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By Robin M. Forbes. Jones, Suhas V. Patankar, Ramesh S. Minisandram, Jr. Carter, Kanchan M. Kelkar

"The nucleated casting process currently under development has the potential for production of Ni-base superalloy preforms that possess superior microstructure to product made by conventional casting processes, primarily for gas turbine applications. In this process, electroslag remelted (ESR) clean (i.e., free of ceramic inclusions) molten metal is conveyed via a watercooled copper Cold-walled Induction Guide (CIG) to a gas atomizer. The spray of clean metal droplets is then directly cast into a water-cooled crucible for ingot production. The microstructure of the resulting ingot preform evolves within the length scale of the individual droplets and is a function of the thermal state of the incoming metal droplets. This, in turn, depends on particle size, flight time and heat exchange with the gas phase.In the present study, computational models is developed for the analysis of the flow and heat transfer in the gas-metal spray system under axisymmetric and steady-state conditions. The gasphase flow is analyzed using an Eulerian framework and turbulent mixing within the gas phase is modeled using the two-equation k-e model. The dynamics of the metal particles is analyzed using a Lagrangian framework that involves calculation of the trajectories of the metal droplets. A two-way coupling is considered whereby the transport and heat transfer in the gas and the metal phases influence each other.The analysis is developed at two levels. The spray model performs a detailed calculation of the spray dynamics in the vicinity of the spray and is intended for predicting the temperature and mass flux distributions of the metal spray depositing into the mold. The chamber model enables prediction of gas flow and motion of metal particles in the entire spray chamber."

Jan 1, 2004

By Yuzo Hiroshige, Masayuki Kyoi, Tomonori Saeki, Masahide Okamoto, Toru H. Okabe, Yu Miyamoto, Tomohiko Akahori, Takeshi Nemoto

We report Hitachi's approach to establish the recycling process for rare-earth metals in magnet. We have developed a process to disassemble the used electric products to collect the magnets, a process to remove the surface plating film of the magnet, and processes to separate rare-earth metals from the magnet. All processes are operated without chemical solutions in order to minimize the environmental impact due to the waste water emission. For the disassemble process, we have developed an equipment to generate continuous shock on the electric products to loosen screws. A sand blast technique is applied for the plating removal process. Rare earth metals in the magnets are extracted by immersion of the magnets in molten magnesium. The extracted rare-earth metals are separated from Mg by evaporation of Mg. The overall yield of recovery is 86.8 %. The purity of the final rare-earth metal is 98.8 %.

Jan 1, 2014

By Louis J. Cabri

The ion microprobe (dynamic SIMS technique) is a very sensitive instrument for the quantitative determination of trace concentrations of precious metals (often at the ppb level) occurring in common sulfide minerals, either chemically-bound or as discrete particles too small for resolution by SEM. The technique involves sputtering a 250 x 250 Jim area of the grains to a depth of about one ILm and analysing the secondary ions emitted from a circular central region in the sputter crater with a 62.5 I'm diameter. The combination of quantitative mineral-specific sub-ppm analyses together with depth-profiling and the ability to produce secondary ion maps of trace precious metals makes this a very powerful technique in quantifying the precious metal distribution in refractory and other sulfide ores and process products. The technique is particularly well-established for analysis of gold-and platinum-bearing ores and process products.

Jan 1, 1996

By Helena Byrdziak

KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. is a significant European copper producer with production of 447,000 mtpy, operating three underground mines and three smelters. The company has been involved for years in environmental activity, which was stimulated not only by the company itself, but by the development of environmental regulations as well. The first set of regulations, concerning water protection, was' established in Poland' in 1974, while a comprehensive environmental law was passed in 1980. This law in general requires industry to submit all data of environmental significance to the local authorities. Based on this data, they establish limits concerning emissions into the air, water and ground, the amount of wastes produced and the means of their disposal. A company has to pay fees for each tonne of emitted substances and stored wastes. When the emission of a substance exceeds the limit, the company has to pay a penalty which is about ten times higher than the fees. This approach in general is effective because it forces companies toward: reduction of their emissions. The problem is that the law is constantly subject to change and is becoming not only more restrictive but is involving more and more bureaucracy.

Jan 1, 1999

By R. E. Aune

In the present work, a critical assessment of the thermodynamic information available for the ternary system Ni-W-0 has been carried out; This was complemented by experimental measurements of the standard Gibbs energy of formation of the ternary compound NiWO, by solid state galvanic studies involving Zr02-CaO solid electrolyte. The assessed thermodynamic data, together with the phase diagram information available in literature, were employed to generate the ternary phase diagram for the system Ni-W-0 in the temperature range 1073-1273 K. The calculation of the phase diagram was carried out by computer optimization according to the "CALPHAD" method. The computed phase diagram has been confirmed at isothermal sections by identification of the phases present in samples equilibrated at defined temperatures.

Jan 1, 1994

By J. B. Wiskel, H. Henein

"A study was conducted to establish the effective heat transfer coefficient for a single molten droplet moving in a gaseous medium. Towards this objective, a series of quench experiments were performed on molten droplets of AA6061 aluminum generated with the Impulse Atomization technique (IAP). IAP is a single fluid atomization process capable of producing powders with a predictable mean particle size and a relatively tight standard deviation under controlled atmospheric conditions. Microstructure analysis of the atomized powder was used to establish the extent of pre-quench solidification. A mathematical model was then employed to correlate the Ranz-Marshall and Whitaker equations with the observed particle cooling behaviour. These equations were found to provide a reasonable estimation of the heat transfer conditions only when the variation in gas thermophysical properties across the boundary layer was accounted for in the model. This model formulation of droplet heat transfer has important implications with regards to active sprays and atomization processing operations IntroductionAn understanding of droplet cooling is important in atomization powder production. It is well understood that dendrite arm spacing is inversely proportional to cooling rate during solidificationl1l. Through modification of the heat transfer conditions during metal atomization, the microstructure of a powder maybe tailored to the end user. However, owing to the complexity of gas flow it is difficult to determine a heat transfer coefficient for a moving droplet. This difficulty is further compounded when complex jets and/or streams and their interactions are considered. To provide a base for these more complicated types of analyzes, two approaches have been employed to calculate the effective heat transfer conditions for a single droplet. In one approach, Megardis [ZJ developed a numerical model to investigate the heat transfer process of a free falling droplet undergoing laminar convective cooling. The effective heat transfer coefficient as a function of angular position was determined by numerically solving the fluid and energy equations for the system."

Jan 1, 1999

By Eiichi Kuzuno, Atsushi Shibayama, Toyohisa Fujita, Kazuo Koike, Toshio Miyazaki, Hitoshi Masuda

"A solid sulfur is more useful to recover and store than a sulfuric acid as a by-product in the zinc hydrometallurgy. In this experiment a zin concentrate (sphalerite) was leached with ferric sulfate at about 373 K for 3 to 6 hours. Zinc was leached more than 95%. After a solid-liquid separation, the leached residue contained solid sulfur was obtained. The particles in the residue were dispersed by lignin and the solid sulfur of approximately 85% was recovered as float product by a flotation with frother in the pH 4. The dried float product was heated at 413K for 2 hours. The pure solid sulfur was recovered. On the other hand in the leached liquid a zinc oxide was ·added and ferrous .iron was oxidized to ferric iron by blowing oxygen. This ferric iron was returned to the zinc leached process after solid-liquid separation.IntroductionZinc concentrate is usually roasted as pretreatment in zinc hydrometallurgy and the produced S02 is changed to sulfuric acid. However, recently in Japan the utilization of sulfuric acid has been limited and it is more costly to store. Instead of producing sulfutic acid the solid sulfur recovery has been examined by direct leaching of zinc_ concentrate in this experiment.In the direct leaching, several kinds of effects have been studied for leaching of sphalerite in ferric sulfate solution. The addition of lignine siilfonate1 • 2) and fine· grinding3) increases the · speed arid leaching fraction of sphalerite. The leaching ratio depends on impurities in sphalerite ores4 • 5). Here, the zinc concentrate is leached ferric sulfate solution under atmospheric pressure at 373K. The solid sulfur in leached residue is separated as float products from other solids by sink-float separation and flotation. The sulfur in float products is purified by evaporation at 413K and recovered."

Jan 1, 2000

By Toshihide Takenaka, Takashi Matsui, Nao Murakami, Masahiro Kawakami

"Electrowinning of Ti have been investigated in a LiF-NaF-KF melt including K2TiF6 at 773-923K by applying electrochemical oxidation ofH2 gas as an anodic reaction. The cathodic behavior of titanium and the anodic behavior of H2 gas were studied by voltammetry in detail to clarify the electrolytic condition for the process. The electrowinning of Ti was carried out by potentiostatic _electrolysis. Steady electrolysis was achieved under the suitable electrolytic condition without breaking out the anode effect. Titanium metal was electrodeposited on a Ti cathode though the deposits were usually powdery. It is concluded that this process is potential if the morphology of the deposit can be improved.IntroductionTitanium has such good properties as high specific strength and high corrosion resistance. However, the availability of Ti has been limited because the price of Ti is much higher than those of other common metals, such as Fe and Al. The production process of Ti ingot from its ore is rather intricate so that the production cost is high. If the simpler process is developed, the production cost should be retrenched. Titanium metal is usually produced by the Kroll process, which consists of the electrowinning of Mg metal in molten salt and the chemical reduction of TiCl.i by Mg metal. The Kroll process is very elabrate, but not simple. Because the chemical reduction ofTiCl4 by Mg metal is highly exothermic, a considerable amount of energy is wasted.Titanium metal can be electrowon in molten salt bath in principle. A simpler and more effective process than the Kroll process may be realized by the direct electrowinning so that the electrowinning of Ti metal has been studied widely[ 1]. Some researchs progressed to a pilot plant stages [2], but the electrowinning of Ti has not been industrialized yet."

Jan 1, 2000

By Yu-ichi Kanbe

It becomes more important to control the composition of inclusions with increasing the demand for quality of products in terms of cleanliness. Along with the development of refining technology to make inclusions harmless, a study was made to develop how to predict the quality of final products. At first, observations of a number of defects revealed that the defects were caused by inclusions larger than 100 m in diameter. Therefore it is required to detect relatively large inclusions in steel, whose existence is quite rare, to identify the quality. In order to estimate the maximum size of inclusions in a given sample, the method with statistics of extreme values has been applied for continuously cast (CC) slabs, hot-rolled coils and cold-rolled coils of type 304 stainless steel. For the CC slabs the diameter of inclusions, which were analyzed to be mostly silicate with globular shape, in the specimens was measured. For the coils, the width of inclusions was measured at the unit section perpendicular to rolling direction because it corresponds to the diameter assuming that the width of globular inclusions does not vary with rolled. Then maximum inclusion diameter in a specimen was calculated. As a result, the obtained values in the rolled coils are larger than in the slabs. This may imply that the measurement with the coils gives the values closer to the truth. Besides, the measurement with the coils is even faster than with the slabs due to its simplicity of preparation of the specimens.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. M. Salari Rad

An investigation of gold distribution in the mill products of Sar Cheshmeh beneficiation plant demonstrates that on average 44% of the gold is routinely recovered as a by-product in the copper concentrate, and the remaining is lost to the tailing. In order to evaluate the causes of gold losses, the distribution and mode of gold occurrence in the Sar Cheshmeh ore and mill products were studied. Searching for gold within samples and within individual grains of sulphide minerals was carried out by SEM in the backscattered electron mode and SIMS, respectively. The mineralogical distribution of gold revealed by microbeam techniques were combined with the results of relevant metallurgical experiments including, sizing, heavy liquid separation, and diagnostic leaching tests, and the nature and location of gold in the ore and mill products were determined. The combined results of the experimental approaches pursued suggest that while there are some gold in solid solution and/or -colloidal size within sulphides of the Sar Cheshmeh ores, "visible" gold is the principal form of gold occurrence at Sar Cheshmeh.

Jan 1, 1999

By Zhi-gang Que, Sheng-li Wu, Guo-liang Zhang, Bo Su, Chao-gang Hou

NOx released during fuel combustion is one of the major air pollutants, such as acid rain and photochemical smog. At present, still not have an economical and effective method of inhibiting NOx emission for sintering flue gas. Therefore, controlling conditions of fuel combustions to enhance the reduction of NOx is important for decreased the emission. In this study, microsintering furnace has been performed to investigate the effects of NOx emission from char-N during coke breeze combustion. The results show that the emission concentration of NOx decreased with increasing temperature when it is sinter bed temperature higher than 1000℃. The lower emission concentration of NOx was obtained when the concentration of oxygen was decreased. And the maximum concentration of NOx will be reduced with the enhanced of heating rate. If heating preservation time was prolonged, it would promote to NOx reduction with reduction substances resulted in lower NOx emissions in the combustion of coke breezes.

Jan 1, 2015

By Junji Shibata

Waste solution from the Ni non-electric plating process contains 4.0 kg/m3 Ni, 0.1 kglm3 Fe, 0.0 I kg/m3 Zn, 48 kg/m3 S042-, 98 kg/m3 HP032-and 31 kg/m3 laetic acid as a typical composition. Solvent extraction, cementation, ion exchange resin and precipitation methods are possible to use for the treatment of this kind of solution. In this study, solvent extraction of Ni was investigated using two kinds of extractants to clarify the relation between extraction percent and pH for various extractant mixtures. As Ni ion has an octahedral structure with ligands, the synergistic effect for Ni extraction is considered to take place in solvent extraction using two types of extractants. The investigation of the synergistic effect for Ni extraction was carried out in case of various extractant systems.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. Sofra

The quantity of copper produced by secondary material processing is increasing as metal producers look to cleaner and cheaper sources of copper. The need to smelt secondary copper more economically, to process a wide range of materials with large fluctuations in size and composition and to cope with the increasingly stringent environmental constraints have put considerable pressure on existing conventional secondary copper smelters. The Top Submerged Lance process, developed and commercialized by Ausmelt Ltd offers a low cost technology, which is particularly adapt at processing copper-bearing scrap and residues. The application of Ausmelt Technology to replace conventional secondary copper processing operations introduces potential for significant advantages in environmental performance, and improved process efficiencies through the use of cheaper hels and reductants, the high rate of metal recovery and the flexibility inherent in the technology to process various feed material types. The economical, process and environmental benefits of its application are highlighted for both the smelting and converting stages of copper production.

Jan 1, 1997

By L. B. Tsymbulov

At present data on thermodynamic properties of metallic melts, containing copper and ?iron family? metals, is rather limited. Determination of the activity of metallic melts components under high temperature by experimental methods requires high level of labour inputs. With this it is not always possible to obtain the results with high level of accuracy. Due to that in a number of cases it is more appropriate to apply different methods of analysis, with the help of which there can be calculated thermodynamic properties of ternary and even more complicated systems, prominent thermodynamic properties of binary systems being used as a basis for these calculations. This work presents the results of calculations of different components activity and activity ratio in such ternary system melts as Ni-Cu-Fe, Ni-Cu-Co, Fe-Cu-Co and Fe-Co-Ni. Good compliance of calculations results with those obtained in the course of reliable experimental investigations fulfilment is demonstrated. There are presented the results of activity and activity ration analysis for some compositions of Cu-Ni-Co-Fe system.

Jan 1, 2006

By Y. Takasaki

For zinc hydrometallurgical extraction, reducing the electric power consumption of the electrowinning process is an important issue for energy savings. At the Zinc & Lead 2000 symposium, the authors suggested that by using the Pb-0.5%Ag-0.6%Ca alloy, the electrolysis energy can be decreased compared to the conventional Pb-0.9%Ag alloy. In this study, the corrosion behaviors of the Pb-Ag-Ca electrode in a sulfuric-acid electrolyte were investigated. Based on the results Or me Pb-0.5%Ag-0.6%Ca anode after 20 days of electrolysis, the bath voltage and the quantity of anode slime decreased compared to the Pb-I%Ag anode. Subsequently, beta-PbO2 on the electrode surface was detected by XRD and its peaks were sharper than the Pb-1 %Ag anode. Moreover, a dense beta-PbO2 layer on the 0.6%Ca a anode surface was observed. Therefore, it was suggested that the dense beta-PbO2 layer on the anode surface is one of the factors that leads to a lower bath voltage and decreasing quantity of anode slime.

Jan 1, 2003

By E. A. Román

An ion exchange pilot plant, provided by Mesco Inc., was tested for antimony control in the electrolyte at three Chilean tankhouses for copper electrorefining: Chuquicamata, Potrerillos and Enami -Ventanas. The pilot plant, with a nominal extraction capacity of 1.2 kg Sb/day, worked connected to both experimental and commercial circuits, performing a total of 310 loading and elution cycles. An innovation in this process is the use of a chelating organic elution reagent, which presents some advantages over the traditional 6N HCI. This new eluent is amenable to continuous regeneration and recycling with high recovery efficiency. Antimony removal starting at initial, concentrations of 0.5 to 0.6 g/l of Sb down to steady concentrations of 0.1 to 0.0.6 g/l Sb, resulted in the production of High Grade copper cathodes with Sb contents below 0.1 ppm. Anodic slimes showed Sb contents below 1%.

Jan 1, 1999

By Klaus Gamweger

There are different reasons for purging a metal bath. The operations are varied, for example the purging gas can be used as a reactive gas being part of the metallurgical process or as an inert gas using the rising gas bubbles for agitation only. The different purposes for agitation, chemical and thermal homogenization or a preferential movement of the slag to the slag skimming door have to be considered. It depends on the furnace type and its dimensions as well as the process characteristics what the focus is on. For an optimized arrangement of numbers and position of all single plugs in the furnace, mathematical modeling - the CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics method - is used. This paper shows how the operation of purging plugs can influence the metallurgical process of an anode furnace by the example of Jinchuan Copper in China. The potentials for savings in energy consumption as well as in time for oxidation and reduction are presented.

Jan 1, 2006

By F. Qian

Direct impingement of molten metal baths by a gas jet is commonly encountered in such processes as BOF and electric arc furnace steelmaking. Shape and local fluid mechanics in the impinging region is important because it determines the interaction of the metal pool with the surroundings. Goal of the present work is to characterize and understand the interfaces at the impinging region. Using a physical model consisting of water/corn oil and water/kerosene as surrogates for metal/slag, interface shapes for slag-gas, slag-metal and metal-gas are investigated. Influence of transport properties of the two liquids on the shape and flow fields are also experimentally determined under various impinging jet conditions, namely jet momentum and jet height. The viscosity of the slag layer (corn oil or kerosene) has the most significant effect on the interface shape and the induced flow fields. The interface shapes were measured both photographically and by using a surface- tracking resistance probe. The limiting condition at which the jet breaks through the corn oil or kerosene layer and reaches the water layer was determined experimentally

Jan 1, 1994

By Daojin Cao

Aiming at many controversial reports on Raman spectral pattern of heptamolybdate ion in aqueous solution appearing in the literature and the absence of its standard pattern, the comparative investigations on Raman spectral pattern of saturated solution of ammonium heptamolybdate tetra hydrate were done. The results showed that the main vibrant frequencies of Raman spectral pattern of the saturated solution were in good agreement with those introduced in the literature, and that the intensity ratio (4.4) of the strongest peak to the second strongest peak recorded in Raman spectrum of the saturated solution had three obvious characteristics: it was greater than each of the results (ranging from 3.7 to 1.3) reported in the literature, much closer to that (4.7) of crystal and well conformed to the change rule of Raman spectra occurring in the process of the first-step polymerization of acidified molybdate solution. It was found that Raman spectrum of heptamolybdate ion in aqueous solution was determined by not only the main vibrant frequencies but also the intensity ratio, which is also the crucial result in this study. The comparative investigations indicate that the pattern of Raman spectrum of the saturated solution is the standard pattern of Raman spectrum of heptamolybdate ion in aqueous solution essentially. The affirmed standard pattern is reliable and can be used to the identification of heptamolybdate ion in aqueous solution, applied in the research of the equilibrium of acidified molybdate solution and the exploration of the best technologic condition for the production of high quality heptamolybdates.

Jan 1, 2006

By Baokuan Li, Fang Wang, Meilong Shan

"As the advantage of uniform bus loading, the electroslag remelting (ESR) furnaces with three - phase installation by delta or star connection are mainly used to produce the large or super large ingot. The electrical efficiency is significantly improved as the short circuiting through the molten slag. However, little is found about fiindamental research on the electromagnetic field of the ESR system with three -phase installation. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model was developed to simulate the current density, magnetic field, electromagnetic force and Joule heating for a system of electrode, slag and ingot in the ESR system with three -phase installation.IntroductionThe metallurgical performance of the ingot is the fundament and precondition to obtain the large forging of high quality, which has a critical role in the producing of forging. The electroslag process (ESR) to product the metal materials of high homogenization and clarity become more and more popular[1].The electroslag process is a special smelting technology of producing small ingots, which originate in 1950[2].At present the three, four or six electrode is used in large scale electroslag furnace. It has been found that the deeper molten pool and the wider of the two-phase zone with only one large diameter of electrode to product large ingot effect the solidification microstructure of ingot[3]. However, the molten pool becomes shallow relatively with several electrodes producing the large ingot, which is benefit to the solidification microstructure of ingot. Three electrodes electroslag remelting furnace take the three phase equilibrium power supply to making the load and electric power network balance, avoiding the distortion phenomenon induced by single phase power supply and saving electric power. It also can uniformize the distribution of heat source."

Jan 1, 2012