Search Documents

By P. M. Tait, N. A. Warner

"The refining of thermally produced zinc is currently performed using a highly energy intensive and arguably outmoded process, distilling zinc under atmospheric pressure at temperatures of 900°C to 1000°C. In order to produce refined zinc more profitably and with less environmental impact a new process has been proposed. This process is generic to all thermal zinc smelters and aims to match the purity of zinc from current technology (99.99%-99.999%). The objective is to perform all separation processes using only the heat contained in the smelter product stream. Vacuum conditions are extensively used lowering operating temperatures and enhancing separations. As part of this process zinc is distilled under vacuum from high concentration obtaining a refined product with respect to lead content. A mathematical model has been developed from fundamental principles to describe this stage, the distillation of zinc across a temperature difference between two circulating zinc streams in open channels under vacuum. Heat for the distillation is supplied by the liquid phase, necessitating a large recycle to maintain high operating temperatures, and keep zinc concentrations high. In determining this model and the operating conditions required, relationships between temperature, pressure and composition are considered.IntroductionCurrent technology (the Refluxer) used to refine thermally produced zinc is both expensive and highly inefficient. At present 80% of the worlds zinc is produced via the electrolytic process reflecting the poorer performance of the thermal route, the zinc-lead blast furnace and Refluxer. A new process is proposed to overcome the drawbacks of current processes. These drawbacks are both economic and environmental. The Refluxer requires 6.6 GJ of energy to refine one tonne of SHG zinc 1, other disadvantages of the Refluxer stem from high operating temperature, around 900°C, and liquid zinc being highly corrosive towards ferrous metals. The Refluxer is constructed from silicon carbide sections which join together by means of flat machined faces making liquid metal leaks inevitable. The Refluxer columns are very sensitive to thermal cycling, thermal shock and mechanical vibration, which easily lead to structural failure. To avoid thermal stress on the columns the feed rate and feed temperature need to be kept constant which means the feed baths to the columns must be able to accept solid and liquid feed as the Refluxer has to operate when the smelter is shut down."

Jan 1, 1998

By J. E. Allen

The trend in refractory technology for the copper and nickel industries has been to higher quality raw materials and improved processing technology. These changes have been dictated by the changes in pyrometallurgical processes in these industries. For example the introduction of flash smelting, reaction type smelting and auxiliary slag cleaning furnaces havedemanded better refractories materials. Extensive field applications and improved laboratory testing procedures have helped make this transition possible. Changes in refractory technology, primarily in basic refractories, are followed from the late fifties to the present and into the future.

Jan 1, 1994

By Hiroyuki Matsuura

Treatment of electric arc furnace (EAF) dusts has become an important issue from the viewpoint of the environmental protection and recycling of variable resources because these dusts contain considerable amount of zinc and lead. A new recovery process of these metals has been proposed, in which the metals in the dusts react with waste polyvinyl chloride to form metal chlorides. Therefore, it is important to clarify the physicochemical properties and behaviors of zinc, lead and those chlorides and oxychlorides. In the present study, the kinetics of chlorination of ZnO, PbO and ZnFe2O4 mainly contained in the EAF dusts were investigated at 1023 K to 1273 K with Ar-O2-Cl2 gas. Based on these results, the selective chlorination and evaporation process of zinc and lead from the mixture of Fe2O3-ZnFe2O4-ZnO-PbO was examined and the high efficiency of selectivity has been demonstrated.

Jan 1, 2006

By Vinod K. Namilakonda

In situ synthesis of discontinuously reinforced aluminum alloy metal matrix composites was investigated. Aluminum alloy (A356: Al-7 wt% Si) was reinforced with dispersed AlN particles. Thermodynamic calculations were made for the composition determination of various phases formed during bubbling of NH3 gas into the Al alloy melts in the temperature range 1173-1473 K. Experiments were carried out for in situ production of AlN particles with the reaction between Al melt and NH3 gas in high temperature resistance furnace at 1473 K. The products were characterized using SEM, EDS and XRD. Effect of bubbling time of NH3 gas on the AlN formed in the composites was studied. The amount of AlN reinforcement in the Al alloy composites was observed to be in the range of 5 to 35 wt%. Good agreement was observed between the experimental and thermodynamic calculated data on the composition of AlN in Al alloy composites.

Jan 1, 2006

By Shuqiang Guo, Xionggang Lu, Yuyang Bian, Weizhong Ding, Lan Jiang, Kai Tang, Changyuan Lu

For recovery of rare earth elements from the NdFeB based permanent magnet scraps, a high temperature process was used. Permanent magnets scraps were firstly oxidized in air. The optimal oxidation conditions under air are at temperature of 700oC holding for 30min. After the oxidation process, the oxides were reduced by graphite crucible at 1500oC under Ar atmosphere. By this way, the rare earth elements were recovered in the form of oxides, and Fe was separated to the metal phase. Boron distributed in both the rare earth oxides (REO) containing slag and the metal phase. In order to reduce the boron contents in the rare earth oxides, the carbon saturated iron bath and NdFeB added carbon saturated iron bath were used to refine the slag. By this process, the rare earth oxides with a comparatively high purity of 98.2% were gotten.

Jan 1, 2015

The paper concerns an unconventional, yet promising, use of waste magnesite dust and fines. In India a significant amount of this dust is generated from some of the integrated iron and steel industries, refractory and cement plants, during calcination of raw magnesite. However. it is possible to utilize this dust, which is normally a waste, conveniently and economically for the production of magnesium. chemicals. A bench scale study was carried out to determine the rate of formation of sulfated com¬pounds of Mg.Ca,and Fe, inter alla, present in the dust system containing MeO constituents (in which Me=Mg.Ca,Fe,Si,Al etc.) Effects of various process parameters, which affect the reaction rate as also the purity of the product ,were also studied. Some work carried out to develop the process flow charts involving the salient steps to produce magnesium chemicals commercially is reported in the paper .

Jan 1, 1992

By K. Gao, R. Dry

"Carbon boil, which results in excessive spitting and even complete destruction of a metal drop, could significantly influence the efficiency of direct smelting processes. Carbon boil has been studied as a function of some key parameters such as melt sulfur content, oxygen partial pressure, and melt area/volume ratio. The time of carbon boil was determined using a CCO camera coupled with a time/date generator connected in parallel to a video recorder and a computer. The time of carbon boil was in the range ~5 - 15 seconds under the conditions in this study. A mechanism for carbon boil has been proposed.IntroductionThe occurrence of carbon boil in molten iron drops can result in excessive spitting and sometimes even complete destruction of a metal drop. In direct iron smelting processes, this could significantly influence the decarburisation of liquid metal and the post combustion and hence may influence the efficiency of smelting processes. The generation and consequent ejection of metal droplets into the gas phase occurs due to the intense turbulence in the bath which results from the injection of gases and coal. The aim of this investigation is to understand the fundamentals governing the carbon boil phenomenon under direct iron smelting conditions to assist control of process efficiency.Carbon boil phenomenon has been studied as a function of some key parameters such as melt sulfur content, oxygen partial pressure and melt area/volume ratio. The time for the occurrence of carbon boil has been determined in this study at 1440 °C using a novel approach which includes utilisation of a CCD camera coupled with a time/date generator connected in parallel to a video recorder and a computer. This arrangement permits the capture of the entire sequence of events leading up to carbon boil and therefore the determination of time of boil which is in the range -5 - 15 seconds under the conditions in this study."

Jan 1, 1996

By Richard D. Hagni

Reflected light microscopy is routinely applied to the study of ore minerals and textures in polished sections prepared from a wide variety of ore specimens. With the increasing interest in environmental problems, the important role of the reflected light microscope in the precise phase identifications and the determination of the textural relationships between those phases needs to be recognized. Among other environmental applications, the microscope has been applied to the recognition of lead smelter particles from remote collect sites in Missouri and those particles have been compared to dust particles from specific localities at the nearby lead sinter plant and lead blast furnace. Dust from a secondary copper refinery has been studied for its mineralogy. Soils in the vicinity of a Missouri lead smelter have been studied for their mineralogy in preparation to the clean up of those soils. Electric arc furnace (EAF) dusts, recently classified as hazardous waste by the EPA, have been examined for their mineralogy and textural intergrowth in order to better evaluate proposed metallurgical treatment procedures to render the dust non-hazardous. The initial products from experimental metallurgical treatment of EAF dusts also have been studied to aid in determining the effectiveness of those treatment procedures. Refractory gold sulfides that have been roasted in the presence of lime to retain environmental objectionable sulfur and arsenic while recovering the gold have been studied by RLM to determine their mineralogy, porosity, and permeability for cyanide leach solutions. These case histories illustrate the applicability of ore microscopy to the study of problems related to environmental concerns.

Jan 1, 1995

By cheng Peng-fei, TANG Hai-yan, guo Xiao-chen, LI Jing-she, Liang Yong-cang, Zhao Baojun

In the process of oxygen blast furnace, the lower coke ratio and the higher coke load make the skeleton coke more important. To understand the dissolution of coke in melting and dropping zone, the influence of FeO content, temperature and reaction time on the dissolution of coke with slag were studied by single-factor experiment. Meanwhile, the three factors and three levels orthogonal were conducted. The dissolution degrees were characterized by the weight loss ratio and diameter variation. The results showed that the weight loss ratio increased and the diameter decreased with the increase of FeO content, temperature and time. The three factors and three levels orthogonal test showed that time was the most significant factor on coke dissolution, FeO content of the second, and finally the temperature. The microstructure of coke after reaction indicated that the dissolution occurred on coke surface.

Jan 1, 2016

By Jose Castro

The growing demand of scrap to supply the electric arc furnace has driven to search for new alternatives of raw material. The DRI produced using self-reducing pellets has become competitive due to the potential use of a wide range of carbonaceous materials such as coal, charcoal, biomass etc. In this context, the rotary kiln process using improved technologies such as post-combustion and self-reducing burden is a promising source of high quality raw materials. This paper presents a mathematical model of the rotary kiln process designed for self-reducing pellets and post-combustion. The model is based on the transport equation of two-phase flow, energy and mass transfer. The solid material is composed of a typical self-reducing pellet. The model considers the solid phase (C, volatiles, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, FeO, Fe, H2O, SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, P2O5, K2O, Na2O, FeS, CaO and gangue) and the gas phase (N2, O2, CO, CO2, H2, H2O, SO, SO2 and SiO). For each of the above components a conservation equation is solved and the mass and energy transport is accounted. The set of differential equations are coupled by the rate equations describing the kinetics of the several reactions, which take place within the rotary kiln. All the conservation equations are solved based on the finite volume method applied for a three-dimensional cylindrical coordinate system. Simulation results are presented for global parameters such as metallization degree, productivity, gas utilization ratio and calorific value. Inner conditions such as three-dimensional gas and solid temperature patter and compositions are discussed.

Jan 1, 2006

By R. G. Reddy

Viscosities of alkaline metal oxide-silicate melts were estimated using our previously developed mathematical model. The structural based model considers depolymerization effects and related breakdown of the silicate network structure, on the addition of metal oxides to the melt. The developed expression: n =4.9x10 9 NO 0 T ½ exp(E/RT) poise was used to calculate the viscosities of various binary silicate systems such as, CaO-SiO,, MgO-SiO, and MnO-SiO,, as a function of temperature and composition. Excellent agreement was obtained between the calculated and experimentally determined viscosities.

Jan 1, 1991

By Yoichi Takeda

Copper solubility in Si02-CaO-FeOx slag equilibrated with copper matte in 10% S02 atmosphere at 1573K was estimated. Essential parameters are activity coefficients of copper oxide and sulfide, oxygen and sulfur potentials and activity of copper in the slag-matte system. A large number of experiments provide proper parameters to calculate copper solubility in slag. A classical thermodynamic model postulating CUOO.5 and CuSo.; molecules assists in estimating copper solubility in slag. Additions of Si02 and CaO reduce copper solubility almost in any condition. Copper loss, that is function copper solubility and slag volume, in the silica saturated Si02-FeOx binary slag is minimally equilibrated with less than 66% copper matte while copper loss in the 50% FeOx-SiOrCaO ternary slag saturated with 2CaOSi02 is minimally equilibrated with over 66% copper matte. This slag composition has potential for continuous copper converting, direct copper production or high-grade matte production.

Jan 1, 2003

By E. T. White, Dean Ilievski

"Mathematical modelling of the precipitation process requires that the kinetics of crystal growth, nucleation and agglomeration be known. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge on these precipitation sub-processes (ie. growth, nucleation and agglomeration) and describes a number of experimental techniques for estimating their kinetics. The experimental methods used to generate the precipitation data and the data analysis techniques used to extract the kinetics information from the data are discussed separately. There is no universal ""best"" technique for determining the kinetics. However, studies on multi-crystal systems are more reliable for modelling purposes than are single crystal studies. The selection of a technique will depend on which sub-processes are present. A problem with all kinetics studies is that there is generally a large uncertainty in the estimated kinetic parameters. This stems from the scatter in the experimental data being further propagated by the mathematical techniques used to extract the kinetic parameters.IntroductionCrystallisation operations, including precipitation, are widely used in a number of hydrometallurgical processes to recover a desired component or to remove an undesired impurity. The goals of industrial precipitation processes are to maximise the recovery while maintaining product quality (generally product crystal size distribution, purity and morphology and product handling properties). Knowledge of the precipitation mechanisms and kinetics is invaluable for designing new precipitators or for improving existing units. The mechanistic and kinetic information is generally incorporated into mathematical precipitator models, which are then used for process design and optimisation."

Jan 1, 1996

By Chen Wen, Li Zhao-jia, Zhao Qiang, Ning Shun-ming, Tang Sanchuan, Wang Hong-qiang

"The carbon-burdened and cold-bonded pelletizing-electrosmelting process is used to dispose low-grade manganese, and the qualified rich-manganese slag is obtained. On the condition that reduction roasting temperature was 1000?, reduction time was 45min, particle-size was -1mm, reductant dosage was 1.6%, basicity was 0.3, smelting temperature was 1410?, smelting time was 60min, it had a good effect on the melting between slag and metallographic phase, the manganese content was 32.58%, manganese recovery was 92.16% in the slag; while the iron content was 94.40%, iron recovery was 95.32% in the metallographic phase. It was proved by the demonstration tests.IntroductionManganese is an important raw material for steelmaking, which is extensively utilized in modern industry, the consumption of manganese for iron and steel industry accounts for 90% to 95%. After mining over 30 years, the high-grade manganese resources drop markedly, especially with the hypergrowth of steel industry, the domestic manganese is far from the requirement, as a result, we have to buy significant quantities of manganese overseas. Besides, the property of imported manganese is more and more complex, and the high-grade and lump manganese decrease year by year, while the fines and high-crystal water manganese are on the increase. Therefore, how to make effective use of domestic low-grade manganese and intensify the manganese’s smelting is an effective approach to reduce the cost of manganese series ferroalloy and improves market competitiveness[1-4]. It has important practical meaning."

Jan 1, 2012

By K. Lillkung, O. Forsen, J. Aromaa

"The dissolution rates of Pt, Pd and Rh in 250 g/L NaCl solution were calculated from the current densities determined by polarization curves and potentiostatic measurements measured with wire electrodes at atmospheric pressure. The results achieved with the two methods were similar. The dissolution rates at the corrosion potential were in the order of few nanometers per hour. The polarization curves indicated that to achieve dissolution rates required for economical operation on an industrial scale, the samples need to be polarized to higher potentials. When polarized to higher potentials, the metal dissolution rates were in the order of micrometers per hour. As the Tafel slopes of the metal dissolution region are fairly steep, the potential affects the dissolution rate greatly. Based on the activation energies, the dissolution reactions were controlled by a charge transfer step.IntroductionPlatinum group metals (PGM) have some very unique properties such as their inertness, giving excellent corrosion resistance, and a high melting point. At the same time, these factors make the refining of these metals very challenging. The main applications where PGMs are used are different catalytic converters, mostly in automotive catalysts. The used catalysts are also an attractive secondary source of PGMs. The exact concentrations of PGMs in catalysts vary widely depending on the manufacturer, the age and the capacity of the catalyst. The concentration of Pt in a new catalytic converter range from 300 to 1000 ìg/g, Pd from 200 to 800 ìg/g and Rh from 50 to 100 ìg/g [1]. Precious metal catalysts usually consist of a coat of the metal supported on ã- alumina. The recovery of metals from automotive catalysts has received much attention during the last few years [1-3]. In the near future, the use of PGMs in fuel cells is predicted to increase the amount of secondary PGMs available [4]."

Jan 1, 2012

By Gregor Kücher

Lack of basic knowledge on the semi-direct recycling methods for hard metals hinders the application on an industrial scale. However, advantages like reduced expenses and lower environmental impact draw interest at future potentials. Consequently, this report aims to offer insight into the influence of varying bulky hard metal substrates during their lixiviation in acidic media with an oxidant. The statistical software Modde 11 assisted in the development of a design of experiments (DOE) for evaluation of the impact of average grain size, binder and tantalum carbide (TaC) content on the leaching characteristics. The other experimental parameters were constant. Among them were temperature, solution concentration and quantity, duration and substrate surface exposed to liquid volume. Eventually, prediction plots and factors of the computed model equation describe the effects of varying substrate qualities on leached binder metal and selectivity.

By Y. A. Chang, L. M. Pike, C. R. Kao

"Knowledge of the site preference of ternary solute additions is essential to developing an understanding of how these solutes affect the properties of B2 intermetallic compounds. A quasichemical model will be presented which is able to predict the site preferences of dilute solute additions to tliple defect B2 compounds. The only parameters required are enthalpies of formation at the stoichiometric composition. General equations are developed which can be used to determine site occupations and defect concentrations for dilute as well as non-dilute solute additions. These equations use atom pair bond enthalpies as the parameters. It is found that the site preferences of dilute additions are not always in agreement with predictions based on the solubility lobes in ternary Gibbs isothelms. Predictions for dilute additions to NiAl and FeAl are compared to expel1mental results found in the literature. Satisfactory correlation is found between the model and the experimental results. In addition, the predictions from the model on vacancy concentrations in Fe doped NiAl are compared to recent experimental results by the authors.1.0 IntroductionIntennetallic compounds with the B2 crystal structure such as NiAl and FeAl have been investigated recently for possible use as structural materials in high temperature, oxidizing, and/or corrosive environments. The major limiting property of these materials has been a lack of sufficient room temperature ductility. Attempts to improve the ductility have often been made through ternary or higher order alloying. For B2 compounds, substitutional alloying additions can occupy either of the two sublattices and this site occupancy can be crucial in determining how the alloying addition affects the properties of the alloy. In this manuscript we will discuss the use of thelmodynamic modeling to predict the site occupancies of ternary alloying additions in B2 compounds with the triple defect structure."

Jan 1, 1996

By Shenghui Guo, Jian Chen, Hongbo Zhu, Jinhui Peng, Linqing Dai, Qianxu Ye

"Response surface method (RSM) based on mono-factor experiment was applied for the process optimization of sintering of chromite fines by microwave. In RSM analysis, effects of binder addition amount, sintering temperature and holding time on the compression strength and shatter strength of the sinter were examined. Results showed that the optimal values of the above parameters were determined as follows: binder addition amount of 1.90% (in mass), sintering temperature of 1153? and holding time of 16 min. Under the optimized conditions, the compression strength was 11155.8? and shatter strength was 95.6849%. The results show that the process was optimized by response surface methodology is stable and feasible, and provide a new way for sintering of chromite fines.IntroductionChromite ore is the main feedstock for ferrochrome, and ferrochrome can be used as steelmaking additive to produce a variety of great strength, corrosion resistant and oxidation resistant special steel, which can be widely used in the aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, military departments[1], and it has important strategic significance. At present, among the annual world's mined chromite the number of lump ore continues to diminish with its price rising sharply, while the proportion of ore fines been always increased, and the difference in prices between ore fines and lump ore is growing[2]. Despite the low price of chromite fines, and its rich in resources, it can be only used for ferrochrome smelting after agglomeration. Thus manufacturing blocks by using cheap chromite fines is an effective measure to reduce the cost of ferrochrome production and use the chromite resources[3]."

Jan 1, 2013

By Rejane Tubino Geyer

The volume of electric arc furnace (EAF) plus oxygen (BOF) slag produced yearly in the world is about 84 million ton. Because of this, the study of recycling processes as a way to solve the storage problem of these slags rise in importance. There are, however, some inconvenients on using this byproduct: lime, which takes part of the process of steel production, remains as a non-reactive raw product in the slag. Since lime reacts in presence of humidity, forming expansive compounds, slag use is strongly limited. There are some utilizations for the electric arc furnace and oxygen slag in the Civil Construction Industry, mainly as base, subbase and asphalt covering in highways. However, independently of the type of recycling, a period of "cure" of about six months is necessary. Because of this slow cure process this byproduct may turn non-competitive in some regions if compared, for example, with the natural aggregate. The objective of this work is to present the flowsheet of the slags production as a residue both at the electric and oxygen steel plants and, through a bibliographic review, to analize the possibilities and limiting factors for the use of steelmaking slags in the Civil Construction Industry.

Jan 1, 1996

By László I. Kiss, Verena Mackowiak, Alexandre Perron, Dominic Toulouse, Alicia Liedtke, Sándor Poncsák

"Bubbles play a very important role in different metallurgical applications like for example in electrowinning. During heterogeneous nucleation, the maximal size of the bubbles growing at the nucleation sites as well as the nucleation frequency is determined by the so-called detachment condition. Detachment occurs when the external forces acting on the bubble exceed the retaining forces along the solid-gas-liquid triple interface line. The phenomenon depends strongly on the shape and orientation of the solid surface and on the nature and strength of the external buoyancy and drag forces. In the present study the detachment conditions of bubbles from downward facing horizontal and inclined plates were studied experimentally under the effect of gravitational and hydrodynamic forces. The results show the deformation of the bubbles under the effect of the external forces and the detachment conditions as function of the bubble volume.IntroductionIn heterogeneous nucleation bubbles are generated at the so-called nucleation sites along the solid-liquid interfaces. They continue to grow there and after they reached a certain size they detach from the solid surface and leave the nucleation site. This scenario is well known both in boiling and electrolysis. During the growth period a stable equilibrium exists between the forces that retain the bubble at the nucleation site and the forces that try to remove it. This equilibrium evolves with the increasing volume of the bubble to the point when the detachment forces overcome the retaining forces.The life of a single bubble generated by heterogeneous nucleation can be divided into two periods separated by the detachment - or in other words by the departure - of the bubble: first the growth at the nucleation site and then the movement away. The knowledge of the detachment conditions makes possible the determination of the maximal volume of the bubble at the nucleation site that, in tum, makes possible the determination of the nucleation frequency. This is why so many researches have been directed toward the clarification of the details of the bubble detachment in the past decades. The equilibrium between the attaching and separating forces depend on the presence of body, surface and flow induced forces in the liquid, on the geometry and orientation of solid surface, on the properties of the solid-liquidgas system etc."

Jan 1, 2004