Search Documents

By R. P. Rao

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

Jan 1, 1989

By R. G. Robins

Metal separations based on the selective precipitation of phosphates have a potential application in many hydrometallurgical processes. This paper reviews the literature on the solubility of a number of both divalent and trivalent metal phosphates and presents the result of some additional experimental measurements. The systems examined have been modelled to obtain free energy of formation data for the various species. Computer generated solubility diagrams which are described can be useful in predicting a variety of metal separations.

Jan 1, 1991

By Norihiko Fukatsu, Takashi Iwamoto, Noriaki Kurita, Koji Katahira, Kunihiro Koide, Teruo Ohashi

"The galvanic cell-type hydrogen sensor employing CaZro.9Ino.t03-a. as the solid electrolyte was designed for the measurement of hydrogen activities in molten copper under industrial .conditions. The sensor probe consists of the cap-shaped solid electrolyte with porous platinum electrode on the inside and alumina refractory tube. The gas mixture of the composition 4%H2-0.5%02-Ar was made to flow on the inside electrode. The hydrogen sensor probe was inserted directly into molten copper and the melt was used as the outer electrode. The effect of oxygen activity gradient to EMF was eliminated theoretically by measuring the oxygen activity in the melt simultaneously with an oxygen sensor. The high stability of output and excellent response to the change of hydrogen activity were obtained over the wide range of industrial copper melting conditions.IntroductionIn the metal casting process, hydrogen easily dissolves in molten metals from water vapor in the surrounding atmosphere. Owing to the large difference in hydrogen solubility between liquid and solid metal, dissolved hydrogen becomes a cause of the defects of blowholes in castings or ingots. It is necessary to control the hydrogen content in the molten metals [l]. Using proton-conducting ceramics as a solid electrolyte, high temperature-type hydrogen sensor can be constructed [2]. SrCe03- and BaCe03-based perovskite-type oxides exhibit appreciable proton conduction under hydrogen containing atmosphere at high temperature [3-5]. A hydrogen sensor for molten aluminum using CaZro.91no.103-a. has been developed and widely used in the ·process control in the aluminum melting industry [6,7]. The same type of hydrogen sensor has also been expected in the copper melting industry. .. However, CaZro.91no.103-a shows ·not only proton but also oxide ion conduction in the high temperature and at low oxygen activies like the copper melting· conditions. Then we studied the oxide ion conduction in CaZro.91no.103-a. iit · detail [8]. From the consideration on the EMF of the galvanic cell employing this material as electrolyte, it was shown that the unknown hydrogen activity may be precisely determined from cell potential which is corrected for the effect of oxygen potential gradient And the hydrogen sensor based in this principle was constructed and tested in laboratory-scale [9,10]. We repeated the similar tests in factory-scale and developed the sensor system for practical uses [11, 12]. In this report, the structure and system of the hydrogen sensor for molten copper will be introduced first. The reliability of the sensor will then be demonstrated from the results of experiments for sensor probes carried out in TYK's laboratory."

Jan 1, 2000

By Shoji Taniguchi, Lifeng Zhang, Kaike Cai

"In the present paper, based on the two-phase (Eulerian-Eulerian) model, the 3D fluid flows in gas-stirred systems, i.e., air-stirred water vessel and argon-stirred liquid steel ladle, are simulated. In the Eulerian-Eulerian two-phase model, gas and liquid are considered to be two different continuous fields. The phases are assumed to share space in proportion to their volume fractions. The exchange between the phases is represented by source terms in conversation equations. Turbulence simulated by the k- e model is assumed to be the property of the liquid phase. The following effects of mathematical treatments and operational factors on the fluid flow are discussed, such as interphase drag force, turbulent model, the size of bubble, and gas injection mode.Some interesting results are derived. Except the interphase drag force, the interphase lift force should be taken into accounted in order to exactly simulate the fluid flow in gas-stirred systems. Suitable turbulent model and drag coefficient have effect on the mathematical simulation. Injecting small bubbles can realize a well mixing flow condition. The distance between the two gas-injection nozzles has effect on the fluid flow."

Jan 1, 2000

By Thomas F. Nederpel

The production of zinc and zinc-aluminum coated strip can be reasonably accomplished on a single operating unit. However, if the hot dip coating line is equip d with only one mo 7 ten metal holding furnace, it is necessary to transfer liquid metal of different chemistries and reintroduce virgin material to obtain the 18" necessary balance of elements in the bath. Dofasco produces Galvanize and Galvalume on a coating line with a sin le liquid metal furnace and has developed not only an efficient liquid metal trans& system but also an effective means of reutilizing the zinc-aluminum mixtures without detrimental quality affects.

Jan 1, 1992

By S. B. . Tyrrell

This paper describes research carried out to develop and optimise a process to extract lithium from the processed waste of spent lithium ution of lithium salts can be used to produce a pure lithium hydroxide solution, From this, lithium carbonate is produced, the major precursor for other lithium chemicals and for new lithium batteries. Hence, the recycle loop can be closed. Significant variation in the composition of the battery waste has been observed. Small amounts of metals other than lithium and certain anions can present technical difficulties such as electrode dissolution and membrane fouling. Pre-treatment of the waste, together with an optimum combination of cell materials and operating parameters has been found to enhance separation and alter the energy consumption of the process.

Jan 1, 1999

By Min Chen

A numerical simulation of the stress field of the solidified shell in the mold during continuous casting of peritectic steel slab was calculated with commercial software. The results showed that the maximal stress on wide face of the solidified shell was located at the corner and near middle of the slab, and it increased with increasing the width of slab. In addition, the stress was also influenced by operating parameters such as superheat degree, drawing speed and cooling intensity of the mold, and the maximal stress value and its position changed with these parameters. For the slab with section size of 3200mm×150mm, the proper drawing speed was around 1.2m/min, with cooling intensity of 5500L/min while the superheat degree was 15°C to 25°C in order to prevent longitudinal crack occurring during peritectic steel continuous casting.

Jan 1, 2009

By Kandipati Sreenivasarao

A promising method for removing heavy metal ions from dilute effluents is ion- or precipitate- flotation, in which a suitable collector is added to form hydrophobic metal-collector complexes or compounds that can be collected as foams. We have successfully removed Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(ll) from dilute solutions using sodium dodecylsulfate and ethanol as collector and frother respectively. However the process would not be economically viable unless the collector could be recycled, and the heavy metals recovered in a concentrated, preferably marketable, form from the foams. We investigated four different methods to decompose heavy metal-dodecylsulfate complexes, namely precipitation of hydroxides, precipitation of sulfides, chemical stripping, and electrolysis. We compare the performance of these methods. In each case the observed behavior is related to known thermodynamic data, and potential applications are discussed.

Jan 1, 1995

By Thomas Brynjulfsen, Merete Tangstad, Eli Ringdalen

Manganese ore fines cannot be added to the submerged arc furnace directly as they will prevent even gas flow through the burden. Low gas permeability in the burden will lower the degree of pre-reduction of ore subsequently increase the carbon and energy consumption of the process. In order to utilize manganese ore fines in the furnace, they are typically agglomerated into sinter. In this work, the melting and reduction properties of Gabonese sinter and Gabonese ore have been investigated in pilot scale experiments. Two experiments were conducted, one with 100% sinter as manganese source and one with 50/50 sinter and ore. Lime was used to achieve a charge basicity of 0.72 in both experiments. The composition of slag samples from the excavation of the furnace was established using EPMA(WDS), and the composition of the tapped slag and metal was found using XRF. It was found that while the coke-bed size would determine the tapped slag composition, the melting behavior of the Mn source would determine the mixing with lime.

Jan 1, 2014

By L. M. . Chia

The successful treatment of waste materials to recover metals with acceptable purity is often hampered by the presence of undesirable impurities. The problem is further complicated by the need to insure that any residues or solutions generated are environmentally acceptable. Hydrometallurgical processes involving leaching- solvent extraction-electrowinning offer some attractive features which address many of these problems. However, in certain instances trace impurities that contaminate the organics are difficult to chemically strip and interfere with the overall process efficiency. A new processing scheme has been developed which appears to provide some attractive alternatives for impurity removal from organics. It has been shown that many ionic impurities can be electrochemically removed from the organic by spontaneous direct reduction using solid metals. A variety of metal ion impurities have been removed from selected common organic extractants such as D2EHPA and TBP using different metals as the reducing agents. The results and probable mechanisms involved in the reactions are discussed.

Jan 1, 1994

By Dirk Verhulst

The Altair process employs digestion of ilmenite ore in concentrated hydrochloric acid, solvent extraction to concentrate Ti in a purified stream and spray hydrolysis to produce a TiO2 hydrate, followed by final calcining and milling. HCl gas is regenerated by pressure-swing distillation and reinjected in the leaching solution. All chloride streams are recycled. Chromium compounds generally remain in the residue. Solvent extraction provides flexibility for the removal of naturally occurring radioactive elements (NORMs) present in some ilmenites. The process was previously tested at a 5 t/day feed scale. Recent work at pilot scale (40 liter reactor) led to further improvements. Recovery of Ti in solution is now at least 90% with ilmenite ores, while crystallization at lower temperature lowers the amount of Fe in solution to about 5 g/l and improves solvent extraction, which is now conducted in columns. Higher Ti and lower Fe concentrations in the SX eluate improve the economics. A new formula for pigment production via spray hydrolysis produces a pigmentary base with a narrow particle size distribution.

Jan 1, 2003

By Yun Li

In 1999 Yunnan Copper Corporation (YCC) decided to modernise their copper smelter and change the existing sinter plant I electric furnace process to a combination of ISASMEL T and electric slag cleaning furnace. The main aim of the project was to improve the environmental performance and decrease the energy consumption. Generally the project has been successful, partly attributable to the selection of a reliable and fully demonstrated technology. The design capacity for the ISASMELT furnace is 600,000 tonnes of dry copper concentrate per year. The furnace has been running smoothly since heat up in May 2002. YCC expended considerable effort in the preparation for plant operation. An extensive training program for key YCC personnel at the Mount Isa Copper Smelter improved their understanding of the process significantly and ensured successful hand-over of the technology. This paper describes the project history and summarizes initial operating results.

Jan 1, 2003

By Dominic T. Jordan, Quinn G. Reynolds, Christopher J. Hockaday, Ian J. Barker

A direct-current (DC) plasma arc furnace is a type of electric furnace used for metallurgical operations. The successful operation of DC furnaces depends to a large extent on gaining a fundamental understanding of the arc phenomenon itself, and ensuring its presence in the furnace at all times. A method for detection of the presence of the arc in a DC circuit is presented, along with discussion of why this may be of value for certain modes of furnace operation such as brush-arc. The theoretical development of the method is presented along with supporting experimental work conducted on large-scale pilot-plant facilities.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. Misra

The finely dispersed kerogen particulates present in the dilute suspension can be coagulated with the aid of a hydrophobic organism, Mycobacterium Dhlei. The initial coagulation and aggregation are strongly dependent on pH and organism concentration, the isoelectric points of oil shale kerogen and Mycobacterium phlei are at pH 3 and 1.8 respectively. As a result the aggregation is rapid around pH 3. Preliminary results show that it is quite possible to use microorganisms for enhanced dewatering of kerogen concentrate produced by froth. flotation.

Jan 1, 1991

By D. R. Spink

A partial desulfurization roasting (PDR) technique has been developed for use on zinc concentrates whereby the sulfide sulfur associated with the iron content is selectively removed over a very short residence ?time in the roaster. The resulting PDR product is then leached for the selective removal of the iron. The resulting leach restdite is an upgraded zinc sulfide concentrate which has a very low iron content. The up-graded zinc concentrate can be subjected to a conventional dead roast without formation of deleterious zinc ferrite so that hot acid leaching and jarosite (or other) iron precipitation steps are obviated. Examples are presented for the treatment of three very different types of zinc concentrates.

Jan 1, 1990

By Arthur S. Klein, Hugh R. Lowry

"The Levitation Casting Process is a new continuous casting method that uses an electromagnetic levitation field, instead of a mold, to support and contain a column of solidifying metal. By counteracting gravitational forces and hydrostatic pressure on the metal column, this process eliminates friction and adhesion at the interface between the solidifying metal and the cooled walls of the casting chamber. The process inherently provides high casting speeds, excellent dimensional control and smooth, continuous emergence of solidified product from the top of the casting chamber.Of major importance is that the electromagnetic field produces an intense stirring of the liquid metal both before and during solidification. As a result of this stirring, the cast product has a homogeneous, equiaxed, fine grain structure generally suitable for immediate drawing or other forming operations without the need for hot rolling or other expensive additional processing.This paper reviews the fundamentals of the Levitation Casting Process, results obtained in casting various pure metals and alloys, and the production sized system at Lowell, MA, that uses this process. IntroductionThe Levitation Casting process was specifically developed to meet several requirements including:• Economic at low casting rates• Usable with pure metals and alloys• High, uniform product quality suitable for fine wire drawing or cold rolling into flat strip and tape• Easy cast product shape and size changes• Process inherently stable and easily automatedIn meeting these criteria it was also desired to retain the advantages of General Electric's well known Dip Forming continuous casting process; namely the inherent ""fail-safe"" properties of upward casting, solidifying metal by means other than pressure contact with a cooled mold, and use of a sealed furnace, casting chamber and cooling tower, filled with a protective atmosphere, to prevent oxidation of the molten metal or cast product."

Jan 1, 1988

By Kensuke Sassa, Shigeo Asai, Norihisa Waki

"A new method for separating inclusions from a molten metal using a high magnetic field has been proposed. The principle of this method based on the magnetization force has been confirmed in experiments of separating intermetallic compounds imitating inclusions from molten Al-Si-Mn-Fe and Al-Si alloys. In order to measure a magnetic susceptibility, the Gouy's method has been so modified by using a super-conducting magnetic as to work in a high temperature up to 1473K. A theoretical expression for the magnetization force, which is indispensable to evaluate the magnetic susceptibility, has been derived. The magnetization forces acting on intermetallic compounds which were used in the magnetic separation were measured over the range of liquidous to solidous temperatures and the magnetic susceptibilities of the intermetallic compounds were obtained from measured magnetization forces by use of the theoretical expression.I. IntroductionRecent developments in the technology of super-conducting magnets have given rise to the circumstance that a high magnetic field over a relatively large space is readily available without liquid helium. Then, it has been found that a high magnetic field provides magnetic effects to nonmagnetic substances and various interesting phenomena have been reported in the broad science fields of physics, chemistry and biology1). ""A science related to a high magnetic field"" in which many fields are transversally viewed from the standpoint of a high magnetic field2 ) is going to be established. In particular, new phenomena and functions brought by the science related to a high magnetic field are also useful for Material Science and Engineering so that the creation of Materials Science and Engineering related to a high magnetic field"" has been conceived 3).Now, when a substance regardless of being magnetic or nonmagnetic is put in a magnetic field, it feels a magnetization force, which is familiar to such a force that a magnet attracts iron. The force is in proportion to the product of magnetic field strength, its gradient and susceptibility so that a precipitated substance can be separated from a molten metal based on the difference between susceptibilities of a substance and a melt. This is a basic principle of the magnetic separation. So far the application of the magnetic separation has been limited to the separation of ferromagnetic substances from a nonmagnetic medium. A high magnetic field, however, has enabled to separate nonmagnetic substances from a nonmagnetic medium.In this study, a new method to separate inclusions from a molten metal using a high magnetic field has been proposed. The principle of the method was verified by experimental works and the feasibility on the elimination of inclusions in steelmaking processes has been studied"

Jan 1, 2000

By Steven M. Puricelli

Sulfuric acid plants associated with smelters, have historically been an overworked and often neglected pollution control device. They could do little more than manage the wide fluctuations in gas flow and SO2 strength from the smelter. With the introduction of flash smelting, the picture began to change, but the fluctuating batch converters continued to dictate acid plant design. More recently, the commercial use of continuous converting processes utilizing high levels of oxygen enrichment has dramatically upgraded the SO2 strength and stabilized the gas flow to the acid plant. The SO2 gas now issues continuously and at concentrations that allow for compact and, cost effective acid plants. Relieved of the burden of excessive dilution air, the heats of reaction can also be recovered as medium pressure steam and used to drive a generator, making the acid plant a net producer of power and a valuable asset to balance sheets. This concept was put into practice at the Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation smelter modernization project, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The new acid plant, which was commissioned in June of 1995, is a sophisticated, low environmental impact, energy producing plant, worthy of review. This paper examines the key features of this acid plant, such as controlling its tail gas, by catalysis alone, to an environmentally friendly, 100 ppm of SO2, while feeding the acid plant converter with an efficient 14% SO2. The acid plant is also a prudent steward of energy resources, recovering 220,000 lb/hr of 140 psig steam from process heat which is used to generate a substantial 20 MW of gross power. Also discussed will be some of the ongoing issues, such as handling of selenium and fluorine in the gas cleaning sections, as well as a review of some. of the problems that were identified and resolved. Today's modem acid plants, by necessity, are becoming a producer of quality, valuable products, making the acid plant an asset and not a liability. Plants like Kennecott are already gaining wider acceptance and are expected to be the vision of the future.

Jan 1, 1998

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 Frank Mucciardi, Hujun Zhao, Pietro Navarra

"A heat pipe is a device having a very high effective thermal conductivity in which two-phase flow and heat transfer takes place. Recent research at McGill University has led to a new type of heat pipe that contains a flow modifier. This improvement has enabled the device to operate at the high heat fluxes encountered in the metallurgical industry.This paper summarizes the progress made to describe the fluid flow in the evaporator section of a McGill heat pipe with the goal of understanding how the flow modifier configuration is linked to the film boiling and dry-out limitations. A separated flow model, an instability analysis, a lift-off model and an energy balance model are used to calculate the theoretical CHF with varying flow modifier configurations and operation conditions. A summary of the current work to relate the flow modifier to the dry-out limitation is also given.Determining how the flow modifier affects both the film boiling and dry-out limitation will give insight into improving the flow modifier design so as to extend the operational range of McGill heat pipes in terms of maximum heat flux and heat load capabilities.IntroductionThe McGill heat pipe is a specialized two-phase heat exchanger developed for several metallurgical applications where temperatures and heat fluxes are typically close to or beyond the maximum safe range of conventional cooling technology.Over the last few years, several breakthroughs have brought this device beyond the proof-of concept stage and a series of industrial trials have been performed with success. These trials include two oxygen injection applications for the ferrous and non-ferrous industry [l], and two light metals permanent-mould casting applications [2,3]. Current projects include a blast furnace copper taphole cooling application [4], a copper smelting application and a thermal analysis probe application."

Jan 1, 2004