Search Documents

By Elsa Olivetti, Randolph Kirchain, Gabrielle Gaustad

"As scrap usage increases, it is often necessary to “dilute” the melt with primary aluminum to ensure the finished product meets compositional specifications. Secondary raw materials, particularly postconsumer scraps, often include high levels of unwanted or “tramp” elements, such as iron and silicon in the case of aluminum. Recent literature on this issue cites several causes including inherent contamination during processing as well as ineffective segmentation at end-of-life. To address this accumulation problem, “upgrading” solutions have been developed including: dismantling of end-of-life products, spectrographic or magnetic sorting of shredded scrap, and “filtration” technologies that remove tramp elements in the melt. Although it is clear that upgrading strategies enable increased usage of scrap, it is not clear that they would be economic or efficient. This work presents a set of analytical methods, based on chance constrained optimization, to quantify the potential environmental and economic value of several scrap upgrading technologies.IntroductionAluminum recycling has a number of key environmental and economic benefits. Compared to other materials, aluminum production has one of the largest energy differences between primary and secondary production: 175 MJ/kg for primary compared to 10-20 MJ/kg for secondary[1]. With energy and cost savings in mind, many producers now have targets of increasing their usage of secondary materials[2, 3]. However, the accumulation of impurities in these recycled material streams provides a significant compositional barrier to these goals[4].A growing number of studies and literature would suggest that accumulation of unwanted elements is a growing problem, in all recycled material streams. In the case of aluminum, the list of problematic impurities is quite large, including but not limited to: Si[5, 6], Mg, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cr[7], Fe[5-7], Cu[6, 7], V, and Mn[6]. Metals recycling is a metallurgical process and is therefore governed by the laws of thermodynamics. The removal of unwanted elements in the scrap stream is dictated by the energy considerations of the melt process. Compared to many metals, aluminum has a high degree of difficulty in the removal of tramp elements, due to thermodynamic barriers. Therefore, with no simple thermodynamic solution, producers must identify strategies through-out the production process to mitigate this elemental accumulation."

Jan 1, 2008

By Gowda H. S. Desai, A. Herbert Mervin, P. G. Mukunda

"The mechanical properties of cast iron depend on the graphite morphology and characteristics of metallic matrix. In spheroidal graphite iron these properties are affected by the nodule count, nodule percentage, nodularity, nodules per square mm, nodule types and size distribution. In this work an attempt is made to study of the effect of centrifugal and gravity casting process on the morphology and mechanical properties. A comparison of microstructure and mechanical properties of specimens of the cast are studied. It has been observed that the centrifugal effect produces an increase in rupture strain but hardness is unaffected. In microstructure it has been observed that the centrifugal effect produces an increase in the number of bigger nodules and decrease in the number of smaller nodules and an increase of nodules per square mm. It has no effect on nodularity percentage. The centrifugal casting process produces better mechanical properties.IntroductionCast iron, the first man-made composite, is at least 2500 years old. It remains the most important casting material, with over 70% of the total world tonnage [1,7]. The main reasons for cast irons longevity are its wide range of mechanical and physical properties coupled with its competitive price [l]. Gray cast iron is traditionally used in many industries because it is characterized by a flexibility of use, excellent castability, low cost, wide range of achievable mechanical properties. Gray cast irons are selected according to their tensile strength, high modulus of elasticity, good wear resistance and good machinability are desired and for this a high-strength cast iron is selected [2].Flake Graphite and Spheroidal Graphite irons are predominantly being used to manufacture heavy automobile components throughout the world. The properties of gray iron castings are much dependent on foundry practice. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the family of cast irons is the morphology of the graphite phase, which occurs as a result of changes in chemical composition, melting, melt handling techniques and the process of solidification and subsequent cooling. The significance of these differences through graphite morphology is observed primarily in their effect on the physical and mechanical properties of the iron, but in the foundries these are also known to influence the ability to manufacture sound and dependable castings."

Jan 1, 2013

By M. Kobayashi, Y. Nishisu

"Fine multicomponent particles of yttrium and europium were synthesized through the precipitation from homogeneous solution, and the various characteristics related with the fluorescence were investigated. The morphology and the fluorescent characteristics of the synthesized particles were affected by ionic species in the stock solution. In the presence of sulfate ion, some parts of the precipitated particles were aggregated, and _the fluorescent characteristics were not good. On the other hand, in the presence of chloride ion or nitrate ion, the particles precipitated were almost monodispersed, and, the intensity of the fluorescent emission were strong after calcination. Further, these particles were also very attractive as the red phosphor in the mercury-free fluorescent systems.Introduction Eu doped Y oxide particles have been widely investigated for the application to the fluorescent lamps and displays: Recently, the fluorescent lamps are pointed as harmful electric equipments because of using mercury for excitation. Therefore, the use of the mercury in the fluorescent- system will be limited or prohibited worldwide in near future. Then, the development of the mercury-free fluorescent lamp is strongly required without delay. Inert gas such as neon and/or xenon seem to be applicable as new excitation element that replaces the mercury. However, in case xenon the excitation wavelength,' 146 and 172nm, is different from that of the mercury, 254nm, and then, the commercial phosphors which are used in the present fluorescent lamp system are not available. Therefore, the invention of the novel phosphors is essential for the development of the mercury-free fluorescent lamp. Further, the controls of the size and shape of the particles precipitated are also important, because the homogeneity of the size and the shape is very important for the fabrication of the layer of the phosphor particles. That is to say, the development of the phosphor particles with controlled components, size and shape is essential. The precise control of size and shape improves the packing density, and so, the screen performance of the lamp [1]. In addition, these phosphor particles should be also useful for the application of the flat-plane displays, for example, PDP, etc. [2,3]. In the present work, first, the particles including yttrium and europium for the precursor for red phosphor were prepared through precipitation from homogeneous solution. This process was precisely controlled for the control of the components, size and shape of the particles precipitated. Next, the particles precipitated were calcined, and then, their fluorescent properties were characterized. As a result, some of them showed the possibly available characteristics as the red phosphor for mercury-free fluorescent lamp system. These experimental results are presented in this paper."

Jan 1, 2000

By J. B. Cocanour

Pioneering work at the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) has produced a personal computer (PC)-based, software-driven video photometric color sensor for real time process control of metallurgical streams. The video photometer is an inexpensive optical sensor which operates in the visual area of the electromagnetic spectrum and collects color information through plastic optical fiber. The red, green, and blue (R/G/B) voltage components of the color video signal are digitized and characterized through software and then presented as the control variable for software-based proportional-integral-differential (PID) control. This sensor has been successfully employed in the control of a laboratory copper electrolytic circuit. With this sensor, copper solutions were analyzed on-line without the need for sample removal, dilution, mixing or reagent addition, thereby allowing for the real time control of the circuit.

Jan 1, 1994

By John Nauman

Liquid ferrous silicates that are related to cop- per slags have been studied as media for the transfer of heat in pyrometallurgical processes. The effective thermal diffusivities have been measured from 1025Oto 1400°C, and values in the range of 0.004 to 0.007 cm2/ sec have been obtained. The heat-transfer characteristics of these slags have been determined by measuring the rise of temperature of a cold nickel sphere immersed in the liquid slag. The sphere is spun about its vertical axis to obtain a well characterized flow of liquid about the sphere. The principal barrier to the transfer of heat from the bulk slag to the metal sphere is a solid shell of slag that forms around the sphere and subsequently melts. It appears that the detailed nature of this shell is important to theheat- transfer process. A mathematical model is used to predict the rate of heating of the sphere, and to evaluate various aspects of the system that can influence the transfer of heat.

Jan 1, 1976

By Stanko Nikolic

Ferrous calcium silicate slags are potentially important for future practice in copper converting operations and processes and can be described by the ?Cu2O?-FeO-Fe2O3-CaO-SiO2 system. Despite its industrial importance the phase equilibria in this system have not been fully investigated. Characterization of this slag system is necessary to improve the design and optimization parameters of new processes, including fluxing and operating temperatures. Experimental methods have been developed to investigate the phase equilibria of these slags at copper saturation and without copper. This technique involved equilibration of samples at a fixed oxygen partial pressure, rapid quenching, and analysis of the compositions of phases using electron probe x-ray microanalysis (EPMA). Liquidus and solidus data are reported for the primary phase fields of spinel, wollastonite and tridymite at 1250oC and an oxygen partial pressure of 10-6atm. The resulting data has been used to construct liquidus isotherms in the ?FeO?-CaO-SiO2 system both in equilibrium with and without molten copper. The experimental results were compared with the predictions of a thermodynamic computer package utilizing a self consistent thermodynamic database. The predictions of the model were in good agreement with the experimental isotherms when projected onto the FeO-CaO-SiO2 section, however the copper concentrations in the liquid phase at copper saturation were lower than predicted using the current database of the model.

Jan 1, 2006

By W. G. Davenport

Chapters 7,8and 9 calculated three combinations of: blast composition (mass% O2, mass% N2) oil quantity per tonne of concentrate blast temperature that will steadily produce molten 65% Cu matte from pure chalcopyrite-concentrate. The combinations are:

Jan 1, 2001

By Andy Judge

"In traditional Permanent Magnet Machines, such as electric motors and generators, power is transmitted by magnetic flux passing through an air gap, which has a very low magnetic permeability, limiting performance. However, reducing the air gap through traditional means carries risks in manufacturing, with tight tolerances and associated costs, and reliability, with thermal and dynamic effects requiring adequate clearance. Using a magnetically permeable, high thermal conductivity material has the potential to improve magnetic performance, while at the same time offering performance advantages in heat transfer.Ferrofluids can be used to improve permeability in the rotor I stator gap. However, there are several tradeoffs in this approach. Fluid immersion comes with an increase in fluid friction loss compared to the windage losses of a traditional system. Isolating the rotating components from the ferrofluid can offset this effect. Also, while the magnetic effect can be positive for gap permeability, leakage flux can increase, and saturation can limit gains. These effects must be taken into account for a system optimized for ferrofluid immersion.IntroductionPermanent Magnet Machines (PMM's) convert electrical energy to mechanical energy in motor applications, or, for generator applications, convert mechanical energy to electrical energy through means of passing alternately polarized magnets past electrical coils. Looking at a simplified version of a PMM, where Rx is magnetic reluctance and <l>x is magnetic flux, we have the circuit shown in Figure 1."

Jan 1, 2013

By R. P. Rao

In rare earth (RE) based phosphors, high luminous efficiency is possible due to their restricted emission limited to specific narrow bands. In general, these phosphor materials consist of RE ions as activators/sensitizers and/or hosts. Development of various phosphor host matrices such as alkaline earth chlorophosphates, aluminates and silicates activated by Eu(2+) as blue component, borates and phosphates of lanthanides and alkaline earth aluminates doped, with Ce/Bi and Tb as green component and Eu(3+) activated yttrium oxide and vanadate as red component has been described. Luminescent characteristics, color coordinates and suitability of these phosphor materials in high efficiency new generation lamps are presented and discussed.

Jan 1, 1989

By Dale T. Peters

Conductivity, both electrical and thermal, are attributes accounting for about 70% of the applications of copper and its alloys. This paper presents results of on-going research into two new applications that depend on copper&apos;s excellent conductivity. The Copper Development Association (CDA), together with materials and motor company partners, is working toward a solution to the key problem preventing pressure die casting copper for the conductor bar/end ring structure of the induction motor rotor, i.e., lack of a durable high-temperature mold material. Work is showing that a combination of high- temperature materials and elevated temperature processing gives much improved mold life compared to die steels. Substitution of copper for aluminum in the rotor can result in a 20% decrease in electrical losses in motors consuming 35% of electrical power generated in the U.S. The second development uses the excellent thermal conductivity of several high-strength high-copper alloys to simultaneously improve productivity and part quality in the injection molding of plastic parts.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. K. Patel, K. A. Pericleous, M. Molaei

"The future trading of carbon credits and increased financial cost necessitates substantial cuts in incidental C02 emissions in the production of metals (iron, steel, aluminum, zinc, lead). Although greener methods of production are being developed, in the short term the use of point-source C02 extraction using existing technology remains attractive. Accelerated natural carbonation, in a fluidized bed is a feasible technological route investigated in this research. CFD modelling has been used to study the efficiency of C02 capture in a fluidized bed reactor containing a CaO solid sorbent. A Lagrangian/Eulerian scheme describes describe CaO particle trajectories and exchange of mass, momentum and energy with the carrier gas, with a typical off-gas composition. Different reactor geometries are considered (with uniform, stepped and gradually expanding cross-section), to maximize conversion for a given particle loading and size distribution (100-200 microns). Removal efficiencies of up to 80% are demonstrated, making this a viable process.IntroductionBased on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, the major cause of climate change and global warming is due to a high level of C02 concentration in the atmosphere resulting from fossil fuel combustion, particularly in coal-fired power plants [1]. Carbon capture and storage is therefore the most important action proposed to reduce C02 from combustion flue gases. In this process, carbon dioxide is captured and may then be regenerated as pure C02 and conducted to a permanent storage, or simply stored as a solid carbonate [2]. Capture and storage of C02 has an economic penalty and the main cost of this penalty is associated with the capture plant. Capturing C02 with a lime-based solid sorbent (CaO) is a very promising technique, due to the low cost and the wide availability of the reactant. In this process, the CaO reacts with C02 based on the following reaction in a reactor called a Carbonator:"

Jan 1, 2012

By Mark C. Bronson

The feasibility of several pyrochemical approaches-for separating non-radioactive constituents from ICPP HLW calcine were examined. The removal of aluminum as AICI3 from aluminia calcine was successfully demonstrated. The examination of pyrochemical processes to remove non-radioactive constituents, primarily aluminium, zirconium, calcium and fluorine, from zirconia calcine showed that fluorine removal was required in order to chlorinate the calcine. A molten calcium chloride wash, a calcium reduction, and. a sulfuric acid treatment were examined as possible zirconia calcine pretreatment options for fluorine removal. Fluorine removal from simulated ICPP zirconia calcine was demonstrated by both a CaCl2 wash method and a sulfuric acid treatment method. X-ray fluorescence analysis indicated that greater than 97% of the fluorine can be removed by either method. Fluorine removal by a calcium reduction using an alloying agent, zinc, or a calcium reduction using, a filtration separation were also demonstrated, but the efficiencies of fluorine removal were considerably less ranging from 50 to 90%. Regeneration of CaCl2 from the salt and oxide residues of the CaCl2 wash experiments was also demonstrated &apos;by an aqueous dissolution method. From the salt residue, 85% or more of the CaCl2 was recovered and contained little if any CaF2 or CaO. From the oxide residue close to 100% of the CaC12 was recovered. Because of the overall success of the CaCI2 wash, it was determined to be the preferred fluorine removal process. The sulfuric acid treatment to remove fluorine is effective, but the proposed overall flowsheet has not&apos; been adequately demonstrated.

Jan 1, 1995

By Lucas Nana Wiredu Damoah, Lifeng Zhang

"Increasing demand for Solar Grade Silicon (SoG-Si) due to rising interest in renewable energy has lead to increased SoG-Si Top – cut scraps generated from the multi-crystalline silicon making process. Due to the high cost of SoG-Si and the potential to use the top-cut scraps as feedstock material, there has been increased effort to develop cost effective and efficient technologies. As a result, several methods to recycle the top-cut scraps are currently been applied, and researched. These include settling under gravitation field, which is a slow process to be industrially applicable. Natural settling of inclusions by gravitational force is a slow process and not attractive to the industry. Recent experiments on Top-cut SoG-Si scrap under high frequency, high voltage, electromagnetic field showed that SiC inclusions settled within a short time to the bottom of the crucible and the characteristic rod-like morphologies of Si3N4 inclusions in SoG-Si were not detected. This study investigates the enhanced settling of SiC inclusions and the behavior of Si3N4 particles under the influence of high frequency, high voltage, electromagnetic field in Top-cut SoG-Si.IntroductionThe photovoltaic industry depends on silicon based PV materials either as single-crystalline silicon, or multi-crystalline Si (MC-Si), or amorphous Si [1] for over 90 % of its market share. [2] MC-Si produced by directional solidification of solar grade silicon melt dominates the silicon PV market. During the directional solidification process, SiC and Si3N4 particles within the melt are pushed by the solidification front to the top of the ingot which is the last to solidify. Therefore the top of the ingot is cut generating what is known as top-cut solar silicon scraps. The Si3N4 particles are mainly from the coating material at the inside surface of the silica crucible and from air absorption during the solidification process. The SiC particles mainly stem from the carbon reduction process of the primary production of silicon [3]. Due to the growth of the PV industry as a result of global demand for clean, reliable, and affordable energy [4], there is the need to develop new methods to compliment exiting ones to recycle SoG-Si waste (e.g. top-cut) for sustainability."

Jan 1, 2012

By Viktor. P. Popov, Oleksandr. V. Derev'yanko, Oleksandr. I. Raychenko

"This paper is devoted to scrutiny problem of obtaining electro-contacts by electro-discharge sintering technology. A new unconventional method of electro contacts production (on Aggraphite base) can yield essential optimization resource.Review of three electro-technological methods of processing contacts materials is presented:- using graphite powder cladded by Ag;- mixture of graphite powder(which is a non-cladded powder) with Ag powder and addition of Fe powder particles;- method of infiltration of melted Ag into graphite piece without deformation and rupture of object.This technological approach can give the possibility to increase of compression strength of electro-contacts materials up to 340 MPa and more under conditions of additional reinforcing components (for example, by Fe).IntroductionThe electric current can be an active ""participator"" of the powder metallurgy technology [l]. At the passage of electric current through powders or some powder mixtures the phenomena including phase transformations arise. Here such effects, which are observed in the Ag-graphite and Ag-Fe-graphite powder mixtures and in the pair Ag-porous graphite, are described.The Ag-graphite composition materials (CM) are used, for example, as electric contacts [2, 3]. Since a material being produced is destined for the contacts it is necessary to take into account the following aspects: commutating current, its character and voltage, active or reactive character of working load, geometrical dimensions of contacts, quantity and frequency of switching on and switching off, pressure on contacts, distance between contacts, method of arc control, surrounding medium, its content, pressure and temperature. Thus, these and, maybe, choice of some other circumstances influence design, materials and production technology of contacts. The range of problems concerned dictates such steps as alloying of contact materials, optimization of structure, selection of kind of graphite, its connection with metal [4-10]. It is expedient to recall the main procedures of the first stage of the conventional technology: dosage of the initial graphite powder and binder-phenolic resin plastic varnish (for example, Bakelite), mixing, densification, thermal treatment, crushing, grinding, sieving, drying, dosage of grained graphite, dosage of the initial silver powder, obtaining of the silver salt solution, settling of salt, filtration, washing, drying of the cladded graphite powder, thermal treatment, obtaining of the graphite powder of particles cladded by silver. The second stage of the convectional technology starts by obtaining of the cladded graphite powder and finishes by annealing of the pressed blanks (Fig. 1)."

Jan 1, 2004

By Xingming Zhang, Huawei Zhang, Yanxiang Li

"A hybrid porous metal with nano-micro double scale pore size and regular-random bimodal porous structure has been fabricated by unidirectional solidification of a lotus-type alloy followed by dealloying treatment to the base alloy. The base alloy selected is a Cu-Mn binary alloy. The lotus-type porous Cu-Mn alloy with straight pores of several hundred micrometers in diameter was manufactured by unidirectional solidification with a mould casting process. Dealloying treatment was then done to the lotus-type porous structure of Cu-Mn alloy. The solid Cu-Mn alloy wall of the lotus-type porous structure was transformed to random porous structure of dozens to hundreds nanometers. The influence of corrosion parameters, such as the current and time in electrochemical corrosion, temperature and corrosion agent in chemical corrosion, on the nano-porous structure formed has been studied systematically.1. IntroductionA hybrid porous metal is a kind of cellular structure with different porous or cellular forms inside, which possesses special properties and can be applied in many fields as fuel cells, catalysis, sensors, etc. Several means have been developed to fabricate this kind of porous material [1-2]. In this paper, a novel process of Gasar plus dealloying is introduced to fabricate a new form of hybrid porous metal with nano-micro double size and regular-random bimodal structure.The Gasar process, also called the metal-gas eutectic directional solidification, that invented by Shapovalov [3] in Ukraine and now in USA some twenty years ago, is used to fabricate porous metals with regularly aligned pores basing on the solubility difference of a gaseous element in solid and liquid metal. Nakajima and his colleagues [4] in Japan studied this process further and called this kind of structure a lotus-type porous metal. They put more attention to various fabrication techniques and properties of lotus-type porous metals. Li heading a group [5-6] in P.R. China studied the mechanism of Gasar process and process controlling techniques. The Gasar pore structure and porosity can be controlled by processing parameters, and a regular Gasar structure with oriented pores distributing uniformly in the solid matrix can be obtained under optimized processing parameters."

Jan 1, 2014

By J. Tang, B. Q. Li, R. Akarapu

"An integrated model is developed to represent the three-dimensional electromagnetic wave propagation and thermal phenomena during microwave heating of ceramics and dielectric/biological materials. The model development is based on the edge finite element formulation for electromagnetic fields and the node fmite element formulation for thermal phenomena. Results are presented and compared well with available analytical solutions and experimental measurements. With the model, the effect of sample positions on the electromagnetic and thermal field distributions is studied.IntroductionMicrowave, as an electro-heating source, has been widely used in the processing industries for packaged foods and other materials. The commonly used household microwave oven is a typical example of microwave heating processes. Other industrial microwave processing systems include large-scale microwave guides and cavities, which are used for the sintering operations as required for making ceramic components or for sterilizing the packaged foods."

Jan 1, 2004

By Christian Redl

"The Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) solves fluid dynamics problems based on a discrete mesoscopic approach. It is based on the Lattice Boltzmann equation which is a special discretisation of the continuous Boltzmann equation. Its principle advantage is that it can handle complex physical phenomena (like interaction between different components and surface effects), complicated boundary and initial conditions very well, free from many gridding and stability constraints that plague conventional numerical methods used for fluid flow simulations. Complex structures like porous media can be resolved directly. The LBM algorithm has a simple structure and acts locally, which is favourable for parallel computing. Its potential for metallurgical process simulation is demonstrated in the present study which is concerned with the simulation of the fluid flow in a copper winning electrolysis cell. The electrolyte is modelled as the carrier fluid and the oxygen is considered via a so called active scalar equation. The modelling of buoancy, momentum exchange and the free surface requires special effort. The results of the simulation are validated against experimental data obtained by Laser-Doppler-Anemometry. Despite the simplifications made, good agreement between the simulation and the experiments was found.IntroductionThe hydrodynamics in an electrometallurgical cell is a complex, highly non-linear phenomenon. It includes the simulation of a two component system with high density ratio, gravity driven flow and a free surface. A general solution to this problem is currently unknown.The flow field is a result of the combination of various hydrodynamic effects [18]. Metal deposition at the cathode yields in a decrease in the ion concentration, which reduces the density of the electrolyte. At the anode molecular oxygen is formed as a consequence of the oxidation of water molecules. The oxygen is solved in the electrolyte and again the electrolyte density is decreased. Both effects lead to a free upwards directed convective flow, refered to as natural convection."

Jan 1, 2001

By Chetan P. Malhotra

This paper describes an online control system and simulation environment for reheating furnaces. The system can be configured for implementing manual control as well as automatic control using either look-up tables or online model predictions. The simulator is also used for offline generation of optimized normal operation and delay setpoints for look-up tables and generating ideal heating curves for model-based control. Finally, it is employed to compare the performance of the above control strategies over a typical period of operation of a pusher-type reheating furnace. Keywords: Reheating furnace, control strategy, model-based control

Jan 1, 2003

By J. Boltano

This paper discusses the study, design and implementation of the new gas handling system for the Caletones Smelter of Codelco-Chile. A discussion on design conditions for a future Sulphuric Acid Plant using Teniente Converter gases is also included. The old system which started to be modified in 1985 and relied on natural draft and used balloon flues, resulted in a limited gas handling capacity for operation under future process conditions. This system also caused excessive fugitive gases in the smelter working areas. The new system permits handling of process gases from the higher capacity Teniente Converters Installed in 1987-1989 improving the gas handling of the reverberatory furnaces and Peirce-Smith converters as well as the environmental conditions of the smelter. This system utilises improved converter gas hoods, evaporative cooling and electrostatic precipitators gas cleaning, and is based on natural draft.

Jan 1, 1992

By P. Hanniala, J. Sulanto

"The requirement for the reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions from copper smelters is becoming more and more important. Therefore, the most important question in smelting technology will be how to produce even, high strength SO2 gas in smelter and how to combine smelting and converting. The best sorution in certain cases is to eliminate converters totally.Outokumpu is already responding to this challenge. As a result of extensive research work, Outokumpu Oy has developed the Flash Smelting Process for direct smelting of blister copper from concentrates in one step.The newest process development is the Kennecott-Outokumpu Flash Converting process, where solidified copper matte is converted into blister copper. The production of low volume high SO2 content gases, separation of smelting and converting operations to allow increased on-line availability, and simplified process control are the major benefits of the process which translates to reduced smelter capital and operating costs.Also, it has been studied the use of the same Outokumpu furnace for smelting and converting alternately when the production capacity is low.In this paper, the developments and improvements of the Outokumpu Process are described from the operation and investment cost standpoints"

Jan 1, 1988