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By D. S. Barr

The Freeport McMoRan chlorination circuit is comprised of four related processes: ore chlorination, gas scrubbing, chlorine supply and excess hypochlorite removal ("hypo kill"). Each of these processes are described, and related to the pertinent mineralogic components in the carbonaceous ore feed to the plant. The chlorination system in use at Jerritt Canyon to passivate forms of preg-robbing organic carbon has proven to be a cost effective and efficient means to recover gold from low sulfide carbonaceous refractory ores, where gold may not be specifically associated with either the sulfides or the carbon.

Jan 1, 1987

By Tian Tang, Sergio D. Felicelli

"The laser cladding is an important surface treatment for enhancing resistance against corrosion, abrasion, and wear. The focus of the present study is to develop a three dimensional finite element model to analyze the temperature history and thermal stress evolution during multi-pass laser cladding process on H13-H13 tool steel sample. A sequentially coupled thermal-stress analysis methodology was adopted in this study. The thermal model was firstly established to investigate the temperature history of the laser cladding process. Then the temperature history was used as input to mechanical model to calculate the thermal stress evolution during the process and the residual stress after the sample completely cooled down to room temperature. The influences of process parameters including the scanning speed and scanning strategies on temperature history, thermal stress evolution, and residual stress were investigated in details.IntroductionLaser cladding is an advanced material process technique, which is often used to improve mechanical properties or increase corrosion resistance, repair worn out parts, and fabricate metal matrix composites. In this process, the injected powder or wire feedstock material and a thin layer of substrate are melted and consolidated by use of a laser in order to coat part of a substrate or fabricate a near-net shape part.Numerous mathematical models have been established for analyzing the effects of process parameters, microstructure evolution, and thermo-mechanical behavior of laser cladding. Zhou et al. [1] established an analytical model to investigate the laser induction hybrid rapid cladding for Ni-based WC composite coatings. Huang et al. [2] also developed an analytical model to theoretically investigate the interaction between the laser beam and the powder stream of laser cladding process. A simple and realistic model of laser cladding was proposed by Picasso et al. [3]. The cladding layer is very sensitive to cracks due to the accumulation of residual stress, caused by non-uniform temperature changes, which have limited the wide application of laser cladding technique in industry. Recently, fmite element method has been increasingly used to simulate the laser cladding process [ 4-6]."

Jan 1, 2014

By Yusuke Kimura, Ken-ichi Yamaguchi

"Secondary materials have long been processed at the S-furnace of the Mitsubishi continuous copper smelting and converting process at Naoshima Smelter and Refinery. Intensive recycling in the recent years has formed concerns that impurities in the secondary materials may cause drastic changes in the chemical properties of the CL-slag, which is separated from matte in the smelting stage. Among various impurities included in secondary materials, the authors have studied the influences of sodium oxides in the CL-slag because the behavior of sodium oxide has scarcely been studied with respect to the copper smelting slag. The examinations have been applied experimentally on the distribution between slag and matte of arsenic whose acidic characteristics suggest strong affinity to sodium-oxide of basic characteristics in silicate melts. The results have been discussed by thermodynamic evaluations and the results of pyro-tests at the commercial furnace.IntroductionAt Naoshima Smelter and Refinery, the existing line of the Mitsubishi continuous copper smelting and converting process has been operated since 1991. The Mitsubishi Process consists of three furnaces namely the S-, CL- and C-furnace as shown in Figure 1. In the S-furnace, copper concentrate and powdery secondary materials (scraps, sludges, etc) are charged through the top lances with oxygen enriched air. The other secondary materials of lumpy shapes are charged through the chute installed on the furnace roof. Charged materials are smelted by the reaction heat in accordance with the oxidization of copper concentrate. The mixed melt of matte and slag overflows through the launder into the CL-furnace, where the melt is separated into slag and matte by the difference of their specific gravity. Matte is siphoned out and sent to the C-furnace and converted to blister copper continuously. The CL-slag overflows continuously through the slag outlet to be water-granulated. Granulated slag is sold as a raw material used for the cement production and so on. Various secondary materials have been processed at the S-furnace of Naoshima Smelter and Refinery. Intensive recycling in the recent years has formed concerns that the chemical properties of the CL-slag may change drastically due to impurities originating from secondary materials. Among various impurities included in secondary materials, the authors have studied the influence of sodium oxide in the CL-slag because the impact of sodium oxide has scarcely been studied with respect to the copper smelting slag. The examinations have been applied experimentally on the distribution between slag and matte of arsenic whose acidic characteristics suggest strong affinity to sodium-oxide of basic characteristics in silicate melts."

Jan 1, 2012

By Luis Hoyos-Reyes, Jesus Gonzalez-Trejo, Adriana Cervantes-Clemente, Marco Gutierrez-Villegas, Manuel Palomar-Pardave, Cesar Real-Ramirez

Recent improvements on Peirce-Smith Converters (PSC) have combined numerical and physical simulations. However, most of the physical simulations have been carried out in cold-water models with only one tuyere. Several authors have proved that 2D numerical simulations do not reproduce the hydrodynamic behavior observed in physical simulations. On the other hand, most of the 3D numerical models have used a PSC thin slice with only one tuyere, but symmetric boundary conditions on the virtual walls have been imposed in order to reproduce the behavior of the whole converter. Therefore, there is no coincidence with the rigid walls of the physical models. The aim of this work is to quantify the effect of the virtual walls boundary conditions of a PSC thin slice and to determine the minimum number of tuyeres to characterize the fluid flow behavior of the entire converter.

Jan 1, 2009

By Zhou Jiemin

A mathematical model is developed to determine the economic thicknesses of refractories and insulations in rectangular furnaces, Both the heat loss cost and the lining investment are taken into account to achieve a minimum operation cost. For the sake of calculating the heat flux, the paper is particularly concerned with the simulation of the three-dimensional transient heat conduction processes in the lining and a Douglas-Rachford method is used to solve the finite difference equations, The model has been used to design an industrial electric resistance furnace operated periodically. the values of temperatures and power consumption measured from the furnace correspond with the model results.

Jan 1, 1991

By LeRoy C. Prichard

The scrap based steel producers in the United States generate an estimated 650,000 tons of electric arc furnace (EAF) dust annually which is classified as hazardous waste, K061. These scrap based producers commonly referred to as mini-mills represented 39% of the steel produced in 1994. Based upon the EAF plants being installed or planned today, it is a reasonable projection to anticipate 50% of the steel produced in the United States will be by EAF's. Using a straight line projection of percent of steel produced to tonnage of EAF dust generated, this will result in 833,000 tons of dust being generated upon the completion of these new EAF producing plants, presumably by the year 2000. Because the United States is a capitalistic economy, a steel producer is in business to make a profit therefore dust management becomes a very important variable in the cost of making steel. An EAF mini-mill dust management program must consider at least three components. First the handling of the dust must be in accordance with the law; i.e., the Environmental Protection Agency rules and state and local municipalities guidelines governing K061. Second, it must be an economical solution that allows a company to manage its dust processing costs, a component of its total steel production costs while producing steel at a profit. Third, the dust management program should be one that is environmentally responsible; viz., the program should reclaim or recycle the dust constituents, as feedstock materials or saleable products. The first component, obedience of the law seems to be a relatively straight forward, common sense objective; however, as nearly every mini-mill operation will testify it has been a area of changing laws with confusing variations when it comes to K061. Even more frustrating is the fact that obedience or compliance today does not mean that the company will be considered law abiding in the future.The liabilities associated with

Jan 1, 1995

By Shabnam Sabah, Geoffrey Brooks

In oxygen steelmaking, splashing and droplet formation play a key role in the kinetics of the process. Though splashing has been studied by previous investigators, there is only limited understanding of how different cavity modes affect splashing. Therefore, a cold model study (at various lance heights and gas flow rates) has been carried out focusing on the issue of cavity modes and how it affects splashing phenomenon. Analysis using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was carried out on cavity oscillation that showed that frequency and amplitude of oscillation was highest in penetrating mode. Measurements of splashing over a range of conditions showed splashing greatly reduced when cavities went from splashing to penetrating mode. The results were validated and compared with plant data and previous model investigations.

Jan 1, 2014

By Bogidar Mihaylov

A laboratory study was conducted on continuous precipitation of copper, cadmium, mercury and arsenic using thiourea, thioacetamide, sodium sulfide and ammonium sulfide as precipitating agents. Depending on the experimental conditions the metals precipitate with the sulfide donors at different orders and rates. These differences were employed as a basis of several techniques for continuous separation of copper and arsenic, cadmium and arsenic, mercury and copper, and copper, mercury and arsenic. The separation of the metals from industrial waste solutions was also studied. The precipitates obtained were inspected using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, atomic absorption spectrometer and plasma particle counter.

Jan 1, 1992

By S. Sundarraj

The morphological transition between columnar and equiaxed structures is an important solidification phenomenon frequently observed in castings, especially complex parts with varying cross-section, The mechanical properties and the occurrence of defects such as hot tears are strongly dependent on the structure formed in the casting. Hence, it is important to understand the conditions leading to columnar or equiaxed structures. Although extensive work has been done in modeling solidification systems, almost all of the existing models are based on the assumption that the structure formed in the casting is either purely columnar or purely equiaxed. Prediction of the columnar-equiaxed transition (CET) requires a solidification model which accounts for the formation of both columnar and equiaxed structures, along with related microscopic and macroscopic solidification phenomena. In this paper a CET model is presented which: (i) takes account of both columnar and equiaxed structures, (ii) accounts for macroscopic heat transfer coupled with microscopic phenomena such as nucleation, growth and microsegregation, (iii) satisfies solute conservation, and (iv) is easy to implement in commercial finite element and finite difference software. The proposed model predictions of CET have been validated with available experimental results for a uni-directional solidification of an aluminum-copper alloy. A sensitivity analysis has also been carried out to determine the effects of various parameters on the CET model predictions. The model is being extended to other alloy systems and more complex geometries. This work will be published in due course.

Jan 1, 1996

By Seshadri Seetharuman

The present paper summarises a series of measurements of the interaction parameter of oxygen in liquid copper with respect to a third element, e(M)o, where M is Mn, Zn, As, Se or Te which are common impurities in the liquid metal. The technique employed was the solid electrolyte galvanic cell method. The cell used may be represented as Pt, W or cermet / Cu-O-M // ZrO2 - CaO // AO, A /PT where AO/A represents a suitable oxide/metal reference. The measurements indicate that Mn and Zn interact very strongly with oxygen in liquid copper while, in the case of arsenic the interaction parameter is nearly zero. The behaviour of the elements Se and Te is unique with respect to oxygen interactions in copper bath. At oxygen levels, xo= 10-4 ? 10-5, the apparent interaction parameters are negative, comparable to that for sulphur. On the other hand, at lower oxygen levels, the results indicate that the interaction parameter values are positive. The results are discussed in the light of some of the theoretical models for solute interactions in liquid metals.

Jan 1, 1993

By Jr. Napolitano, Jr. Sanders

"Morphological evolution of a dendritic growth front in a binary alloy is simulated using a cellular automaton approach to establish the feasibility of modeling such growth with a local rule-based scheme. The motivation for this work is derived from the need to predict the development of solidification structures within real components of complex geometry, where significant constraint of the thermal and solutal fields may exist. Such cases present complex boundaries and large domain sizes, which may preclude the effective use of more conventional methods. In this work, a model is presented which couples a two-dimensional alternate-direction-implicit finite-difference diffusion solution with a cellular automaton growth algorithm to simulate morphological evolution in alloys solidifying under directional growth conditions. Temperature, composition, and interface curvature are incorporated into a local growth potential which is used by the automaton, allowing the interface to evolve. Alloy solidification is simulated over a range of experimental conditions, producing various structures. Issues addressed include morphological instability, primary spacing selection, interface curvature, microsegregation, and tip conditions.IntroductionThe development of dendritic structure plays an essential role in alloy solidification. Virtually every microstructural feature, within a cast alloy component, is related to the interface morphology present during solidification. Conventional solidification theory, describing dendrite tip kinetics and mushy zone phenomena, provides a means for estimating overall microstructural parameters for an alloy solidified under steady-state conditions. Microstructural prediction for actual components, which are finite in size and complex in geometry, requires a description of the evolution of the interface morphology under transient conditions and geometrical constraint and an understanding of how the structure propagates through the mold. Any useful simulation tool must be equipped to handle these circumstances within the limits of computational feasibility."

Jan 1, 1998

By X. K. Lan

The greater demand for high-quality large-diameter crystals has led to the robust idea of a free- flying solar-powered furnace satellite, whereby the buoyancy-driven convection effects are almost nonexistent, and diffusion-controlled crystal growth with minimal radial segregation is promoted. In the proposed solar furnace, a paraboloid of revolution imaging concentrator is used to focus the sun's radiation onto an-ampoule which holds the solid charge to be processed. The charge will start melting in the vicinity of the focal point, after which it is translated in order for the melt to resolidify as a single crystal. A ray-trace method has been developed to determine the incident concentrated solar heat flux on the ampoule surface for a perfectly-aligned configuration with an incoming columnated beam. A transient 2- dimensional conduction problem with phase change is formulated, which is solved using the commercial code FIDAP. Results highlighting the feasibility of growing GaAs, Ge and Si crystals with diameters of the order of 20 cm using the solar furnace satellite concept are presented. The transient temperature fields within various charge materials are quantified.

Jan 1, 1994

By J. A. Eisele

There is currently much interest in how extraction of gold and silver from ores with acidic thiourea solution compares with extraction using alkaline cyanide solution. Agitation leaching tests were performed by the Bureau of Mines on 14 precious metal ores using sodium cyanide (?NaCN) and thiourea [(NH2)2CS) as extractants. The objective was to compare the results of the two extractants. NaCN was used at a concentration of 2 g/L with and without H202 as an oxidant. (NH2)2CS was used at concentrations of 2 and 20 gjL, and the solution potential was controlled at 390 to 420 mV standard hydrogen electrode (Eh) with Fe2(S04)3. With both reagents a.t 2 g/L extractant levels, NaCN extracted more gold and silver than (NH2liCS from all of the ores. At 20 g/L (NH2)2CS compared with 2 g/L NaCN, (NH2)2CS extracted more gold than NaCN from two ores, the same amount from one ore, and more silver from one ore. NaCN extracted more gold than (NH2 )2CS from 10 ores and more silver from 4 ores.

Jan 1, 1989

By Jack S. McPartland

Historically, research on thiosulfate leaching of precious metals ores has been focused on processing of difficult to treat ores. Thiosulfate leaching of ores and concentrates containing sulfide minerals, copper, manganese and preg-robbing carbon constituents has been evaluated. Cyanide leaching is generally considered an efficient, environmentally acceptable means for processing of non-refractory precious metal ores, Consequently, commercial processing of finely disseminated, oxidized precious metal ores is normally accomplished using alkaline cyanide leaching. Recent changes in regulatory climate have, however, called into question the acceptability of cyanide leaching in a number of locations worldwide. In some cases where the use of cyanide is being questioned, thiosulfate leaching may provide an acceptable alternative. Developments in thiosulfate leaching of precious metal ores are reviewed in this paper.

Jan 1, 1999

By John L. Hostetler

GALFAN, the Zn-5% Al-mischmetal hot-dip galvanizing alloy is coated onto steel sheet, wire, and tube using high-speed continuous galvanizing lines. Factors critical to producing high quality GALFAN are reviewed, The relationship between minimum mischmetal content in the GALFAN alloy and furnace dewpoint will be described. The relationship between peak annealing temperature and furnace dewpoint will also be shown. Typical suategies for operating multi-purpose hot-dip galvanizing lines including GALFAN will be described. A recent development has allowed preparation of steel smp for GALFAN coating using aqueous fluxes rather than high temperature annealing. This allows production of GALFAN-coated smp without over-ageing of the steel, and allows high steel strengths and hardnesses to be obtained. The principles of this process will be described.

Jan 1, 1992

By Douglas J. Harvey, Chi-Mou Ni

"This paper presents an analysis technique for the solidification of metal castings. This method, based on a modified finite difference scheme with an irregular mesh, is capable of dealing with the complex geometries of castings. The nonlinearities in material properties of specific heat and thermal conductivity, arising from the phase change during solidification, are accounted for in the step-by-step calculations. Two solidification problems are solved with this analysis technique and the calculated results compare satisfactorily with experimental data. IntroductionCasting process design engineers are often faced with the difficult problem of designing castings to be produced porosity-free. Since the solidification of metal is affected by many interacting variables such as the thermal conductivity, density, and specific heat of both the molten metal and the mold, it is easily seen why this is a difficult task.Typically, casting tooling design is an intuitive process which builds on past successful methods. After processing equipment is constructed, trial castings are made and examined for dimensions and integrity. Changes in the tooling are generally required to improve casting soundness or to reduce cycle time. In the permanent mold process, tooling is complex and difficult to alter after initial construction. The water-cooled steel molds are part of the complete automated system. Associated holding furnaces, pouring ladles, casting conveyers, and utility connections all make other than minor adjustments a costly and time consuming task. An analytical method for using the principles of heat transfer for predicting solidification patterns would be of great value in the permanent mold process by minimizing costly changes."

Jan 1, 1986

By Shengli Wu, Mingyin Kou, Feng Chang, Laixin Wang, Hua Lu, Jianliang Zhang

Sintering dust has been regarded as an important secondary resource in a modern steel plant. Sintering dust was mechanically treated using different milling machines and experimental conditions in air atmosphere. The changes in phase constitution, particle size, specific surface area, particle morphology, and lattice parameters of activated sintering dust were determined. It was found that the agglomeration of the particles take place during extended dry milling with accessible pores for Nitrogen gas. The maximum specific BET surface area in the stirring wet grinding and planetary wet grinding increases to 43.06 and 46.45 m2/g after activated 360 min respectively. With the increasing of energy input, the intensity of diffraction peaks of dolomite and hematite gradually decreased. Furthermore, the previous phase almost disappeared eventually under any experimental conditions. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicates that organic matter and carbonate decompose easier than other phases, especially under stirring wet milling.

Jan 1, 2016

By Zhi-biao Yin

Copper smelter flue dusts often cannot be directly recycled to the smelting process and accumulate as hazardous wastes requiring environmentally acceptable disposal. Because of the limited amount of flue dust, a separate copper extraction process must be simple and require-a small plant investment. A flue dust process has been developed, consisting of the following steps: (1) roasting a pelletized mixture of hydrated lime and flue dust to fix arsenic and sulfur as insoluble calcium salts, (2) heap leaching the roasted pellets with a buffered ammonia/ammonium salt solution to extract copper as an ammine complex in a lined cell that is the final repository of the leached pellets, and (3) boiling ammonia from the lixiviant to precipitate copper. Condensed ammonia and the filtered solution are returned to leaching. Heap leaching in the final repository cell lowers the capital investment significantly compared with competing extraction processes. Chemistry with respect to arsenic, sulfur and copper is discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

By T. Yoshida

The Ni-MH (nickel metal hydride) rechargeable battery was developed several years ago. Its higher electrochemical capacity and greater safety compared with the Ni-Cd rechargeable battery have resulted in very rapid Increase in its production. The Ni-MH rechargeable battery consists of Ni. Co and rare earth metals, so that recycling is important to recover these valuable mineral resources. In this study. a basic recycling process for used Ni-MH rechargeable batteries has been developed, in which the Ni. Co and rare earth elements are recovered through a combination of mechanical processing and hydrometallurglcal processing.

Jan 1, 1995

By I. E. A. Aghachi

During static strain-aging of low carbon steel, when the material is pre-strained, the dislocation density increases. If totally or partially unloaded and aged for a prescribed time, interstitial solute atoms diffuse under the influence of the dislocation stress fields, thus tending to lock dislocations causing an increase in yield stress. If held for long periods at certain aging temperature, a decrease in yield stress (over-aging) is observed following the initial increase. This behaviour has been variously attributed to either recovery of cold worked dislocation structure and/or formation and coarsening of carbide precipitates. The present work demonstrates that, using a "process control" model for the competing processes of hardening and softening, dislocation recovery is responsible for over-aging of mild steel specimens under conditions tested during this investigation. Keywords: Strain-aging, Precipitation, Recovery

Jan 1, 2003