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By Dilip Banerjee

"This paper discusses the Advanced Technology Program (ATP)'s support over the last decade to the development and use of process modeling as a tool to address some of the challenges faced by the U.S. metal casting industries. A particular focus will be given to highlight how process modeling can be used to improve the manufacturability of components needed for high performance and critical applications. The challenges associated with the design and production of thin-walled, cast parts with intricate and complex internal geometries will be discussed. Modeling issues associated with the control of the final grain structure in the solidified parts will also be addressed. This paper will describe the advantages of using appropriate mathematical models for designing new alloys for use in various applications.Finally, the role that ATP has played in uplifting the U.S. technological base through partnerships with industry and academia in high-risk research in order to bring to market new and improved products for the broader benefit of the nation will be discussed.ATP's BackgroundIn the 1980s, U.S. industries were losing market share to low-cost, high-quality manufacturers from Asian countries. Corporate leaders and policy makers determined that in order to sustain and grow market share, U.S. industries needed to improve their competitiveness and productivity through product and process innovation. There was evidence that companies were systematically under-investing in leading-edgetechnologies and failing to complete the development of new technologies [l]. There were also arguments in academic circles that pointed to a potential market failure in the area of early-stage technological developments. These concerns provided impetus for creation of the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) within the National Institute of Standards and Technology through the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. Through a rigorously competitive, cost-shared partnership with industry, ATP fosters the development and broad dissemination of high-risk technologies that offer the potential for significant broad-based economic benefits to the United States."

Jan 1, 2004

By J. Phillip Mackey

A whole new group of non-ferrous pyrometallurgical processes with the ability to utilize tonnage oxygen and capture sulphur dioxide were developed and commercialized over the period 1940s–1980s. Many of these earlier process developments were undertaken with limited knowledge of the process chemistry and influence of key process variables; in many cases, piloting helped provide much new physico-chemical data, but gaps remained. The second generation versions of these technologies of today provide all the primary copper, nickel and lead produced worldwide by pyro-metallurgical smelting. Further, process development has continued and a new generation of copper and lead smelting technologies have also been developed in China since the 1990s. The older reverberatory and blast furnaces have been progressively replaced by the newer technologies—a good example being the introduction in 1992 of the copper IsaSmelt technology at the Mt. Isa smelter in Australia where the former fluid bed roaster and reverberatory furnaces were replaced by a single new smelting unit, together with an acid plant for sulphur dioxide collection. The development of these new technologies was made possible by investment in fundamental and applied research. The lesson for the future is, in order to sustain these improvements, continued investment in research and development capability is required—to do otherwise is to risk obsolescence and lack of competiveness in the world market. Dr. Peter Hayes at The University of Queensland is one of the many researchers and process engineers who have contributed to the fundamental understanding of metallurgical processes over this period of rapid change in technologies. The present paper briefly outlines some of the many contributions Peter Hayes has made to the understanding of kinetics, mechanisms and phase equilibria in metallurgical systems, and metallurgical process development.

By Yun Li

An innovative lead recycling process from scrap lead-acid battery paste is presented. The novelty in the process is avoiding SO2 generation and emission by using reductive sulfur-fixing technique. Iron-bearing secondary wastes produced from metallurgical industry were utilized as sulfur-fixing agent to capture sulfur in the form of FeS (s) instead of generation of SO2 (g). Na2CO3 molten salt was added to the smelting system to speed the reactions and improve valuable metals’ recovery and sulfur-fixation efficiency. Furthermore, this process can simultaneously co-treat various lead and iron-bearing wastes. At the same time, some precious metals, such as Au and Ag, contained in iron-bearing wastes can be recovered. The feasibility and reliability of this process was investigated thermodynamically and experimentally with the help of HSC 9.0 database and XRD and SEM-EDS analysis. A possible reaction mechanism and path in PbSO4–Fe2O3–Na2CO3–C smelting system was also clarified.

By William A. Hockings

This report describes the results of laboratory studies on leaching of copper ores.tlf These studies are the first step of a program for the investigation of in situ leaching of tabular, metalliferous ore bodies.(2) The basic steps required in the development of an in situ process are: 1. Leachability - the ability to dissolve the metal values from the ore under in situ conditions must be demonstrated. 2. Ore Preparation - the ore must be prepared so that sufficient contact with the solution can be attained. 3. System Design - integrated in situ systems must be designed and studied for engineering feasibility. 4. Economic Feasibility - the economics of the system must be shown to be economically feasible and competitive. 5. Environmental Feasibility - the loss of reagents into the environment must be investigated. 6. Pilot Scale Testing - the feasibility of the system must be demonstrated on a sufficiently large scale. The studies described in this report were concerned only with the first step of the program, viz., leachability. Native and sulfide copper ores from the Michigan copper district were selected as model ores for these studies. Aqueous amnonia solutions were chosen as the solvents to be investigated. In this study carbonate (CO3, HCO3, H2CO3) was used exclusively as the anion. In keeping with custom it is referred to as carbon dioxide and concentrations are ex- pressed in terms of CO2. When leaching native copper the reaction is

Jan 1, 1976

By Qiang Yu

This paper reports on a research project supported by NSF, which aims at developing a multi-scale methodology for systematic microstructure prediction in thermo-mechanical processing of metals. This methodology is based on combining mesoscopic microstructure models with macroscopic process formulations and involves the following three main steps: (I) based on the given global processing conditions, the gross deformation patternof the entire workpiece is modeled using a continuum-based algorithm, (2) the resulting parameters are then extracted from the continuum-based simulation, post-processed and passed on to the mesoscopic numerical module, and (3) the microstructural changes are finally modeled at the mesoscopic scale. This approach is expected to overcome the disadvantages of current microstructure prediction practice employing empirical relationships between microstructural features and processing parameters. Keywords: Thermo-mechanical processing, Microstructure, Grain growth; Recrystallization; Mesoscopic models; Finite Element Method

Jan 1, 2003

By Jyothi Rajesh Kumar, Jin-Young Lee

21st century is electronic revolution in human lives as well as energy is one of the most significant tasks. Rare earth elements (REEs) occupy a key role in daily life as well as high-tech industrial applications. REEs are one of the energy critical elements; for sustainable growth, it depends on multiple extraction and separation technologies including solvent extraction and ionic liquid-based extraction methods.

Mar 1, 2017

By John H. Schloen

Copper refineries are constantly looking for methods to upgrade their plants to reduce refining costs and to improve the purity of their electrolytic cathodes at the same time that the purity of the anodes they refine is being lowered by the rehabilitation of reverberatory furnace smelters to one of the direct smelting processes. The comments given below are based on the answers to the questionnaire returned bf the 36 copper refineries that represent 66% of the western world s refining capacity. Eleven refineries employ some form of uniform weight anade casting, e.g., Outokumpu, Contilanode, Mitsubishi, Lurgi, or Hazelett. This type of anode casting presents the best possibility for improving cathode purity. The cathode press of Phelps Dadge can improve current efficiencies and cathode quality. The press is used on first-run cathodes, after 48-60 hours, on half-cells at a time without interruption of the cell current. One refinery interrupts current for sever.al hours to allow the anode slime to settle before the, cathode pressing. The cathode press is now used at eight refineries. Apart from periodic reverse current (PRC), it is not expected that current densities will be increased. Thirty refineries, using direct current, average 231 amps/M, with a low of 178 and a high of 350. Five refineries use PRC at an average of 338 amps/M, with a low of 290 and a high of 380. Current efficiencies are good at an average of 94%, with a low of 88% and a high of 99% for the 34 refineries that reported. It must be remembered that the cycle efficiency with PRC is about 93%., so that the effective current efficiency with PRC would be only .94 X .93 or 87% However, PRC should be considered seriously for refinery expansions because it can save about 25% on capital costs.

Jan 1, 1987

By Z. R. Llanos

This paper presents a review of industrial and experimental processes for the recovery of molybdenum, vanadium, nickel, cobalt and aluminum from spent hydrotreating or hydrodesulfurization catalysts. Numerous processes have been developed in a laboratory and pilot scale. However, worldwide, there are only four well established commercial facilities currently in operation. The installed capacity of these facilities exceeds the availability of spent catalysts and may be sufficient to assimilate future increases of spent catalysts. Despite liability risks; significant quantities of spent catalysts are still being landfilled. Changing regulations that may affect the future handling and disposal of spent catalysts are also reviewed.

Jan 1, 1995

By Timothy W. Ellis, John A. Howes

The production of lead-acid batteries is defined by a closed-loop product life-cycle. Active material and grid alloys converge on an adaptable specification that improves both performance and recyclability. This mapping of product requirements for lead-acid batteries has taken over 80 years to develop. But, as the use of batteries made with other chemistries continues to grow, the need for a comparable life-cycle management process becomes increasingly apparent given societal needs to manage raw materials, e.g. the European Union Battery Directive recycling targets. What has taken more than 80 years for lead-acid to evolve in a closed-loop paradigm must now be accomplished in less time for batteries using other chemistries and technologies. End-of-life costs are embedded in the product cost of lead-acid batteries. However, end-of-life costs are not reflected in the product cost of batteries made with other chemistries. Those costs are borne by other constituencies with often inefficient and environmentally damaging results. Lead-acid is a materials technology management model for other products.

Mar 1, 2017

By Wang Jia, Chai Li-yuan, Zhang Jin-Long, Peng Bing, Zhang Qiang

"Electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) residue was mixed with shale and fly ash as the main materials to make solidification/sintering brick for the utilization of the residue from EMD production. The effects of sintering temperature, sintering time, solid waste content and cooling process on its mechanical properties and toxic elements solidification were investigated according to compressive strength and leaching toxicity. The results showed that the calcined residue had capability of solidifying toxic metals and exhibited perfect strength after treated in the optimal parameters of EMD residue below 50%, temperature at 1000-1100°C, time3-5h, and semi-quenched at 600°C1 InstructionSolid clay-brick holds the leading position among building materials for a very long time in China. The traditional technique of making clay-brick has the drawbacks of backward process, simple facilities and single product. Since Chinese Reform and Opening-up, urban-rural construction and real estate have been booming with the rapidly development of national economy and science technology. The problems of ruining fertile land, environment contamination and high energy consumption in the traditional technique of clay-brick making have not been solved yet. On the other hand, more than 7 billion tons of industrial wastes are accumulated over years which occupies over 6.7 million hectares filed and causes serious environmental problems[1-31. Strategy present in ""The Chinese Agenda of the 21st Century"" required the production of wall materials less energy conservation, land saving and waste recycling.Coal gangue[4-9l, fly ash[I0- 13l, sludge from waste water treatment and tailings of gypsum, pyrite, copper mine, high silicon containing iron, asbestos and ects [l4-lSJ are the solid wastes used for brick making around the world. There are two kinds of process for brick making, high temperature sintering and low temperature steam curing[19•201. Although the technology of two brick making made great progress and got widely application in construction field, no precedent for preparing sintering-bricks with EMD residue as materials occurred in China because of its complicated processing technics and lack of sufficient practical experience to guarantee the bricks' quality.In this study, EMD residue was mixed with shale and fly ash as the main materials to make solidification/sintering brick. The effects of sintering temperature, sintering time, solid waste content and cooling process on its mechanical properties and toxic elements solidification were investigated according to compressive strength and leaching toxicity."

Jan 1, 2011

By J. Phillip Mackey

The Peter Hayes Symposium on Pyrometallurgy, held as part of Extraction 2018, is an acknowledgement of his contributions to the basic science and principles underpinning modern pyrometallurgical processing. After completing his PhD at Strathclyde University, Scotland, in 1974, Peter took up a teaching position at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1976. Peter Hayes’ research at the University since then has been focussed on: • The mechanisms and kinetics of heterogeneous solid/solid, gas/solid and liquid/ solid reactions, and • Experimental measurement of phase equilibria in complex high temperature metallurgical systems. This paper provides a brief biography of Dr. Peter Hayes and gives a full listing of Peter Hayes’ publications.

By Alvear G. R. F. Flores

It is now 35 years since the organization of the first sulfide smelting conference in 1983. Since then, the smelting base metals industry has experienced several changes driven by the necessity to improve economic, operational and environmental performances and resource efficiency and meet the increasing market demand for metals. In this continuously challenging environment, it is relevant to recognize which are the main challenges that the industry will face in the coming years and critically address our preparedness to respond to them. This analysis have to consider not only the effort required from the fundamental research and technology aspects but also how these pillars interact with the drivers behind the base metals industry. This paper discusses some relevant aspects required to continue developing the base metal industry focusing on copper. Aspects such as the need to supporting the generation of fundamental metallurgical knowledge, acquisition and proper use of data with advanced analytics methods, technological innovation to develop sustainable process flowsheet are discussed with emphasis on efforts conducted by Aurubis.

By Leila Figueiredo de Miranda, Leonardo G. de Andrade e Silva, Anderson dos Santos Mesquita

ThisworkseekstounderstandifPETcompoundswithcarbonblackcan be uses to replace polypropylene and polystyrene for anti-static packaging mate- rials. PETcompoundswerefabricatedcontaining10.0;11.0;12.0and15.0weight % of carbon black with a particle size 325 mesh. We determined the thermome- chanical properties (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis—DMA, Tensile Properties, Fracture Toughness, and Hardness) and Electrical properties of the compounds. In conclusiontheresultsshowthecompoundbased onPETfilledwith 15.0% carbon black might be used in the handling, transportation and storage of electronic components because their mechanical properties, thermal and resistivity are satis- factory for this purpose. (cid:1) (cid:1)

Mar 1, 2018

By Rodney Hundermark

At Anglo American Platinum’s Polokwane Smelter, radar instruments are being used to provide continuous measurement of the concentrate feed level in the six-in-line electric furnace used for smelting of nickel-copper concentrates containing platinum group metals (PGMs). The radar instruments are installed directly on the furnace roof, and a mechanical system has been designed to protect them from radiation and elevated freeboard temperatures and pressures. Signal validation criteria have been implemented to ensure that proper level measurements are being used by the PLC system. The feedback from the radars has provided an improved understanding of the furnace behaviour with respect to concentrate feed level control, individual feeding events, global feed rates, feed distribution and bath disturbances. In combination with a dynamic mass balance for continuous calculation of liquid level in the furnace, the radar measurements have enabled more precise feedback control of the concentrate blacktop depth. In turn this has yielded improvements in furnace stability.

By Fuqiang Guo

Scorodite (FeAsO4, 2H2O) is suitable mineral carrier for immobilization of arsenic-rich wastes. Its stability is, however, highly pH dependent (typically at 4 ≤ pH ≤ 7) and satisfactory only under oxic disposal conditions. In thiswork an encapsulation process using mineralized gels of aluminum hydroxy-oxides is developed to enhance the stability of scorodite under wider pH and redox potential range conditions. The encapsulation involves blending and ageing of synthetic scorodite produced by McGill’s atmospheric scorodite process with aluminum hydroxyl gels derived from controlled hydrolysis of aluminum salts. The amorphous hydrolyzed Al-gel encapsulates the scorodite particles,which upon short-term aging transforms into crystalline Al (OH)3/AlOOH mineral phases providing a robust protection microscopic barrier. Long-termstability testing demonstrates the encapsulation systemto be highly effective in suppressing arsenic release under either oxic or anoxic (100 mV < Eh < 600 mV) potential and neutral-alkaline pH (7 ≤ pH ≤ 9) ranges.

By Robert D. Rogers

The demand for phosphate will continue into the future, because phosphate is currently irreplaceable as a plant nutrient and in many chemical applications. Phosphate is not recycled, so the supply must be replenished through a process of mining and purification. Numerous microbial isolates. obtained from the environment were screened find those which demonstrated the greatest promise of solubilizing PO4 from the ore of interest. Screening was accomplished in a step wise manner an agar plate bioassay, shake flask studies, and semi continuous growth conditions. It was found that with the proper conditions of nutrient supply and solution pH; the bacteria and. fungus used in the semicontinuous process were able to solubilize in excess of 80% of an Idaho rock phosphate ore (RP) within nine days. A significant amount of solubilization occurred within the first six days. There was a &apos;reasonable correlation between the occurrence of soluble Ca and PO.4 during the processing of the RP thus providing evidence that the RP was being disintegrated by the organisms. In all cases, HPLC analysis of the solutions in which PO4 had been. extracted from RP showed that organic acids, which have been implicated as the mechanism of solubilization, were present.

Jan 1, 1991

By Mokka Rao, Asdrubal Serrano

"A mathematical model is developed which describes the movement of the minerals present where the vertical and angular velocities are related with the different operative parameters involved in the process of separation of silica from iron ore, which permit maximise the capacity of the spirals to obtain major productivity. The process is realised in two steps, of the rough dressing and other cleaning. Through the results obtained for chemical analysis of the final products of each spiral and the equation of movement of particles, it is proved the applicatibility and efficiency of mathematical model to operating parameters of the spiral. Moreover, it is determined though the recuperation of the final products of quality in the use spiral HC 1870 and HG 8/7. INTRODUCTIONThere is prospetive of increasing the production the iron ore in agreement with the demand of siderurgical proyects united with the external demand of quality 40 million tons per year. The Ferrominera de Orinoco Company is experimenting two types of modem spirals, Humprey (HC 1870) and Reichart (HG 8/7) which have limited capacity. For this reason this investigation designed a mathematical model with which larger units can be designed for increasing the capacity of the spiral."

Jan 1, 1999

By Ari JokiIaakso

Three different sulphidic raw materials were treated in a laboratory scale laminar flow fur-nace simulating suspension smelting conditions. The materials were a pure chalcopyrite concentrate, a high-antimony concentrate (tetrahedritic), and crushed copper mattes. The gas preheating temperatures were 500 -1 100°C ana the atmospheres ranged from N2 to N2 -75 % O2, Two particle size fractions were used for the concentrates with x = 20 -38 um and x = 62 -74 um, and three for the granulated copper mattes with x < 37 um, x = 62 -88 um, and x = 125 -177 um. Scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive analysis and backscattered electron analysis was used for determining the morphology and the mineralogy of the reacted particles. Fragmentation of the particles were observed in all materials during the flash oxidation, the conditions depending on the iron and sulphur content and the original particle size fraction of the material. The melting and/or reaction stages of the particles in different conditions were studied from powder samples. Polished sections were examined in order to follow the development of porosity and the mineralogy of the particles.

Jan 1, 1989

By Shawn A. Cefalu, Matthew J. M. Krane, Kent J. VanEvery

"Segregation during electroslag remelting (ESR) of a nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy (Ni-8 wt% Cr-25 wt% Mo) has been modeled. Features of the model include species transport and AC electromagnetic effects coupled with fluid flow, heat transfer, and solidification. The effect of varying ingot diameter and melt rate, on macrosegregation patterns, local solidification time, and liquid pool profiles obtained from this model are demonstrated. The results show that the macrosegregation in the ingots correlates to the filling velocity.IntroductionElectroslag remelting (ESR) is a secondary melting process used to refine the chemical composition and the microstructure of metals. Macrosegregation of solute elements causes defects in ESR ingots, including freckles and the maldistribution of phases. These defects are not correctable through heat treatment due to the large length scales over which they occur. However, the frequency and distribution of these defects may be minimized, or even prevented, through process control based on an understanding of the conditions that lead to their formation.In the past, studies have been conducted on the effect of the process parameters on the shape of the melt pool and the thickness of the mushy zone [1-7]. In these studies, the shape of the liquid pool is determined by consideration of the heat and fluid flow induced by electromagnetic (Lorentz) force and thermal buoyancy. The transport of solute and the resultant solutal buoyancy effects were not considered in these macroscopic models. Defect formation is tied to formation of secondary phases (e.g., freckling and white spots in nickel superalloys) [5,8]. In cases where secondary phase formation is calculated (e.g., [6]), phase fractions are determined using a micro-scale model given the local solidification time (LST) and local thermal history from the macroscale model.Using the local thermal history from the macroscopic transport model to predict microstructure increases the importance of the accuracy of those results. This investigation models the macrosegregation of molybdenum during the ESR of a Ni-Cr-Mo alloy. The effect of macrosegregation on pool shape and depth is demonstrated, along with its effect on the local solidification time. By comparing the relative effects of the melt rate and ingot radius, a better understanding of the factors that affect macrosegregation, and ultimately secondary phase formation may be obtained."

Jan 1, 2004

By Florian Kongoli

The behavior of cobalt as a by-product in the NilCu smelting and converting processes effects directly the quality of the final products as well as the revenues gained from the overall process. An effective way to evaluate and predict this important behavior is thermodynamic modeling which reduces the time and the cost of experimental investigation. In this work a thermodynamic model of cobalt-containing matte phase in NilCu smelting and converting processes is presented. The model predicts a priori the thermodynamic properties and phase relations of the ternary and multicomponent matte based solely upon the optimized parameters of the binary systems. This model can be used with other models such as those of slag, metal, gas etc. to predict various aspects of cobalt behavior such as matte- slag, metal-slag distribution, etc.

Jan 1, 1999