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By Ying Mao, Zhancheng Guo, Long Ma, Huiqing Tang

"A new 2D computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model was developed for the gaseous reduction of iron ore fines in an innovative reactor-multilayer moving-fluidized bed. The solution of the proposed model was performed by integration of FLUENT and PHOENICS. Numerical results of cold state were compared with the experimental data and the agreement between them was good. A hot case-gaseous reduction of iron ore fines using syngas with this reactor was simulated using the present CFD mode. Results indicate that under the given simulation conditions, total pressure drop is 90 Pa less than that under cold state though the gas supply rate is increased about 4m3 under hot state. Gas temperature decreases from 1073 K at the bottom to 500 K at the top, Utilization efficiency of the gas reduction potential is about 27 %. For ore fines reduction, the final reduction fraction could reach 0. 70 and solid temperature 900 K.IntroductionWith the development of coal gasification technology, various coals could be converted to Syngas with air or steam. Therefore gaseous reduction of iron ore fmes becomes an acceptable alternative process for iron making besides blast furnace route[!] and moreover it still has some advantages in processing low grade iron ore fines[2]. Gaseous reduction using fluidized bed technologies is the most competitive in all direct reduction iron-making processes up to now. It has the advantage that ore fines can be directly charged to the process without prior treatment while its disadvantages are particle agglomeration and high gas/solid ratio[3]. To avoid these advantages, a new reactor, multilayer moving-fluidized bed reactor has been developed for carrying out the gaseous reduction. Hydrodynamic behaviors of gas and fines in the reactor were studied and the results were satisfying[4]. However, due to its unique structure of the multilayer moving-fluidized bed and unique gas-solid flow pattern, models of multiphase flow as IPSA, DPM and Eulerian Model could not give a satisfying solution. The current paper is developed a new CFD model and a new solution approach for simulation of the reactive gas-solid flow in the multilayer moving-fluidized bed for its optimization, design improvement and future scale-up."

Jan 1, 2013

By C. G. Cunningham

The Marysvale volcanic field of west-central Utah contains large areas of argillically altered rocks (fig. 1) that, in turn, enclose smaller areas of fine-grained, medium-grade, replacement alunite deposits and coarsely crystalline, high-grade vein-type alunite deposits. The largest replacement alunite deposits are [ ] located peripheral to a 23-m.y.-old monzonite stock called the Central Intrusive (fig. 1). The deposits formed in near-surface, highly oxidizing environments at the tops of hydrothermal plumes that were spaced irregularly around the stock. The deposits are horizontally zoned from alunitic cores through kaolinitic to propylitic envelopes. Vertically, characteristic alteration minerals progress from a pyrite-propylitic alteration assemblage at the base, upward through alunitic, jarositic, and hematitic assemblages to a flooded silica cap as shown on figure 2. The silica caps are cut by hydrothermal explosion breccias. d34Sso4 values of + 11.5 to + 15.4 permil indicate that sulfur in the hydrothermal plume was derived from underlying Mesozoic evaporites. The sharp upward transition from pyrite- propylite to alunite probably marks the paleowater table, and the top of the flooded silica cap represents the paleoground surface. Basin-Range extensional tectonism began shortly after alteration, and buried the replacement alunite deposits in basins beneath sediments eroded from uplands. The deposits were only recently exhumed.

Jan 1, 2013

By G. W. Sparkes

The use of CR-39 plastic polymer as a solid state nuclear track detector in the textural analysis of radioactive minerals in geological samples was first described by I.R Basham in 1981. CR-39 autoradiographs provide a detailed, high-resolution image of the in situ distribution of the radioactive minerals within geological samples on both the macroscopic and microscopic scales. This technique is an inexpensive and effective means of obtaining detailed textural information that provides insight into the style of mineralization, its relationship to primary and secondary structures in the host rock, and its association with particular geological features or mineral phases. Although this technique does not provide any information on the identity of the minerals responsible for the radioactivity, the resultant autoradiographs can be used to select regions for further detailed analysis such as petrography, microprobe analysis, or SEM imaging. This paper summarizes the procedure and outlines the appropriate time and materials required for both the exposure and etching of the CR-39 with respect to the intensity of the radioactivity emitted by the geological samples.

Jan 1, 2013

By T. V. Jayaraman, Kranti Kumar, Paul Praveen J., Dibakar Das, A. R. James

"Lead free piezoelectric ceramics with high piezoelectric coefficients are in great demand for sensor and actuator applications. Synthesis and characterization study of one such lead free system, barium zirconate titanate - barium calcium titanate [xBZT-(1-x)BCT] (x = 0.5), via solgel method have been carried out. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the formation of single phase BZT-BCT nanoparticles (<50 nm). The as-synthesized powders were calcined at 1000°C and the powders were pressed into cylindrical pellets. Solid-state sintering of the green pellets at 1550°C for 2 hrs resulted in single phase perovskite structure. Hysteresis loops were obtained which indicates the ferroelectric nature ofBZT-BCT. The bulk ceramic samples with the highest sintered density (~93%) were subjected to electrical poling and the piezoelectric properties ( d33, kp, & i:,) were measured. The structure and piezoelectric properties were investigated and correlated for the given composition of the BZT-BCT system.IntroductionPiezoelectric ceramics are widely used in various sensors and actuators and most of the piezoelectric ceramics, which are presently used, are lead based, which contains at least 60% lead (Pb) by weight. The critical disadvantage of these lead based piezoelectric ceramics is their hazardous effect related to the toxicity of lead, which poses a serious environmental concern starting from their processing to the disposal stage[l]. It is well known that a material to be a good piezoelectric it requires a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) i.e. the composition induced phase transition between any two ferroelectric phases."

Jan 1, 2013

By Jeanne B. Percival, Paul Ramaekers, Charles W. Jefferson, Pat A. Hunt, Eric G. Potter, Katherine E. Venance, William Davis, Sean A. Bosman

"A 10-cm thick clay-rich layer near the top of the Manitou Falls Formation of the Athabasca Group is unusual in its breccia texture, alteration, and detrital mineral composition relative to the adjacent overlying and underlying sedimentary beds. This layer is composed of angular quartz grains set in an illite >> kaolinite + dickite matrix. Deformed clay-rich fragments within the layer have very similar mineral assemblages. The presence of euhedral accessory minerals including Ti-oxides and aluminophosphatesulphate minerals points to a diagenetic/hydrothermal origin. The presence of individual grains of Kfeldspar and amphibole is unusual relative to the typical Athabasca quartz arenite; originally, these minerals were probably included in detrital quartz and subsequently liberated during fracturing. The textures and alteration characteristics suggest that this layer is a hydraulically-fractured unit, which has experienced hydrothermal fluid alteration - a possible pathway distally related to uranium mineralization Une couche argileuse de 10 cm d’epaisseur pres du sommet de la Formation de Manitou Falls du Groupe d&apos;Athabasca est remarquable par sa texture brechique, son alteration et la composition de ses mineraux detritiques qui different de ceux des couches sedimentaires sus- et sous-jacente. Cette couche est composee de grains de quartz angulaires dans une matrice composee d’illite >> kaolinite + dickite. Des fragments deformes riches en argile dans cette couche presentent des assemblages mineraux tres similaires. La presence de mineraux accessoires idiomorphes dont des oxydes de titane et des aluminophosphates-sulphates suggere que ces derniers ont une origine diagenetique / hydrothermale. La presence de grains de feldspath-K et d&apos;amphibole est inhabituelle comparativement aux arenites quartziques typiques de l’Athabasca; initialement, ces mineraux constituaient probablement des inclusions dans le quartz detritique qui ont ete subsequemment liberees pendant la fracturation. Les textures et les caracteristiques de l&apos;alteration suggerent que cette unite a subi une fracturation hydraulique et a ete alteree par un fluide hydrothermal - possiblement en lien avec les effets distaux de mise en place de la mineralisation en l&apos;uranium."

Jan 1, 2013

By B. Papilon

Dynamic pressures during blasting can affect performances of both electronic and non-electronic detonators. Boreholes can develop tremendous amount of pressures during blasting. The effect of such elevated pressure especially during electronic delay countdown is probably more acute in electronic detonators. Measuring the pressures during blasting can aid to understand the relationship between magnitude of the pressure developed and the multitude of blasting conditions.

Jan 1, 2013

By Teruo Bitoh, Shogo Izumi

"The effect of B203 flux melting on the structure and the soft magnetic properties of the (Feo.1sBo.20Sio.os)96Nb4 bulk metallic glasses prepared by casting has been investigated. The ringshaped bulk specimens were prepared by the B203 flux melting and copper mold casting. It was confirmed that the flux melting promotes the precipitation of the a-Fe(-Si) and Fe2B phases in the central region of the specimens. The ring-shaped bulk specimens show a flat hysteresis curve, indicating a good linear relationship between the magnetic induction and the applied magnetic field. These results show that it is possible to develop a new soft magnetic material that exhibits constant permeability, which is necessary for producing inductors and choke coils.IntroductionSince the success of forming Fe-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) with good soft magnetic properties, great attention has been developed to synthesis and properties of the BMGs [l, 2]. The BMGs have high glass-forming ability (GFA) and, therefore, they can be used to prepare bulk amorphous alloys with a thickness of the order of a few millimeters by casting. The soft magnetic properties of Fe-based BMGs are better than those of ordinary amorphous alloys; therefore, these BMGs have wider applications as soft magnetic materials [3-5]. It is often required for soft magnetic materials that the shape of the hysteresis curve is changed according to the demands of applications. For example, materials with ""flat hysteresis curves,"" which means the magnetic flux density (B) and the applied magnetic field (H) show a linear relationship up to rather high magnetic field, are necessary for producing inductors and choke coils. Flat hysteresis curves can be easily achieved by creating an air gap in the magnetic path. However, magnetic flux leakage generated in the air gap inhibits high-density packing of the electronic components. In order to achieve flat hysteresis curves without creating an air gap, Fe-based ordinary amorphous alloys are subjected to crystallization by annealing and transformed into thin surface layers of a-Fe; the crystallization results in the compression of the remained amorphous phase [6]. Another way to achieve flat hysteresis curves is the formation of secondary phase (such as Fe2B) that act as pinning site of magnetic domain wall displacements [7]."

Jan 1, 2013

By Alan Christopherson

Nearshore construction projects often require installation of steel piles and specific methodologies of installing piles may adversely affect nearby species of concern. Water is an uncompressible medium which allows for easy transmission of energy through the water column. Energy transmission through water depends on the following factors for pile driving: 1) direct contact of the pile and the water; 2) the depth of the water column; 3) the size of the pile; 4) type of hammer; and 5) the energy of the hammer. Seasonal restrictions are usually the best practicable alternative for reducing habitat impacts when pile driving activities may adversely affect the species of concern. When seasonal restrictions are not practical other options need to be evaluated, including mitigation and noise attenuation devices. The broad array of mitigation options will not be discussed as part of this presentation but instead will focus on noise attenuation technologies. Dewatered cofferdams can be effective noise attenuators as they eliminate direct contact of the pile with water while driving. Also, introduction of a compressible medium, like air, near the energy source can provide sound energy attenuation. An unconfined bubble curtain is relatively inexpensive but is not effective in tidal marine projects or rivers and may have unacceptable secondary effects. Secondary effects must be evaluated as these can increase exponentially for larger projects. Secondary effects to the environment include air quality degradation from air compressor use, transportation costs for fuel and equipment, and the potential for injecting oily compressed air into the water column. The confined bubble curtain works well in nearly all environments. It usually is more expensive initially, relative to an unconfined air curtain, but there is less potential for harmful secondary effects. Generally, seasonal restrictions will be adequate to protect species of concern. However, there are conditions in which mitigation or one of the sound attenuation options should be utilized. Site specific factors, including the amount of energy being imparted into the environment, sensitivity of the species of concern, current, accessibility, length of time needed to complete the project, and the cost of the sound attenuation, should be factored into the permit evaluation.

Jan 1, 2013

By B. Zeytuncu, O. Yucel, O. H. Celik, M. H. Morcali

"The Taguchi method was used as the experimental design to determine the optimum conditions of cementation behavior of the ruthenium chloride solution. Cementation was carried out using metallic zinc powder. The experimental conditions were studied in the range of 25-45°C for reaction temperature (A), 30--60 min for reaction time (B), 0.5-1.5 for pH of solution (C), and 30--50 mg for zinc powder (D). Experimental parameters and their levels were determined in the light of preliminary tests. Orthogonal array (OA) L9(34) consisting of four parameters each with three levels, was chosen. The optimal conditions found for ruthenium, such as a reaction temperature, reaction time, pH of the solution and mass of zinc, are respectively: 45°C, 45 min, 1.5 and 50 mg. Under these conditions, the ruthenium cementation efficiency obtained by theoretically and experimentally was in good agreement, which were 99.8% and 99.7% respectively."

Jan 1, 2013

By William B. Conway

This paper will describe the large caisson pier foundations for four of the bridges crossing the Mississippi River in the New Orleans area; and will discuss some of the unusual problems encountered during their sinking. Certain settlement phenomena experienced during their service life will also be related: The four bridges in order of their construction: The Huey P. Long Bridge, River Mile 106.1, completed in 1935 The Greater New Orleans Bridge No. 1, River Mile 96.0, completed in 1958 The Hale Boggs Bridge, River Mile 121.6, completed in 1983 The Greater New Orleans Bridge No. 2, River Mile 96.1, completed in 1988 Each of these bridges employed large open-dredged concrete caissons as foundations for one or more of the river piers, with the smallest being the 65ft by 102ft caissons for Piers I and II of the Huey P. Long Bridge and the largest being the 99ft by 214ft caisson for Pier II of the Greater New Orleans Bridge No. 2. The Huey P. Long caissons are founded in a dense fine sand at -170 while all of the other bridge caissons are founded in hard preconsolidated clay at elevations varying from -150 to -185. The Huey P. Long Bridge is currently being widened without increasing the caisson foundations under any of the river piers; and the design reasoning that led to this decision is presented.

Jan 1, 2013

By Mitchell L. Spencer, Viswanathan Panchanathan

"Bonded magnets are important category in permanent magnets. They are made by one of the following processes: compression bonding, injection molding, extrusion, calendering. An overview of the various bonded magnet processes and properties of products made with different magnet materials along with their applications are discussed. The main emphasis will be on the use of bonded NdFeB and ferrite magnets.IntroductionBonded magnets are a major growth area in permanent magnets. Bonded magnets are made by any one of the following processes: Compression bonding; Injection Molding; Extrusion and Calendering [1,2]. Compression and injection molded magnets are rigid magnets. Materials used in calendering process produce flexible magnets. Only the extrusion process makes both rigid and flexible magnets. The binders used for the bonded magnets vary depending on the processes. Thermoset, thermo-plastic and elastomeric binders are respectively used in compression, injection and the calendering process. Extrusion molding uses elastomers or thermo-plastic materials. The most co=on magnetic materials, Ferrite, SmCo, Alnico and NdFeB can be used in any of the above processes either alone or in combination as hybrid magnets. Another material that has been developed for co=ercial application is SmFeN. Making the material has been challenging and it is being used in niche market applications in limited quantitiesIn the extrusion process, a highly loaded compound is used to produce strip or sheet and is continuously extruded through a die. In calendering the granulated compound is rolled to produce a continuous wide sheet. In the compression bonding process a uniaxial pressing force is used. These magnets have higher loading compared to injection molded magnets. In injection molding the material is forced into a mold cavity and has lower loading compared to compression molded magnets [2,3]. Most of the flexible magnets are made using extrusion and calendering processes and the most co=on magnet material is inexpensive ferrite. Flexible magnets have been made using rare earth materials, but on a very limited basis.The major advantages of magnets processed by extrusion and calendering are as follows: inexpensive tooling, automation; practically any 2D geometry; fast production rates; no chipping or breaking; a wide range of properties; on-line magnetization; easy to convert (e.g. cut, punch or shape).Compression bonded magnets are inexpensive to manufacture. They have higher magnetic properties compared to injection molded magnets; however lower than their sintered counterparts. The magnet shape is restricted to simple geometries and they require careful handling. Their isotropic nature allows complex magnetizing patterns."

Jan 1, 2013

By T. Wang, R. G. Reddy

"A new eutectic of LiNO3-NaNO3-KNO3 ternary system was calculated by using thermodynamic modeling and the eutectic temperature was predicted to be 389.15K. The melting point was determined using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). On repeated measurements, it was found that the melting point of the eutectic composition showed excellent reproducibility with the predicted value. The heat capacity was also measured using DSC and the data as function of temperature were fit to polynomial functions. Subsequently, the thermodynamic properties such as enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs energies of this novel ternary eutectic salt mixture were deduced as function of temperature.IntroductionIn these days, the provision of the large amount of energy required in the peak period relies more and more on the parabolic trough solar power plant and it works by utilizing the thermal transfer fluid. Consequently, the development of inoovative thermal transfer fluid with higher energy storage density is paramount to lower the expense for generating energy [1-4]."

Jan 1, 2013

By Mark Jolly, Nasim Soleimanian

"During the last 20 years CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) has been used as a tool to aid furnace designers and manufacturers to improve energy efficiency and effectiveness of glass furnaces. However as the models are maturing the effect of feeding equipment used to push the raw material into the furnace has not been included in the process models. This paper investigates the effects of batch pattern in the melt space caused by charging equipment on the energy efficiency of the furnace focusing on the melting zone. A simple batch patterns sensitivity study has been performed using purpose built software (Glass Furnace Model-GFM). It is concluded that in order to further reduce the energy consumption of the furnace it is necessary to model the batch charging process in more detail to find more opportunities for improvement.Introduction Glass manufacturing is a conservative industry which applies to all the four major segments (float glass, container glass, fiberglass, and specialty glasses). Risks due to the high capital investment, very long service life of the furnaces, and the demand for high performance and quality from the outset translates into evolutionary progress rather than revolutionary. The main problem facing glass manufacturers are the financial cost of manufacture, its impact on the environment, and mounting pressure imposed by the authorities for greener manufacturing and reduction in emissions.The main energy intensive activities involved in continuous glass manufacturing are: the need for high temperature to create and maintain the viscous flow, homogenisation of glass melt (melt residence time), and maintaining the two to achieve continuous output of glass at the right quality. The high temperature and long duration of homogenisation has resulted in the design oflarge furnaces, which have high energy consumption, low specific performance, and high C02 emissions. As an example in the container glass sector the most efficient furnace has a specific primary energy consumption of 3.8 GJ /tonne of glass at a level of 50% cullet in the batch. Even very small improvements in efficiency by optimising operation would have a high impact [1-14]. Given the conservative nature of the industry and the costs involved in experimental data gathering, CFD modeling of the process has been used extensively during last two decades to not only improve our understanding of the process but also as a tool in predicting possible optimisation windows, e.g. Glass Furnace Model ( GFM), a commercially available piece of software that has been developed to optimise furnace operation."

Jan 1, 2013

By Mark Kennedy

New technology projects, particularly those involving first-of-a-kind metallurgical facilities, have a poor track record of achieving their overall financial targets, as they incorporate technological risks in addition to normal project risks. Traditional project management tools focus on risk from concept development through implementation, but typically fail to address the additional risks associated with a new technology project including slow start-up, slow ramp-up, and failure to achieve design performance (quality or throughput). These additional risks affect future cash flows produced by the project and hence its value, typically measured as net present value (NPV) or internal rate of return (IRR). Common accounting practice is to reduce the present value of future cash flows by applying a chosen discount rate, often reflecting the corporation?s cost of capital. This discount rate does not contain an allowance for technological risk, which is often underestimated or misunderstood by both the financial and engineering project managers. This paper will focus on the topic of project risk and new technology, and how these play a role in the probability of achieving the predicted future cash flows. By properly addressing technological risk in the form of risk-weighted returns, marginal projects can be prevented from proceeding, while sound projects can be given the additional time and resources required to achieve the optimal level of front-end-loading (the level which returns the maximum risk-weighted net present value). A simple set of mathematical tools should enable engineers and financial professionals to establish a common level of understanding, thereby leading to a more accurate assessment whether a new technology project is ready to pass through its next level of approvals.

Jan 1, 2013

By F. Smit

Mining and plant practices can benefit from preconcentration of UG2 platinum ores in a dense medium separation (DMS) plant. The main benefit of DMS is the selective discard of waste from the feed stream, thus improving project economics while reducing the power and water requirements for processing. On the mining side, with the correct combination of variables, implementing DMS as a pre-concentration step can reduce cut-off grades and, as a result, increase ore reserves. In addition, the use of DMS technology gives the mine team the opportunity to consider alternative mining methods for an operation. The challenges of balancing the mining tonnage, methods, and resulting grades with the process plant size, recoveries, and DMS discard volumes have resulted in the development of a model to optimize value on new projects or existing operations. This paper will focus on these benefits from a mining and plant perspective, quantifying the water and power savings, and look at the economic benefits of preconcentration and the effect of metal prices, plant feed grade, and DMS efficiency in different mining environments.

Jan 1, 2013

By Gerry Houlahan

The east span of the 3.5 km long SF-Oakland Bay Bridge is supported by different types of foundations along its span. Starting from the west, its first 460 m section comprising twin concrete box-girders is supported by sands and rock on Yerba Buena Island. A 620 m long steel suspension span then bridges a 25 m deep channel that is formed in sediments overlying rock. Twin concrete box girder structures, each 2.4 km long, complete the stretch over the remainder of San Francisco Bay to the engineered earth fill landing at its east end. For most of its length, the Skyway bridges water 3 to 10 m deep over soft surficial Young Bay Mud. The foundation types include spread footings with hold-downs, steel and concrete piles that are set in drilled rock sockets up to 3 m in diameter and 2.5 m diameter steel tubular piles driven to penetrations of up to 100 m. The design and construction-related considerations are presented. The different foundation types, influences of the site geology and earthquake demands on the substructures are discussed. The seismic motions of the bridge superstructures and substructures, as well as the depth-varying soil motions, influenced the foundation design. Together with performance-based design criteria, including post-earthquake footing displacement limits, these seismic demands influenced various aspects of the foundation design, including the use of battered and vertical piles.

Jan 1, 2013

By Mingchun Lu, Zhe Wang, Mingming Cao, Xiangdong Xing, Shan Ren, Jianliang Zhang, Zhengjian Liu

"The effect of reduction temperature on the vanadium titano-magnetite carbon composite pellets was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the discussion has put emphasis upon the enhanced reduction mechanism of additives containing CaF2 and NaF in this paper. The results showed that the reduction temperature of 1350°C was needed for the generation, mergence and growing up of metallic iron as well as monomer dissociation between metallic iron particles and slag phase in the vanadium titano-magnetite metallization pellets. The iron compound was completely reduced into metal iron, and Fe2Ti04 was mainly transformed into metal iron, (Fe,Mg)Ti205 and FeTi03 at 1350°C. The maximum metallization ratio was only 88.5% at 13500 for 30 min without any additive. However, with the addition of 3.0% CaF2 or NaF, the metallization degree of pellets could reach up to 94.8% and 92.5%, respectively.IntroductionVanadium titano-magnetite which is mainly distributed in the area of Panxi, Chengde and Maanshan in China is a kind of complex iron ore which contains various valuable metal elements such as iron, vanadium, titanium, etc. Among the above areas, Panzhihua (Sichuan Province in China) area possesses the largest deposits of vanadium titano-magnetite and the future reserves are more than 100x108t, and the reserves of Ti existing as Ti02 reach to 8.7x108t which occupy over 91% of the whole nation and ranked No.1 in the world[1]. Lots of researches on the comprehensive utilization of vanadium titano-magnetite have been conducted in the world. And many technological processes have been applied successfully in industrial production. Among these processes, the process of rotary kiln-electric furnace is employed to recover iron and vanadium in South-Africa, while the process of blast furnace-rotary furnace is widely used in Russia and China. Besides, many researchers have made efforts on employing new direct reduction process to realize the effective comprehensive utilization of vanadium titano-magnetite[2-4]. However, the direct reduction process is only researched in laboratory and it has not been used in industry."

Jan 1, 2013

By R. Bruce Patterson

The New Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a classic suspension bridge founded on concrete caissons. Caisson construction was complicated by the proximity of the existing bridge piers, only sixty feet away. High capacity plate anchors were used successfully to moor the new caissons in currents as strong as seven knots during construction.

Jan 1, 2013

By Lv Guozhi, Ren Xiaodong, Liu Yan, Dou Zhihe

"This paper investigated a new desulfurizer, dolomite and ferrosilicon. Magnesium vapor produced by silicothermic reduction of dolomite and ferrosilicon in an immersion tube of molten iron was injected into the molten iron by carrier gas through the underpunch of the tube and desulfurization reaction occurred. In order to explore the desulfurization process of molten iron by the new desulfurizer, the thermodynamics, and experiments of magnesium vapor production and desulfurization have been studied. Through thermodynamic calculation, the reaction temperature of magnesium vapor production by 75ferrosilicon and light-burned dolomite is 1838K in the standard state and decreased with the decreasing partial pressure of magnesium vapor, PMg· When PMg=25kPa, the reaction happens at 1673K. From experiments of magnesium vapor production, reduction efficiency of Mg vapor is about 60 % in 15 minutes at 1673K. From hot metal experiments, the desulfurization efficiency is 89.35%, and the lowest sulfur concentration after desulfurization is 46ppm.IntroductionPretreatment desulfurization of hot metal has become a necessary step in modem optimizing steelmaking process for its cheap cost, which can not only liberate of blast furnace productivity and reduce the burden of produce steel, but also effectively improve overall economic efficiency of the iron and steel system[l-ZJ_ At present, injection magnesium particle is one of the two main methods of desulphurization in hot metal owing to its strong affinity for sulphur, low amount of slag produced, low iron loss in slag skimming and low equipment investment[3l. However, there are still some insufficiencies on the hot iron pretreatment with magnesium particles at present[4-5l"

Jan 1, 2013

By Yotamu Stephen Rainford Hara

"The aim of our work is to investigate a low energy and clean route for the recovery of copper and cobalt from complex sulphide mineral concentrates. The mineral concentrates were roasted in air, in the presence of CaO (MS + CaO + 202 =MO+ CaS04) at temperatures below 973K. The roasted products containing CuO, CoO and Fe203 were carbothermically reduced at 1073K within an hour to preferentially reduce copper and cobalt. The kinetics of reactions were studied using the thermogravimetric technique and by characterisation ofreaction products using the XRDSEM-EDX techniques. The effects of MS:CaO ratio, roasting temperatures and physical nature of the mineral concentrates were analysed. The method for capturing S02 by forming CaS04 was analysed for reuse in the process. The energy balance for the above process is compared with that of conventional continuous smelting/converting process.1.0 IntroductionCopper sulphide mineral concentrates from Zambia contains substantial amouot of cobalt. The cobalt metal content in the concentrates ranges between 0.7 and 2 % weight, which corresponds to 3 and 9 % weight copper, based on the spot price of copper ($7 386/tone) and cobalt ($31 000/tone). Although the traditional approach using a combination of roasting-leaching-electrowining steps can be applied to recover copper and cobalt from sulphide mineral concentrates [1-4], there are two major draw backs of the traditional process: (i) the S02 emitted during roasting is too lean for economical conversion for sulphuric acid manufacture, which causes serious environmental pollution. (ii) silver and gold which are normally present in the sulphide concentrates are lost out [5] because they are not leachable by H2S04 or HCl which are the common leachants. The above two problems have been overcome by adopting flash smelting in which a rich S02 gas above 20% is produced [1, 5] and successfully converted into sulphuric acid. The precious metals tend to partition to blister copper and recovered during refming. However, nearly all cobalt is lost into the slag phase uoder oxidising condition which prevails during flash smelting. It is important to note that the cobalt content in the slag can be up to 2.6 % weight [6]. The recovery of cobalt from the slag is a process which requires huge amouot of energy since the slag is smelted above 1873K [6]. With a view of minimising the amouot of energy and S02 emission during metal recovery, our investigation involves roasting the sulphide concentrates in the presence of lime and reducing the roasted samples with carbon."

Jan 1, 2013