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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'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 Junji Shibata

Zeolite synthesized from coal fly ash has many intelligent properties such as cation exchange, adsorption, catalyst and so on. The suitable use of the zeolite, however, is not established in an actual commercial scale yet. From the viewpoints of an effective usage of coal fly ash and the zeolite obtained from coal fly ash, we propose the new concept for environmentally friendly usage of zeolite, in which coal fly ash safely returns to the soil with growing plants and purifying wastewater. This method can make great contribution to recycle of coal fly ash, to purification of high nutritious water and to tree planting.

Jan 1, 2002

By K. C. Liddell, B. Dou

"In producing multilayer films for magnetic data storage applications, the interfacial roughness must be controlled in order to obtain high quality materials with reproducible properties. The present understanding of the effect of roughness on multilayer properties such as magnetoresistance is sketchy, particularly for electrodeposited films. In this study, quantitative atomic force microscopy was used to characterize surface morphology before and after Ni films of varying thickness were deposited on Cu cathodes. A multinuclear multilayer growth mechanism is supported by both the deposition conditions and the AFM images, and a multinuclear multilayer model gave a satisfactory fit to measurements of the density of peaks on ultrathin Ni films between 0 and 8 nm thick.Alloys consisting of alternating ferro-and paramagnetic layers have begun to replace Permalloy in the sensing elements of magnetic hard drives. The operating principle of the new read heads is giant magnetoresistance (GMR), and they are smaller and more sensitive than previous inductive heads (1). Experimental studies on sputtered multilayers have emphasized the role of layer thickness and interlayer roughness in determining the presence and size of the GMR effect (e.g., 2,3,4,5,6). However, roughness in electrodeposited multilayers has rarely been measured, even though read heads are likely to continue to be made by this process for some time to come. Cu/Ni can be considered a model system for understanding processing-microstructure-property relationships in electrodeposited multilayers and is the most widely investigated of all such systems (e.g., 7,8,9,10,11,12). Nevertheless, the roughness of the interfaces in Cu/Ni electrodeposits has not been systematically characterized by quantitative techniques, and in all studies reported so far, the total deposit thicknesses were considerably greater than the 10 nm needed for most sensor applications (1). The thinnest such films were about 50 nm (7)."

Jan 1, 1998

By S. K. Varma, Miriam Regalado, Daniel Salas, Erica Corral, Erika Esquivel

"Age hardenable 2014 aluminum alloys and composites containing 0.10 and 0.15 volume fractions of alumina particles (VFAP) have been solutionized at 540 and 550°C for up to 20 hours. The solutionized samples, heat treated for 5 and 20 hours, have been subjected to room temperature rolling until cracking develops. The work hardening curves have been compared to determine the effect of solutionizing time on the rolling characteristics from both hardness and the microstructural evolution points of view. Solutionizing at two different temperatures results in differences in the extent to which the composites can be rolled until fracture. The microstructural characterization by TEM has been performed to understand the room temperature rolling behavior.IntroductionThe effect of solutionizing on the age hardening response of 6061 and 2014 aluminum alloys and composites reinforced with 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 volume fractions of alumina particles (VFAP) have been reported in the literature [1-4]. A comparison of the monolith and composites indicates that particles promote the aging process through differences in the microstructures in solutionized condition. The first effect of solutionizing is to produce a grain growth process which follows a grain growth law (square of grain diameter as a function of solutionizing time). It appears that it is possible for vacancies to be emitted during grain growth period as they try to minimize the total grain boundary surface area by increasing their diameter. This may be common to both the monolith and the composites. However, the second effect must be exclusively considered for the composites. The particles generate dislocations during the solutionizing process due to the differences in the values of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the particles and aluminum base metal. It has been determined [1] that the dislocation density increases with increase in solutionizing time in the composites of 6061 aluminum alloys reinforced with 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 VFAP. The improved bonding between particles and matrix can give rise to additional generation of dislocations due to curvature effects [1] with the result that the dislocation density continues to increase with increase in solutionizing time even after the CTE effect is considered to have been stabilized."

Jan 1, 1998

By P. Aguirre

Recovery of zinc, copper and nickel from electroplating waste solutions was achieved 'by using a Pulsated Percolated Porous Electrode "3PE" reactor on a pilot plant scale. Intensity - potential curves were used to study the possibility of metal removal and to define the working potential range. The present study describes the use of the 3PE reactors in several electroplating industrial units for the decontamination of their effluents. These effluents were issued from different industrial solutions such as cyanide, sulfate, chloride and Watts baths. Using the stripping curves, deposition rates and electrical efficiencies were determined as function of the metal concentrations in these effluents. Their decontamination could be achieved to the level of few ppm of metals with reasonable current efficiencies. The recovery rates of zinc and copper were about 93 and 99 %, respectively. The. treated effluents contained less than 7 and 1 % of the initial contents of Zn and Cu, respec¬tively. This process allows the recycling of the recovered metals and leads to water saving.

Feb 13, 2014

By Hubert Bril, Priscilla Pareuil, François Bordas, Emmanuel Joussein, Jean-Claude Bollinger

"According to the legislation, valorization type, origin and characteristics of waste material, various standard procedures are available to evaluate environmental impacts. A Mn-rich slag was sampled from a metallurgical plant. After its characterization (elementary analysis and mineralogy), five standard procedures were carried out (i.e. TCLP, EN 12457-1). Each fixed parameter of the standards was systematically studied in a large range: pH, Liquid/Solid ratio, contact time. For example, EN 12457-1 led to a low ME mobilization, increasing with the L/S ratio, the contact time and an acidic pH. As a conclusion, the representativeness of the considered parameters and their potential variations are predominant to assess of the real environmental impact during slag reuse. Introduction Recent studies have been carried out about environmental impacts of waste containing metallic elements (ME) because of their potential mobility [1-7]. Indeed, slags are either dumped or valorized in various activities such as building materials. In order to assess environmental risk, various standard procedures are used depending on country legislation, origin of waste and valorization way. Results of leaching tests are linked either to special legislation (e.g. Dumping: EC, Council Decision 2003/33/EC, Construction products: EC, Council Directive 89/106/EEC) or to legal levels used in drinking water (Directive 98/83/CE) when leachates could migrate to groundwater. If ME in leachates are lower than drinking water authorized levels, the waste will be considered as non-hazardous. On the contrary, if the leachable amounts exceed them, the question about the risk has to be posed. Beyond the abundance of leaching tests available, variety of operational conditions induced by these regulatory tests does not make the choice easier. According to operational conditions induced, ME release could vary from one test to another one. ME concentrations in leachates depend on pH, Liquid/Solid ratio, contact time and particle size [3]. To highlight the importance of these operational parameters, potential risk for valorization of a manganese-rich slag was assessed by comparing several standard leaching protocols [8-12] with a global study dealing with the influence of operational conditions. For each regulatory protocol, the most influential parameters (L/S ratio, pH, particle size and contact time) have been studied in a large range."

Jan 1, 2008

By R. Boussaa, Y. Fautrelle, K. Zaidat, O. Budenkova, B. Saadi, X-D. Wang, L. Hachani, H. Ben Hadid

"Comparison of experimental data obtained in a benchmark experiment of solidification of a Sn-3%wt.Pb ingot and numerical results of two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations of the process is presented. The benchmark experiment consisted in solidifying a rectangular ingot of Sn-3%wt.Pb alloy using two heat exchangers. Conditions of solidification were thoroughly controlled due to six thermocouples embedded into each heat exchanger. Due to another array of thermocouples the evolution of the temperature field at a lateral wall of the crucible was registered during the whole experiment. A treatment of the temperature data provided an estimation of the velocity field in the experiment. Post-mortem analyses of the sample provided the pattern of macrostructure of the sample and qualitative segregations pattern. 2D and 3D numerical solidification models are developed to give the distribution of the solute in a solidified sample.IntroductionConvection, either natural or forced, plays a very important role during the solidification. Its intensity and flow pattern affect heat and mass transfer and, consequently, macrostructure and segregation in a solidified ingot [1-4]. The effect of buoyancy convection during solidification has been studied in many laboratory-scale experiments [5-6]. Due to these experiments a general comprehension of formation of various defects in the ingot has been achieved. However, mentioned studies were not consistent since alloys, solidification conditions and configurations were every time chosen arbitrary. That is why the role of each parameter characterizing solidification process remains unclear. Moreover, the question of reproducibility of defects under the same solidification conditions still exists. In addition, most of the experiments suffer from the insufficient knowledge of control parameters that makes difficult their use for validation of models for solidification. These parameters serve as boundary conditions for numerical modeling and their incomplete description leads unavoidably to the errors in simulations. This situation motivated us to develop a setup for benchmark solidification experiments and to perform a set of the solidification experiments which we reported in [7]. Here we presented a comparison between results obtained in a benchmark experiment of solidification of Sn-3%wtPb ingot and its numerical modeling, which was performed in two-dimensional and three-dimensional configurations."

Jan 1, 2012

By Santo Ranieri

We will briefly review the nickel market in 2003 and look forward to the supply demand balance for the next few years focusing in on the key factors influencing future price dynamics. On the supply side we will examine slated brownfield and greenfield expansions including the Norilsk factor and the small to mid-range 'supply creep'. We will also review the cost side of the industry and what to expect going forward. On the demand side, we will discuss the stainless steel and non-stainless demand, the China factor and the stainless steel scrap supply cycle. We will conclude by pinpinting where the market is on the current price cycle, and where we believe the mid-term direction is headed.

Jan 1, 2004

By Zhiqian Zhang, Chao Wu, Chao Li, Hongxu Li, Yu Chen, Xiangxin Hao

"In this paper, the life cycle assessment models for automobile lightweight materials including high-strength steel, aluminum alloy and magnesium alloy are developed by Gabi software. The evaluation models and evaluation indicators such as acidification effects, rich eutrophication effect, ozone layer depletion effects, global warming, resource consumption and formation of ozone potential were taken into account. It is shown that the effects of acidification and ozone formation are mainly derived from the run phase of high-strength steel and they have strong environmental impact load. While considering the entire life cycle with materials production phase and resource consumption, the aluminum and magnesium alloy appe art o have large r environmental load than high-strength steel. Base d on the evaluation, some optimization tips are proposed.IntroductionAs the increasing of car ownership, automobile has its two sides. One which is the convenient, efficient and fast traffic vehicle; the other is aggravating energy consumption, emissions and environmental pollution. The car industry faces heavy pressure with energy saving, safety and environmental protection. Nowadays, the main study ways for automotive energy-saving and environmental protection are power system improvement, alternative energy sources and technologies. For limitation of technique, development cycle and market share, the development of car is little progress at this stage and the application has been restricted. And another important way is the lightweight of vehicle. Usually there are three ways to get the lightweight automobile body structure, automobile body structure optimized design, using advanced body manufacturing technology, development and application of lightweight high strength body material.The life cycle assessment (LCA)[1lis commonly used to evaluate environmental factors and potential environmental impacts of products and services. As an environmental management tool of product-oriented, it becomes increasingly popular in industry. In this study, the concept of LCA and GaBi software was used to develop models for the three automotive lightweight materials, evaluate the environmental impact and make horizontal and vertical contrast by choosing variety of evaluation systems and indexes."

Jan 1, 2013

By Takahiro Miki

Soldering material widely used is Sn-Pb alloy, which have low melting point and excellent electrical, strength properties and wettability. However, Pb is one of the toxic elements, which is undesirable due to environmental and safety reasons, thus Pb-free alternative alloy is preferred for new soldering materiaL Sn-Ag and Sn-Zn based alloys have been viewed as very promising candidates, among many potential substitutes. Addition of third element to these alloys will decrease melting point of the alloys. Hence, Sn-Ag-In and Sn-Zn-Mg alloys are expected to be suitable for replacing Sn-Pb solder alloy. In order to dcsign new Pb-free soldering materials, it is crucial to understand precise thermodynamic properties and phase diagrams of alloy systems. In the present work, ion current ratios of Ag to In and Mg to Zn were measured for Sn-Ag-In and Sn-Zn-Mg alloys by mass spectrometry, respectively. Also, the authors reviewed the thermodynamic properties of terminal binary alloys determined by other researchers and evaluated a thermodynamic functions to express the excess Gibbs free energy of each binary alloy. Thermodynamic functions to express the excess Gibbs free energy of liquid Sn-Ag-In and Sn-Zn-Mg ternary alloys were determined, utilizing the assessed Gibbs free energy of terminal binary alloys with the measured ion current ratios using mass speetrometer.

Jan 1, 2003

By B. Fresz

Before aluminum is utilized in automotive bodies, the longevity of the electrodes employed in the resistance spot welding of aluminum must increase. This paper explores the affects of electrode composition on electrode life. To compare these variables, electrode tests were completed on a Taylor Wield welding machine using, Cu-Cr, Cu- Zr, Cu-Cr-Zr, Cu-Be, and Glidcop electrodes tested to 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 100%, and 150% lifetimes. Electrode diameters were found via a magnification technique using a PULNIM video camera attached to a low magnification Wild Heerbrugg stereo-zoom microscope. From these measurements, graphs of electrode life verses face diameter and weld number verses face diameter were created. Analyses of these graphs suggest that a single failure mechanism is responsible for electrode failure, though the number of welds until failure (100% electrode life) varied with composition (700-2000 welds).

Jan 1, 1999

By W. L. Cornell

Bulk sulfide concentrate produced from Missouri Pb ore concentrator tailings must be reground to liberate sulfide values for subsequent sepa-ration. Studies to determine grinding parameters for optimum liberation were carried out using optical microscopy coupled with image analysis. The major sulfide phases present in the ground mineral particulates are marca-site, pyrite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, siegenite. and bravoite. Results showed that the base metal minerals were liberated by grinding to 74 micrometers (200 mesh), but the siegenite and bravoite required grinding to 20 micrometers or less to achieve liberation. Both the experimental method and results are presented.

Jan 1, 1987

By K. Olsen

As aluminum alloy usage in automobiles grows, there are increasing demands on recycling processes and facilities to deal with mixed alloy automotive aluminum scrap. These processes and facilities strive to produce near virgin aluminum stock, which can be relatively costly and difficult. One alternative is to use physical processing methods to upgrade the scrap properties instead of chemically refining the scrap. The Impulse Atomization Process (LAP, patent pending) is a new process for making metallic and ceramic powders. It can produce fine homogeneous microstructures in scrap aluminum alloys due to high undercooling and rapid solidification. The particles have a very narrow size distribution and are in a convenient form for consolidation. This paper compares and contrasts the microstructural features of Impulse Atomized. and quenched Impulse Atomized powders,' for both AL6061 and a scrap aluminum alloy composition.

Jan 1, 1995

By E. Kuzeci, R. Kammel

"Lately various voltametric methods have gained increased attention as an analytic tool in hydrometallurgy. Voltammograms with mercury drop electrodes or glassy carbon electrodes provide information about the electrocrystallization of cathodic deposits and allow calculation of kinetic data by means of characteristic parameters like the peak potential and peak current and their variation with the voltage scanning rate.Cyclic voltammograms are also suitable for identification of reaction sequences. Voltammograms with carbon paste electroactive electrodes containing metal sulphide additions reveal information about the dissolution behavior. The stripping voltammetry can be applied to analyze metal ions and organic additives (e. g., thiourea) in extreme low concentration. Typical application of the various methods studied with microcomputer controlled measurement system are explained by examples selected from copper hydrometallurgy.IntroductionThe use of electroanalytical methods in metallurgical process control can be dated back to the starting period of industrial copper refining, when the deposition of the metal ions was followed electro-gravimetrically by weighing the electrode with deposits (1). The principles of metal deposition and dissolution have not changed but the methods to follow these phenomena were subjected to noticeable developments and especially the introduction of polarographic investigations by Heyrowsky (2) has greatly contributed to the progress in electro-analysis. A review about the fundamental work on the electrochemical kinetics in earlier time is compiled in a monograph of Vetter (2). With the steady improvements in the instrumental techniques, it is nowadays possible to apply several current and potential modulations for measurements with improved selectivity and sensibility. There is however, still a lack in theoretical interpretation of the data obtained. More theoretical information are already available for linear voltametric methods for systems where reduced as well as oxidized species are dissolved in the electrolyte (4, 5). Some recent investigations have also shown the reliability of these techniques to study electro-crystallization (6, 7). Main fields of the application in the hydro - and electro-metallurgy are:"

Jan 1, 1989

By N. Mizutani, S. Harada, Z. Asaki, T. Tanabe

"The development of lead-free solders is urgent in view of environmental standpoints. In this -work the wettability of tin-bismuth- silver solders on copper was studied. Three kinds of fluxes were used. The wettability of conventional eutectic tin-lead .solder exhibited an excellent level over the other solders of tin-bismuth systems. Poor wettability of the tin-bismuth solders may be caused by the growth or dendritic copper-tin compounds at copper/solder interface, in contrast to the case of tin-lead'· solder. The wettability was improved by the addition· of silver in the solder. In this tin bismuth- silver system, silver was abnormally concentrated at the copper I solder interface even in the initial stage of contact. The wettability of the solder and the thickness of compound formed on the copper have a good correlation; the solder containing 2% silver exhibited the best wettability and the formation rate of copper-tin· compound on the copper was slowest.IntroductionSocial demand to avoid lead use in the industrial fields has been recently promoted· (1) because of the environmental protection of water resources. Especially the lead-bearing solders have been widely used in electronics and automobile products, and it is urgent to replace them with nontoxic materials (2)-(4). Thus the development of lead-free solders becomes an indispensable subject to the new generations and many works (5)(6) have already been carried out on the research and development of new solders. New lead-free solders are expected to have some requirements, for example, moderate melting temperature, proper strength and integrity, and lower prices, as compared with conventional solders. There have been already several alloy systems developed. Among ·these alloy systems, tin-bismuth binary or tin-bismuth-silver ternary alloys have great advantages such as having a wide range of soldering .temperature by controlling con:ipositions, though they have such disadvantages as ""lift-off"" (7)-(9): It is said, on the other hand, that a frequently overlooked property of solders, or one that is typically ignored by the research scientist as an ""issue"" for the manufacturing or product engineer, is wettability (10), although a ·work on the wettability has recently been published (11). In this Work, therefore, the authors selected Sn-Bi-Ag solders and focused mi the effect of Ag-addition to wettability of the solder."

Jan 1, 2000

By J. Fogarty, J. Sofra

The mobile telecommunications sector is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. However, increasingly stringent environmental regulations are placing pressure on manufacturers to accept responsibility for end of life products. The companies are therefore exploring avenues to recover the valuable components contained within the mobile telecommunications devices thus reducing the quantities of toxic components going to landfill. Batteries used to power the devices, are typically based on either nickel-cadmium, nickel metal hydride, or lithium ion cells. They contain toxic metals including nickel, cadmium, lithium, potassium, lead, and cobalt in a complicated arrangement of battery cells surrounded by a metals then plastic casing. The Ausmelt Catalytic Waste Converter (CWC) for waste treatment and recycling is well suited to processing all three mobile phone battery types for the recovery of valuable metals in marketable products that can be recycled to industry without turning out harmful levels of toxic emissions. Ausmelt recently demonstrated the capabilities of its CWC by continuously processing 4.5 tonnes of nickel-cadmium batteries. Using Ausmelt's pilot plant facility in Australia, the nickel-cadmium batteries were processed to produce a nickel iron sulphide (matte), a cadmium fume and a final slag which satisfied CS toxicity leach test criteria and was safe f<~r disposal to landfill. This paper explores the commercial development of the Ausmelt CWC for treating each of the three battery types in light of (a) the outcomes of the recent demonstration, and (b) the current and expected future availability of batteries for processing.

Jan 1, 2000

By R. D. Prengaman

Lead usage in paint, anti-knock gasoline additives, pipes, seals, and solder has declined markedly over the past 30 years. Products utilizing the unique properties of lead and its ability to be recycled have survived and grown. These products include shielding, glass (particularly TV and computer screens), sheet for roofing, stabilizers for PVC, insoluble anodes for metal production, electronic solders and lead acid batteries. With the loss of markets many companies have decreased lead product development efforts. Much of the patent lead materials development is devoted to lead acid batteries. In the past 25 years, the automobile battery has been almost doubled in power and reduced in weight, leading to a nearly three-fold increase in performance. Corrosion-resistant lead alloys and improved battery designs have made battery lead usage more efficient. The same corrosion-resistant battery alloys are utilized to increase the life of electrowinning anodes. The challenge for lead product development is not only to maintain and improve the existing lead products, but also to develop the growing lead acid battery market for telecommunications, uninterruptive power sources, remote area power, hybrid and electric vehicles. Lead

Jan 1, 2000

By William Brinkman, Mark Jolly, Nasim Soleimanian, Karl Dearn, Oliver Brinkman

"Glass manufacturing is a heat intensive process. There is a direct correlation between the batch distribution techniques and the furnace energy consumption, productivity, and quality of the glass manufactured. All four major segments (float, container, fibre, and specialty glasses) would benefit from using an optimised batch distribution technique where possible. Oscillating batch chargers (OBC) have been in use since the early 70s, despite their superior batch shape, coverage, and in turn positive effects on the energy consumption and productivity of the furnace they are almost exclusively used in container glass manufacturing. The OBC’s main difference compared with other charging methods is its ability to directly influence the batch initial velocity. This paper reports on results achieved in CFD models (GFM) used to study effect of the machine on the overall energy consumption in the doghouse and the melt space.IntroductionGlass manufacturing can be divided to four major segments float glass, container glass, fiberglass, and specialty glasses. The financial cost of manufacture, its impact on the environment, lack of standardisation and mounting pressure imposed by the authorities for reduction in emissions means that the industry and its suppliers are utilising CFD modelling in order to tackle these challenges. The need for high temperature to create and maintain the viscous flow, homogenisation of the glass melt, and maintenance of the process to allow continuous output of glass of the right quality are the contributors to the energy intensive activities that are involved in continuous glass manufacturing. This in turn has resulted in design of large container glass furnaces which have high energy consumption, low specific performance, and high CO2 emissions where the most efficient furnaces in the container glass sector have a specific primary energy consumption of 3.8 GJ /tonne of glass at a level of 50% cullet in the batch making even very small improvements in efficiency by operation optimisation a value adding activity [1-14].The theoretical calculated energy required to melt glass is 2 to 3 times less than the energy actually used to melt glass as a result of glass melt passing a zone 5 to 8 times before leaving the tank.[8]. This causes contamination as the result of mixing between the completely molten glass free from bubbles returning to the batch area where there is freshly molten non-homogeneous glass, still containing very large numbers of bubbles and un-molten batch. At high temperature some components are dissolved rather than melted. Given that an un-molten batch is a good thermal insulator, it can be transported a long way into the furnace, increasing the need for homogenization which also increases the glass residence time of glass melt. This is why large unbroken strings of batch should be avoided, as should an overall blanket without gaps."

Jan 1, 2014

By K. Morsi

Titanium-titanium boride whisker (TiBw) composites are emerging as strong candidate materials for advanced applications within the automotive, aerospace and defense industries. Although increasing TiBw volume fraction improves the specific stiffness and wear resistance of titanium, it is usually on the expense of fracture toughness and ductility especially at increased volume fractions of reinforcements where whiskers interlock. This research addresses strategies for microstructural design that may overcome these shortcomings, by generating titanium composites that are locally reinforced with TiBw through in-situ reaction in segregated regions of the microstructure and separated by ductile Ti matrix. The effect of varying composite reinforcement particle sizes (i.e. size of the reinforced regions) on the pressure-less sintering of these dual matrix composites is discussed. Electric current activation was also used to generate high density dual matrix composites and a new simultaneous imaging and modulus mapping technique was used to characterize these unique microstructures.

Jan 1, 2008

By K. Iwami, K. Abe

"Onahama Smelter and Refinery has been operated-since 1965 arid currently produces 243,000 metric tons per year of cathode copper. The Onahama tankhouse consists of conventional-type No.1 and 2 tankhouses with the capacity of 123,000 metric tons per year and No.3 tankhouse with 120,000 metric tons per year, adopting jumbo tank system, using hazelett anode respectively.In October, 1996, for the purpose of improving the - anode verticality, new anode copper body press machine has been installed in No.1, 2 tankhouses; by increasing Walker type anode copper weight by 35kg to 365kg. Consequently, it is possible to raise current density from 191 to 222 A/m2 and the No.1 and 2 tankhouses capacity was increased by 15,000 metric tons per year to 138,000 metric tons per year.At present, the refining capacity is 258,000 metric tons per year in total including No.3 tankhouse.This figure is the largest one in Japan.IntroductionSince the Onaham tankhouse was put into operation in 1965, the cathode copper production has increase with much labor cost saving.The following two cases to increase Walker type anode copper weight by 35kg to 365kg were studied.a) To increase the cathode copper production by raising current density.b) To save the labor cost by prolonging the anode cycle in order to decrease the exchanging time of electrodes.So the electrolytic tests were carried out to confirm· the effect of current efficiency, cathode copper quality and working conditions for space adjustment.As a result, we concluded that it was indispensable to introduce the anode body press machine to keep usual current efficiency and cathode copper quality with same workers, and to be possible to increase cathode copper production.In addition, the high-speed press machine was needed to maintain same working time and which specifications were decided through various investigations. In October 1996, the new anode body press machine made by Kawazoe Machine Works, Ltd. has been installed in No.1 tankhouse."

Jan 1, 2000