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By Neng-Wen Yu, Miao Wang, Ji-He Wei

The mass transfer characteristic between powder particles and liquid steel in the RH-PTB (Powder Top Blowing) refining has been investigated in a water model of 1/5 scale for a 90t RH degasser. The sodium chloride powder with analytical purity has been used as the flux for blowing. The mass transfer coefficient of the liquid side has been determined under the conditions of RH-PTB process. The influences of the main technological and structural parameters on the mass transfer rate have been examined. The results indicated that under the conditions of the present work, the mass transfer coefficient on the liquid side increases with raising the lifting gas blowing rate, inner diameter of the up-snorkel, circulation rate of the liquid and particle size of powder flux. And it decreases with an increase in the inner diameter of the down-snorkel. It is in the range of (l.36-7.30) x 10·4 mis, the appropriate dimensionless relationships have been obtained as follows:

Jan 1, 2000

By S. Seetharaman, Du Siehen

"In the processing of molten metals, it is extremely important to monitor continuously the concentration levels of various minor elements. In the production of common metals like copper, iron and aluminium electrochemical sensors involving solid as well as liquid electrolytes are being increasingly used to measure the concentrations of minor elements. The present paper deals with the electrochemical principles underlying these measurements and the possible errors involved. One of the major difficulties in the case of the solid electrolytes is to correct for the consequences of the electronic contribution to the conduction of the electrolyte.The application of the electrochemical sensors for molten metals processing involves designing of these probes to withstand the industrial operating conditions. In this respect, significant achievements have been made with respect to the design of oxygen probes for liquid metals in general and liquid copper in particular. Some of the salient design features are discussed in the paper. The application of auxiliary electrodes for impurities in molten metals like phosphorus in copper and silicon in iron are taken up. The development of oxygen sensors for slags is given special attention. Recent developments in the field of sensor technology, as applied to metals processing are highlighted.1. IntroductionThe rapid technological advancement today require precise control of the process parameters and the impurity levels. Most of the molten metals processing in industrialized countries are often steered by suitable computer models, either phenomenological or simulations based on theoretical principles. These models often require that the process parameters are continuously monitored so that the progress is followed and modified suitably as and when required. It is common practice to measure temperatures by incorporating temperature sensors at the various strategic points of the reactor. In the case of monitoring the composition changes in the various phases, the method of sampling followed by routine chemical analysis involves a time lag as well as uncertainties in sampling and analysis. In this respect, electrochemical sensors have the advantage of generating accurate data when properly applied and increasing attention is being paid in the development of electrochemical sensors for various common species in molten metals processing. In the present paper, the developments in this area over the years are outlined and typical process applications are discussed. A greater emphasis will be laid on sensors based on oxygen conducting electrolytes and their application to the production of common metals like iron and copper."

Jan 1, 1996

By Wei Yu, Tiejun Chun, Jian Pan, Deqing Zhu

In this paper, the technology of producing fluxed pellets by using hydrated lime as binder instead of bentonite was carried out. Green balls with 0.8% bentonite and others with 2% hydrated lime were obtained under the same conditions of 1.5% coke, 1.45 basicity and balling at 8.5% moisture for 13 min in disc pelletizer. The properties of two types green balls were as follows: drop numbers of 4.8 to 5.0 times/0.5m, compressive strength of 19.7 to 24.2 N/pellet and thermal shock temperature of 280 to 385?, respectively. Comparing with bentonite as binder, the compressive strength of fired pellets with hydrated lime is elevated by 13.8% and climbs up to 3113 N/pellet under the following conditions: preheating at 1050? for 10 min and firing at 1300? for 15 min. The hydrated lime also improves the metallurgical performance of fired pellets. The reduction index was enhanced from 68.6% to 70.6%, RDI+3.15 increased from 90.1% to 98.8% and reduction swelling index dropped from 22.4% to 7.4%, respectively. Therefore, hydrated lime can not only replace bentonite as binder to enhance the firing behaviors of green balls, but also effectively improve the metallurgical performance of fluxed pellets which can be used as high quality feed for blast furnace.

Jan 1, 2011

By Suchun Zhang

The alkaline oxidation of refractory gold concentrates containing arsenopyrite and pyrite at ambient temperatures and pressures has been found to be accompanied by the simultaneous dissolution of gold without the addition of cyanide. A detailed study has been made of the kinetics of the oxidation of the pure minerals and of several concentrates. The reaction products of the oxidation of arsenic and sulphur have been monitored using chromatographic techniques. In the case of arsenopyrite, thiosulfate, monothioarsenate, arsenate and sulfite are the principal products while thiosulfate has been confirmed to be the dominant product of pyrite oxidation. Gold, either as added powder or as a constituent of the concentrates has been found to dissolve simultaneously during the alkaline oxidation of both arsenopyrite and pyrite, and this appears to be associated with the in-situ formation of thiosulfate as a lixiviant. The effects of temperature, stirring speed, oxygen partial pressure, alkalinity and pulp density on the oxidation of arsenopyrite and the dissolution of gold have also been investigated. Keywords: Gold, dissolution, arsenopyrite, pyrite, alkaline, oxidation, thiosulfate, thioarsenate

Jan 1, 2005

By Robert L. Stephens

"It can be argued that one of the most important property of any material is cost, since this property detennines the applications for which a material can be considered. Despite growing demand and production for commodity metals such as copper, nickel, zinc, lead, and tin, the cost of these metals has been steadily decreasing in real terms. The only way that metal miners and producers can remain financially viable in the long term is by continuing to lower their cost curve through the implementation of new metals production technologies. This paper reviews technological developments in the production of copper, nickel, zinc, lead, and tin that have or threaten to redefine the cost curves for these metals.DisclaimerThe opinions expressed in this paper the author's, and are not necessarily those held by the author's employer, Cominco Ltd.IntroductionThis meeting will discuss many novel technologies and processes for producing metals and materials with specific properties that will enhance the applications ranges for the material or will allow entirely new applications to be developed. However, in every real-world case, the cost of the new material or process is an important property that determines which applications the material or process can be used in. Other properties that are important depend on the applications.A recent press report (1) discussing the potential replacement of aluminum radiators with copper radiators in pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles provides an interesting example to reinforce the importance of cost in materials selection. In this case, the displacement of aluminum by copper is being considered because of the more favorable heat dissipation characteristics of copper. Heat dissipation has become more important due to the development of hotter-burning V-8 and V-6 engines. For this application, engineers also consider cost, weight, size, durability, and manufacturing process. The report stated that the development by the International Copper Association (ICA) of the ""CuproBraze"" manufacturing process for heat transfer products was an important development. This technology produces 845 radiators that weigh less, are more uniform in quality, and are potentially more compact. They are also expected to cost less in high production quantities than copper units produced in the past, last three to four times longer than soldered copper radiators, and the process also eliminates the use of lead solder from the manufacturing process."

Jan 1, 2000

By Sebastiaan Peelman

NdFeB permanent magnets are the best available magnets used in many technology applications. However, at their end-of-life (EoL) most of magnets and the contained REEs are lost during the recycling of the bulk metals. The REEs are classified as the most critical raw materials in the European Union, and recycling of REEs from EoL products will reduce their criticality and contribute to the sustainability of REE. Various technological routes have been reported, but most of the methods are effective for highly concentrated magnets or magnet scrap, which is greatly dependent on expensive pre-dismantling processes. This paper presents various innovative metallurgical solutions to the effective REE recovery from current industrial practice for WEEE recycling, including the ferrous scrap from WEEE shredder products and shredder residues from computer hard disk drives. Both hydrometallurgical and combined hydro- and pyrometallurgical REE recovery routes are developed after demagnetization and physical upgrading.

By Yuan She, Qihang Liu, Keng Wu, Hailiang Ren

By observing different coal char’s microstructures and microscopic morphologies during the coking process, the characteristics of COREX coal char’s microstructure and properties were analyzed. MCRI and MCSR were used to respectively describe the reactivity and the strength after reaction of coal char, with those of BF’s coke for reference, and then the physical meaning of MCRI and MCSR were given. MCRI and MCSR were determined by the composition of coal char. For the two kinds of COREX coal, the formula to forecast the hot performance of coal char was set up by making a multiple linear regression between the hot performance and microstructure of the coal char at 1100℃, and the predictive values of coal char’s hot performance at 600℃, 800℃ and 1000℃ coincided well with the measured values.

Jan 1, 2015

By Vitalij K. Pecharsky

Recent interest in complex aluminohydrides as potential near ambient, ultra-high capacity, solid-state sources of hydrogen (e.g., for fuel cells) calls for an improved understanding of the processes occumng in these hydrogen-containing materials during both the release and the uptake of hydrogen. Lithium aluminohydride (LiAlH4) rapidly releases 5.2 wt. % of hydrogen (i.e., nearly four times more than LaNis-based alloys) during mechanochemical processing at ambient conditions in the presence of transition metal catalysts. Using a variety of solid-state characterization techniques, the mechanochemical transformations in a series of LiAlH4 - metal catalyst systems have been examined and preliminary insights on the mechanism have been obtained. Surprisingly, the well-known hydrogenating-dehydrogenating catalysts, such as Ni and Pt, are practically inactive in the mechanochemical dehydrogenation of LiAlH4.

Jan 1, 2002

By K. W. Cathrine Solem

Filtration of liquid aluminium is widely used in the industry for the removal of inclusions, and Ceramic Foam Filters (CFFs) are often the filtration media of choice. It is known that PH3 (phosphine) can be released from used phosphate bonded CFFs when in contact with water. Additionally, there is a need of an improved understanding of the thermal stability and the chemical reactivity of these types of filters, as there is limited information available in the public domain. In the present preliminary study, three CFFs, i.e. Substrate 1–3, with varying AlPO4 (aluminium phosphate) content were studied under controlled conditions. Samples of the substrates, as produced and in contact with 5N pure aluminium, were heat-treated in a vacuum induction furnace at 850 °C and 1300 °C, as well as thermally studied at 850 °C using a Differential Scanning Colorimeter connected to a Thermogravimetric Analyser (DSC-TG). All tests were performed under an inert atmosphere of argon (Ar). Mass changes of ∼0.001 % were registered for the pure substrates, and 0.003-0.10 % when in contact with aluminium. In the latter case, diffusion of P (phosphorous) from the bulk of the substrate to the interface was established to have taken place. A colour change, from white to orange/brown, was also observed at the interface, which is a clear sign that a chemical reaction has taken place. As a result, the thermal stability of the substrates can be questioned under present conditions.

By J. Gartelmann, B. Zaslavsky, Y. Vojta, D. J. Chaiko, W. Mego, A. N. Rollins

"Aqueous biphasic extraction (ABE) processes offer the potential for low-cost, highly selective separations. This countercurrent extraction technique involves selective partitioning of either dissolved solutes or ultrafine particulates between two immiscible aqueous phases. The extraction systems that we have studied are generated by combining an aqueous salt solution with an aqueous polymer solution.We have examined a wide range of applications for ABE, including the treatment of solid and liquid nuclear wastes, decontamination of soils, and processing of mineral ores. We have also conducted fundamental studies of solution microstructure using small angle neutron scattering (SANS). In this chapter we review the physicochemical fundamentals of aqueous biphase formation and discuss the development and scaleup of ABE processes for environmental remediation.IntroductionAqueous biphasic extraction (ABE) is a highly adaptable separation technique that can be used in a wide range of applications. We have been evaluating various types of ABE systems for possible applications in the treatment of solid radioactive wastes (1,2), liquid nuclear wastes (3,4), and contaminated soils (5-7), and in the removal of organics from aqueous salt solutions (8). We have also conducted fundamental studies of the solution microstructure of ABE systems using small angle neutron scattering (SANS) (9).The extraction systems are generated by combining an aqueous salt solution and an aqueous polymer solution. This produces two distinct liquid layers that are as immiscible as oil and water, yet each liquid layer contains at least 70 to 80 wt % water. The biphasic systems that we have been working with consist of immiscible polyethylene glycol (PEG) and salt solutions. Some inorganic salts that promote biphase formation with PEG solutions include the sodium/potassium salts of sulfate, carbonate, phosphate, and hydroxide (10)."

Jan 1, 1996

By Wenbo Luo, Kang Liu, Jilai Xue

"Coal fly-ash(CFA) from thermal power plants is rich in Al2O3, which has great potential as an alternative resource for alumina production. In this work, Alz03 contained in the coal fly-ash was extracted using an acid sintering-leaching process. This process was enhanced by aid of power ultrasound during the leaching. The recovery rate of Al2O3 was increased with ultrasound, compared with the similar process without ultrasound under the identical operation conditions. Leaching temperature can be lowered by about 10-l5°C and the processing time reduced by about 50%. The process kinetics were investigated in details for a better understanding of the fundamentals on the effects of power ultrasound. The obtained results demonstrate the potential application in reducing processing energy and increasing production rate.Introduction Coal fly ash is a typical solid waste generated from coal combustion in thermal power station. Vast amount of CF A accumulation lead to serious environmental problems such as air and water pollution, cropland occupation, radioactive contamination, etc. However, CFA is rich in Al2O3 and SiO2 content, so that it has a potential use as recourses for alumina and silica production [1]. Aluminum industry, especially in China, has made a rapid expansion in recent years accompanying with a large amount of bauxite consumption, resulting a urgent demand to develop secondary alumina resources like CF A to maintain a sustainable development of aluminum industry that faces grim challenge [2].Acid leaching is an efficient technology to use in alumina extraction from CF A. Since the particle of CF A is not naturally existed mineral but was formed in molten state at high temperature, the internal Al-O-Si bonds are so strong to separate alumina from the ash particle. Because of this reason, the direct acid leaching [3-6] operated at ambient temperature has low extraction efficiency, approximate 30% to 40%, which is attributed to self inhibition effect from CaS04 generated by reaction between CaO and H2S04 [7-8]. High pressure leaching can efficiently decompose mullite to release A12O 3 content in the fly ash particles, but this requires autoclave material having strong acid corrosion resistance, high temperature (100°C-300°C) and pressure (1.0MPa-2.SMPa) resistance while its operating security is low and its acid consumption is large [9]. Concentrated acid boil process is conducted at near acid boiling point (200 °C - 300 °C) in 4 mouth flask wrapped by electric heating jacket with high mass ratio of acid and ash to achieve high Al203 recovery rate from CFA. Its disadvantages are similar to the high pressure leaching technology except no-pressure, and also the operating solution at nearly boiling point acid may easily spill and splash with additional acid loss and potential safety hazard [10]."

Jan 1, 2014

By Jeffrey W. Fergus, Shiqiang Hui

"Aluminum is an important alloying addition to the zinc used in the hot-dip galvanization of sheet steel to control the properties and appearance of the resulting coating. Optimization of the galvanization process requires control of the alloy concentration which can be improved through the use of chemical sensors. Aluminum sensors based on molten electrolytes are commercially available but are not widely used because of their high cost. One approach to reducing the cost is to use a solid electrolyte which can simplify the sensor design and thus reduce the cost of fabrication. In this paper, the development of an aluminum sensor based on a solid fluoride electrolyte, specifically magnesium fluoride, will be described.IntroductionThe concentration of the zinc bath used in hot-dip galvanization affects the galvanization process as well as the properties of the resulting coating. Thus, accurate in situ measurement of the alloy composition can be used to improve process control. This paper describes a solid-electrolyte-based aluminum sensor for monitoring the bath composition during hot-dip galvanization."

Jan 1, 1997

By R. G. Reddy

The Margules .equation is used for interpreting excess Gibbs energy of several ternary systems. In the present study activity coefficient of 'a dilute solute, 2, in a binary solvent 1-3 was derived. The derived expression is used to interpret logarithmic activity coefficient of oxygen and sulfur in several metallic systems. Self interaction parameter of the solute is derived from the partial function of solute using constant compositional path. An expression for logarithmic activity coefficient and self - interaction parameter of solute is also derived using Maclaurin infinite series. The derived equation is based on Maclaurin infinite series used successfully to deduce thermodynamics of self interaction of oxygen as a interstitial atom in two metallic systems. The predicted thermodynamic parameters values using Maclaurin infinite series and Margules. equations, are in excellent agreement with the experimental data and also our predictions are far more accurate than the predictions made by other models.

Jan 1, 1996

By Walter E. Dean

Twenty six samples of carbonaceous gold ores and associated rocks from outcrop and mine localities in northcentral Nevada were analyzed for concentrations of major. minor, and trace elements, total sulfur, and organic carbon. Q-mode factor analysis was used to define six distinctive carbonate, organic, and detrital associations of elements, and to group samples based on these associations. The trace metals that have clearly enriched the organic-carbon-rich samples are V, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, and Mo, although few of the samples could be considered "metal-rich" when compared to other organic-carbon-rich black shales. Rock-Eval pyrolysis was used to evaluate thermal maturity and hydrocarbon yield of the samples. Unfortunately, most samples were too thermally altered to be suitable for routine organic geochemical characterization of organic matter. The 813C values of organic carbon in rocks from different deposits have a trimodal distribution, but there is no clear distinction between the three groups of deposits that can be related to age, thermal history, or depositional environment.

Jan 1, 1987

By A. A. EI-Geassy

High-grade iron ore fines rejected from the DRI plants (>96%Fe2O3) were isothermally reduced in 30-60%CO/H2 gas mixtures at 973-1273K. The freshly reduced reaction products were then subsequently carburised in either Hz/CO or H2/CO/S mixtures at 823-1 073K for 30-120 min. The thermogarvimetric technique was used to follow up both of reduction and carburisation reactions as a function of time. The carburised samples were characterized by X-ray and Mossbauer techniques. Chemical and carbon analyses were also applied. The influence of temperature and gas composition on the reduction behavior was investigated. The calculated values of apparent activation energy, application of gas-solid mathematical formulations were correlated with the microstructures to predict the reduetion mechanism. The influenee of carburization time, temperature, CO contents in H2/CO or H2/CO/S were investigated. A conversion extent of Fe to Fe3C was taken as a measurable index for the efficiency of carburization rcaction under the different experimental conditions.

Jan 1, 2003

By Julian Johnson

The effect of changing redox potential (Eh) on the high temperature sulfuric acid leaching of Western Australian dry-land nickel laterite ores has been investigated. In particular, the effect of added reductant (sulfur, sodium sulfite) or oxidant (potassium chromate) on Eh, leaching kinetics, metal extractions, acid utilisation and leach residues has been determined. Three separate ores - nonhonitic ores from Murrin Mumn and Bulong, and limonitic ore from Cawse - were used in the study. Sulfur addition varied from 0 to 7.8 kg/t ore. The total acid loading was kept constant at 430 kg/t (Murrin Murrin ore) and 330 kglt (Cawse ore), whilst acid loading for Bulong ore was varied according to the presence of either reductant or oxidant. The extraction of both nickel and cobalt from limonite ore remained unaffected when small amounts of sulfkr were added, but addition of even small amounts of reductant to nontronitic ore decreased both nickel and cobalt extraction. Increased manganese and iron dissolution were observed as the levels of reductant increased, accompanied by a decrease in chromium dissolution. As the iron dissolution increased, free acidity decreased, with a subsequent decrease in nickel extraction. In contrast, addition of oxidant lead to reduced iron and manganese dissolution and slower extraction of nickel and cobalt. Keywords: Limonite, Nonhonite, Eh, Nickel Extraction

Jan 1, 2004

By Chris Twigge-Molecey

As emission constraints for metallurgical plants become more difficult to meet; control of major, multi-vessel, flue systems become more critical. Control instabilities can result in significant loss of system capacity or emissions to the environment. This paper will discuss the use of dynamic simulation techniques to optimize both the design and control strategies for these systems. A significant ,safety hazard is associated with pressure excursions from process upsets or equipment failures. Pressure rise rates of up to 10 kPajsec can occur. These cannot-be followed by conventional controls. Fail-safe high speed venting is required to protect both the furnaces and operating personnel'. Design options, sizing techniques and practical problems are discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By Michael A. Lllga

Electrically Switched Ion Exchange (ESIX) is an approach for ion separation that combines Ion exchange (IX) and electrochemistry by utilizing electro active IX films to provide a selective, reversible, and economical separation method that greatly reduces secondary waste generation compared with conventional ion exchange. Studies on the development of films with improved stability and capacity and their use in continuous flow systems for ion separations will be. reported. Both technical and economic evaluations demonstrate ,the viability of once-through or batch recycle waste processing with ESIX.

Jan 1, 1999

By Yuanbo Zhang, Ruijun Wang, Qian Li, Zhao Jing, Guanghui Li, Zhengwei Yu, Chen Liu

The high content of sodium and potassium in sinter is harmful for blast furnace ironmaking. Reductive sintering technology can remove more alkali metals than conventional sintering process. In order to improve the removal ratios of Na and K, reductive sintering with both CO-containing flue gas circulation and carbon-bearing pellet was conducted in this study. Experimental results show that all indexes except the VSV and P were improved in reductive sintering with CO circulation. Flue gas circulation technique combined with carbon-bearing pellets were beneficial to reductive sintering, because it could maintain good sintering indexes and enhance the removal of Na, K. The best removal ratios of Na, K and reduction degree of iron oxides were 20.37%, 63.73% and 23.76%. In reductive finished sinter, silicate mineral becomes the important binder phase, and main iron mineral phases are wustite (FexO) and magnetite (Fe3O4).

Jan 1, 2016

By Chai Li-yuan

The anodic behavior of AZ31 magnesium alloy in NaOH alkaline solution was investigated in this paper. The effects of anodizing parameters, such as applied current density, concentration of NaOH and temperature of the solution on the formation, structure and surface morphology of the anodic films were also studied. The formation of the anodic film was analyzed by analyzing the anodic polarization curves, the potential-time curves and XRD, SEM graphs of samples obtained at different anodizing time. The results of corrosion resistance tests, XRD and SEM observation showed that the temperature greatly affected the formation and anti-corrosion property of the anodic film, but the concentration of NaOH not. The film with best anti-corrosion resistance was obtained at applied current density of 10mA/cm2, 353k in 1mol/l NaOH solution.

Jan 1, 2006