Search Documents

By Thais Cristina da Costa Caldas, Alline Sardinha Cordeiro Morais, Carlos Maurício Fontes Vieira, Sergio Neves Monteiro

"This work has as its objective to evaluate the firing behavior of a kaolinitic clayey body from Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ incorporated with flat glass waste (FGW) from civil construction. Incorporations of the waste, with a particle size less than 74 µm (200 mesh), were performed in the red ceramic in the following amounts: 0, 2.5, 5 and 10 wt%. Specimens were prepared by uniaxial press-molding and then fired at 850 and 1050°C. The characterization of FGW was done by X-ray Fluorescence. The physical and mechanical properties evaluated were: linear shrinkage, water absorption and flexural rupture strength. The microstructure of the fired ceramics was evaluated by optical microscopy (OM). The obtained results showed that the flat glass waste can be used as a component of ceramic bodies once it was noticed tolerable modifications of technological behavior.IntroductionBrazil is one of the world’s largest producers and consumers of clayey ceramic. Campos dos Goytacazes is located in the north of the State of Rio de Janeiro, southeast of Brazil, it’s known as a large producer of red ceramics. It is estimated that the production of bricks can reach 1 billion pieces per year [1].Nowadays, recycling processes became more and more important, due the generation of wastes in large scale and the preoccupation with environmental. The amount of glass waste has been exponentially growing with the growth of the population. It is estimated that the amount of discarded glass as bottles, construction windows, packing and other glass waste represented in 2006 an amount of 7.5% of the total weight of the world´s domestic garbage [2]."

Jan 1, 2012

By Bryce Clark

Cobalts history from the 14th Century is outlined, with a look at its various sources over that period. The present sources and quantities are given, when in 1994 it is an equal co-product of copper in Africa and nickel elsewhere (Canada, Australia, Russia). Future trends in this scene are also examined. The final section deals with cobalts uses in superalloys, magnets, colours, electronics, chemicals, and examines trends in its markets. Supply and demand in co-product cobalt are shown, based on the latest production figures.

Jan 1, 1995

By Claudio Toro, Alex Moyano, Jonkion Font, Carlos Caballero, Pedro Morales

"Codelco-Chile in the last decade has carried out industrially-oriented research as an alternative to the traditional batch-type converting process. In a first stage carried out preliminary evaluations in a rearranged Peirce Smith (PS) converter, and then an exploratory test in a “Convertidor Teniente” (Teniente converter, TC) for the Codelco-Chile Continuous Converting Process. However, the validation test for this process in the TC was delayed up to the second quarter of 2007 where the validation studies were done satisfactorily.Thus, the objective of this paper is to present the results of the campaign tests validating the Codelco-Chile Continuous Converting Process in the TC1 of the Codelco Norte smelter.The results of charging the solid or liquid matte or high grade matte (“white metal”) by Garrgun, or by mouth of the 22 m x 5 m TC1 are presented. Some features of the industrially validated process are discussed, and the pilot test results of the matte injection are also presented."

Jan 1, 2009

By David J. Kinneberg, Barbara E. Mangion, Arnold M. Savolainen

Analytical laboratories require a qualitative or semi-qualitative method of determining major and minor constituents in "unknown" samples to select optimal analytical techniques. This is exceedingly important in precious metal assay laboratories where the precision and accuracy requirements are exacting (routinely within 0.02%, absolute basis). This paper describes the use of an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer with a specially designed software package to select optimal analytical procedures and specify relevant analytical parameters. A wavelength dispersive XRF spectrometer is capable of quick and accurate analyses of properly prepared samples without extensive standardization. When coupled with a specially designed software package, this preliminary assay system is applicable to a wide variety of sample types including gold and silver bullion, karat gold and karat PGM alloys, high silver and high copper metallic samples as well as particulate samples of ores and sweeps. The system relieves the assayer of tedious calculations for silver inquartation and proofing, minimizes human error and standardizes selections over time. Most importantly, the system allows for independent verification of final assay results.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. Nilmani, H. Pham

"A mathematical model was developed for the dissolution of particles in gas-stirred liquid baths, linking the hydrodynamic flow field of the bath, the average particle trajectory and liquid-side mass transfer controlled dissolution kinetics. The model was validated by comparison with experimental data for the dissolution rates of urea particles in gas-stirred aqueous CaCl2 solutions measured during this study. The dissolution rates of urea. particles were measured using an image analysis system.The effects of operating conditions on the dissolution rates of urea particles were investigated. It was found that the key operating parameters influencing the utilisation efficiency of particles were the gas flowrate, particle diameter and lance submergence. An optimisation of the operating conditions for the model urea-aqueous CaCl2 system indicated that the utilisation efficiency increased with decreasing gas flowrate and decreasing particle size for a given lance submergence.IntroductionThe utilisation solid reagents in molten baths varies from one process to another, depending upon the rates and mechanisms of the reactions between the particles and melts, as well as the trajectory and residence time of the particles in the melts. Previous studies have not attempted to predict the utilisation efficiency of injected solids by coupling the motion of the particle with its dissolution rate. Instead, the particles have usually been assumed to remain suspended in the bath until completely dissolved, and the mass transfer coefficients were based on the average specific mechanical energy dissipation rates in the bath. Investigations of this nature relevant to the present study have been undertaken by Apelian et al. [1], Brucato et al. [2] and Langberg and Nilmani[3]. The objective of the present study was to develop a mathematical model, incorporating both the reaction kinetics between the particles and liquid and the particle motion simultaneously, to predict the dissolution rates and times of the particles. The mathematical model was validated by comparison with experimental dissolution rates of a cold model analogue system measured using an image analysis technique, and then applied to optimise the operating conditions in the model system."

Jan 1, 1996

By M. A. Gimenes

The utilization of chlorination in extractive metallurgy and advanced ceramics areas has been widely investigated as a preparative route in order to obtain intermetallic compounds, which are used as precursors in the development of new materials and process. The major processes of decomposition of rare-earth ores use sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide at high temperatures, however there is not much work concerning chlorination. In this work, a systematic study of the reaction between xenotime (REPO4), chlorine and carbon has been performed. Particular emphasis was on kinetic studies to establish optimized conditions for the reaction. The kinetics of chlorination of xenotime raw material by rare-earth elements/compounds has been studied over a temperature range from 600°C to 950°C. The influence on the rate of conversion of xenotime to RECl3 on temperature, partial pressure of chlorine, carbon content, and particle size were investigated. A global rate equation that includes these parameters has been developed. The results show that the process follows the unreacted core-shrinking model with a formation of a porous product layer. The powder X ray-diffraction technique corroborated this model showing clearly the patterns related to the formation of yttrium oxychloride (YOCl), indicating that the reaction mechanism involves the presence ofan intermediate step before the formation of lanthanide chloride.

Jan 1, 2000

By Thais Cristina da Costa Caldas, Carlos Mauricio Fontes Vieira, Alline Sardinha Cordeiro Morais, Sergio Neves Monteiro

"This work has as its objective to evaluate the effect of the incorporation of a glass powder waste obtained from discarded and Hg-cleaned fluorescent lamp into clayey ceramics used to fabricate bricks and roofing tiles. Formulations were prepared with incorporation of the waste in amounts up to 10 wt.% into the clayey body. Rectangular specimens were prepared by uniaxial mold-press at 20 MPa to fire at 850 and 1050°C. The physical and mechanical properties evaluated were: linear shrinkage, water absorption and flexural rupture strength. The microstructure of the fired ceramics was evaluated by optical microscopy. The results showed that the waste incorporation significantly improved the evaluated properties mainly at 1050°C.IntroductionFluorescent lamps use mercury as a main component for its operation. This metal is potentially toxic and can contaminate soils, animals and water bodies. The problem is aggravated if considerations are made with respect to the amount of lamps that are commercialized and discharged in emergent countries like Brazil [ 1].By using appropriate recycling processes applied to discharging fluorescent lamps it is possible to reuse most constituents of these lamps into new productive processes. A study has shown that one million common fluorescent lamps can generate 900,000 tubes of clean glass [2]. Moreover, this Hg-cleaned gloss may be recycled in different products.In fact, to recovery and recycle all materials that constitute the lamp instead of discharging them. This action protects the soil avoiding the formation of environmental passives [3]. It is also relevant to mention that the glass from fluorescent lamps is 100% recyclable while its permanence in the environment would correspond to very long time pollution, since its decomposition time is undetermined [4]."

Jan 1, 2011

By Yoichi Takeda

The CaO-FeOx-Cu20 slag has been practically applied to continuous converting of copper, and also has potential for refining of copper. Liquidus lines of the slag system and phase stability diagram for the liquid slag and the existing solid compounds under copper saturation are presented. Liquidus composition was determined by chemical analysis of slag sample saturated primary solid. The temperatures of invariant equilibria were investigated by thermal analyses. Oxygen potentials on the liquidus lines, the univariant and invariant equilibria were estimated from the relation slag composition and oxygen potential that relation was confirmed in separate experiments.

Jan 1, 2003

By M. M. Monte

A method for removing metallic mercury from contaminated tailing, using the flotation process, is described. In order to define some relevant parameters for the mercury flotation system, microflotation and electrophoretic mobility tests were carried out on (pure) metallic mercury in the presence of several surfactants. Based on the results obtained from fundamental studies a series of bench scale flotation experiments with mercury containing tailings from two wetland sites in Brasil were done. The results of microflotation tests with mercury showed that by using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, an increase in mercury flotability is observed in the acid pH range, whereas in the presence of potassium oleate the highest mercury flotability was found in the alkaline pH region. The mercury flotability using potassium amyl xanthate was improved by the addition at sodium dithionate as an activator. The bench scale flotation tests with contaminated tailings from Poconé (brazilian wetland site) showed a recovery of 70% when sodium dithionate was used as activator and potassium amyl xanthate as collector. The resulting coefficient of separation is around 60%. However, the results of the flotation experiments with fine fractions from amalgamation tailings from Peixoto de Azevedo (brazilian wetland site) showed a low mercury recovery (32%).The results from this work suggest that since in the Poconé site tailings, the metallic mercury is not completely associated to the finer particles, the flotation process to recover the metallic mercury seems very promisor.

Jan 1, 1996

By Wayne Bell, Matthew Andriese, Shuqian Xie, Jiann-Yang Hwang, Zhiwei Peng

"Pyrolyzed carbons are generally known as good microwave absorbers and their dielectric properties still remain to be fully explored. In the present study the dielectric properties and dielectric polarization-relaxation phenomenon of a typical activated carbon was investigated. The experimental results indicate the complex permittivity is highly dependent on temperature and frequency. The decrease of permittivity with increasing temperature from room temperature to ~100 °C is probably ascribed to the release of the water vapor adsorbed on the surface of activated carbon, and the variations of permittivity with temperatures between 100 °C and 450 °C in the frequency range of 300 MHz to 3000 MHz are mainly attributed to the decreased relaxation time of dielectric polarization.IntroductionPyrolyzed carbons have been identified as excellent microwave absorbers owing to their high dielectric and electrical loss under microwave irradiations. Among them, activated carbon continues to attract more and more attention from researchers. Due to its special physical properties, the production, modification and regeneration of activated carbon with the assistance of microwave have been widely studied over the last few decades [1-6]. However, only few attempts have been applied to explore the dielectric properties of such materials due to the complexity and variability of their organic precursors and activation processes [7,8]. In order to shed a light on this problem, a typical sample, Norit® A Supra USP powdered activated carbon, was adopted to perform dielectric characterization, which may provide useful information for its wide application in the fields of purification, energy (hydrogen) storage and so on."

Jan 1, 2011

By Rodney L. Williamson

Optimal estimation theory has been applied to the problem of estimating process variables during vacuum arc remelting (V AR), a process widely used in the specialty metals industry to cast large ingots of segregation sensitive and/or reactive metal alloys. Four state variables were used to develop a simple state-space model of the V AR process: electrode gap (G), electrode mass (M), electrode position (X) and electrode melting rate (R). The optimal estimator consists of a Kalman filter that incorporates the model and uses electrode feed rate and measurement based estimates of G, M and X to produce optimal estimates of all four state variables. Simulations show that the filter provides estimates that have error variances between one and three orders-of-magnitude less than estimates based solely on measurements. Examples are presented that verify this for electrode gap, an extremely important control parameter for the process.

Jan 1, 2001

By John L. Watson

The dewatering of steel industry waste sludges prior to discard or recycling often presents significant problems due to the fineness of the sludge particles, which may blind the filter medium and/or produce a cake with limited porosity, Several steel plant wastes, such as sludges from BOF and EAF gas cleaning operations exhibit not only a very fine particle size, but also some degree of magnetic character, A novel process has been developed to utilize the magnetic character of such sludges to enhance dewatering through a multi-force operation involving magnetic, chemical and vacuum forces, The process consists essentially of undertaking vacuum filtration of a flocculated sludge in a magnetic field, This is achieved by installing a permanent magnetic in a fixed position on the axis of a vacuum drum filter, thus effecting filtration of magnetic and non- magnetic particles, bound together in flocs, in a magnetic field, Previous tests using a modified laboratory vacuum drum filter treating artificial (magnetite) and industry waste (BF sludge) feeds have demonstrated that filtration capacity may be enhanced significantly with increases of up to 3000/0, An explanation of the mechanisms associated with the enhanced filtration was not obvious, and this research was undertaken to permit the cake formation in the magnetic field to be monitored to provide an insight into the manner in which particles agglomerate to form the cake. These tests revealed that the magnetic field caused magnetic particles to be aligned perpendicular to the filter surface and to form channels through which filtrate could freely pass thus increasing capacity, The effects of various magnetic fields and field strengths on the filtration process were also investigated. A simple computer model was constructed to demonstrate the proposed theory of multi-force dewatering, The model output graphically illustrated the suggested mechanism and confirmed the enhanced capacity of the novel dewatering process,

Jan 1, 1996

By R. A. Roberti

Most copper refineries use conventional wheel systems to cast anodes. over a period of time the copper moulds that are used become warped and cracks develop. To control mould warpage, the mould's are either rejected after a certain warpage is reached, or the shape is restored by mechanical means. The cracks, unless they are very severe, are repaired by a peening process. Even with regular maintenance to control warpage and cracks, the moulds have a limited useful life. If warpage and cracks are not controlled, anode quality deteriorates and tankhouse operations are seriously affected. -An intensive study was initiated to develop means of controlling mould warpage which culminated in the d?evelopment of technology to control mould warpage to within ±1. 5 mm, and at the same time effectively contr0l: cracking and significantly increase the mould life-. The warpage control has been achieved by using a unique mould design. Mould cavities are present on both sides of the mould and periodic inverting controls the wa-rpage in the cavities. The mould casting procedure has been developed and all production wheels have been converted to the new mould design. The performance characteristics of these moulds will be detailed. 21

Jan 1, 1987

By Marisa Di Sabatino, Michael Phan Knudson, Mari Juel, Eivind Øvrelid

"A p-type Czochralski silicon ingot doped with boron was characterized for resistivity, minority carrier lifetime, interstitial oxygen, and metallic impurities. Analyses show a peak in resistivity and a dip in lifetime both occur 5 cm from the top of the ingot crown. This peak in resistivity deviates from the expected trend based on Scheil's equation for boron distribution. High concentration of interstitial oxygen in this area suggests that other oxygen-related defects, such as thermal donors and precipitates, may also be present here, and the observed peak in resistivity and dip in lifetime could be attributed to such defects. The low lifetime of 15-30 µs at minority carrier density of 7.5 x 1014 cm-3 is likely due to copper contamination.IntroductionSolar energy resources vastly exceed all other alternative energy resources, ensuring that solar power must play a crucial role in the evolving energy market. The economic viability of solar power in competition with other energy resources depends upon finding efficient, cost-effective, reliable, and controlled methods for solar cell production. In this regard, minimizing waste (such as material with unsuitable electrical properties that hinder solar cell performance) is a vital component of making solar cell manufacturing cost-effective. Impurities affect electrical properties of solar cell silicon in different ways (i.e. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]). In this work we focus on the role of oxygen and metallic impurities. Understanding oxygen impurities in silicon is critical to solar cell development because oxygen has been attributed with influencing critical electrical properties including resistivity and minority carrier lifetime and thereby potentially hindering solar cell performance or rendering material unsuitable for solar cells.[1, 2] Furthermore, oxygen is a common impurity in the standard type of solar cell silicon, Czochralski (CZ) silicon, due to diffusion of oxygen from the silica crucible into the melt during crystallization. [7] This study investigates the effects oxygen impurities have on the electrical properties of p-type CZ silicon."

Jan 1, 2013

By Yoichi Takeda

The CaO-FeO,-Cu20 slag has been practically applied to continuous converting of copper, and also has potential for refining of copper. Liquidus lines of the slag system and phase stability diagram for the liquid slag and the existing solid compounds under copper saturation are presented. Liquidus composition was determined by chemical analysis of slag sample saturated primary solid. The temperatures of invariant equilibria were investigated by thermal analyses. Oxygen potentials on the liquidus lines, the univariant and invariant equilibria were estimated from the relation slag composition and oxygen potential that relation was confirmed in separate experiments.

Jan 1, 2003

By Irshad A. Rana

In a modern copper smelter, the capital cost of a sulfuric acid plant constitutes the largest single cost item of the total investment. It is thus essential to properly size the acid plant in order to reduce its capital cost and enhance the economic viability of a new smelter project. Whereas the off-gas from a smelting furnace is continuous and generally uniform, the gas flow from the Peirce-Smith converters is intermittent with significant fluctuations. The converters off-gas volume is dependent upon a number of interrelating factors. The most significant factors are the matte feed grade, the system air infiltration, the converter's size and blowing rate, the maximum number of converters simultaneously blowing and the gas cooling system employed. The acid plant size, therefore, is heavily influenced by the converter off-gases. Several of these factors are discussed, and their impact in determining the acid plant size is explored.

Jan 1, 1993

By Susumu Okabe, Etsuji Kimura

"The Mitsubishi Continuous Copper Smelting and Converting Process is the typical applications of injection metallurgy to nonferrous metallurgical operation, where the top blowing multiple lance system is employed for the continuous feeding of the raw materials and reaction gases into the molten bath. This results in an effective dispersion of the reactants into a strongly agitated bath. These are considered as the major advantage of the process with respect to the high production efficiency. On the other hand, however, the strong agitation may cause a considerable amount of refractory wear, and the melt splash generated by the lancing may also have negative effects on the productivity, i.e. the increase in the refractory wear, the metal loss, the heat loss, and the accretion growth, etc. Therefore, the optimization of the blowing condition as wen as furnace design is very important to achieve a stable and efficient operation, and fundamental understanding of the injection, agitation, and splashing is badly needed.In this paper, fundamental aspects of the Mitsubishi Process regarding injection, especially splashing phenomena, are discussed. The splashing on a vertical plane caused by the top blowing gas injection onto liquid surface was investigated through physical model study. As a result of the study, the splashing rate on the furnace wan was wen correlated with the physical properties of the bath materials, gas velocity, cavity shape, lance/wall distance and ceiling position. Obtained equations were compiled in a computer program and have been successfully applied to the evaluation of the furnace design. IntroductionInjection metallurgy is an application of gas/solid-in-liquid dispersing operation to the metallurgical processing, and has been widely adopted in various fields in order to improve their efficiency or productivity. The dispersed small particles of gas or solid materials in the liquid phase result in increased interface area, and injected momentum causes an agitation and enhanced heat and materiel transfer. Typical examples of injection metallurgy are LD converter for steel making, PS converter, Noranda process, Isasme1t for copper making, and Mitsubishi Material's continuous copper smelting and converting process, and so on."

Jan 1, 1996

By Stephanie Trant

Montana Tech has been engaged in fundamental research on the processing of critical materials for more than a decade. Efforts include examining novel reagents for the flotation of Rare Earth Minerals (REMs). For this paper, research results on a collector, salicyl hydroxamic acid (SHA), are presented. Various REMs were examined and include the rare earth oxides (REOs), carbonates (RECs), and phosphates (REPs) of a suite of Rare Earth Elements (REEs). Differences are attributed to solution and surface chemistry, coordination number, and ionic diameter. SHA adsorption follows an ion-exchange process that leads to chemisorbed and surface-precipitated states, depending mostly on pH. Many effects are directly attributed to lanthanide contraction. Results should also be applicable to other REM/collector systems and further suggest that REM flotation should consider dual collectors.

By Juan Hernández Ávila

This work studies the Molybdenum effect on the microestructure, mechanical properties of an as-cast ductile iron. For this study five ductile irons with different amounts of Molybdenum each were made in an induction furnace. In this material nodule count and nodularity is affected by the Molybdenum additions; The iron´s matrix, nodules and the phase were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy detecting Molybdenum only in the matrix. Mechanical properties such as hardness, microhardness, tensile strength and yield strength show increments as the Molybdenum amount is increased. In the same way, ferrite and pearlite phases display a variation in their percentage as the contents of the alloy element increase. This element has a marked influence on the pearlite interlaminar spacing. From the obtained results we conclude that Molybdenum in these quantities dissolves in solid ferrite solution during the solidification process, improving the material´s mechanical properties.

Jan 1, 2009

By Jason H. Nadler, Jason A. Kulpe, Stephanie J. Lin

"A numerical method has been developed to predict the microstructural characteristics of reticulated metal foam. The porosity of this foam is derived from sacrificial template particles of known particle size distribution, which are incorporated with other precursor components. In this approach, a porous structure is numerically generated starting with Powell's sphere packing algorithm. The resulting stochastic structure has characteristics similar to those of corresponding metal foam. Deterministic inter-sphere connections are calculated to more accurately model the pore morphology that evolves during thermochemical synthesis. Estimations of pore morphology and specific surface area of the simulated material are compared to lab-synthesized materials composed of equivalent constituent compositions. In addition, the effect of template particle size, inter-sphere connections, and the geometric constraints on pore morphology and permeability are investigated to refine microstructural evolution and design.IntroductionReticulated foams, characterized by their interconnected pore network, can be obtained by incorporating spherical sacrificial template particles into precursor materials followed by template removal processes. The resulting structure is composed of contiguous spherical pores whose morphologies reflect those of the original templates. Based on some of the unique features of this synthesis approach, a methodology is introduced in this work whereby these foams are digitally constructed using experimental data from the template particle sizes and precursor formulation. Digitally constructed porous structures can then be compared to their laboratory synthesized counterparts through the quantification of structural features such as porosity and surface area per unit volume, which in tum are used to inform the foam's fluid transport propertiesThe spherical template particle packing algorithm developed here is adopted from Powell's work [1], which also includes approaches to obtain percolation and density in random packings [2]. Gervois gives a mathematical development for the stereological sectioning of packed hard spheres [3]. Stereological sectioning facilitates determination of relevant three dimensional morphological properties from two-dimensional data [4]. Studies on the sphere distribution size and the related particle packing density and coordination number results are studied in [5, 6]. Lastly, Kato describes a sintered neck structure, which is used with these packings [7]. This neck structure, as a model of the particle shape following heat treatment, is implemented here in a similar manner. A strong difference between the available literature and the methodology here is that spheres are packed to ultimately represent porous space, not rigid solid space."

Jan 1, 2011