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By Mizraim Uriel Flores, Elia Guadalupe Palacios, Sayra Ordoñez, Iván Alejandro Reyes, Ister Mireles, Martín Reyes, Francisco Patiño, Hernán Islas, Víctor Hugo Flores

This paper presents the characterization of a sample of mercury jarosite that was synthesized by slowly adding Hg(NO3)2H2O into a Fe2(SO4)3nH2O solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis performed on the sample confirmed that the compound presents a crystal phase corresponding to mercury jarosite. Analysis through Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) determined that the precipitate is composed of mercury, sulfur, iron and oxygen. It is made up of spherical particles with an average size of 38 μm; these particles are made of rhombohedral micro-crystals with sizes ranging between 1 and 2 μm. Chemical characterization was performed through dichromatometry analysis, gravimetry and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), thus obtaining the following composition: 27% Fe3+, 37% SO4 2− 14% Hg2+, 22% OH− + H3O+ + H2O. The following approximate formula of the compound was determined from chemical analysis: [Hg0.39(H3O)0.22]Fe2.71(SO4)2.17(OH)4.79 (H2O)2.09.

Mar 1, 2017

By Shujian Jia, Mingming Song, Gaoyang Song, Bo Song, Yuhou Yang

An innovative method is investigated to separate inclusion particles from liquid metal by super gravity. To make clear the characteristics of the inclusion separation, Al melt containing MgAl2O4 particles with diameters less than 150 μm has been treated under various super-gravity fields. The thickness of particle-accumulated layer formed at the bottom of the sample and the area fraction, number density and size of inclusions were measured. It is found that the thickness of the particle-accumulated layer decreases and the area fraction of particles at this location increases with the increase of super-gravity field. With the gravity coefficient G=500, time t=2 min, and temperature T=1023 K, it is hardly to find any solid particles in the upper and middle areas of the sample and the separation efficiency is up to 90%.

Jan 1, 2015

By Edward Peters

Scandium (Sc) has unique properties and is one of the more valuable elements in the periodic table. Scandium can be used in solid oxide fuel cells and to produce high strength aluminium alloys of value, for example, in the aerospace industry. Scandium is often grouped together with the rare earth elements (REE). Amongst others, scandium can be found in bauxite residues, so called red mud. It is possible to extract and enrich scandium from red mud by leaching and solvent extraction. Scandium can then be recovered from the pregnant strip liquor by crystallization. The strip liquor will however still contain certain impurity elements. In the present work, a method for obtaining a pure scandium solid phase by direct crystallization from the strip liquor is evaluated. It was found that Fe and Ti co-precipitate with Sc under the conditions employed.

By XING Xiangdong, Zhang Jianliang, MA Jinfang, WANG Zhenyang

The non-equilibrium reflux reaction behavior of phosphorus was studied with synthetic slags formed by using the AR chemical reagents and changing the initial condition of basicity, FeO, MgO and Al2O3. Due to increase of viscosity, the dephosphorization slag with high basicity inhibits the full contact of slag with iron, which leads to the low reaction rate in the early stage. However, since the high basicity improves the activity coefficient of CaO, the dephosphorization rate and phosphorus capacity goes up in late reaction stage. FeO promotes the increase of reaction rate in early dephosphorization stage. But the polarization force of Fe2+ is stronger than Ca2+, which hinders the reaction between phosphate ion and CaO and reduces the stability of PO4 3-. Thus, high content of FeO will adversely impact on dephosphorization reaction. In addition, MgO has a promoting effect to the dephosphorization, whereas Al2O3 has a negative influence.

Jan 1, 2016

By Xuemei Zheng, Aiyuan Ma, Jing Li, Jinhui Peng, Shaohua Yin, Libo Zhang

Zinc recovery from zinc oxide flue dust (ZOFD) by ultrasound enhanced neutral leaching process was investigated. In this study, the effects of leaching temperature, liquid/solid ratio, leaching time and ultrasound power were studied, and the conventional leaching experiments were also performed. The experimental results showed that the leaching time was greatly shortened and the leaching rate of zinc was effectively improved by the assistance of ultrasound. The optimum conditions of ultrasound-assisted leaching were determined as leaching time 20 min, temperature 35℃, and the liquid/solid ratio of 5. Under these conditions, the leaching rate of zinc was close to 80% as the ultrasound power of 540W, which was increased by 7% or so, in comparison with that of conventional leaching process.

Jan 1, 2015

By Guozhu Ye, Mikael Larsson, Eric Burström, Sten Ångström

"Increased use of scrap in steelmaking including scrap use in BOF has a high economic and environmental potential in terms of increased productivity, energy saving and reduced emission of CO2. Preheating and surface cleaning of steel scrap is a concept developed by MEFOS in a four year research program funded by MISTRA, Swedish Foundation of Strategic Environmental Research. The process concept consists of four major steps: 1) Combustion of ASR or other waste fuel and composing of the gas composition. 2) Scrap heating and cleaning in a shaft where the coated zinc is removed as ZnCl2 and scrap is heated to about 600 ºC. 3) Dust separation for recovery of metal zinc. 4) Gas cleaning. This paper will describe the process concept and highlight the major results from preliminary trials around the scrap heating and cleaning shaft.IntroductionSteel is often coated to increase the corrosion resistance. Share of coated and galvanized steel in the world marked is steadily increasing. This results in increased amounts of scrap with different types of coatings. Use of galvanized scrap in EAF plant results in an EAF dust with high content of zinc ferrite and many other impurities like Pb, Hg, Cd and halide. EAF dust is classified as hazardous waste in most of the developed countries and the steel plant has to pay for external treatment for zinc recovery. For use in BOF plant this will result in a BOF dust containing typically 1-5%Zn making it impossible for recycling to the blast furnace.Different approaches for surface cleaning have been investigated in past. Dapper et al. [1] examined the possibility to evaporate Zn, Ni, Cr, Sn from coated materials using chlorine. Chlorinated rinsing of non iron oxides and metals using HCl from combustion of PVC was discussed by Fray [2]. Further studies by Tee and Fray [3-5] have been concentrated on the possibility to vaporize coatings with an air and chlorine gas mixture. The O2:Cl2 ratio in the gas mixture was found to have great importance for control of the process. To avoid the chlorination of iron, this ratio should be kept at a level of 10:1.Scrap pre-heating up to about 600 ºC is a well known method and this alone could save up to 100 kWh per ton steel. The technology has been established since many years and efficient processes were developed in the 90’s. However, no process has fully gained the expected energy savings as the large quantity of the exhaust gas has to be reheated to over 1000 ºC again to destroy the hazardous components like dioxins."

Jan 1, 2008

By O. Forsén

In the first part of this paper is studied the behaviour of small amounts of impurity elements? in the solidification of copper anodes. In the second part the dissolution of these impure anodes in sulphate based electrolysis is discussed. The first part is introduced with practical examples, the .model of solidification of impurities during the solidification of anode copper. According to this model the solidification structures of anode copper are strongly influenced by both thermodynamic and kinetic factors. Thermodynamics determine the microstructure of anode copper, but kinetics can alter the composition of melt to such that there is formed unequilibrium structures during the solidification, especially when the residual melt is solidified. The electrolysis experiments have clarified the behaviour of impuririties in the electrochemical dissolution in sulphate. Based copper electrolysis. In this study it is widely investigated to what extent any impurity elements or oxides will dissolve. In copper electrorefining. With the aid of the electrochemtcal experiments it was possible to fulfil quantitatively the qualitative results accomplished by microstructure studies.

Jan 1, 1985

By F. G. Caballero, J. L. Gonzalez-Carrasco, S. Barrius, H. Carreon, M. Lieblich

"The grit blasting is a low-cost technique successfully used to enhance mechanical fixation of the implants through increasing their roughness. As a result of the severe plastic surface deformation, it produces subsurface effects such as grain refinement, hardening and compressive residual stresses which are generally evaluated with destructive techniques. In this research work, non-contacting and contacting thermoelectric power measurements are performed in blasted 316L VM and Ti-6AI-4V specimens using Ah03 and Zr02 particles which yield a coarse and a fine rough surface, respectively. This study correlates the microstructural changes induced by the grit blasting treatment and the limitations and advantages of each of the nondestructive thermoelectric techniques based on the Seebeck effect used to evaluate these biomaterials.IntroductionIt is well known that surface properties play an important role in metallic materials used in bio-medical applications. Since the biological response is correlated directly with surface properties it is comprehensible the intense activity in superficial modification by physics or chemistry methods in this field. Grit blasting, one of the most popular surface modification of metallic biomaterials, enhances the mechanical fixation of the implant through the increase in roughness [1-3]. Roughening is developed by bombarding the surface with a high-velocity jet of ceramic particles, being the final roughness a function of the processing parameters (pressure, distance, time, ... ) and blasting particles (nature, shape, size). As the plastically deformed surface layer tries to expand relatively to the intact interior of the specimen, residual compressive stress gradients develops perpendicular to the surface at shallow depths with a maximum value at a depth in the range of 5 to 60 µm. This surface treatment also may cause subtle variations in the subsurface material properties, such as increased hardness and grain size refinement, which are consequences of the significant plastic deformation through cold work. Blasted affected zones may extend to a depth of up to about 200 µm. The subsurface hardening and the near-surface compressive stress gradient playa beneficial role by retarding fatigue crack nucleation and further growth, ultimately extending the fatigue life of the metallic part [4]. In this work, two non-destructive thermoelectric techniques (NDTT), the non-contacting and contacting thermoelectric power measurements were used to analyze the subsurface induced changes on blasted Ti-6AI-4V and 316L VM specimens using Al2O3 and Zr02 particles. Detailed information on the microstructural induced effects and subsurface mechanical properties were published elsewhere [5-8]. Here the nondestructive evaluation of the involved microstructural changes is used to assess the global subsurface damage. Advantages of using nondestructive techniques during manufacturing are envisaged."

Jan 1, 2012

By Xinghua He, Shujing Zhu

"Cycled fluidized bed ash (CFBA), a significant portion of fly ash produced from coal-fired power plants and rejected from the ash classifying process, has remained unused due to its high free CaO and S03 content. It is necessary to extend research on the method to reduce the expansion and improve the compressive strength by some effective chemical activator. This paper presents experimental results on the expansion by Le chaterlier tester and the compressive strength. Hydraulic ash-zeolite (HAZ) cementitious material was blended as the chemical activator to study the effects of the activator on the expansion and the compressive strength. The results show that HAZ can not only reduce the expansion, but also increase the prisms compressive strength. Scanning electron microscope observation and X-ray diffraction analysis indicate that the main hydrated products of the sample are calcium hydroxide, ettringite, zeolite and calcite, which can explain the results of the expansion and the strength tests.IntroductionNearly 80% of the electricity in China is produced by coal-fired plants, which results in the production of a large quantity of coal combustion residues, among which coal fly ash is the major component. Because of that the air-pollution becomes heavier as time going on. Cycle-fluidized-bed-combustion systems are retrofitted to meet air-emission standards mandated by China Clean Air Act. Cycle fluidized bed ash (CFBA) will present new challenges for coal-combustion byproduct management. The use of cycle-fluidized-bed ash as a cement replacement in concrete is the most attractive one because of its high volume utilization and widespread construction. However, the replacement of cement with cycle fluidized bed ash in Portland cement concrete usually increases the expansion and decreases the early strength of concrete. In many research of this field, most of them were focus on the activation of pozzolanic activity of CFBA and to make all kinds of blend cement. A number of studies had been carried out on the activation of CFBA using chemical activators. These studies involved using different activating methods including alkali activation and sulfate activation 11, 2]. The former involved the breaking down of the glass phases in an elevated alkaline environment to accelerate the reaction [3, 4]. The later is based on the ability of sulfates to react with aluminum oxide in the glass phase of CFBA to produce ettringite that contributes to the strength at early ages [5-7]. With respect to sulfate activation, the use of gypsum and sodium sulfate had been well studied [5-8]. HAZ is one of HAS sub-products which is a patentd chemical activator made by Wuhan University (ZL98113594.3). It had been used to activate CFBA to produce blend cement in many Chinese engineering projects and time has told us that it is a good activator."

Jan 1, 2012

By Ehsan Khajeh

In this study, the permeabilities of Al-15.5wt%Cu and Al-19.5wt%Cu have been determined by solving the full Navier-Stokes equations on 3D geometries of interdendritic channels obtained by X-ray microtomography (XMT). The samples for XMT were sectioned from different positions in directionally solidified cylinders in order to obtain a variety of microstructures for each composition. The flow has been solved using a 2nd-order accurate Finite Volume Method (FVM) approach. The effect of employing uniform or unstructured mesh on the calculated permeability has been studied. The Marching-cube triangulation method was necessary to extract accurate surfaces for unstructured volume meshing. Calculated values of permeability for this range of solid fractions show partial agreement with previous experiments. Observed deviations are attributed to the difficulties of experimental permeability measurements.

Jan 1, 2009

By Elizabeth Carvalho L. Cardoso, Ademar B. Lugão, Sandra R. Scagliusi

This research investigated how gamma-radiation affected PP/HMSPP structural foams filled with biodegradable synthetic polyester PLA in terms of thermal properties, biodegradability and infrared spectrum. Polymers are used in various applications providing enormous quantities of wastes in environment and contributing with 20–30% of total volume of solid residues. Besides, shortage of plastics resins obtained from fossil base is addressing research and development toward alternative materials; environmental concerning in litter reduction is being directed to renewable polymers for manufacturing of polymeric foams. Biodegradable polymers, a new generation of polymers produced from various natural resources, environmentally safe and friendly, can contribute for pollution reduction. PLA (poly(lactic) acid)) was chosen to be blended with PP/HMSPP. Blends thereof were subjected to gamma radiation at 50, 100, 150, 200 and 500 kGydoses.Soilburialtestpointedtowardapartialbiodegradationofirradiated PLA-PP/HMSPP foams; other characterizations involved TG/DTG technique and FTIR assessments.

Mar 1, 2017

By M. Okido, H. Yamamoto, T. Sakamoto, R. Ichino, K. Kuroda

"Hydrogen absorption alloy films have been produced by molten salt electrolysis. Lanthanum-Nickel alloy film can be formed on a nickel substrate in KCl-NaCl-LaCb molten salts by electrolysis diffusion process. LaNi5 alloy was formed by mutual diffusion between La ·and Ni after La deposition on Ni substrate. Though several kinds of La-Ni compound existed in deposits, the alloy compounds on Ni substrate changed by electrolysis condition. According to the open-circuit potential measurement in molten salts after La electrodeposition, the formed compounds had a relation to the potential. In the case of the substrate electroplated a cobalt thin film on nickel, LaNi4_5Co0.5 was formed by the electrolysis in the molten salts with lanthanum ions. This ternary alloy film showed better hydrogen absorption behavior in cyclic charge/discharge test in alkaline solution.IntroductionHydrogen storage alloys have attracted attention as the active materials for batteries with the charge/discharge property at ambient temperature. The alloy of nickel and misch metal, mainly consisting of La and Ce, has been commercially 'used as a metal hydride with rechargeable property. In recent years, researches have been developed many kind of new alloys with better hydrogen absorption properties. The hydrogen absorbing alloy ingots are commonly produced by melting method of both metals in furnace, otherwise, prepared by mechanical grinding and metallurgical sintering technique with metal powders. The film is also made by vapor-phase techniques such as sputtering method, ion plating method, etc. ·We have proposed a new method to produce hydrogen absorbing alloy films by molten salts electrolysis technique [1-3]. The hydrogen absorbing film, LaNi5, Mg2Ni and CaNi5, were obtained in this process through controlling the electrolytic condition. The active metals, La, Mg and Ca, are electrodeposited on Ni substrate, diffuse into the substrate and form various kinds of intermetallic compounds. This technique provides a direct process using metal chlorides as resources to produce functional films without using active metals such as La, Ca and Mg."

Jan 1, 2000

By Dai Xi

In the present work, the viscosities of molten FenO-MgO-SiO2 and FenO-MgO-CaO-SiO2 semi-synthetic slags for nickel flash smelting were measured in the temperature range from 1473 to 1723K by a rotational viscometer. The ratio of Fe to Si02 was fixed at 1.2, calcium and magnesium oxide contents varied in the range from 2 to 8 mass% and 9 to 12 mass%, respectively. The results showed that silicate anions became smaller by increasing CaO content, which results in a decrease of the viscosity of the slag. In the case of MgO addition the viscosity behavior was complicated. At MgO content below II mass%, the viscosity increased with the increase of MgO at all temperatures tested. However, when the MgO content was above II mass%, the viscosity decreased slightly for FenO-MgO-CaO-SiO2 system. At higher MgO contents, low-viscosity slags can be obtained by adding CaO. At a given composition, .the viscosity decreased with increasing temperature. The higher the temperature, the more MgO can be added before saturation. The effect of Fe3O4 on the viscosity was quite significant. The viscosity of slag increased by 300mPa-s at 1573K when Fe3O4 content varied from 3 to 9 mass%. The viscosity values are presented as the functions of temperature and composition. A comparison between FenO-MgO-SiO2 and FenO-MgO-CaO-SiO2 systems is given in this study.

Jan 1, 2003

By Kazuya Koyama

The leaching of copper from a printed circuit board (PCB) and the electrodeposition of copper from a cuprous solution in ammoniacal alkaline solutions were examined in order to develop an energy-saving hydrometallurgical process for copper recovery from electronic scrap. In the leaching experiments, copper in the PCB was oxidized by Cu(II), and Cu(I)-ammine complex ions were formed. The copper(I)-ammine complex slightly depressed the leaching rate, while Cu(II)?ammine markedly enhanced it. During the electrodeposition experiments, the current efficiency of copper deposition was approximately 100% in the current density range of 200 to 1000 Am-2. The electrodeposition of copper from the Cu(I)-ammine complex solution favored the production of plates rather than powders.

Jan 1, 2003

By Z. Smieszek, J. Botor, Z. Miczkowski, S. Sobierajski

"From 1978, the direct process for the smelting of chalcocite concentrates in a flash furnace by the Outokumpu method has been applied at the Glogów II copper smelter. The chemical composition of these concentrates make it necessary to control the process very strictly. In this paper, the method for controlling and measuring the main technological parameters of the copper production by flash smelting is being presented. It includes the determination of the chemical composition of the concentrate, its grain structure, the temperature of liquid products of the process, oxygen content in process gases, as well as lead concentration in copper and copper concentration in slag.The main process parameters are determined from the mass and energy balances. The relations between parameters, such as an effect of grain structure of a concentrate on oxygen and oil consumption, and dependence of chemical composition of a concentrate on capacity and products quality are discussed. 1. IntroductionThe Polish copper concentrates, as most concentrates occurring worldwide, contain from 18% to 30% Cu, and less sulphur (7-11%) and iron (2-5%). The main copper-bearing mineral contained in the concentrates is chalcocite, while bornite and chalcopyrite are present in smaller quantities. Moreover, the organic carbon (5-7.5%), arsenic (0.05-0.3%) and lead (1.2-3.0%) are also contained in the concentrates. The gangue consists mainly of silica, aluminosilicates, calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. Their proportions make the addition of slag-forming agents unnecessary.The composition of Polish concentrates, especially their low iron content, allows their application in the direct flash smelting process for blister copper production. Low sulphur content is the factor which determines the necessity of oxygen application in this process."

Jan 1, 1989

By Djalma Souza, Jean Igor Margem, Sergio N. Monteiro, Frederico M. Margem

Synthetic fibers have been used for many years to attend the demands required by the technologica lfields. However, the use of them has been questioned due to the impact on the environment. In this way, the natural fibers have received extensive attention, in particular hybrid fabrics of natural fibers to reinforce environmentally friendly polymer matrix composites. Thus, the present work has the objective of evaluating and comparing the mechanical properties of composites formed by hybrid fabric with 70% Malva—30% Jute in epoxy polymer matrix. The tests carried out are the Charpy and Izod Impact Tests, with specimens of 10, 20 and 30% in volume of hybrid fabric environmentally friendly into polymer matrix composites at room temperature. The 30% samples had the best results, functioning as an efficient reinforcement.

Mar 1, 2018

By Bhavani Kedika, Venkatagiri Noole, Krishna Thotla, Krishna Reddy Chepyala

Cationic lipids are attractive candidates for transgene delivery and expression and are safer alternatives to viral delivery vehicles. Here, we report the design, synthesis, characterization and transgene expression efficacies of a series of chrysin derived cationic lipids. A series of ten lipids of chrysin was synthesized by treating the 7-hydroxy group with dibromoalkane and further substitution of the bromo derivative with alkyl amines. The synthesized lipids were characterized spectroscopically. Parallel screening of the synthesized lipids for in vitro plasmid delivery expressing luciferase led to identification of several leads that demonstrated higher transgene expression when compared to the standard. Transgene expression efficacy was dependent on the chain length of the lipid. The influence of the various physicochemical properties on transgene expression efficacies was investigated. This study indicates that lipids derived from chrysin results in high levels of transgene expression and may be attractive for gene therapy applications.

Mar 1, 2017

By Jiang Feng, Li Chuanhua, Zhang Libo, Peng Jinhui, Ju Shaohua

Solvent extraction of Cu2+ from the leaching liquor contain Cu and Fe use a microfluidic technology. Currently, the conventional copper extraction process has many problems such as long distance and small driving force of mass transfer. In order to solve the problems, studies are carried out on the extraction process of low grade copper leaching liquid using Lix984N as an extractant with a new microfluidic solvent extraction technology. The effects of flow rate on the separation and extraction efficiency between Cu and Fe are studied, and the results show that a steady liquid-liquid interface of laminar flow is form in the micro-extractor, and extraction efficiency is 78 % and 2.5 % for Cu and Fe at the contact times of 0.84s respectively. Besides, the separation coefficient between Cu and Fe is as high as 140.04. The studied microfluidic technology has the advantages like improving extraction efficiency and reducing reaction time and providing the potential application in the hydrometallurgy extraction of Cu.

Jan 1, 2015

By R. Boom, Y. V. Meteleva-Fischer, B. Kraaijveld, H. Kuntzel

"Segregation of impurities during refining of metallurgical grade silicon (MG-Si) is an option to produce solar grade silicon (SG-Si). Directional solidification is a last step in production of SG-Si effective for removal of metallic impurities. The possibility is investigated to use metallic impurities originally present in MG-Si for removing boron and phosphorus. MG-Si has been treated using two methods: 1) alloying with calcium and 2) refining with Na2O-CaO-SiO2 slag, both by controlled cooling. The microstructure of silicon and the impurities distribution have been studied before and after the treatments. Using EPMA phosphorus and boron have been detected in 1-2 wt% concentration range in several intermetallic compounds in grain boundaries after both treatments. This observation points to a different possible mechanism of silicon refining from boron and phosphorus. Controlled cooling improves migration of phosphorus and boron to the silicide phases in grain boundaries, which can be removed by acid leaching treatment.2. IntroductionStandards for silicon solar cells and growing demand on “green” energy require economical and efficient route to the production of solar grade silicon. Refining of cheap metallurgical grade silicon is one of the promising options, where application of existing metallurgical approaches can result in cost-efficient production on industrial scale. Focus in refining is on impurities, which are most difficult to remove: B, P, Al, Ti, due to their large segregation coefficient in silicon and low vapour pressure [1]. Moreover, more environmentally friendly technology in comparison to the traditional Siemens process [2] will be in accordance with societal needs. Based on properties of common impurities in metallurgical grade silicon, alloying refining and slag refining are suggested as competitive techniques having potential effect on removal of impurities harmful for conversion of solar energy [3, 4]. Alloying with Ca followed by acid leaching was found to be effective for removal of Fe and Ti from silicon [5] and to enhance also removal of boron [6] and phosphorus [7, 8]. In the work of Inoue et al. [8] drastically increasing removal of phosphorus from silicon has been observed with an increase of Ca content and a thermodynamics-based explanation was provided. Since phosphorus has been found to condense in the secondary precipitate mainly composed of CaSi2, it can be removed together with iron and titanium by consecutive acid leaching treatment. Slag refining is one of the metallurgical methods proposed to be effective for refining of metallurgical grade silicon from boron [9, 10]. Slags with additions of the following oxides to silica have shown positive effect on removal of boron: CaO [11-13], Na2O [11,14]. Mechanism of slag refining from boron is based on oxidation of boron followed by its incorporation in the slag network [9,11]; the same mechanism is suggested for refining from phosphorus taking into account that oxides of boron and phosphorus are known as network-formers [15]."

Jan 1, 2012

By Alessandro Navarra, Joël P. T. Kapusta

"The converting cost modeling software introduced by Ng et al. in 2005 [1] has been extended to consider the reprocessing of reverts and copper scrap. The original model evaluated the operational costs of a Peirce-Smith converter; algebraic relationships had been implemented with arrays (to represent matrices, vectors and scalar ratios). The new software brings flexibility to the underlying thermochemical balances, by using linked-lists instead of arrays. It is now possible to consider the blending of several feeds, including reverts and scrap.The software computes the length of the converting cycle from the Fe and S content of the charge together with the blowing rate; the times required for other operations (charging, skimming and idle time) are also accounted for. The costs of consumables such as flux, fuel, oxygen or compressed air are all evaluated. Downtime, labor, and materials for converter lining repairs are also considered. The software is easily extended to examine the costs of alternative operating strategies or injection technologies such as sonic single pipe injection and sonic shrouded injection. The potential cost benefits of alternative operating procedures and technologies are discussed through example calculations."

Jan 1, 2009