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By D. J. Sellmyer

This paper is Intended to review recent developments in the application of rare earth-transition metal alloys as high density, rewritable data-storage media. First generation magneto-optic media are based on amorphous Tb-FeCo or GdTb-Fe alloys which are adequate but could use improvements In certain respects. A very difficult materials-design problem is encountered because of the following requirements: a sufficiently large Intrinsic uniaxial anisotropy, a Curie temperature in the range 100-300°C, a sufficiently high coercivity, a sufficiently high optical absorption, a high Kerr rotation, reflectivity and high carrier-to-noise ratio, a high storage density, a very fine and homogeneous nanostructure, long-term stability, and inexpensive production. , Fundamental issues such as the relationships between the nanostructure and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, and electronic structure and Kerr rotation are discussed. Attempts to tailor the properties by rare-earth alloying and by preparing compositionally-modulated, nanostructured multilayers are outlined. Challenges and opportunities in competitive materials such as garnets, ferrites and Co/Pt multilayers are briefly discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By L. Becze, S. J. Hock, G. P. Demopoulos

"Regeneration of HCl from chloride solutions is commercially practiced by high temperature (800-900 °C) pyrohydrolysis associated with high energy consumption and capital cost. As an alternative to pyrohydrolysis a novel low temperature ( <200 °C) non-autoclave hydrolytic process has been studied in this research work, which comprises two steps. In the first step, ferrous chloride is oxidized by oxygen at 1;150 °C, followed by hydrolytic decomposition of ferric chloride to coarse hematite particles and superazeotropic hydrochloric acid (8-9M) operated at approximately 180 °C. This paper provides a summary of the laboratory results related to both oxidation and hydrolysis and presents a newly designed conceptual process flowsheet.IntroductionRecovery of base, noble and rare metals from ores and secondary materials (slags, dusts, residues) by chloride-based hydrometallurgical processes holds a lot of promise if a low cost HCl process becomes available. This is particularly so due to the high activity of HCl or more accurately activity of hydrogen ion [1] in concentrated chloride media and the formation of chlorocomplexes allowing for effective leaching under atmospheric leaching conditions and simultaneous ease of metal separation. However, during leaching significant amount of iron, which is associated with most of ores and secondary materials, goes into the solution. Hence, the obtained leach solution has to be treated to convert iron chlorides into easily filterable iron oxide and simultaneously produce concentrated hydrochloric acid. Apparently the critical operation of these processes is the regeneration of the lixiviant (HCl). Currently in the industry, its regeneration is accomplished by high capital and intensive pyrohydrolysis which operates at 700- 900 °C. Aimed at lowering the operational cost of pyrohydrolysis a process called PORI [2] was developed and tested in pilot plant scale in the 1970s for the purpose of treatment of pickle liquors without, however, resulting in industrial application."

Jan 1, 2011

By Jefferson Caponero

The tire is an expressive component of Municipal Solid Waste, manly when its occupied volume is considered. Its treatment by pyrolysis stands for a list of advantages, such as: landfill releasing and a production of a high quality fuel. The exploitation of new natural resources is becoming more difficult each day, basically due to the environmental damages caused by this type of activity. This work presents a study on the thermal behaviour of Brazilian tires using thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis, in order to optimise the pyrolysis process of tires. Samples of I to 2 mm were investigated at atmospheres of nitrogen, argon, oxygen and mixtures of these gases at temperatures up to 1273K, under heating rates between 1 to 50 Klmin . The results showed that the behaviour of each sample is related to both the atmosphere composition and the heating rate.

Jan 1, 2001

By Thomas F. Hagelien, Stein Tore Johansen, Svend Graadahl

"The dross appearing at the surface of an aluminium melt consists, in addition to aluminium, of mainly oxide films but also other non metallic inclusions. The inclusion particles are often poorly wetted by the metal and accumulate at the metal surface. However, in impeller stirred reactors for melt refining stirring may be exceedingly strong and inclusions accumulated at the metal surface may be entrained into the bulk metal. Concerning inclusion removal, such effects may deteriorate the effectiveness of melt refining.In this paper we investigate the surface entrainment of buoyant particles in a water model of an impeller stirred refining reactor. Under varying operating conditions the particle concentration in the bulk liquid is measured by laser light attenuation. The observed entrainment of particles is explained theoretically and metallurgical consequences of the findings are discussed.IntroductionIn the modern cast house continuos metal refining and casting is well established. One of the most distinct advances in metal refining has been the introduction of degassers which introduce bubbles into the metal. The bubbles act to remove dissolved elements together with nonmetallic inclusions. In the most efficient degassers stirring by different kind of rotors is applied to increase mass transfer and inclusion removal. However, it has been known from experience in the cast house that for violent stirring the concentration of some types of inclusions may increase from inlet to outlet of the reactor. This phenomenon has so far been attributed to production of dross in the reactor due to oxidation of metal. Due to removal of inclusions by bubbles the dross layer inside the reactor must be expected to increase in thickness by time. The removed inclusions and produced oxides due to strong stirring is removed at regular interval by the operators of the degasser. However, a fundamental understanding of the phenomena which take place in and below the dross layer is lacking. In the present work we add buoyant particles to the surface of a refining reactor and investigate how these particles may be entrained and dispersed into the liquid depending on the flow conditions. Similar investigations for gas stirred ladles have been performed by Taniguchi et al [1] who found that below a critical gas flow rate all particles are trapped at the surface. Above the critical gas flowrate the surface velocity are sufficiently high to entrain the particles. In this situation it looks like all particles are ready for the melt and a balance between terminal velocity and turbulent dispersion determine the concentration in the liquid."

Jan 1, 1999

By Norihiko Fukatsu, Takashi Iwamoto, Noriaki Kurita, Koji Katahira, Kunihiro Koide, Teruo Ohashi

"The galvanic cell-type hydrogen sensor employing CaZro.9Ino.t03-a. as the solid electrolyte was designed for the measurement of hydrogen activities in molten copper under industrial .conditions. The sensor probe consists of the cap-shaped solid electrolyte with porous platinum electrode on the inside and alumina refractory tube. The gas mixture of the composition 4%H2-0.5%02-Ar was made to flow on the inside electrode. The hydrogen sensor probe was inserted directly into molten copper and the melt was used as the outer electrode. The effect of oxygen activity gradient to EMF was eliminated theoretically by measuring the oxygen activity in the melt simultaneously with an oxygen sensor. The high stability of output and excellent response to the change of hydrogen activity were obtained over the wide range of industrial copper melting conditions.IntroductionIn the metal casting process, hydrogen easily dissolves in molten metals from water vapor in the surrounding atmosphere. Owing to the large difference in hydrogen solubility between liquid and solid metal, dissolved hydrogen becomes a cause of the defects of blowholes in castings or ingots. It is necessary to control the hydrogen content in the molten metals [l]. Using proton-conducting ceramics as a solid electrolyte, high temperature-type hydrogen sensor can be constructed [2]. SrCe03- and BaCe03-based perovskite-type oxides exhibit appreciable proton conduction under hydrogen containing atmosphere at high temperature [3-5]. A hydrogen sensor for molten aluminum using CaZro.91no.103-a. has been developed and widely used in the ·process control in the aluminum melting industry [6,7]. The same type of hydrogen sensor has also been expected in the copper melting industry. .. However, CaZro.91no.103-a shows ·not only proton but also oxide ion conduction in the high temperature and at low oxygen activies like the copper melting· conditions. Then we studied the oxide ion conduction in CaZro.91no.103-a. iit · detail [8]. From the consideration on the EMF of the galvanic cell employing this material as electrolyte, it was shown that the unknown hydrogen activity may be precisely determined from cell potential which is corrected for the effect of oxygen potential gradient And the hydrogen sensor based in this principle was constructed and tested in laboratory-scale [9,10]. We repeated the similar tests in factory-scale and developed the sensor system for practical uses [11, 12]. In this report, the structure and system of the hydrogen sensor for molten copper will be introduced first. The reliability of the sensor will then be demonstrated from the results of experiments for sensor probes carried out in TYK's laboratory."

Jan 1, 2000

By Grant Wallace, Rod James, Larry Twidwell, Ed Rosenberg, Courtney Young, Sean Dudley, Hsing-Hsin Huang, William Gleason, Jerome Downey

The use of applied chemistry in the production and optimization of leach solutions from Rare Earth Element (REE) ores and concentrates is being investigated. Ore and concentrate samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy/mineral liberation analysis (SEM/MLA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Atomic emission inductively-coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICPAES). Multiple leach tests were performed to analyze the effects of temperature, residence time, and reagent concentration on the leaching of REEs. Analysis of leach solutions was carried out using ICP-AES. Modeling and statistical analysis of extraction behavior was carried out using DesignExpert 9. Modeling data for cerium extraction indicates that extraction is greatly influenced by temperature and reagent concentration, while leaching time plays a much less important role. Experimental design techniques are being utilized to optimize REE recovery. Results, conclusions, and directions for future studies will also be discussed.

Jan 1, 2015

By Michel G. Drouet

Dross, a major by-product of all processes involving molten aluminum, forms at the surface of the molten metal as the latter reacts with the furnace atmosphere. It generally represents 1 to 5 wt% of the melt, depending on the process, and contains on average about 50% free aluminum dispersed in an oxide layer. Since aluminum production is highly energy-intensive, dross recycling is very attractive from both the energy and the economic standpoints. The conventional recycling process using salt rotary furnaces is thermally inefficient and environmentally non-acceptable because of the production of salt slags. Hydro-Quebec has developed and patented a new salt-free technology using a rotary furnace heated by an electric arc between two graphite electrodes, called DROSCAR®. A 600-kW pilot plant in operation at LTEE is in use to demonstrate the process. This process provides aluminum recovery rates over 90%, using a highly energy efficient, environmentally sound production method. In 1994, 400 tonnes of aluminum dross were treated in this facility and several tests on various types of dross have also been conducted in early 1995. A report on the results will be presented.

Jan 1, 1995

By M. A. Barakat

Large amounts of zinc ash and flue dust containing more than 80 % zinc are accumulated during galvanization processes at the surface of molten zinc bath and in the chimney respectively. Pyrometallurgical recovery of zinc from both of the ash and dust samples has been carried out. The ash was sieved with the help of an industrial sieve shaker provided with mesh sieve having a pore size 0.9 mm. The oversize fraction cut (+ 0.9 mm) was melted at 550 °C under ambient conditions. The produced ingot (1) was analyzed whereas the coarse fraction of the produced slag (+ 0.9 mm) was treated as the coarse ash or added to it. The dust was enriched with suitable fluxing salt prior to heat treatment at 600 °C for 1 h. The produced ingot (2) was analyzed whereas the resulting slag was mixed with the fines of the ash and treated by hydrometallurgical processing to prepare valuable salts of zinc. Parameters affecting recovery processes such as time, temperature and flux percentage were studied. Results obtained revealed that the two prepared ingots (1&2) were successfully recovered with recovery efficiency amounts to =85 %. The obtained samples meet the standard specifications with relatively low price. Also in the light of the strict environmental regulations of pollution control, reuse of these wastes materials will help in keeping the environment clean.

Jan 1, 2000

By Toshihiko Emi

The quest for cleaner steel is driven by increasingly stringent requirements from the manufacturing and construction industries. Key issues are the occurrence and removal of inclusions; These are discussed in the context of the unit processes of deoxidation, refining, transfer and casting of molten steel. Process thermodynamics and kinetics are also discussed. Recent progresses achieved and problems yet to be solved are elaborated, and an integration of the unit processes into a system to produce extra clean, steels with better performance is presented.

Jan 1, 1999

By R. F. Hammen

Copper is one of the most widely used metals in industrial processes and is also present in most mining operations. Extraction of copper from solutions often proves difficult due to the presence of complexing agents. ChromatoChem, Inc. has developed a Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) support (HiPAC) for removal and recovery of metals from wastewater. The HiPAC SPE support employs chelating agents covalently coupled to a long linker molecule. Several solutions containing copper and complexing agents were tested including 1) copper and carbonate, pH 9.8, 2) mixed metals and anions with copper and cyanide, pH 11, and 3) copper and the chelating agent EDTA, pH 11. The copper was extracted from solutions one and two at high pH, but the EDTA containing solution needed the pH lowered to make the copper available for capture. In each example, the copper concentration was significantly reduced by HiPAC SPE treatment.

Jan 1, 1994

By T. S. Krishnan

Among the established permanent magnets, SmCo5 magnet occupies the foremost position as it offers a unique combination of high energy product, coercivity and curie temperature. The SmCo5 magnets are thus extensively used for high field applications. These are also best suited for use in environments where high demagnetising field and high temperature are operative. Also, for applications where high performance and miniaturisation are the over-riding considerations, the choice again falls on SmCo 5 magnets. The main deterrent to the widespread use of SmCo5 magnet is its high cost. Both samarium and cobalt metals are high priced, and the magnets prepared from their directly melted alloy are thus naturally very expensive. An alternate process involving calcium reduction of their oxide intermediates has, therefore, been studied and the alloy prepared by this process has been evaluated and found satisfactory for magnet production. The process essentially involves compaction of the charge mix containing samarium oxide, cobalt oxide (or metal) and calcium metal and&apos; reduction of the charge compact at 1000-1300°C in hydrogen atmosphere, followed by water and acid leaching, drying and classification. The calcium reduction process offers three distinct advantages over the conventional melting processes: (i) The oxide intermediates are relatively cheaper and do not pose any handling problems. (ii) The operation temperatures are comparatively lower and hence precise composition control is possible as samarium losses due to volatilisation

Jan 1, 1989

By Rodney L. Williamson

Vacuum arc remelting (V AR) is an industrial metallurgical process widely used throughout the specialty metals industry to cast large alloy ingots. Part of the V AR control problem consists of adjusting arc current to control electrode melt rate which also depends on the electrode temperature distribution. Because the temperature distribution responds very slowly (1-4 hours depending on size and material) to changes in melt power, the melt rate response is history dependent and highly nonlinear. The situation is complicated further because measurement of the electrode temperature distribution is not practical. To solve the problem of accurate, responsive melt rate control. a low order electrode melting model has been developed and incorporated into a V AR process controller. Data from laboratory and industrial tests show that the goal of responsive, accurate melt rate control has been achieved, even when melting under highly dynamic process conditions. Keywords: Vacuum Arc Remelting. Model-Based Control

Jan 1, 2003

By P. K. Narasimhargahavan

This paper discusses briefly the major reasons associated with the growth and its impact on the energy requirement and Environmental imbalance. A projection based on the present global Alumina and Al requirement indicate a substantial further growth of at least 30% over the next 10 years. It is indicated that the main factors which are likely to influence investments are the environmental factors such as the Climate Change and global response to the growing energy prices and sustainable development. Each of the developed / developing nations must find response to the GHG emissions which will encourage the Al Industry to make an effective contribution to global warming while preserving the international competitiveness of the industry - a challenging task. The efforts shall concentrate on improving energy efficiency in the industry possibly of the order of 25% over the next 10 to 20 years. The developments in this line are discussed.

Jan 1, 2010

By Shoji Taniguchi, Lifeng Zhang

"In this paper, firstly the 3D single-phase turbulent steady fluid flow in a vessel with four baffles stirred by a single impeller is mathematically simulated. Turbulence is modeled by using the standard k - e model. Sliding-grid method is used to model the impeller. The flow domain is divided into two cylindrical, the inner one rotates at the same speed as the impeller, and the outer one is fixed with the baffles. Results indicate that the high-speed zone is near the paddles, and larger stirring speed generates larger fluid flow velocity. The calculated stirring intensity data are used to analyze the experimental results. Secondly the effects, such as filter pore size, gas flow rate and NaCl concentration, on bubble size are studied by experiment. For the particle removal rate by bubble flotation in this vessel, first order kinetics is adopted. The effects of initial number of the particles, gas flow rate, particle and bubble size, stirring speed and surface condition, on the removal rate constant are discussed, and an empirical equation is derived by experimental data. At last, a simple model is developed to study the particle attachment probability on bubble surface under turbulent flow conditions. IntroductionIt is well known that inclusions have a bad effect on steel quality. Trying to remove inclusions from liquid steel as many as possible is one of the main objects for the metallurgical workers. Lots of ways are developed to remove inclusions from liquid steel. Gas injection is an effective one. This technique is used to achieve homogeneity in the temperature and metal composition and to assist in the removal of second phase and dissolved impurities from molten steel. Gas injection is commonly applied to the secondary metallurgy processes and continuous casting, for example the ladle argon gas treatment, RH vacuum degassing, and the gas injection in the Submerged Entry Nozzles (SEN) of continuous casting mold, etc. The development of these processes focuses on achieving two conditions: fine bubbles and good mixing. Fine bubbles provide a large gas/liquid interfacial area and a high attachment probability to inclusions, and good mixing enhances the efficiency of impurity transfer."

Jan 1, 2000

By Daniel Kim, Justin McAllister, Shijie Wang

"At the Kennecott Utah Copper Refinery, impurities in the electrolyte are being precipitated in the circulation system and form a hard scale in the piping. This scale must be removed periodically for proper electrolyte flow. Distinct layers of differing composition form as the operating conditions of the tank house change. Scale samples from the inlet and outlet pipes were analyzed to discover the nature of the precipitates. Each sample was sectioned and examined under optical microscopy and SEM. The composition of the scale was analyzed using ICP, XRD, and SEM/EDX mapping. The rate of deposition was determined by measuring the amount deposited on new pipes after elapsed time intervals. In order to determine how to minimize the formation of the scale, the mechanism was studied and the results are presented in this paper.IntroductionIn copper electrorefining, impure copper anodes are refined into pure copper cathodes. The impurities from the anodes are either insoluble and report to the slimes or soluble and dissolve concentrating in the electrolyte. These impurities are controlled by bleeding electrolyte from the system. Over time, the impurities combine to precipitate a hard scale on the surfaces contacted by the electrolyte. The scale causes problems with tank house circulation systems. In order for the refinery to operate properly, the scale must be removed periodically from the walls of the pipes. The first step to control the buildup of scale on the pipes is to understand the composition and the phases that are present in the scale."

Jan 1, 2012

By Maneesh Singh

During the various stages of iron & steel production a number of iron-rich by-products are generated. The traditional way to recycle them back to the blast furnace has been the balling - sintering process. These by-products can also be made into cement-bonded agglomerates for use as burden material for blast furnaces. In order to improve the quality of agglomerates the effects of various processing parameters on the properties of cement-bonded briquettes have to be controlled. This paper looks into the various aspects of producing cement-bonded agglomerates and using them as burden material for blast furnaces.

Jan 1, 2003

By Yoshio Waseda, Tetsuya Uda, Tom H. Okabe

"Halide salt has been tested as a reductant for producing titanium powder directly from TiCl4. From the results of thermodynamic investigation for several rare earth chloride systems, DyCl2 was found to be used for the reduction of TiCl4 instead of the conventional metallic reductant. When TiCl4 was fed into molten salts containing DyCl2 at 1073K, titanium powder of several ten micron meters in diameter was obtained. In contrast to the sponge titanium produced by the conventional Kroll process, the present new process using a halidothermic reduction in a reactive molten salt appears to be suitable for producing metal powder. From the thermodynamic point of view, the resultant DyCl3 can be reduced to DyCl2 by magnesium. By utilizing the multivalent halide redox couple, some possible ways of titanium powder production directly from TiCl4 by magnesiothermic reduction are shown to be feasible. This can also be applied to the development of a new continuous titanium reduction process.1 IntroductionTitanium and its alloys show attractive mechanical properties such as strength-to-weight, rigidity-to-weight ratios and excellent corrosion resistance. Nevertheless, the application of titanium alloys is limited compared to other structural materials (e.g. steels, aluminum alloys) because of its high cost of production. Currently, almost all of titanium is produced by metallothermic reduction of TiCl4 by magnesium (Kroll process)[1] in an airtight metallic reactor. This process is batch type and labor intensive. Therefore, many attempts to develop new process for producing titanium are investigated so far."

Jan 1, 2000

By J. P. R. deVilliers

A procedure is described whereby gold-containing calcined concentrates and leach residues from refractory gold ores are smelted with carbon to form a small amount of metal. The gold is liberated upon smelting, and is collected in the molten metallic phase, which is easily separable from the slag. The metallic phase consists of approximately 1 to 15 per cent (by mass) of the material after smelting, and the gold content is generally upgraded by a factor of greater than 6 compared with that of the original roasted material. Recoveries better than 95% have routinely been achieved. The quenched metal contains predominant Fe-Ni alloy, as well as minor Fe sulphides and Cu-Fe sulphides. Trace amounts of Fe-Ni arsenide and Au-Cu alloy are also present. The gold content of the metallic phase can be increased further by oxidation of the hot metal in the presence of silica or slag. This will reduce the amount of metal, and will concentrate the gold in a smaller volume. The metallic phase can then be treated hydrometallurgically to recover the nickel and the gold.

Jan 1, 1989

By Markus A. Reuter

In this paper, the kinetics of phosphorous production in submerged-arc furnaces will be discussed as a function of temperature, as well as various ore and reductant types. Interesting positive synergetic effects on the rate of reaction could be observed when mixing different types of ores. The results will be discussed with reference to a kinetic model, microprobe analyses, etc. The effects these results have on the control of the furnace will also be discussed in detail, indicating how these could be incorporated into the electrode and metallurgical control systems for submerged arc-furnaces.

Jan 1, 2000

By Z. Smieszek, Z. Szota, P. Gajowski

"A new method for measuring the total quantity of suspensions contained in the electrolyte during copper electrorefining has been developed by the Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals, Gliwice. Electrolyte purity, and the suspensions content in particular, is of essential importance for the quality of electrolytic copper produced during the process. Suspensions contribute to the increase of slime impurities in electrolytic copper and increase losses in noble metals. Up to now, the laboratory method has been used for the· process control which provides analytical results with considerable time delay. Therefore, it is useless for the process control.The measuring method developed enables continuous measurements of a suspensions content directly within the stream of the flowing electrolyte. The principle of measurement is based on changes in optic properties of the electrolyte with varying suspensions content.1. IntroductionIn copper electrorefining, it is essential that the final product quality be maintained. If suspensions are present in electrolyte, the content of slime impurities in electrolytic copper, (such as Pb, Ag, Bi, Sn, Sb, and As), increases which can result in the occurrence of the so-called slime dendrites on cathodes, thus debasing the quality of the product. As a normal suspension content in electrolyte, the contents in the order of several mg/l are considered, usually not more than 5-6 mg/l, while contents exceeding 20 mg/l are referred to as an alarm state. Suspensions present in an electrolyte are usually a light fraction of anodic slime whose main components are metallic silver, lead sulphate, complexes of antimony and arsenic, and sometimes even calcium sulphate; they are mainly composed of very small particles of lead sulphate and antimony complexes. Sometimes - - in case of alarm states - - the so-called ""wandering slims"" can be observed, which are composed mainly of arsenic and antimony complexes. These ""wandering slims"" make a serious technological disturbance. In normal operating conditions of the electrorefining plant, an increase of suspension content can result from such reasons as crack of filter cloth in a slime filter, turbulent flow of the electrolyte, anodic passivation, aeration of the electrolyte, and improper servicing of an electrolytic tank. It is necessary to continuously control the suspensions content in electrolyte for proper electrorefining."

Jan 1, 1989