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By K. Adham

"Fluidized beds are utilized in a wide range of high-temperature applications throughout the metals and materials industry. Their main advantage is the fast and uniform heat and mass transfer between the hot combustion gases and the particulate solid feed. A further benefit can be the lowering of the processing plant's energy consumption, through heat recovery from the fluid bed processes used for solids heating. Here, the enhanced energy efficiency of fluidized systems is investigated and the modeling results are discussed for three configurations: the flash tube, the single bubbling bed and the multi-stage fluid bed. Key thermal design aspects of each system are identified based on results from process simulations, in order to benchmark their main operating features and overall energy efficiency. Suitability and applicability of each configuration is also discussed based on a number of process and material property considerations.IntroductionCombustion based heating of particulate solids is commonly done using three different types of fluidized beds. The flash tube (FT) is similar to a hot pneumatic transport system. The single-stage fluidized bed (FB) typically uses in-bed combustion. The multi-stage fluidized bed (MSFB) can have two or more stages stacked into a tower.Flash tube (FT) suspends the incoming solid charge in a high-velocity stream of hot combustion gases. To maintain the solids suspension in the FT, two parameters are required: high velocity for elutriation of the particles and adequate solid-to-gas ratio for avoiding high pressure drops and solids drop-out [l].The fluid bed (FB) works at much lower velocities than the flash tube. Therefore, most of the solids are not conveyed in the gas stream, but are only suspended in a liquid-like manner. At minimum fluidization velocity (Umr), the gas flow exerts just enough force on the solids to keep them suspended in place [2].Multi-stage fluid bed (MSFB) heats up the solids as they are transferred from an upper bed level to a lower one, counter-current to the rising flow of hot gases generated at the lowest stage. As the temperature and volumetric flow of the gases decrease from bottom to the top stage, smaller bed diameters can be used in the energy recovery stages [3]."

Jan 1, 2014

By Hong Yong Sohn, Miguel Olivas-Martinez, Zhixue Yuan

A novel flash ironmaking process that directly reduces iron oxide concentrate particles by gas is under development. The goal of this work was to study the possibility of reoxidation of iron particles in various gas mixtures. As the product iron cools down in the lower part of the flash reactor, conditions may become favorable for reoxidation because of equilibrium and high reactivity of iron particles. The effects of temperature (823 – 973 K) and H2O partial pressure (40 – 100 pct., Ptotal = 86.1 kPa) on the reoxidation rate were examined. The pressure dependence was first order with respect to water vapor, and the activation energy was 146 kJ/mol. A complete rate equation that adequately represents the experimental data was developed. For oxidation in O2-N2 mixtures, the effects of temperature (673 – 873 K) and O2 partial pressure (5 – 21 pct., Ptotal = 86.1 kPa) were determined. Reoxidation in pure CO2 was also investigated at 873 – 1073 K for comparison.

Jan 1, 2014

"EAF dust is categorized as a hazardous solid waste. EPA approves only two treatment methods: either sending the dust to zinc recycling facility, or stabilizing it first and then disposing it to a specially-lined landfill. Both treatment methods are costly to EAF steelmakers. In order to reduce the cost and even better to make profit from the dust, EAF steelmakers need to find a costeffective technology to separate zinc from EAF dust. This paper is dedicated to discussion of a novel recycling strategy: in-process separation of zinc from EAF dust. The concept of in-process separation of zinc from EAF dust is first defined, and then a simple Zn concentration model is developed. From this model, two approaches of in-process separation of zinc from EAF dust are derived: (1) prematurely capturing dust at very high temperature when zinc is still in vapor status, (2) prematurely collecting dust immediately after quickly cooling EAF off-gas from high temperature to low temperature. Next, thermodynamic analysis is conducted to understand zinc behavior in EAF off-gas. It is demonstrated in theory that zinc is in vapor status while it exits from electric arc furnaces. At last, recycling routes and economics of in-process separation of zinc from EAF dust are discussed.IntroductionElectric arc furnace (EAF) plays an increasingly important role in steel production. According to USGS, steel production from electric arc furnaces has long exceeded that from basic oxygen furnaces [JJ. In 2009, electric arc furnaces produced 64% of total steel in the United States.Along with the fast growth of EAF steel production, generation of EAF dust is also rapidly increasing. A survey by AIM Market Research showed that 10 - 20 kg EAF dust was generated for every ton of EAF steel produced [2] In 1999, the United States alone produced 770,000 metric tons of EAF dust [3] In Europe, annual generation rate of EAF dust is more than one million tons [4-5]. In Japan, about 450,000 tons of EAF dust is produced each year [6] Globally, total generation of EAF dust was estimated to be more than 5 million tons per year [5] EAF dust is categorized as a hazardous solid waste since it often contains heavy metals, such as lead, chromium and cadmium. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves only two methods for treating EAF dust: (1) recycling the dust by EAF-dust recyclers, and (2) specially landfilling the dust for disposal after it is chemically stabilized. These two methods of treating EAF dust are both very costly to EAF steelmakers. It was estimated that a fee of $150 to $200 per ton of EAF dust was paid for various treatment options, which added approximately $2 - 3 cost for every ton of liquid steel produced by electric arc furnaces [?J."

Jan 1, 2011

By N. Kanari

Chalcopyrite concentrates and their pure constituents were chlorinated by C12+N2 between 25 °C and 750 °C. The reaction products were analyzed by SEM, XRD and chemical analysis. The effect of gas flow rate and chlorine content of the gas mixture on the reaction rate were investigated. At room temperature, these solids start to react with chlorine giving metal and sulfur chlorides. Complete reaction is achieved at about 300 °C and the iron and sulfur chlorides were fully volatilized. The chlorination residue is composed of valuable metals' chlorides. A simplified flow - sheet for the treatment of chalcopyrite concentrates by chlorine was suggested.

Jan 1, 1998

By Yuri Hovanski, Jingyi Zhang, David P. Field, Piyush Upadhyay

Friction stir welding has gained wide interest in industry and drawn large research attention due to its high level of automation and superior joint performance. In this study we further expand the welding parameters to be of magnitudes higher than those previously reported to lower the cost and enable high volume joint production. Sound butt-joints were produced with aluminum alloy 6111-T4 blanks with welding speeds up to 6000 mm/min. Tensile tests of the joint pieces show >97% joint efficiency in terms of ultimate tensile strength. The T4 natural aging and grain refinement is found to contribute to the superior joint properties. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis is used to qualitatively study the local shear texture inside the nugget zones of the welds. The shear texture result is a good indicator of the material flow directions in the nugget zones. The flow directions behind the rotation tool are found to be flattened towards the top surface of the workpiece when the welding speed is increased, suggesting intense material mixing and transportation along the longitudinal welding direction (WD).

Mar 1, 2018

By M. L. Apel

A conceptual approach to the bioremediation of uranium mill tailings (UMT) is presented., This approach focuses on, biosorption to remediate the. effluent solution and bioleaching remediate the. solid fraction. Comparative biosorption studies were performed with synthetic single metal solutions using a commercially available biopolymer. The maximum rate of metal sorption by calcium alginate was found to be 5.43, 6,39, 6.48, and 9.74 mg dm-3 min-1 for U022*, Ba2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+, respectively. Activation energy (AEa) for barium uptake by calcium alginate beads was determined to be 11.5 kJ, indicating a diffusion controlled reaction mechanism. Thermodynamic values (AG+ AH+ and ASt) of the metal-alginate activated complex, as reported in the literature, were found to be in agreement with those calculated from this research. Results show that this biopolymer can be effectively applied in the removal of select metals prevalent in uranium mill tailing effluents and associated waste streams.

Jan 1, 1991

By Pertti Koukkari, Nagendra Tripathi, Karri Penttilä, Justin Salmine

ChemSheet is a thermodynamic multi‐phase multi‐component simulation software, which is used as an Add‐in in Microsoft Excel. In ChemSheet, the unique Constrained Gibbs free energy method can be used to include dynamic constraints and reaction rates of kinetically slow reactions, yet retaining full consistency of the multiphase thermodynamic model. With appropriate data, ChemSheet models can be used to simulate reactors and processes in all fields of thermochemistry. The presentation will cover off‐line modeling of Cu‐flash smelters and advanced thermochemical simulation coupled with on‐line process control of Cu‐Ni smelting. The presentation will describe an off‐line model of Cu‐smelter based on critically assessed properties of the Al-Ca-Cu-Fe-O-S-Si –system (slag, matte and liquid metal) by using the quasichemical model. A four‐stage reactor model (shaft, settler, uptake and bath) is used for optimizing process parameters and feed particle distribution. As a second example, an advanced thermochemical model of a Ni-Cu sulphide smelting plant will be given. The on‐line model covers the operation of treating Ni-Cu-S concentrate via roasters, electric furnace and converters, producing a high grade Bessemer matte product for further refining. The model integrates the thermochemistry of the roasters and electric furnace, and predicts important process parameters such as degree of sulphur elimination in the fluid‐bed roasters, matte grade, iron metallization, slag losses and the iron to silica ratio in the electric furnace slag. Both models can be used to assist process engineers and operators in calculating the addition rates of coke, flux and air for different feed scenarios.

Jan 1, 2014

By Masao Miyake, Eiichiro Matsubara, Tetsuji Hirato, Yasuhiro Awakura

"Zn-Cr alloy coating with around 15 wt% Cr has been found to have much higher chemical corrosion-resistance to steel than conventional zinc plating, while· its structure has not been clarified. The Zn-Cr alloy plating is performed at high current densities around 1 A cm-2 and for 10 to 20 sec using acidic aqueous sulfate solutions with some additives in the iron-steel industry. Due to the high current densities, it seems reasonable to consider that the Zn-Cr alloy plating proceeds under an unsteady-state condition and that the resulting coatings have a non-equilibrium phase and have a structure change in the .direction of thickness. In this research, the crystal structure of the Zn-Cr alloy coating electrodeposited at high current densities and change of the structure in the direction of thickness were examined by X-ray diffraction. The coatings containing under 20 and 35-40 wt% Cr had hcp and bee structure, respectively, while the coatings containing 20-35 wt% Cr comprised two phases with the hcp and the bee structure. The structure of the coating varied in the direction of thickness; both the hcp and bcc phases coexisted in the vicinity of the substrate, while the hcp phase became predominant with increasing distance from the substrate.IntroductionRecently it has been reported that Zn-Cr alloy coating containing around 15 wt% Cr has much higher corrosion-resistance to steel than conventional zinc plating.1-3) The corrosion-resistanc·e of Zn-Cr alloy plated steel sheet with a plating amount of 20 g m·2 is, for example, superior to that of Zn plated steel with a plating amount in the range 60 to 90 g m·2 , which is widely used for automotive bodies today.4l The Zn-Cr alloy plating is obtained by electrodeposition at current densities over 0.5 A cm·2 from a sulfate solution containing zinc and trivalent chromium ions and some additives.5•6) The deposition current densities mentioned above are much higher than those for usual electroplating processes, e.g., Zn, Cu and Ni plating, carried out about 0.05 A cm·2 • Therefore, the time required for plating is very short; around 10-20 sec. Due to the high current densities, it seems reasonable to consider that the· Zn-Cr alloy plating proceeds under an unsteady-state condition and that the resulting coatings do not have a phase expected from equilibrium diagrams; no phase diagram of the Zn-Cr system with a full composition range has been available. 7). In other words, the alloy phase plated would be a non-equilibrium phase with unknown structures."

Jan 1, 2000

By T. DebRoy

In recent years rapid technological advances have been achieved in the application of high energy density heat sources such as lasers and electron beams in diverse metals processing operations such as metal refining, fabrication, coating, surface modification and alloying. However, our phenomenological understanding of these new and emerging processes has not kept pace with the technological achievements. Inadequate understanding of plasma-metal interactions, the complexity of the component physical processes, and the scarcity of thermophysical data at temperatures much higher than the melting points of metals are the main difficulties in the comprehensive analysis of these processes. Several unique contemporary issues related to metals processing with high energy density beams such as rapid evaporation of alloying elements during processing and the role of plasma in influencing vaporization rate interfacial tension and species solubility in metals are discussed in this paper.

Jan 1, 1993

By Rubén J. Sánchez Rodriguez, Carlos M. Fontes Vieira, Carlos E. Gomes Ribeiro

Ornamental compound stone are produced by industry for decades, however, few published studies describe these materials. Brazil has many deposits of stone wastes and a big potential to produce these materials. This work aims to evaluate the chemical resistance of ornamental compound stones produced with marble waste and unsaturated polyester. An adaptation of Annex H of ABNT NBR 13818:97 standard, with reagents commonly used in household products, was used. The results were compared with those obtained for natural stone used in composite production.

Jan 1, 2015

By Jinxia Nie, Yunnen Chen, Dachao Zhang

"Rare earth resources are strategic and non-renewable resources. But disordered exploitation on rare earth metals leads to resources waste, environmental pollution and ecosystem destroyed. In this paper, soil collected from garden was cultured in thermostated incubator. Adding exogenous rare earth to the soil and the effects of recombination action of rare earth lanthanum, cerium and yttrium on soil enzymatic activities were studied. The results showed that single metal La and Ce can increase urease activity, but Y inhibits its. Coexist La/Y or La/Ce in soil inhibit the urease activity, coexist Y /Ce or coexist three metals promote its. Single metal La, Y and Ce can promote catalase activity, and that of coexist three metals. Pairwise coexist La, Y, Ce in soil inhibit catalase activity. With certain concentration of rare earth recombination action, urease activity in soil has been very significant direct proportion to ionic impulse, but catalase activity been insignificant inverse proportion to its.1. IntroductionThe increase of rare earth element content due to anthropogenic inputs frequently takes place in agro-industrial areas, leading to soil pollution episodes that may cause serious environmental problems because of their potential toxicity to microorganisms, plants, animals and human beings [ 1]. China is abundant in lanthanides resources. Rare earth metals are used in many frontier technologies such as photic devices, magnetic materials, and fine ceramics, and the amount of the rare earth metals used in these industries has been increasing. In addition to their use in industry, rare earth metals are more widely applied to cropland as microelement fertilizers due to their ability to promote growth and productivity of some crops [2]. As a result, more and more rare earth metals are moving into the ecosystems. While a permanent contamination of soils results in populations of micro-organisms with high resistance to rare earth metals, a short-term burden of contaminants at high concentrations could exert inhibitory effects on microbial carbon [3]. They accumulate in soils, bioaccumulate in crops, and enter the food chain, causing a potential problem of rare earth metals environmental pollution in China [4]. This contamination may also severely influence organisms and soil activities [5]."

Jan 1, 2011

By Musa Karakus

In an attempt to explain the phenomena of lead entrainment during Cu drossing of lead bullion, two different synthetic lead bullions were heated to 1050°C, cooled slowly to various temperatures, and then quenched. The morphology and composition of dross particles that form when Mn is used to desulphurize bullion also were examined. Polished sections of these pyrometallurgical products were examined by process mineralogical techniques to identify the impurity phases, determine their chemical compositions, examine the morphology of the impurity phases and evaluate the potential for lead entrainment in such crystals, and characterize pre-quench and quench-generated phases. The phases crystallized were metallic lead, metallic copper, galena, chalcocite, albandite, Cu14.4Pb2S9. and 5.5Pb2S3.5. Metallic copper formed isometric skeletal crystals, chalcocite formed platy and skeletal crystals, and 1formed crystals and eutectic intergrowth with chalcocite and Cu14.4Pb2S9 or Cu5.5Ph2S3.5. The pre-quench crystals are larger and usually exhibit skeletal forms; the quench-generated phases are only a few micrometers across and disseminated throughout the lead matrix. Skeletal crystals of metallic copper and chalcocite form three dimensional networks that entrain large amounts of metallic lead.

Jan 1, 1989

By Patricio Barrios

The Rio Tinto Metal (RTMetal) copper smelter, located 5 Km from Huelva, Spain, began operations in 1970. Since then a series of expansions and modifications have allowed a progressive increase in copper production. Environmental considerations having become increasingly important, environmental protection has come to represent an important aspect of the investments in production. As a result, modifications have been carried out in the two existing acid plants: -Modification of the RTM I gas cleaning section to closed circuit. -Substitution of cascade filters and acid lines. -Modification of the RTM I plant to double absorption. The Expansion and Environmental Improvement Project, completed end 1995, will allow 270,000 t Cu and 800,000 t H2SO4 to be produced yearly, at the same time achieving a decrease in specific and overall emissions. RTMetal's goal is to be an efficient smelter, with the avowed intention of respecting the environment and adopting the best available technologies.

Jan 1, 1996

A modified Cuprex Metal Extraction Process (CMEP) leach process was used to extract Cu. Ni and Co from a complex sulphide concentrate. The standard leach was modified to a two-stage countercurrent leach which provided emf control of the copper SX feed and minimized iron dissolution. A flowsheet was developed to recover the base metals and silver from the leach solution and gold and platinum group metals from the leach residue which was predominantly elemental sulphur. Techniques required to maintain an iron balance in the system including pressure oxidation and solvent extraction are described.

Jan 1, 1996

By I. S. Blair

The introduction of the 36 MVA smelting furnace at Mufulira, and the experience gained during the first five years of operation have been described previously (6). Based on this experience the furnace was rebuilt in 1977., Details of the modifications made during this rebuild are described. Subsequent to the rebuild, refractory failures, particularly in the electrode ring bricks of the sprung arch roof, continued to cause concern, and repair and improved roof control methods are described. Electrode breakages continued, but developments in casing design and electrode preparation have resulted in significant improvements. Modifications in the electric furnace gas handling system are outlined, together with details of further changes to be implemented in the near future. The systems developed for metallurgical control of the furnace and the thermo-dynamics of the process are discussed. The electric furnace at Mufulira is now operating at above design production levels, and has decisively justified the choice of this technology in situations with inexpensive electric power. The potential for further increases in production capacity from the Mufulira unit, and improvements in design for new units are discussed.

Jan 1, 1983

By Mingming Zhang, Mallikharjuna R. Bogala, Ramana G. Reddy

Steelmaking desulfurization slag samples were characterized using chemical, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) methods. The objective of this work is to investigate the occurrence of sulfur and phosphorus components in the slag samples and to identify their origin and associations with the iron phases. Thermodynamic calculations results confirm the presence of phosphorus and sulfur components in the slag sample at high temperatures (1400 to 1800oC). The main constituents of slag include Ca3SiO5 (28.1%), MgO (9.31%), Ca3(PO4)2 (9.18%), CaS (8.39%) and CaO (5.68%). The major phosphorus and sulfur components of the slag are Ca3PO4 (99.2%) and CaS (79.3%) respectively. Characterization studies indicate the presence of microparticles of different sizes and shapes in the slag sample. Elemental analysis of these particles confirm the presence of major elements (O, Mg, Al, Si, S, Ca and Fe) in the slag sample.

Jan 1, 2015

By Selim Coskun

In this study, tungsten matrix composites reinforced with 2 wt% TiC particles were mechanically alloyed (MA?d) for 3h, 6h, 12h and 24h. 1 wt% Ni is used as sintering aid which is added before and after mechanical alloying. Microstructural and phase characterizations of composite powders and sintered samples were carried out via SEM and XRD analyses. Furthermore, density and hardness measurements of as-consolidated and sintered samples were carried out. Additionally, DSC experiments were conducted to investigate the sintering behavior of the MA?d powders.

Jan 1, 2009

By W. K. Choi

Stainless steel exposed to wet environments at ambient temperature is subject to the formation of a surface biofilm. Depending upon the prevailing environmental conditions (dissolved oxygen, pH, Eh, concentration of cationic/anionic species), the biofilm may stimulate corrosion through formation of differential aeration zones and concentration cells. Corrosion significantly impacts the United States economy, since on a yearly basis, corrosion induced losses are estimated to be over $200 billion. A large portion of this corrosion is imputable to bacterial activity, and basic information is needed for a better understanding and control of the biocorrosion phenomenon. The present study has investigated the influence of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in the corrosion of American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) 304, 316 and 416 stainless steel samples. The formation of biofilm and microstructural changes on the surface of stainless steel samples and their weldments were assessed by microscopic examination, and the changes in the mechanical properties by stress-strain measurements. The significance of the results will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1993

By Toshiaki Nakai, Kunihiko Takeda, Kimio Imaizumi, Hiroaki Shirasaka

"The new type of nano-porous silica particle was considered to be constructed by the spinodal decomposition-type process which was found to have narrower pores than those of conventional porous silica prepared from boron silicate or ""Shirasu"" balloon. Nano-porous silica particles were fabricated by the calcination of silica gel mixed with well-dispersed complex salts composed of phosphorous and molybdenum compounds. Both silica and inorganic salts were not perfectly dissolved in the suspension solution. After removing of the water, the silica-inorganic salts complex was volatized and successively calcinated at a temperature ranging from 650 °C to 800 °C. Then, the inorganic salts were removed by dissolving in hot water. Other inorganic salts such as potassium halides were also found to be effective as a pore-size controller.IntroductionControl of structure has an important role in the field of industry as well as in the separation and purification technology for metals and organic syntheses. Many studies on the control of material structures have been reported regarding porous materials with pores ranging from nanometer to micrometer scale. 1 ) One example is zeolite as a naturally yielded porous inorganic material. Various types of synthetic zeolites have been studied as ""molecular sieve"" materials with ordinary pore-size of less than one nanometer. In 1992, crystalline meso-porous material with a large surface area named MCM-41 was synthesized through the use of template synthesis. 2) In direct relation to our study, amorphous borate glass having 4 to 100 nm of fine pores known as Corning glass 3l or SiO2-Al2OrB2O 3-CaO porous glass having large pore dispersity ranging from 4 to 10,000 nm have been reported. 4 ) S) 6 ) Some examples of several reported studies are as follows: phase-separated porous glass consisting of B2OrAl2O3-ZrO2-RO-R2O complex oxide 7 ) glass with finer pore induced from hydrolysis of silane alkoxide, porous material attained by condensation polymerization through the use of sol-gel process 8), alumina meso-porous material 9 ) 10), silica-zirconia material 11), carbon porous material 12), etc.."

Jan 1, 2000

By Haldun Kurama, Cenk Karakurt, Ilker Bekir Topçu

"The usage of binders or pozzolanic materials in the production of concrete is not new. However, in recent years, the use of the pozzolanic siliceous material such as natural zeolite and coal combustion ash (CBA) has received re-attention due to the generated considerable interest in the economical use of both naturally occurring raw materials, recycling of the waste material and saved energy. In this study, the potential and utilization opportunities of natural zeolites and bottom ash (BA) in concrete applications were reviewed. Case studies, conducted to determine the possible usage of the natural zeolite and BA in concrete production, i.e. light weight concrete (LWC) were also presented. The physical and mechanical properties of cured concretes were examined to find out the competitive material usage on the final product properties. Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) with 1.1 nm tobermorite (5CaO 6SiO2 5H2O) as binder is a lightweight construction material that mainly uses in place of concrete to manufacture various building materials, including blocks, panels, slabs and the like. The material is a mixture of sand, lime, cement, gypsum, water and an expanding agent, which causes the raw material to rise like bread dough, with countless small air pores. AAC can be molded and cut into precisely dimensioned units and cured in an autoclave, which steam cures the concrete under pressure. During this process, the ingredients combine to form the calcium silicate hydrate gels that establish the special properties of the finished product. The process produces a material that is only one-fourth to one-third the weight of a conventional concrete block (bulk density of 400-800 kg /m3) of the same size. Regular AAC offers considerable advantages over other construction materials such as high thermal and sound insulation, excellent fire resistance, high resource and energy efficiency, low environmental impact, and finally outstanding structural performance (especially for earthquake zones) [1]. Its lightweight also makes it easy to use during construction, and its aerated structure gives it better thermal insulation and sound absorption properties than conventional concrete."

Jan 1, 2008