential address, James Douglas presented this paper which is reprinted in full with the kind permission of the AIME. It presents an interesting comparison relating to events and circumstances in the metallurgical industries at the close of last century. Being on the eve of a new century ourselves, the Editors of this volume of the COPPER 99-COBRE 99 Proceedings considered this paper would be of general interest, hence it is included here. Douglas believed in effective interchange of technical experiences and ideas. He considered the extreme secrecy surrounding the copper works at Swansea, Wales, the world center of copper only years before the time his paper was delivered, as one key reason for its decline, (and eventual closure of all copper plants there). In his paper, the pace of developments in various sectors such as transportation (railroads, the dominant means of I transportation at the time), the iron and steel and copper industries were examined, in much the same way as one might do but on the high technology of today. James Douglas was born in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada and spent his early life there. Forced to move to the United States for family and financial reasons, he went on to become a pioneer in the new Arizona copper industry, and with luck and good judgement with his interest in the new mining properties he also became very wealthy. Douglas was an accomplished mining and metallurgical engineer. He was the first President of Phelps Dodge and helped transform the small trading company of Anson Phelps and William Dodge into a mining giant.

Jan 1, 1999

By Courtney A. Young

Cyanide is a fast-acting, highly toxic substance but, at the same time, is deemed essential for sustaining life as well &apos;as our standard of living. In this manuscript, the facts about cyanide are presented beginning with a brief history and definition and ending with a discussion on cyanide alternatives. Other topics include speciation, physical characteristics, toxicity, manufacturing, cyanogenics, cyanide cycle, separation, destruction, and markets including those outside the mining industry. Emphasis, of course, is placed on gold production by leaching and how it is influenced by ore type, mineral characteristics and economics as well as its advantages and disadvantages.

Jan 1, 1998

By Nobuaki Sato

For the recovery of uranium from spent nuclear fuel, sulfide reprocessing process, which consists of voloxidation, selective sulfurization, and magnetic separation or selective dissolution steps, are proposed. In this paper selective sulfurization of rare-earth oxides in the presence of uranium oxides was studied by thermogravimetry and X-ray diffractometry. In case of the mixture with UO2, the rare earth oxides R2O3 (R=Nd, Eu, etc.) were preferentially sulfurized by CS2 formingoxysulfides and sulfides, while UO2 remained at temperatures lower than 500 °C. When R2O3was mixed with U3O8, first, the reduction of U3O8 to UO2 occurred at low temperatures followed by the sulfurization of R2O3. The separation of rare earth elements from UO2 in suspensionsolution by the use of permanent magnet was examined. The advantage of the proposed process was also discussed by compared with current process.

Jan 1, 2006

By Grant E. Casley

Since 1970 Mount Isa fines Limited has made a significant increase in blister copper production from approximately 100,000 to 155,000 mt per annum and in fact 161,040 mt were produced in the calendar year 1974. Flowsheet developments including fluidised bed roasting and converter slag flotation are discussed, particularly their contributions to minimising major equipment changes in smelting and converting. The use of model- ling and simulation techniques for such an exercise is mentioned. The paper reports the alterations made to both equipment and operating techniques in the reverberatory furnace and converter sections to achieve the regular production of 250 mt of blister per converter day from a 41% Cu matte grade. The effects of flux composition on converting performance are highlighted. The air quality control programme is discussed in relation to its restriction of blister copper production.

Jan 1, 1976

By Katia Vutova, Vania Vassileva

Investigations and results on the refining of tungsten scrap applying electron beam melting (EBM) in vacuum are presented and discussed. In this work EB melting experiments were performed in single or double-melt operations with different power inputs and refining times for tungsten purification and recovery of multiple metals (including refractory and other metals such as Mo, Nb, Cu, Zn, etc.), which are alloyed elements or impurities with high concentrations in the initial materials. Evaluations for extraction of some valuable metals, generated in the condensate at their removal from the liquid metal during the refining process are provided. Efficient technological regimes for e-beam melting and refining that enable the simultaneous production of pure metal ingots and condensates that can be used directly or can be used for subsequent extraction of expensive and valuable metals are presented.

Jan 1, 2016

By Shivendra Sinha

Total pressure oxidation (TPOX) is widely outreached leaching practice for base metals from sulfide minerals, wherein high temperature (T ∼ 200 °C) and oxygen pressure (pO2 ∼ 25 bar) are required. These aggressive conditions intensify the oxygen mass transfer, and therefore facilitate metal dissolution. However, challenging-cum-negative aspects of such practice are energy and material intensive requirements and high oxygen demand. Thus, the present study explores the novel emulsified medium for enhancement of oxygen mass transfer, which assists faster metal dissolution at significantly lower temperature and pressure condition. It is possible to achieve quantitative dissolution (>95%) of Cu, Ni and Co from mixed sulfide minerals at T ∼ 95 °C and pO2 ∼ 2 bar using an emulsion of 2.5% (v/v) n-Hexadecane in dilute sulfuric acid. In addition, n-Hexadecane was found to be inert, stable and immiscible in a pressurized leaching system, thus can be easily separated and recycled in subsequent leaching stages. Thus, this study offers an energy efficient route for low temperature-pressure leaching of sulfides.

By I. Nikolic

Twin-roll casting is an integrated casting and rolling process that involves the continuous solidification of a melt and the plastic deformation of the solidified metal between two rotating rolls. Computer modeling is a valuable tool to help engineers understand the metallurgical process during twin-roll casting. However, commercially available software can only model either the fluid flow/heat transfer of the melt or the plastic deformation of the solid, but not both. In this study, an object-oriented finite element program was developed to simulate the steady-state fluid flow, solidification and plastic deformation of an A7,31 magnesium alloy in a horizontal twin-roll caster. The melt, the mush zone and the solid were treated as a generalized Newtonian flow in an Eulerian reference frame and different constitutive equations were employed to describe the material behaviours. The effect of operational parameters on the solidification process was discussed based on the simulation results.

Jan 1, 2010

A comprehensive numerical capability for the analysis of Thermal Spray (TS) systems consisting of a three-dimensional compressible, turbulent flow Navier-Stokes model and a multi-phase particle flow model in Lagrangian formulation, was developed. This capability is validated for a set of flow conditions typical for TS. The developed methodology is used for analysis of the JP-5000 TS gun gas and coating powder flow conditions. Modeling and analysis of particle/turbulent eddies interaction is performed. Details of gas flow field, particle temperature, and particle velocity histories, and particle temperature, velocity profiles in the system are presented. For the validation of numerical analysis, the computed results are compared with available experimental measurements. The flow phenomena for different flow parameters are analyzed and explained as the results of gas dynamics and heat and momentum transfer between the gas and particle phases. This methodology can be used for process control and reliability improvement, and has the potential to significantly improve TS gun performance through control of its parameters.

Jan 1, 1996

By Thomas Gliick, Jianming Lu, David Dreisinger

"The recovery of manganese from the Boleo project of Baja Mining is via an acid oxidation and acid reduction process in seawater. Manganese as manganese dioxide is leached into solution as manganese sulphate with the addition of sulphur dioxide gas as a reductant and then precipitated as a manganese carbonate. The use of the manganese carbonate intermediate to produce electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) has been extensively studied. The manganese carbonate can be used in place of natural (MnC03) or reduced ores (MnO) of manganese as a feed to the EMM plant. Manganese carbonate can be dissolved in spent electrolyte from manganese plating, followed by purification using ammonium sulphide precipitation of minor elements and then electrowinning in a selenium free process. The results of small cell testing of manganese electrowinning are reported.IntroductionThe Boleo Project of Baja Mining is a greenfields development currently under construction approximately 5 km north of the town of Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The Boleo property is held by the Mexican company, Minera y Metalurgica del Boleo S.A. de C. V. (MMB). MMB is owned 70% by Baja Mining Corp. and 30% by a consortium of Korean companies consisting of KORES - Korea Resources Corporation, LS Nikko Copper, Hyundai Hysco, SK Networks and lljin Copper.The Boleo deposit has Measured and Indicated resources of264.7 million tonnes grading 1.50% copper equivalent (CuEq) & Inferred resources of 159.9 million tonnes grading 1.15% CuEq. The calculation of copper equivalent is based on a combination of metal prices and predicted metallurgical recoveries (Table I). The metallurgical recoveries have been confined by extensive bench and pilot plant testing. Proven and probable reserves are available at Boleo to provide for more than a 30 year mine life. Initially, 25 years of mine life and 23 years of process plant operation have been scheduled in the February 2010 Technical Report Update (www.sedar.com)"

Jan 1, 2012

By Sutham Niyomwas

The Fe-TiC composite powder was synthesized in situ by carbothermal reduction of ilmenite. The standard Gibbs energy minimization method was used to calculate the equilibrium composition of the reacting species. The effects of the reaction temperature (1300 °C - 1500°C) and milling time of precursors on the Fe-TiC conversion and powder morphologies were investigated using XRD and SEM method. The synthesized products showed that composite with iron matrix and titanium carbide as a reinforced phase was formed.

Jan 1, 2006

By Cynthia Belt

"Before energy can be saved in the materials industry, the process must be understood. At the same time, baby boomers are starting to retire. New people are entering the field without experience and training especially in methods to save energy. Various classroom courses, seminars, books, software, and websites are available for the professional to better understand the industry with the ultimate goal to reduce energy use. This paper is a review of what is currently available with some comments on potential needs.IntroductionEnergy use is high within the materials industry. For the United States, the primary metal industry uses 8% of all energy used in manufacturing (Figure 1 )1 or 1, 736 trillion BTUs per year. Sadly, while energy use is high, energy management is not universal within the industry. Counting both internal programs and external such as the utility supplier, equipment manufacturers, federal and state programs, only 66% of primary metals companies participate in an energy management activity1.For the materials field, process heating is the majority of the energy use in a plant2. Understanding and optimizing process heating is a critical need for materials energy professionals. Surprisingly, process heating is not necessarily the work addressed within an energy program. The U.S. 2006 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (see Table 1) found more primary metal companies addressing lighting with 31 % participation versus 15% with process heating work even though energy used in lighting tends to be a minor (in the range ofl-3% ofa typical plant's energy use)."

Jan 1, 2013

By Rajesh Kumar Mishra

About 500,000 troy ounces of Platinum Group Metals (PGM) will be available for recycling each year from spent automobile catalytic converters in North America alone. Platinum Group Metals? from spent catalyst can be extracted by Hydrometallurgical, Pyrometallurgical or Gas Phase volatilization processes. This paper is a review and comparative study of various processes investigated for PGM extraction. A number of processes described in this paper have already been commercialized. The technical and environmental aspects of the important processes are discussed.

Jan 1, 1989