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By Gerhard Meyer

A new instrument for the determination of iron., zinc, calcium, and other metals independently directly in the fumes emitted from steelmaking processes is described. Based on the well- accepted method of X-ray fluorescence, the instrument can detect numerous metals simultaneously in the fume as well as report their concentration on a mass per unit time basis real time to a control room computer. The instrument mounts on the wall of the fume duct and can., via a small opening, directly view the hot exhaust plum inside the duct. The concentration of metal in the fume over time has been shown to change dramatically depending on process variables. Variables such as oxygen flow rate, lance height and nozzle configuration., slag condition., and episodic scrap addition can affect the presence of metal particles and fume in the exhaust. An analysis response time of 6 seconds enables better control of the steelmaking process thereby conserving primary resources and reducing environmental impact.

Jan 1, 2001

By A. F. Usov

"The use of the Electric Pulse Discharge method of materials destruction (EP) for disintegration of materials in an industrial-waste processing are examined. The principles and Experience of the development device of EP-disintegration have been described, the technological efficiency of disintegration of industrial minerals estimated.IntroductionThe Russian scientists have proposed and comprehensively studied the electric pulse (EP) technique which is applied in ores and materials disintegration [1, 2 ]. The different aspects of the problem have been presented by the authors in papers at many international congresses [3-6]. Recently the technique is intensively developed in many countries, and various disintegration installations are exhibited.Crashing and disintegration of ores by EP-method is characterized by high selectiveness of destruction. It provides better disclosure of mineral grains and prevent it from destruction. EPmethod reduces slurry formation. All this provides better mineral extraction at ore beneficiation and improves concentrate quality. It also prevents the product from polluting with equipment metal, inwall and grinding equipment material. The possibility to change the character of dynamic loading allows controlling grain-size composition and getting small-size product in contrast to mechanical method of crashing.The product of EP-crashing is characterized by less toughness and greater specific surface area of grains since the new surface is formed at splitting and chinks extension. The product is of high sorption and reactivity in chemical changes. Open grains of mineral spots correspond to their natural condition and it is of great importance for studying mineral.The principles of the development deviceLong-term studies of the technique carried out by research institutes such as Research Institute of High Voltages (Tomsk), Kola Science Centre of RAS (Apatity), Institute ""Mekhanobr"" (S.Pertersburg), made it possible to substantiate principles of the disintegration installations design, make exploratory stands and technological installations to carry out pilot tests and operations under production conditions. The construction design of disintegrating installations depends on many technological and physical factors. Of all the technological factors, the most significant one is to preserve the liberated product because it is the peculiarity of the EPdisintegration to have high selectivity of disintegration. The preservation of the mono-mineral product liberated from the rock mass means that this product is not overgrinding, which causes the loss of the product with slime in processing, and that the initial natural form of the mineral inclusion is also preserved because it is the size and the integrity of crystals that determines its cost value (precious minerals). On the one hand, it is provided by a stage disintegration technique, with the product classified after each stage, and, on the other hand, by selection of specific conditions of electric breakdown, which ensure high performance of electric breakdown and effective disintegration of material fragments, with the useful mineral inclusions preserved intact, with its size considerably exceeding the discharge gap. These conditions are provided by the appropriate geometry of electrodes, the discharge gap and the screen size due to the material’s nature and grain size."

Jan 1, 2008

By Michael G. Mayer

Since its invention in 1859 various designs of lead batteries have evolved to meet commercial needs for traction applications and standby power. In recent years major developments have taken place in lead alloys and the chemistry and mechanical design of industrial lead batteries. These are reviewed in relation to their commercial application together with the new type of maintenance free gas re-combination lead-acid batteries which are opening so many new markets for lead.

Jan 1, 1990

By Hideki Yarnarnoto

The simultaneous removal for NH4+ and PO43- in aqueous solution was carried out by using Ca type zeolite synthesized from coal fly ash. The effect of pH on the cation exchange capacity and adsorption properties of the obtained zeolite, the simultaneous removal of NH4' and ~04'. in various solutions and the mechanism of simultaneous removal were investigated respectivel? ,The Ca type zeolite used in this study can simultaneously remove NH4+ and PO43- In aqueous solution without releasing counter ion, and this method gives great advantage over the other ordinary removal methods.

Jan 1, 2002

By Natasa Mitevska

The statistical analysis of the slag composition influence on copper losses to discard slag in the reverberatory furnaces No.1 and No.2 in the RTB BOR, Copper Smelter and Refinery (Yugoslavia) is presented in this paper. The model for the slag basicity calculation is determined, and connected to the copper distribution coefficients between the matte and slag phase. The influence of all components on the slag structure is also illustrated.

Jan 1, 2003

By Pragna N. H. Bhakta

The minerals industry is under political and economic pressure to reduce its processing wastes and minimize their impact on the environment: Recycling is one of the means by which the minerals Industry can reduce the quantities of effluents and residues that are discharged to the environment. The wise use of available resources is not only an environmental necessity but also an economic benefit as natural mineral resources are depleted and/or become more complex. The purpose of this paper is to review the technical and regulatory issues that will help shape the future of minerals recycling over the next ten years. Research and development to address technical issues will be discussed with emphasis on the Bureau of Mines recycling research program.

Jan 1, 1992

By Leijun Li, M. M. Mahapatra

"A three-dimensional finite element model with moving heat source was developed for pulsed-laser powder deposition (PLPD) process. Experiments were conducted to study the repair of superalloy components using the PLPD process. During the experiments, IN 625 powder was deposited on a superalloy substrate similar to IN 738. The process was modeled using three-dimensional finite element analysis. Element birth and death technique was used in the finite element model for simulating the deposition of powder layer on the substrate. A moving distributed heat source was used in the thermal model for realistic simulation of the process. Temperature dependent thermal material properties including enthalpy were used for the powder and the substrate in the transient thermal analyses. The fusion zones and peak temperature distributions of the deposits were predicted from the transient thermal analyses.IntroductionPoor weldability is a critical issue of superalloy repairing. The microstructural directionality of the superalloy components are disrupted when repaired by the fusion welding processes. Currently there is no widely accepted method to economically and reliably repair directionally solidified superalloys components. Pulsed laser powder deposition process (PLPD) is a promising repairing technique as the substrate is not severely affected by the heat source.In this study PLPD technology is used as the tool for superalloy repairing. In most of the land based turbine engines the directionally solidified nickel based superalloy similar to IN 738 [1] is used as the bucket material. The turbine engine blade tips are subjected to a combination of extreme operating conditions and corrosive environment. The tip of the nickel based turbine engine blades can be repaired using IN 625 material as suggested in the literature [1-2]. IN 625 is considered to be ductile and strong enough for the purpose of Ni based turbine engine blade tip repair[1-2]. During the present PLPD investigation, IN 625 powder was used as the deposit material on an experimental super alloy substrate similar to IN 738 superalloy used as the cast superalloy for the turbine engine blades."

Jan 1, 2012

By René Bustamante

The subject of this paper is a comparative evaluation of different copper smelting gas cooling techniques, using "productivity and quality" criteria. The first section presents a brief description of the operation of the radiant and the evaporative cooling systems, focusing on the differences between each other, in particular regarding. a) mass and energy balances; b) gas flow, temperature and composition; c) dust concentration and recovery. This section includes a brief discussion of the "client-server chain", i.e. the links between the cooling equipment and the down-and up-stream operations. More in particular, the up-stream server relationship impacts on the operating stability of the furnace, and in turn on furnace down-time and Cu production losses; and the down-stream client relationship affects the operation of the electrostatic precipitators, in terms of workload and cost of handling larger quantities of dust of a given dust size The second section deals with the development of indexes to measure and compare value added through the "utilization, productivity and quality" that can be expected of both cooling methods at the physical and economic levels, and the impact on the overall smelter productivity and the final cost composition of copper. The final section presents the results and includes a discussion of the comparative advantages and disadvantages of both cooling systems.

Jan 1, 1999

By P. R. Taylor

Diamond films have been successfully formed in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system from several gas mixtures: CH,-H,, C2112-112, and C2112-112-02' Our previous thermodynamic study indicated that the substrate temperature could be lowered by the presence of oxygen species at moderate system pressures (0.3-0.5 atm) and that higher volumetric growth rates required a high temperature source and a moderate pressure system in CVD processing. The principal experimental results were consistent with the thermodynamic predictions. The deposited films were characterized by laser Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The films were well faceted and uniform, with the growth rates over 10 pm/hr on molybdenum substrates. The crystal size ranged between 1 and 2 microns for a two hour experiment. It was possible to decrease the substrate temperature to below 800 °C in this system.

Jan 1, 1995

By Guy Deschênes

In spite of the wide use of lead compounds to enhance cyanidation of free milling sulphide-bearing gold ores, an industrial control method was only implemented four years ago. This study presents the results of the investigation that led to the development of the on-line control technology. Two free milling sulphide-bearing gold ores and high purity minerals were used to develop and test the concept. The first ore contains 2.8 g/t Au, 6.2% pyrrhotite, 2.1% pyrite 0.6 % arsenopyrite, 0.1% chalcopyrite and 0.1% organic carbon. The second ore contains 10.4 g/t Au, 3.2% pyrite, 0.8% pyrrhotite and 0.38% chalcopyrite. The first ore showed a much higher oxidation rate in the pre-leach than the second one and consumed seven times more cyanide. A relation between the formation of thiosulphate and thiocyanate and the additions of lead nitrate were quantified. The ?reducing power?, a titration with permanganate, predominantly determines the concentration of thiosulphate and thiocyanate in cyanide solution. The relation between the reducing power and the addition of lead nitrate at various concentrations of pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite in the ores was established, providing a monitor/control strategy for lead nitrate addition.

Jan 1, 2006

By J. Avraamides

Some operational difficulties have been encountered in the transfer of carbon-in-pulp technology to Australian conditions. Many gold mines? are located in remote and arid areas where the available ground water is highly saline. There is a gradual depletion of free milling oxidised gold ore reserves resulting in the necessity to treat deeper primary sulphide .deposits which can be refractory. Some near-surface ore-bodies and tailing dumps are contaminated by natural vegetative matter which can interfere with the adsorption of gold from the cyanided pulp,. Advances which have been? made include potable water conservation in elution, a new type of regeneration kiln, inter-stage screens, alternative leaching systems transportable carbon-in-pulp plants and efficient open-cut mining methods. Academic and applied research is well supported by government and industry and the results are normally rapidly disseminated and put into practice by the gold mining industry.

Jan 1, 1989

By A. Korbel

The progress in understanding the nature of strain localization in metallic materials and in particular the understanding of the role of external (deformation conditions) and internal (material substructure) factors in the development of the tendency toward concentration of plastic flow within transgranular shear bands was the background of the concept given in the title. Following this idea, the practical possibility of replacing the homogeneous in a micro scale mode of deformation by transgrasnular shear bands gives a chance to change the arrangement of the dislocation substructure in the material from that typical for homogeneous deformation into long wavelength (transgranular), pseudo-periodic dislocation walls. The presence or formation of such a substructure in a thermodynamically unstable matrix may result in the formation of the products of phase transformation along shear bands, giving rise to a composite-like structure. This work is aimed to provide a coherent justification to the concept of Natural-Metal-Matrix Composite and summarizes the results of experimental works in this area.

Jan 1, 1997

By B. W. Lightfoot, Neill F. Arthur

"The AusIron process is a new development of the well established Ausmelt bath smelting technology(l). The development of this technology has been tied to the South Australian Steel and Energy (SASE) project which brings dedicated coal and iron resources together with this new technology. SASE is a joint venture between Ausmelt (40%), Meekathara Minerals (40%) and the South Australian Government through Mines and Energy South Australia (MESA) (20%). It will use a multiple lance furnace to process iron ore using steaming coal for both fuel and reductant.It is intended to build the simplest plant economically possible. Refinements such as preheating and prereduction of the ore are compatible with the technology but are not expected to be necessary in the first generation plant.The joint venture is negotiating with suitable partners for funding of the project through to commercial implementation at a target scale of2.5 mt/a of pig iron.ObjectivesAusIron aims to produce pig iron directly from steaming coal and from any of a variety of iron sources in a simple furnace system with a minimum of pre-processing of either coal or iron ore. Preheating and prereduction of ore are compatible with the technology but may not be necessary. The immediate aim is not to be the technology that uses the least quantity of coal to produce iron metal but rather the technology that uses the least number of dollars to produce metal.The chemistry of iron making is well known, probably better known than that of smelting of any other metal. Iron has been made for thousands of years and it is possible to make iron from charcoal and ore in a simple blast furnace the size of a beer barrel. The focus is therefore not making iron but rather making it more cheaply than it is made by current technologies. Large blast furnaces now set the standard and new technologies must perform better if they are to gain market share. It is still the cost of iron, energy units and capital going into these mega blast furnaces which ultimately set the market price for pig iron."

Jan 1, 1996

By Leiv Kolbeinsen, Stian Seim, In-ho Jung

"The current work presents new experimental data in the iron-unsaturated region of the FeTiO3-Ti2O3-TiO2 slag system. The samples are prepared by melting pure reactants in a high frequency induction furnace that employs a cold crucible. A similar experimental set-up has been described in literature and proven suitable to investigate high titania slags. The FeO content of the samples range from 3.7 to 21.8 wt% and the Ti2O3 content range from 3.6 to 30.1 wt%. The liquidus temperatures of the samples are measured in-situ by a spectropyrometer and range from 1450 to 1645 °C.In addition, an improved thermodynamic database for the FeO-Ti2O3-TiO2 system has been developed. Ternary parameters have been included and optimized to fit previously published experimental data. This optimization minimizes the discrepancy between experimental data and thermodynamic calculations as previously discussed in literature. New liquidus projection plots are proposed for the FeO-Ti2O3-TiO2 and the FeTiO3-Ti2O3-TiO2 systems.IntroductionIlmenite (FeTiOs) smelting is a relatively small industry world-wide. However, a reasonable focus on the process has been applied in Norway due to the location of one such smelter in Tyssedal, which is located in the western part of Norway. The process is essentially carbothermal reduction, where most of the iron in the ilmenite is reduced to its metallic state, and the titanium oxide is concentrated in the slag product. The metallic iron is sold as a high purity pig iron and finds applications in cast products. The slag concentrate is further processed for the production of TiOvpigment and/or titanium metal. This further processing can be performed through different routes according to the purity of the slag concentrate."

Jan 1, 2012

By Sung Tae Kim

The viscosity is one of the most critical properties of slags and thus its influence on the physicochemical phenomena in metallurgical processes has been issued for last decades. The viscosity of ferrous- and non-ferrous metallurgical slags can be understood via structural investigation with spectroscopic methodologies including x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared- and Raman spectroscopy, and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, etc. Therefore, the reaction kinetics such as desulfurization in ladle metallurgical furnace, reduction of FeO and MnO in electric arc furnace is strongly dependent on the viscosity of the slags. The rates of oxide (inclusion and refractory) dissolution into the slags and fluxes are governed by the viscosity. Alternatively, the structure of aluminosilicate melts also affects the thermochemical properties such as sulfide capacity, etc. These diverse applications of the viscosity-structure relationship to ferrous- and non-ferrous metallurgical processes were reviewed.

By A. G. Jackson, Mark D. Benedict, Steven R. LeClair, Yang Cao, David M. Conrad

"Electronic Prototyping (EP) represents a new and powerful medium that many in science and technology view as the research paradigm of the future. Actually, EP has many handles, sometimes referred to as simulation-based design involving more long term objectives such as virtual reality, but regardless of the 'spin', the direction of EP is an enhanced visual paradigm to enable a new set of tools for engineers and scientists alike. Tools to not only automate, visualize and compute otherwise intractable problems but to enable augmentations of our ability to perceive that which is interesting and new -""a virtual version of a process"" [1] prodding us on the pathways of materials and process discovery.IntroductionActually there are many reasons to apply sensors to materials, such as smart or adaptive materials/structures, and new materials synthesis/processing [1], only some of which are motivated by improved product quality and/or productivity. Although U.S. Air Force applications of sensors to materials processing represent but one of many perspectives, hopefully it is a perspective which will engender new ideas and insights in addressing future challenges in materials research. To provide context and establish need for future sensor applications in materials processing, we will utilize on one of several Air Force vistas or '21st-Century' objectives."

Jan 1, 1997

By J. Fogarty, J. Sofra

The mobile telecommunications sector is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. However, increasingly stringent environmental regulations are placing pressure on manufacturers to accept responsibility for end of life products. The companies are therefore exploring avenues to recover the valuable components contained within the mobile telecommunications devices thus reducing the quantities of toxic components going to landfill. Batteries used to power the devices, are typically based on either nickel-cadmium, nickel metal hydride, or lithium ion cells. They contain toxic metals including nickel, cadmium, lithium, potassium, lead, and cobalt in a complicated arrangement of battery cells surrounded by a metals then plastic casing. The Ausmelt Catalytic Waste Converter (CWC) for waste treatment and recycling is well suited to processing all three mobile phone battery types for the recovery of valuable metals in marketable products that can be recycled to industry without turning out harmful levels of toxic emissions. Ausmelt recently demonstrated the capabilities of its CWC by continuously processing 4.5 tonnes of nickel-cadmium batteries. Using Ausmelt's pilot plant facility in Australia, the nickel-cadmium batteries were processed to produce a nickel iron sulphide (matte), a cadmium fume and a final slag which satisfied CS toxicity leach test criteria and was safe f<~r disposal to landfill. This paper explores the commercial development of the Ausmelt CWC for treating each of the three battery types in light of (a) the outcomes of the recent demonstration, and (b) the current and expected future availability of batteries for processing.

Jan 1, 2000

By K. Knuutila

The behaviour of thiourea, animal glue and chloride ions in the electro¬lysis of copper has been investigated by various different electrochemical experiments, i.e. polarization curves with stationary copper electrodes, long-time galvanostatic electrolyses and Hull cell experiments. Polarization curves with stationary copper electrodes show that animal glue has a polarizative effect on the deposition potential. Small thiourea contents affect depolarizatively when high concentrations retard the copper deposition. The microstructures of the deposited copper after the long-time electrolyses show that animal glue favours a basis oriented deposition structure. With thiourea the field orientated structure was evident. It was also observed that the deposited structure depended much on the grain structure of the starter sheet. The chloride ion concentration has a drastic effect on. the crystal size of the deposited copper as it was found out in Hull cell tests. Chloride ions flattened the the crystals and the deposition became smoother when the chloride ions were added. The cathode copper quality is discussed according to the literature. Special attention is paid on the codeposition of thiourea and the origin of sulphur impurities in copper cathodes.

Jan 1, 1987

By Gustavo E. Lagos

Mining is one of the oldest and most important productive activities in Chile. In the latter half of the 80&apos;s &d during the 1990&apos;s Chilean mining has experienced explosive growth fundamentally due to legislative changes which have encouraged an influx of foreign capital. Fine copper production has grown from 1,4 million tons in 1987 to 3,4 million tons in 1997. Gold production has increased from 17.03 tons in 1987 to 49.46 tons in 1997. In both cases private investment has driven this growth. The direct impact of mining on the Chilean economy has been considered one of the fundamental pillars of the growth of the country in the last years. The indirect impact that has generated on the other sectors of the Chilean economy and in particular the regional economies, has not been analyzed. This paper outlines a methodology for estimating the impact of mining investment and mining operations in different sectors of the Chilean economy at both regional and national levels. It applies this methodology to the case of Minera Escondida, the largest copper mine in the world, analyzing its economic impacts on the regional and national levels.

Jan 1, 1999

By B. J. Jody

This paper describes a one-step thennal-treatment process, developed at Argonne National Laboratory, to remove all organic contaminants from the glass-fiber waste that is generated during the glass-fonning process. The recovcred glass fibers can then be recycled into new glass fibers or new glass products without adversely impacting the operations of the glass industry or the quality of its products. Our process involves shredding the waste to a manageable size and then processing it at temperatures below its melting point to remove the polymeric-coating layer. The glass industry generates more than 60,000 tons of glass-manufacturing waste annually in the glass-forming process alone. Recycling of this waste stream can keep this non-biodegradable waste out of the landfills. In addition, use of recycled glass lowers energy costs, by an average of about $5 per ton as compared to using virgin raw materials to make virgin glass fibers. This process will also reduce the emission of C02 by 17,400 tons a year and it will also reduce the emission of nitrogen oxides. Economic analysis of our process shows a potential payback of less than 2 years.

Jan 1, 2003