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By Feng Liu

A thermal upgrading process by which nickel value can be concentrated in a ferronickel alloy is a possible alternative to treat Sudbury pyrrhotite (Po) tailings with nickel content of 0.5–1.5 wt%. The basis of this process is precipitation of Ni from Po at high temperature once Fe/S ratio in the iron-deficient Po is shifted towards stoichiometric or near stoichiometric FeS (troilite) either by the addition of iron and/or the removal of sulfur. For the iron addition route, the reaction between elemental iron and nickeliferous pyrrhotite to produce ferronickel alloy and Ni-depleted iron sulfide phase plays a critical rule. In this paper, the formation mechanism of ferronickel alloy was investigated using the diffusion couple technique to better understand the nickel diffusion behavior in the iron and sulfide phases.

By Xin Li, Hai-Xing Fang, Bing Xie, Hong-Yi Li

Chromium-containing vanadium slag (V-Cr slag) was obtained by an industrial smelting process of Hongge Ore, which is valuable vanadium-titanium magnetite to extract V and Cr in China. Sodium roasting thermodynamics of V-Cr slag in presence of oxygen were calculated to evaluate the reactivity of chemical compounds. Results showed that the oxidation of FeV2O4 was intensified in presence of Na2CO3 while the oxidation tendency of FeCr2O4 was far lower than that of FeV2O4. It was probably that reactions of impurities including Al2O3, SiO2 and Fe2O3 with Na2CO3 happened and the products can promote the oxidation of vanadium or chromium compounds in lower valence. Based on thermodynamic analysis, a two-step selective extraction process of vanadium and chromium was proposed. Extraction rate of vanadium was 88.6% while 7.0% for chromium in the first extraction step; extraction rate of 90.7% and 95.4% for vanadium and chromium, respectively, were obtained in the second step.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. Krishna, Jayagopal Uchi1, Shanta Sastry, B. M. Satish

"A well-considered composite of ZA-27 reinforced with weight percentage 0, 2, 4, and 6% of alwninite particulate has been made by compocasting technique. The elastic properties of ZA- 27 /alwniniute particulate composite were determined by using U1M. The results showed that the modulus of elasticity and UTS of the composite gradually increases with increase in the wt.% of reinforcement. However, the overall ductility decreased monotonically with an increase in reinforcement. The results of these tests· as well as the predictions of several model~ for composite strengthening available in the literature were compared with experimental results. The data observed from Young's modulus by measurements studies were compared with theoretical results predicted by Eshelby model.IntroductionMetal matrix composites (MMCs) have received increasing attention in _the recent decades as engineering materials. The introduction of a ceramic reinforcement into a metal matrix produces a composite material resulting in an attractive combination of physical and mechanical properties that cannot be obtained with monolithic alloys. Particulate reinf9rced MMCs among the discontinuously reinforced MMCs have attracted quite a lot of attention both in the industrial sectors and the academic communities. There is an increasing need for knowledge about the processing techniques and mechanical behavior of particulate MMCs in view of their production getting enhanced and their commercial applications becoming wider [I]. Interest in particulate reinforced MMCs is mainly due to easy availability of particles and economical processing techniqu"

Jan 1, 2000

By Takayuki Watanabe, Yoshiki Shimizu, Yusuke Moriyoshi

"B-C-N nanotubes prepared by a flush evaporation method using a de arc plasma were mainly characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy· loss spectroscopy (EELS). The nanotubes obtained· were divided into three types such as carbon boron nitride and carbon or carbon nanotubes surrounded with boron nitride nanotubes. These types of nanotubes were obtained at higher temperatures than about 3000 K, however, these were not formed at lower temperatures than about 3000K. On the other hand, 11anocapsules were· formed at all the experimental temperatures and nanocapsules with a homogeneous phase were obtained at lower temperatures than about 3000 K. The effect of additives on the formation of B-C-N nanotubes was not clear. Based on these experimental data depending on temperatures and corresponding microstructures, the formation mechanisms of both nanotubes and nanocapsules were briefly .discussed 1 Introduction As reported previously, nano tubes have unique electrical properties1, 3) The preparations of nallotupes have been usually carried out by flush evaporation methods using either a de arc plasma or a laser4 -5) By these methods the reaction rate is so rarid that we have no data of intermediate products between initial raw materials and. final products of nanotubes 6-9). So, the formation mechanisms of nanotubes have been mainly speculated only from the microstructures of resultant nanoiubes. In order to have more reliable formation mechanisms, it is particularly important to have the information of intermediate products at the corresponding temperatures. From the viewpoints, we have studied about the effects of temperatures on the preparation of nanolubes. Here we report mi firstly some problems on the preparation of B-C-N nanotubes 10), secondly the effects of temperatures on the preparation of B-C-N nanotubes, and finally the formation mechanisms of nanotubes."

Jan 1, 2000

By C. M. Acuña

At the Chuquicamata Division of Codelco-Chile high arsenic concentrates are produced, which at the smelter are processed via the Outokumpu Flash Furnace and Teniente Converters to obtain copper mattes. In the case of the Teniente Converters the production of matte grade near white metal composition is a common practice since the eighties and provided in the pyrometallurgical route no appropiate measures are taken, penalties have to be paid because of arsenic content in the anodes. During smelting huge volume of slag is produced and elimination of arsenic by slagging at this step is not economically attractive. Although during fire refining is possible to eliminate arsenic by use of mixtures of calcium and sodium carbonates this alternative is expensive, takes long process time and decreases the lifetime of the refractory lining. In spite of these facts a reasonably way to control arsenic in metal, and therefore in the anode, is taking, action in the converting step. The effects of oxygen and arsenic content in metal, arsenic in white metal and basicity index of the slag upon the distribution coefficient of arsenic between metal and slag were investigated at pilot and industrial levels. The best results are obtained for metals around 7,000 ppm oxygen and 0.3 basicity index slag, which results in a 5.7 distribution coefficient for a 5,800 - 7,100 ppm arsenic content in white metal, 18%-24% CaO slag at 1473 - 1523K. Furthermore, no significant/visible refractory wear has been realized.

Jan 1, 1999

By Fumito Tanaka

The Converting Furnace (C-furnace) of the Mitsubishi process has solely provided opportunities for producing blister copper continuously from molten matte. Continuous converting originates from the proven technology for controlling the behavior of magnetite in lime-ferrite slag of the CaO-FeOX-Cu2O system. Recent improvements in the C-furnace operation have included the slag controls reflecting the impact of minor oxides on magnetite behavior. Although previous investigations focused on magnetite behavior, sulfur has also affected the C-furnace operation because it is of practical importance to avoid the precipitation of gypsum from lime-ferrite slag and the separation of matte from blister copper. This paper will quantify the behavior of sulfur in C-furnace with respect to the gypsum formation and matte separation, and discuss better controls for C-furnace operation.

Jan 1, 2006

By Kimio Itagaki, Makoto Ohtsuka, Kouki Chiba, Minoru Matsumoto

"The properties of Ni-Mn-Ga films such as chemical composition, crystal structure, microstructure and transformation temperature were investigated with respect to sputtering conditions in the present study. The Ni-Mn-Ga films were deposited on a polyvinyl alcohol substrate with a radio-frequency magnetron sputtering apparatus using the NisoMn2sGa2s and Nis2Mn:«1Ga24 targets. After separating from the substrates, the films were annealed at the temperature between 873 and 1273 K for 3.6 ks. The chemical composition of the films depended on the radiofrequency generating power, however, there was no dependence on the heat treatment temperature. Each deposited film had a columnar grain structure. After heat treatment, the width of columnar grains widened and then became indistinct with increasing heat treatment temperature. The Heusler type cubic crystal structure of the fi4n with heat treatment at 1073 K changed to the tetragonal one through the martensitic structural transformation during cooling. The martensitic structural transformation temperature increased with increasing nickel content of films, while the Curie temperature decreased. The film obtained at 200 W using the Nis2Mn24Ga24 target after heat treatment at 1073 K showed one-way shape memory effect through the reverse martensitic structural transformation during heating.IntroductionThe ternary intermetallic compound NiiMnGa has a Heusler-type crystal structure and is an intelligent material, which has a shape memory effect and a ferromagnetic property. The martensitic structural transformation occurs within the ferromagnetic temperature region. The cubic crystal structure of L21 at high temperature changes to a tetragonal one through the martehsitic structural transformation during cooling. The films of this compound can be applied for an actuator of micro-machines."

Jan 1, 2000

By Rodney T. Jones

DC arc furnaces were first used industrially for the reductive smelting of chromite fines to produce ferrochromium thirty years ago. Since then, they have been used for a variety of applications, including the smelting of ilmenite to produce titania slag and pig iron, the recovery of cobalt from non-ferrous smelter slags, and the smelting of nickel laterite ores to produce ferronickel. The power of these furnaces has increased from 12 MW to 72 MW for ferrochromium, and to 80 MW for ferronickel. The largest of these furnaces requires two electrodes to carry sufficient current to generate this much power. A review is presented of various DC arc furnaces in use, along with a discussion of the likely ways in which furnace power might be increased further in the future.

Jan 1, 2014

By QinGuo, Shenghui Guo, Lei Li, Jinhui Peng, Linqing Dai, Libo Zhang

The ferrous removal process after carbothermic reduction of chromite fines with microwave heating combined with leaching was investigated. Under the following conditions: Reaction temperature: 1150 , Reaction time : 40min, Semi coke ratio: 12% , the iron content of the reduction product : 13.05% . Metallization achieved was 52.7%. Reduced chromite was leached with 8% of H2SO4 and FeCl3 aqueous solution. The results show that: the recovery rate of chromium can reach 88.06%, the mass ratio of chromium to iron is 3.5:1 for leaching 30 minutes with 8% of H2SO4; the recovery rate of chromium can reach 88.91%, the mass ratio of chromium and iron is 2.56:1 for leaching 4h at room temperature with FeCl3 aqueous solution (100g/L). The leaching time of latter is longer but can realize the circulation effectively and reduce the waste liquid processing problem.1

Jan 1, 2016

By Tsembel Darjaa, Toru H. Okabe, Yoshiaki Umetsu

"With the purpose of extracting molybdenum and rhenium from molybdenum sulfide concentrate; .electrolysis of slurry, solvent extraction and ·precipitation operations were carried out. The slurry of the concentrate in 10 mass% NaCl aqueous solution was continuously circulated into a vertical type 10 stack bipolar electrolytic cell consisted of carbon electrode disks, and, the concentrate was dissolved by electrochemically generated oxidizers at 313 K. The current efficiency for molybdenum dissolution was 73 % after 10 hours electrolysis, and the leach solution was found to contain 0.2 mol/l of molybdenum and 4x10-5 mol/l rhenium. This result shows the dissolution is more than 8 times faster than that obtained using a single cell. The leach solution from electro-oxidation was then subjected to a solvent extraction for rhenium which is then recovered as sulfides. After rhenium separation, molybdenum was precipitated by pH adjustment, and solid MoO3 (H2O)x crystals, free of sulfate, were obtained from the leach solution containing large amount of so42-.IntroductionIn the past, electro-oxidation using a bipolar cell was applied for leaching molybdenite concentrate and ores at U. S. Bureau of Mines [1-3] and also at Bhabha Atomic Research Center [4]. In· these previous studies, Moebious type bipolar cells, in which electrode plates were vertically inserted into the free surface of the electrolyte, were employed and its effectiveness was demonstrated.Recently, the present authors studied on leaching of Mongolian molybdenite concentrate, and the effectiveness of leaching of the concentrate by electro-oxidation in alkaline and acidic NaCl solutions was demonstrated [5]. The leaching reaction during the process can be explained by the 18 electron transfer reaction of molybdenite (MoS2) with the oxidizers produced in-situ by electrolysis of NaCl aqueous solution. Further investigation was made with respect to various process parameters for electrooxidation such as pH, pulp density and temperature of the slurry, and the dissolution behavior of minor elements such as iron, copper, and rhenium [6]. Solubilities of molybdenum in the leach solution at, various temperatures and pH .was · studied, and feasibility of molybdenum recovery by hydrolysis of molybdenum species was demonstrated. By adjusting the pH of the leach solution, molybdenum oxides or hydroxides free from sulfate were successfully obtained from the solution containing large amount of sulfate ion. Rhenium present in the concentrate at a level of several tens of mass ppm was found to dissolve into the leach solution, and co-precipitate with the molybdenum compounds. Rhenium in the leach solutions, therefore, has to be recovered before precipitation of molybdenum, otherwise it is lost in the precipitate."

Jan 1, 2000

By K. Suseelan Nair

Magnesium alloys containing rare earths are finding increasing applications in space programmes. A number of alloys have been developed and e good data base an the mechanical properties of these alloys is available. However details on metallurgical aspects are found to be sparse in, literature. This paper, at first, briefly reviews the available data on these alloys and subsequently presents the microstructural investigations conducted on quatenary fig-4.9% Zn-1% Rare earth-0.5% Zr cast alley, using optical metallic-graphy, electron probe micro-analysis and X-ray diffraction techniques.

Jan 1, 1989

By Shadia J. Ikhmayies

"Cadmium sulfide (CdS) in the form of thin films is an interesting material because it has a large variety of applications ranging from photovoltaic to luminescent devices. N-type CdS is usually used as a window layer in the heterojunction CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells. A review of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra ofn-type CdS thin films prepared by different techniques was performed. The effects of different dopants and impurities and the effects of temperature and deposition parameters on the PL spectra were discussed. Annealing in different atmospheres causes the changes in material structure and phase change from cubic to hexagonal phase which can be detected through the variations in the PL spectra. CdCh heat treatment improves the cystallinity of the films and enhances the exciton peaks and the green band in the PL spectra.IntroductionThin CdS films deserve attention because their expected gap emission lies very close to the highest sensitivity of the human eye. Thus, one might assume that thin CdS films are an appealing host for photonic devices [ l]. They have been used in a lot of applications including electronic and optoelectronic devices [2]. Thin films ofn-type CdS are widely used as a window layer in heterojunction solar cells such as CdS/CdTe solar cells. Doped and undoped CdS thin films can be obtained by different techniques such as; spray pyrolysis (SP) [3], chemical bath deposition (CBD) [2, 4], pulsed laser deposition [5, 6, 7], laser ablation [l], thermal evaporation [8].Several experimental techniques have been used in order to study semiconductor defects. In particular, photoluminescence (PL) has been shown as a powerful and sensitive tool in examining the crystal quality of polycrystalline thin films. PL can be used in the detection of defects which are radiative active. These defects can also act as traps in the transport of carriers [9]. The photoluminescence (PL) of thin film CdS is strongly influenced by the unbalanced stoichiometry, which is typical for CdS and is in general evoked by a Cd surplus. With increasing Cd content, the emission spectra move far below the gap to the red spectral range. Besides stoichiometry problems, independent of the material deposited, the PL properties of thin films depend on surface features and the influence of the interface between the film material and the substrate [10]."

Jan 1, 2013

By David Hughes

The paper covers the utilization of on-line analysis in process control of solvent extraction in nickel leach solvent extraction processes in Finland and Australia and in copper heap-leach and solvent extraction in Chile. The goals of and requirements for controlling the solvent extraction stages of the processes are reviewed. The applications at three plants are compared. The development of the technology used is reviewed and design considerations are discussed. Requirements for on-line control and analyzer performance are compared. A new generation of analyzers and its effect on the set-up process of a project is introduced.

Jan 1, 2003

By Gretel Parker

In situ Raman spectroscopic investigations of copper iron sulfides in leach solutions have been undertaken. Coupling potentiodynamic techniques to Raman spectroscopy produces a powerful tool for studying mineral surface response to changing conditions, while ESEM and high-vacuum techniques provide complementary ex-situ information on surface structure and composition. Oxidative acid leaching of chalcopyrite at ambient temperature yielded a product with S-S bonds that were shifted from those seen with covellite, with little evidence of elemental sulfur formation. Leaching of chalcopyrite led to non-homogeneous product distribution. Raman spectroscopy was able to identify the products formed on the mineral surfacein situ while leaching was occurring. Raman mapping and imaging demonstrated a surface distribution of the products which can be related to composition and structure changes of the mineral surface. The surface formed on chalcopyrite after anodic oxidation at 0.570 V vs. Ag/AgCl in 0.1 mol dm-3 HCl undergoes laser-induced transformation.

Jan 1, 2003

By Xinghui Meng

The leaching behavior of platinum powder in .iodide solutions under oxygen pressure in an autoclave was investigated. Ammonium salts were added to the leaching solution at neutral pH as a key lixiviant for platinum. The effect of temperature, partial pressure of oxygen, concentration of iodide and of arttmonium salts on the dissolution rate of platinum was examined. Under experimental conditions, the leaching behavior of platinum powder exhibited a complex reaction mechanism. A precipitate was found during the leaching process and was identified to be platinum ammine iodide, Pt(NH3hI4. The dissolution rate was controlled by a series of chemical reactions, the equilibrium concentration of the platinum ammine iodide being responsible for the ultimate limit to the recovery.

Jan 1, 1996

By Leonid M. Lerner

High temperature aluminum Alloy 8009 is a rapidly solidified/powder metallurgy aluminum-iron-vanadium-silicon alloy. This alloy in combination with hard oxide aluminum film has unique engineering properties which may recommend its use in compressors and impellers for aerospace applications. Various anodizing processes (including Sanford Low Voltage DC+AC Process) for these task will be evaluated and normal chemical composition, physical properties, and macrostructures of 8XXX aluminum alloys will be presented.

Jan 1, 2006

By V. Baltazar

The behaviour of arsenic and antimony during copper electrorefining was studied in order to identify the conditions under which good quality copper cathodes could be produced from anodes with high levels of these impurities. Examination of the effect of current density over the range 21 to 37 mA/cm2 indicated that the relative amounts of As and Sb entering the electrolyte affected the onset of passivation. When the ratio of As/Sb entering the electrolyte was greater than 2, the anodes showed no sign of passivation even at the highest current density; when the ratio was less than 2, the anodes passivated at 37 mA/cm2. Cathode analyses showed that anodes with an As/Sb dissolution ratio less than 2.0 tend to produce cathodes of inferior quality even at normal current densities (25.7 mA/cm2). The criterion of a minimum As/Sb dissolution ratio of 2.0, and mathematical correlations for the distribution of As and Sb between the electrolyte and slime developed in a previous study, allow the calculation of the maximum allowable Sb level in en anode for a given As concentration. Analyses of plant data at the CCR Division of Noranda Inc. for the last four years of operation have demonstrated that the use of this as a quality control tool has allowed the quality of copper cathodes to be maintained despite a significant increase in the average Sb levels in anode receipts.

Jan 1, 1987

By Jing Zhan

The fibrous precursor can be obtained by coordination precipitation process, using oxalate, cobalt chloride and ammonia. The composition and morphology of fibrous precursor were characterized by XRD, IR, DTA/TGA and SEM analysis. The results show that XRD pattern and composition of the precursor with fibrous morphology precipitated at pH=9.0 were different from that of ß-CoC2O4?2H2O precipitated at pH=1.0. The mechanism on the thermal decomposition of fibrous precursor was addressed. The influences of various conditions in pyrolysis, including the temperature, time, atmosphere, and the morphology of the precursor, on the morphology, average size and specific surface area of the Co powders were investigated in detailed. At last, the final product, fibrous cobalt powders with diameter about 0.3~0.5µm in size and 40~60 in aspect ratio, were produced by thermal decomposition at 400~500? in the weak reducing atmosphere. The structure of pores in cobalt powders was capillary tube with open ports and the majority was mesoporous.

Jan 1, 2009

By M. Potesser

In the primary and secondary copper industry the anode furnace is the most important process step in the refining procedure to reach an enhancement in value and quality of the copper by a selective oxidation and reduction. By combining the advantages of the conventional tilting hearth anode furnace and the benefits of the drum type anode furnace a new aggregate was developed and patented. The cross-section of the furnace is elliptical and the whole unit is tiltable. During the melting period, the contact surface between the burners and the bath or the scarp is enlarged - an increased energy input is the consequence. For the refining period the furnace is rotated, whereby a high bath level is guaranteed. Due to the longer residence time of the gas in the copper melt, not only the gas consumption is reduced but also the efficiency/quality of the refining process is improved. This investigation shows a metallurgical comparison between the new anode furnace concept with the elliptical profile/cross section and the conventional, tiltable hearth anode furnace as well as the drum type anode furnace. The CFD modeling of the currents in these different furnaces delivered helpful data to compare the geometry of the different furnaces. The investigation covered the refining of blister copper from primary metallurgy, from secondary metallurgy as well as from a mixture of both copper melts. The paper underlines the possibilities for a reduction of the tap-to-tap time and for an increase in production capacity, which can be achieved by applying the new furnace concept in comparison to the conventional furnaces.

Jan 1, 2006

By Yongxiang Yang

High temperature processing of raw materials in metals production and recycling often involves complex multi-phase fluid flow and heterogeneous chemical reactions at various scales. Good understanding of the process physics and chemistry is crucial for process operation and process development. The traditional scale-up process through laboratory scale ? pilot scale ? commercial scale route has been more and more complemented and partially replaced by full-scale process simulation. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become a very useful simulation tool in process research and development. At the same time industrial applications challenge the CFD development with its complex transport phenomena, often in large-scale reactors with small-scale physics and chemistry. The current paper discusses the applications of CFD to a number of high temperature metallurgical and materials processing applications. The research was carried out by using commercial CFD codes as the framework, and the emphasis was given to the special efforts for the development and implementations of sub-models with process-dependent physical and chemical characteristics. To illustrate the application of CFD simulation to high temperature metallurgical processes and coupling of sub-models to the general-purpose CFD codes, five examples are given: (1) melting of aluminium scrap in a rotary furnace for recycling, (2) molten hot metal flow in a heterogeneous coke-bed of a blast furnace hearth, (3) gas flow heat and mass transfer in a submerge electric arc furnace for phosphorus production, (4) high temperature incineration of hazardous waste in a rotary kiln, and (5) transient heating of metals in heat treatment furnaces.

Jan 1, 2006