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By Y. Y. Sheng

Plume flows created by gas injection into liquid metals have been studied extensively, however the dynamics of bubbles within the plume have not received adequate attention, particularly for large, irregular bubbles, characteristic of the processing of liquid metals. The present model uses a combined Eulerian-Lagrangian approach in which an estimated void fraction distribution is used to calculate the liquid flow field with a conventional Eulerian scheme. The trajectories of bubbles are then computed in a Lagrangian manner using the estimated flow field, and experimentally measured information on bubble drag coefficients', lateral migration due to lateral lift forces and interaction with turbulent eddies, and variation in bubble size due to break-up. Turbulence in the two-phase zone is modeled with a modified k-e model with extra source terms to account for the second phase which have been recently determined by the present authors. The computed void fraction and turbulent liquid flow field distributions are in good agreement with experimental measurements.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. Vander Linden, R. De Ketelaere, M. Verhaege

In this paper, results are presented concerning the search to implement Supported Liquid Membrane (SLM) technology for the recovery of copper from electroplating effluents. Acid copper electroplating rinse solutions or effluents resulting from the post-treatment of, for example, cyanide-containing copper electroplating baths all contain copper (2+) in the lower concentration levels. A thorough study of the influence of the individual parameters and of their combined impact on mass transfer in small scale laboratory SLM modules has been performed, enabling to set forward the appropriate operating conditions for a pilot plant installation. The pilot plant, containing two SLM modules. of 18 m2 of surface area, has been tested extensively, including short and long term runs, with real process solutions. It was demonstrated that this installation is able to treat 40 l/h of acid copper sulphate rinse solutions· containing 500 ppm of copper. The final copper concentration in the effluent can be reduced to a few ppm while copper metal is recovered by electrolysis of the concentrate. This technology is also applicable to the treatment of solutions with low copper content of origins other than plating shops, such as tailings from copper plants or mine waters.

Jan 1, 2000

By Huaming Yang

Infrared materials are a special kind of material widely used in military, biological engineering and chemical industry. However, the problems associated with them such as unstable properties, high cost and a high thermal expansion coefficient seriously restrict the development and the wide application of the traditional infrared materials with the SiC or ZrSiO4 matrix. The ultrafine quartz powder is normally used to prepare the infrared materials by hot-pressing technology. The aim of the paper is to investigate the thermal expansivity, the effect of the SiO2 size and the addition of AI2O) or Fe2O3 on the infrared emissivity of the quartz matrix of the infrared material (QMIM) in a 8-25um wavelength range. The results indicate that 89% of infrared emissivity and 0.4x 10.5°C of thermal expansion coefficient of QMIM can be obtained. The affeeting mechanism of Al2O) and Fe2O3 on the infrared emissivity of QMIM were also discussed.

Jan 1, 2003

By Zhang Yongzhu

The metallogeneticy and mineralogy of three types of Chinese refractory gold deposits (Au-As; Au-As-MeS; Au-As-C) which are somewhat different from those abroad are discussed. The modes of occurrence, the distribution of grain size, and the morphological features of gold in minerals and their influences on gold recovery by direct cyanidation are also discussed. According to the mineralogy of gold and minerals, bacterial leaching, pressure leaching and roasting technology are suitable for the pretreatment of arsenopyrite-Au, pyrite-Au and carbonaceous-clay-Au refractory gold ores prior to cyanidation, respectively. The most important sulfide pyrite bearing much gold is difficult to be oxidized, its crystalline structure, conduct-types , and minor elements in different mineralizing stages are also discussed. The pyrite aggregates in different deposits are very complicated and much different. Gold grade of arsenopyrite is much higher than that of pyrite for some deposits which have a high correlation coefficient of Au vs As.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. T. Stanley

The identification of crystal phases and crystal chemistry can be critical to understanding the mechanisms of waste material interaction with native soils. Understanding these mechanisms can suggest correct methods for remediation and treatment. A program is outlined and examples are given of the development of effective techniques for rapid phase identification of environmental samples using electron microscopy. The program concentrates on the development of integrated object oriented software to aid rapid searching of online databases and rapid simulation of potential crystal diffraction patterns. Examples come from dried sludge taken from a former hard-chrome plating facility.

Jan 1, 1993

By M. A. Llavona

In Spain, as in many countries, the gold content of jewellery must be officially hallmarked. The official methods of assay are gravimetnc cupellation (a method which is highly accurate but both time and sample consuming), potentiometry, gravimetry and volumetry. In this paper, a procedure for measuring gold by flame atomic absorption in jewellery samples is described. The method is based on the acid digestion of a 40 mg sample. The quantity of aqua regia necessary for dissolving the gold, the ideal weight of a sample in order that the error may be minimal, the effect of the acids employed, the type of material used for its storage, and the necessity of employing a buffer to avoid the ionization of the solution are described. The method proposed is simple, highly accurate and causes little damage to the jewellery.

Jan 1, 1999

By Varadarajan Seshadri

The performance of mould fluxes in satisfying its quality requirements can have a significant effect on the efficiency of the continuous casting process and on the surface quality of the products. This performance is affected by various parameters including the characteristics of the mould fluxes, the quality of the steel being cast and the operational conditions of the caster. The extremely complex relationships involving the parameters mentioned above make it very difficult to have simple criteria for selecting mould fluxes for casting a certain grade of steel in a continuous casting machine. These difficulties led steelmakers and mould flux suppliers to select mould fluxes based mainly on plant trials. In the present work, a software to help in the analysis and development of mould fluxes for continuous casting was developed_ This software includes several models for prediction of mould flux viscosity and consumption. A mathematical model was also used to predict the heat flux through the mould flux. The proposed methodology was applied to continuous casting of crack sensitive steels_ Some of the results given by this software are presented, discussed and compared to plant data.

Jan 1, 2003

By Y. Y. Liu, H. M. Domanus, W. T. Sha

"Casting is fundamental to manufacturing of many types of equipment and products. Although casting is a very old technology that has been in existence for hundreds of years, it remains a highly empirical technology, and production of new castings requires an expensive and time-consuming trial-and-error approach.In recent years, mathematical modeling of casting has received increasing attention; however, a majority of the modeling work has been in the area of heat transfer and solidification. Very little work has been done in modeling fluid flow of the liquid melt. This paper presents a model of fluid flow coupled with heat transfer of a liquid melt for casting processes. The model to be described in this paper is an extension of the COMMIX code and is capable of handling castings with any shape, size, and material. A feature of this model is the ability to track the liquid/gas interface and liquid/solid interface. The flow of liquid melt through the sprue and runners and into the mold cavity is calculated as well as three-dimensional temperature and velocity distributions of the liquid melt throughout the casting process.IntroductionBower et al. (1), in their 1969 review of the evolution of some of the casting techniques, stated that:""The evolution of technology requires alternatives to be available so that choices can be made that lead to changes. The role of solidification science and other disciplines related to casting technology is to develop a better understanding of process and product, so that a wider range of alternatives is possible.Alternatives, whether from science or from invention, must lead to improvements in casting ""utility."" Utility, or economic advantage, must include consideration of total system costs, and final product value. The cost of materials, melt processing and finishing should be optimized with casting costs, since all are part of the production system. It is the favorable relationship between total processing costs and product value that makes a change in casting technology viable, but the best change is not possible unless technology has provided an understanding."""

Jan 1, 1986

By Edgar E. Vidal, Keith Smith, James A. Yurko

Beryllium, like many other reactive metals, is extracted from a halide (generally BeF2) using magnesiothermic reduction, also known as the Kroll process. The beryllium is produced in a molten state, which when solidified resemble "pebbles". Although beryllium is used in limited quantities compared to other metals (< 100 Mt/annual), it is a critical material for the nuclear, defense/aerospace, and large science markets because of its unique nuclear and mechanical properties. Beryllium processing has unique environmental, health, and safety concerns which must be handled appropriately in the 21st century from a worker and environmental safety perspective, and must be designed with this first in mind. In 2011, Materion began operations of its new Kroll plant – informally known as the “Pebbles Plant” - in Elmore, Ohio. The plant was majority funded by a U.S. Department of Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III grant, which is a unique government/industry partnership program to, "create assured, affordable, and commercially viable production capabilities and capacities for items essential for national defense." After a twelve year hiatus from primary beryllium production, Materion has reentered its extraction business and has relearned how to make pebbles. The purpose of this presentation is to give an overview on beryllium extraction and discuss some of the unique aspects of building and operating a safe beryllium facility during the production scale-up phase.

Jan 1, 2015

By R. E. Burleigh

&apos;Gold-telluride mineralization was deposited in quartz veins which cut a Late Cretaceous tonalite pluton emplaced near the southern margin of the Peninsular tectono-stratigraphic terrane in south-central Alaska. The gold-bearing veins formed shortly after the development of a widespread Cu-Mo sheeted quartz vein system. Early mineral assemblages consist of quartz, white mica, pyrite, and arsenopyrite (wall rock only). Subsequently, pyrite. sphalerite, chalcopyrite, zoned tetrahedrite and gold precipitated within multiply fractured veins. Late stage galena, tellurides (altaite, nagyagite, coloradoite), and Pb-Sb or Pb-Cu-Bi sulfosalta with gold constitute bonanza ore assemblages that are variably associated with quartz, white mica, ankerite, and calcite. Fluid inclusion evidence coupled with mineral assemblage paragenesis suggests the depletion of volatiles (C02, H2S) and cooling resulted in the precipitation of high grade gold mineral assemblages.

Jan 1, 1988

By J. D. Miller

Low-level radioactive contaminated soils (10-500 pci/gm) created by defense-related activities at certain superfund sites, such as Nevada Test Site (NTS), is a current environmental concern. Many of these contaminated sites may require appropriate cleanup and restoration, which could cost billions of dollars and put tremendous pressure on our limited financial resources. Therefore, the development of a selective flotation process to separate such radionuclides from contaminated soils should be considered. In this study, both a pure depleted UO2 sample and three synthetic UO2/soil mixtures were used to evaluate surface chemistry features and to examine the possibility for the flotation of fine UO2 particles from selected soils. It was intended that this model system would be a reasonable representation of contaminated soils such as those found at the Nevada Test Site which are reported to be contaminated by PuO2 fallout. The effect of reagent schedule, particle size distribution, and surface charge are discussed with respect to the flotation separation of the UO2/soil mixtures. It was found that both commercial fatty acids and reagent grade sodium oleate are effective collectors for UO2 flotation provided the pH is adjusted to the range of pH 8-9. The bench-scale flotation results successfully demonstrated that froth flotation technology can be used to remove UO2 from such model contaminated soils with appropriate flotation chemistry conditions which depend on the soil characteristics and other pretreatment procedures. In the best case, 90.2% of the UO2 was removed from a UO2/NTS soil mixture (119 ppm UO2) and the soil reduced in UO2 contamination from 119 ppm to 17 ppm in a single stage bench flotation. The impact of clay slimes present in the soil is revealed by the results which show that, for example, for a deslimed soil (28x400 mesh and 100 mg UO2/kg soil) 85¬90% UO2 recovery can be obtained with a reduction in contamination to 4.6 mg U02/kg soil.

Jan 1, 1995

By Ryokichi Shimpo, Akio Fuwa

"In order to elucidate the present status of process-control technology, survey study has been made on the present process control schemes of representative copper smelting and converting processes in Japan. Conceptual control flow diagrams have been deduced and shown on respective functional reactors, i.e. drying, smelting, converting and fire-refining units, where the objective OUTPUT items are correlated to the INPUT variables through respective CAUSE-AND-EFFECT RELATIONSHIPSFuture view has been also discussed on several feasible and desirable improvement and refinement ~n measurements and control system for better copper smelting and converting operations.INTRODUCTIONIn other to seek for the better and efficient operation in copper smelting and converting process, survey study has been first conducted on the present process-control schemes of respective functional unit processes, i.e. drying, smelting, converting and refining unit processes, of representative copper production processes in Japan. Conceptual process flow chart of control scheme has been then deduced where output items are correlated to input items through the respective cause-and-effect relationships.After this survey study, future view has been discussed on the feasible and desirable improvement and refinement in the measurement and control system in these processes. Emphasis has been placed on the better and precise measurements of temperature, oxygen partial pressures in respective furnaces and end-point in converting and refining unit operations."

Jan 1, 1989

By Carlos Carnurri

A characterization of mechanical properties of fire refined copper has been done in order to link ductility with oxygen content. The results show four different copper mechanical behaviours as temperature increases, where the oxygen con- tent, as Cu20 segregated, has a deleterious effect on ductility. It is concluded that until 500 ppm oxygen content, the fire refined copper could be rolled without remelting for deoxidation. Also a subsequent cold rolling could be done without intermediate annealing.

Jan 1, 1994

By T. K. Mukcherjee

The importance of the processing of secondary resources such as solid industrial wastes and liquid effluents as well as byroducts for the recovery of the associated metal values hardly needs any elaboration. Such processing contributes in no small measure.towards the augmentation of the availability and the supply position of resources. As an added benefit, it leads to a reduction in environmental pollution caused by the undesirable waste materials. As some typical examples of secondary resources in the Indian scenario, mention&apos; can be made of spent catalysts, metal/alloy scrap, ash, consumed batteries, flue dust, slag, sludge and slime, pickling solutions, spent acids; plating rinse solutions, spent etchants, waste water from synthetic fibre manufacture and from tanneries etc. These wastes constitute a source of a variety of non ferrous metals. In the processing of secondary resources like these, the techniques of hydrometallurgy such as solvent extraction play a pivotal role. This paper outlines the efforts made to use solvent extraction to recover(1) base metals. such as copper, zinc, nickel and cobalt from a number of secondary resources like cake, and sludge(2) refractory metals like molybdenum and vanadium from sulphidic byproducts and spent catalyst and (3:) nuclear metal like uranium from phosphoric acid. In the case of base metals, process flowsheet involving the use of acidic extractants such as DEHPA and PC88A have been optimised. The problem of iron removal from the leach liquor, "which influences the metal recovery process significantly, has drawn a special emphasis. hi the case of refractory metals, basic extractants .like Alamine 336 has been pressed into service to produce kilogramme. quantities of pure salts of molybdenum and vanadium, Finally, the paper gives a brief account of plant experience in recovering uranium from phosphoric acid, using &apos;a solvent system comosed of DEHPA and TOPO.

Jan 1, 1996

By Zuomei Jin

A laboratory study was conducted on the separation of Zn, Pb, Cu and Ag from a finely dissem-inated interlocked silver-rich multimetal sulphidc ore. These are often difficult to separate from each other by flotation. The thermodynamic calculations of Zn-S-O, Cu-S-O systems at different tem¬peratures were presented on predominance diagrams. Based on these diagrams the optimum temperature and gas composition were selected for roasting. The results of separating Zn, Cu from calcine by neutral leaching and acid leaching were found to be satisfactory. The distribution of silver in the roasting and leaching processes were tested. A flow sheet was proposed.

Jan 1, 1993

By Kazusuke Sato, Takahiro Uno, Koji Hoshino

"A novel Ni coating technique of Ni(OH)2 powders was developed to improve the positive-electrode performance· of the Ni-MH batteries. It was found out that Ni(OH)2 powder was reduced by N2H4 without any catalysts in an alkaline - solution at high temperatures. In result of observation of pH and potential changes in the solution during the reaction, it was found that the reduced species was HNio2- ion dissociated from Ni(OH)2 in the alkaline solution. The molar fraction of reduced Ni of the Ni(OH)2 was increased in proportion to the amount of added N2H4. At the small Ni fraction, a porous Ni layer was formed on the surface of Ni(OH)2 powder. Open cell tests were carried out with the paste type electrodes made of either the Ni coated Ni(OH)2 powder or non-coat powder, and cell performances were compared. In result, it was found that the Ni coating technique is effective on improvement in the utilization of Ni(OH); as a positive-electrode active material under high current densities.IntroductionNi-MH rechargeable battery is generally used for the power source of portable machines and electric vehicles because of its good performance at high energy density and. long term cyclical life as well as cleanness and good safety. Cell component materials have been improved respectively, and as concerns ·the positive-electrode reducing 'the internal resistance is a principal problem to improve the discharging performance at higher current densities.In recent years, improved Ni(OH)2 powders coated with conductive materials as NI. or CoOOH have been developed for the· positive-electrode active materials in order to· reduce the internal resistance of the electrode1)· 2) The Ni coated Ni(OH)2, however, is costly because it is fabricated by .the -non-electrode plate technique which needs a expensive precious ·metal catalyst as PdC12We found that Ni(OH)2 powder was reduced by N2H4 without any cryatalysts in an alkaline solution at high temperatures. After the treatment, Ni(OH)2 powder become gray color like Ni powder from light-green color; and. turned into a magnetic. In this study, the mechanism of the -reducing reaction was investigated to apply the reactions .to a novel Ni coating technique of Ni(OH)2 powders, · and the performance of the Ni coated Ni(OH)2 powder obtained by the reducing process was evaluated as an -positive-electrode active material of Ni-MH batteries."

Jan 1, 2000

By Sergey Komarov, Manuela Diaz, Sano. Masamichi

"Mixing time, bubble behavior and absorption rate of gas injected into a liquid bath through rotary L-shaped lances have been studied by cold models with an effort to improve refining characteristics of metallurgical processes. Two kinds of the rotary lances were tested, namely the single-hole lance and the multi-hole lance. The effects of gas flow rate, bath depth and rotation speed were examined.It is found that when gas is injected through the rotary lances, the mixing intensity and the gas absorption rate are larger than that for the gas injection through stationary lances. The effect of rotation speed decreases as the bath depth and the gas flow rate increase.The multi-hole lance produces much smaller bubbles, which lead to an increase in the volumetric mass transfer coefficient by 3-4 times as compared with the single-hole lance. However, the effect of rotation speed is smaller for the multi-hole lance. The obtained results are explained in terms of the bubble coalescence and fragmentation, the rate of which depends on the departure bubble size and the power supplied to the liquid bath.IntroductionIn recent years, there has been a growing interest in the development of gas injector for metallurgical processes. The majority of the previous work was focused on modification to the injector design to improve mixing and to increase the of chemical reaction rate. These two goals can not be necessarily achieved by the same way. Bottom nozzles and stationary immersed top lances, which have been widely applied to steelmaking processes, are effective for the bath mixing, but have a limit to decrease in the bubble size. This results from a vigorous coalescence occurring between the bubbles when they rise in the molten bath as a bubble swarm.One of the ways to ensure the small bubble size and the effective bath stirring is the gas purging through rotary injectors. A number of studies have been undertaken to improve the refining characteristics by using rotary injectors. All of them are related to aluminum refining. The SNIF equipment (The Spinning Nozzle Inert Flotation) has significantly improved the quality of aluminum products at National Luxemburg Aluminum [1]. Rotary injectors made in the form of a disc have been applied to the Alcoa 622 [2] and the GBF processes [3]. A study of the gas injection by a rotary impeller has been carried out by C. Leroy and G. Pignacelt [4]. All researchers note the significant improvement in removal of sodium, calcium, hydrogen and non-metallic inclusion."

Jan 1, 1996

By W. Drummond

The cooling of smelter gases by air dilution, adiabatic evaporative cooling and indirect heat exchange is discussed with reference to the process, to the subsequent cleaning of the gas. and to the use of the heat extracted from the gas. The method of reducing the effect of acidic sulphide formation on the corrosive properties of the gas and the dust and the development of surface cleaning mechanisms?are discussed. The development of indirect recuperators using air, water or steam cooling, made possible by the control of surface fouling is traced. The application of the modern Waste Heat Boiler to the new sulphide smelting processes is discussed with respect to the natural and forced circulation concepts. Case histories are presented to illustrate mistakes made with respect to designs produced without recourse to sensitivity analysis and without an appreciation of "worst process? conditions".

Jan 1, 1992

By Baozhong Zhao

The direct smelting of copper concentrates to copper metal in a single furnace offers environmental and energy advantages over conventional two-stage copper smelting processes. However, the direct copper making results in unacceptably high level impurities (As, Sb and Bi) in the anode copper. Experimental studies have shown that it is possible to remove these impurities from molten copper by injection of sulfur-hexafluoride. This paper discusses the experimental findings on the influence of various factors on the rate of removal of impurities, such as the impurity inter-effects, initial oxygen content in the metal and injection rate of SF6.

Jan 1, 1995

By Lucas Lopes da Costa, Sergio Neves Monteiro, Rômulo Leite Loiola

"Composites with DGEBA/TETA epoxy matrix reinforced with thinner and continuous bamboo fibers stripped from culms were mechanically characterized by tensile tests. Specimens with up to 30% in volume fraction of aligned fibers were tensile ruptured at room temperature. The results showed a steady increase in both the ultimate strength and the elastic modulus of the composites with the amount of incorporated bamboo fibers. The fractographic analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed evidence of moderate adhesion between the bamboo fiber and the epoxy matrix. This fiber/matrix adhesion by interaction mechanism apparently justifies the improved tensile properties of the composites.IntroductionIn recent years polymer composites reinforced with natural fibers, mainly those lignocellulosic obtained from plants, have been subject to extensive research works [1-5]. Environmental, economical, societal and technical advantages of these composites are motivating their substitution for similar polymer composites reinforced with synthetic fibers. In particular, R & D efforts have been conducted aiming to replace glass fibers composites that are comparatively more abrasive to equipments, non-recyclable, more expensive, heavier and toxic [6]. Among the many lignocellulosic fiber composites being investigated, those fabricated with bamboo stripped fibers, i.e., fibers longitudinally cut from the culm, still need information to support possible industrial applications. Several works, however, have been dedicated to bamboo stripped fibers as possible reinforcement of polymer composites [7-17]. These works reported mechanical properties that could markedly vary with the type of polymer matrix, the fiber disposition (if continuous, aligned, short-cut, mat interlayered, etc) and the test condition."

Jan 1, 2011