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By G. Djambazov, D. Shevchenko, D. Burnard, V. Bojarevics, K. A. Pericleous, W. Griffiths

Contactless ultrasound treatment can be useful for high-temperature or reactive alloys in the liquid state, where contact with an immersed vibrating probe is undesirable. The alternating component of the Lorentz force can generate sound pressure levels leading to cavitation of gas bubbles in the melt, through acoustic resonance. Resonance is a function of the speed of sound in the liquid, the shape of the volume containing it and surrounding boundary conditions. Induction forces applied to a crucible lead to bulk stirring and in general deform the free surface, whose precise shape may influence the resonance conditions. This effect is investigated here b ymulti-physics computer modelling. Calculated results for aluminium melts are compared with experimental data and conclusions are drawn as to the sensitivity to process parameters and the reliability of this type of ultrasound metal processing.

Mar 1, 2017

By Ming-Feng Ye, Guang-liang Wu

The microstructure and mechanical strength variations of chromite pellets preheated and roasted in air were studied systematically. The results show that the chromite (Fe,Mg)(Cr,Fe,Al)2O4 is oxidized to magnesium-rich (Mg,Fe)(Cr,Fe, Al)2O4 and ferrochromium complex oxide (Cr,Fe,Al)2O3 in the preheating process over 500 °C. When the temperature is higher than 1000 °C, the new phase (Cr,Fe, Al)2O3 is formed, which is mainly distributed in the outer layer of a single chromite particle. Inner the particles there are acicular (Cr,Fe,Al)2O3 and unoxidized (Fe,Mg) (Cr,Fe,Al)2O4, which forming an interwoven structure together. The oxidation rates of pellets can reach to superior limits in 20 min. With the temperature increasing from 950 to 1300 °C, the mechanical strength and oxidized rates increase to varying degrees correspondingly.

Mar 1, 2018

By Lin Zhu, Zheng Wei, Meng Li, Xueli Cao, Hanying Wen, Guodong Shi, Lei Yu, Wen-xin Tang, Tao Li

Low energy electron microscopy and photoemission electron microscopy (LEEM/PEEM), as powerful in-situ surface-sensitive electron microscopy, find wide applications in surface physics, chemistry and catalysis. The high reflectivity of incident low-energy electrons (0–100 eV), allows it to image the surface structures in the topmost few atomic layers within less than one second, while the sample can be heated up to 1200 °C in real time which is potentially very useful in metallurgy and materials fields. A unique three-prism aberration correction (ac-) LEEM was commissioned successfully in Chongqing University, with a lateral resolution below 2 nm. A multiple gas source in the ac-LEEM system was installed as well, which allowed us to observe chemical reactions of nanoscale mineral powders on metallic substrates. In this paper, the latest results on the applications of this three-prism ac-LEEM on oxidation and reduction processes on copper and iron polycrystalline surfaces are demonstrated.

Mar 1, 2018

By M. A. Kader, M. A. Islam, P. J. Hazell, M. Saadatfar, J. P. Escobedo, A. D. Brown

The dynamic pore collapse mechanisms and energy absorption capacity of closed-cell aluminium foams subjected to low velocity impacts have been investigated. Impact experiments were carried out using an instrumented drop-tower with two impactor geometries: a 50 mm square flat steel impactor to investigate pore collapse mechanisms and a 20 mm diameter hemispherical steel impactortostudy indentation resistance.X-ray computedtomography was utilized to generate views of the deformation field within the impacted specimen. The results show that the strain rate and incident impact energy influence the energy absorption capacities of closed-cell aluminium foams. Furthermore, damage initiation, propagation and cell collapse mechanisms under drop weight impact have been elucidated.

Mar 1, 2017

By Huimin Lu, Lian Zhou, Panpan Wang

"For the low concentration C02 exhaust gas from coal-fired power plant, steel plant emission trapping and recycle problem, a pressure swing adsorption process was studied, using a porous imidazolate framework materials (ZIFs) as adsorbent, separating carbon dioxide from fuel gas mixture. In the carbon dioxide reduction condition by electrochemical method, using ionic liquids as electrolyte, the oxygen and carbon products could be obtained, including carbon nanotube, nano carbon fiber and amorphous carbon. At last, a new C02 collection, recycling and reuse technology was formed.IntroductionDuring the combustion of fossil fuel in coal-fired power plant or steel plant, large amount of carbon dioxide has continuously emitted into the atmosphere. The phenomenon has resulted in the melt of arctic glacier and the frequent emergence of abnormal climate. How to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and protect human living environment has become a worldwide challenge. Recently, there are three routes to resolve this problem: The first one is to adjust the energy structure and develop new energy, such as solar, wind, hydrogen; the second one is to improve energy efficiency and avoid waste; the third one is to research capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide (CCS). But many researchers have come to realize that the recovery and utilization of carbon dioxide are more important than the sequestration of it. Because the captured carbon dioxide just buried under the earth maybe cause secondary pollution if carbon dioxide leak out from the adsorbent."

Jan 1, 2013

By Miaoyong Zhu, Sen Luo

"A two-dimensional CAFD model was developed for simulating the solute diffusion-controlled dentritic growth in the low Peclet number regime. Mass conservation and local equilibrium at the solid/liquid interface were solved to determine the growth velocity of interface with consideration of constitutional and curvature undercooling. The modified decentered square growth proposed by Wang et al was adopted to capture the first eight neighboring cells. The comparison between the classic Lipton-Glicksman-Kurz (LGK) analytical model for steady state tip variables and the simulated values showed that the present model was capable of quantitatively determining the dendritic growth, and the simulation tests demonstrated that the effects of the mesh anisotropy in growth kinetics and crystallographic orientation were eliminated. The numerical simulations were performed to the dendritic growth ofFe-0.6%C binary alloy in undercooled melt, and the results showed that the present model could predict the dendrite morphology with artificial growth orientation in acceptable level.IntroductionDuring the solidification of metals and alloys, the dendrite grows from the substance or the undercooling melt and solute redistributes between the dendrite and the interdendritic liquid. The solidification microstructure is close related to the phase and solute evenness and has a close linkage with the properties of final production.In the past few decades, various kinds of deterministic and stochastic models have been developed to predict the evolution of microstructures in solidification, with the fast development of computer power. Among these methods, Phase Field (PF) model [1, 2] has been known as one of the most adequate deterministic models for directly simulating the dendritic growth. However, there is a vital drawback that the PF method requires considerable computation time and is limited to simulate very small domains with a few dendrites [3]. On the other hand, stochastic models, such as Monte Carlo (MC) method [4, 5] and Cellular Automaton (CA) method [6-8], have been usually applied to predict the solidification microstructure evolution. Comparing with the MC method, the dendritic growth kinetics is explicitly integrated in the CA model, while the MC model doesn't. Therefore, the CA method is more reasonable to predict the dendritic growth during the solidification of melt."

Jan 1, 2013

Two pilot-plant investigations were conducted in which strong-base resins were compared with activated carbon for the extraction of gold cyanide from leached pulp from the Golden Jubilee Mine. The results show that gold can be recovered with carbon, but that the extraction efficiency is poor, probably because high concentrations of humic and fulvic acids are. present m the pulp. .However the extraction of gold cyamde from this material with strong-base resins JS very effo:1ent, and the overall efficiency of extraction is better with resin than with carbon, even when the concentration of resin is one-third that of carbon, and the flowrate of resin is one-third that of carbon. The results of the pilot-plant campaign reported in this paper led to the conversion of the Golden Jubilee plant from carbon-in-pulp to resin-in-pulp in February 1988.

Jan 1, 1989

By J. P. Downey, T. Salisbury, M. Berlin, E. Rosenberg, G. Pinson, R. Christianson, K. Gleason, W. Gleason, S. Davis

"Direct digital manufacturing offers promise as a technique for fabricating complex hydrogen purification membrane support structures. Free form fabrication methods can produce parts with complex structures, and sintering parameters can be controlled to adjust the density, pore structure, pore pathways and strength in catalytic substrate constructs. Efforts are underway to define the influence of selected process variables on the chemical and mechanical properties.IntroductionThe Center for Advanced Mineral and Metallurgical Processes (CAMP), in collaboration with the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department at Montana Tech and the Chemistry Department at the University of Montana, is engaged in the development of new methods and materials for hydrogen purification membrane production. Because hydrogen readily passes through palladium, a structurally sound palladium-based membrane is capable of separating relatively pure hydrogen from other gases. In order for this technology to succeed, a suitable substrate material must be identified.High purity hydrogen is produced by various means. A common method involves a two-stage process for separating hydrogen from a hydrocarbon gas stream: 1) hydrogen-rich syngas is produced by the catalytic reaction of natural gas or another light hydrocarbon gas with steam, and 2) hydrogen is separated from the other syngas components by pressure swing adsorption (PSA) (US. Energy Information Agency, 2011). In PSA, gases enter a column that is packed with a material that absorbs gases as the chamber is filled and pressurized. As the pressure is slowly relieved, the absorbent material releases hydrogen at a higher pressure than the impurity gases. PSA processes produce 99.99% pure hydrogen at a high recovery rate. These systems typically demand a high capital investment due to the high pressure and multiple stages (columns) needed to attain high hydrogen production rates.Research geared toward reducing hydrogen production cost is focused on the development of improved catalysts and adsorbent materials as well as more effective single-stage separation processes. An interesting method combines hydrogen reduction catalysis and filtration. Nascent hydrogen is separated from other gases as it selectively permeates the filter. Catalyst filters may be made of gold, silver, platinum, palladium or precious metal alloys (Davis, 2009)."

Jan 1, 2012

By Jong-Jip Kim, J. G. Byrne, W. Kim, In-Ok Shim, John E. Flinn

"Two rapid solidification processes for 304 stainless steel were studied: centrifugal atomization (CA) in a helium atmosphere and atomization by exposing argon-containing melt to vacuum (VGA). Positron annihilation and x-ray line broadening measurements of explosively consolidated monoliths were used to clarify microhardness measurements as a function of annealing temperature. Interesting differences in positron response between CA and VGA materials are ascribed to more carbide formation in the CA material than in the VGA material in the 600 0C range. In addition, hot isostatic pressing of the CA material was examined as to the relations between mechanical behavior, pore shape, and relative density. A variable stress concentration factor is introduced into the theory to allow for changing pore shape as relative density increases.IntroductionThere are many potential advantages of rapid solidification processing (RSP), such as a high degree of matrix supersaturation, finely dispersed microstructures, improved chemical homogeneity, and retention of metastable phases, which have been studied extensively. To consolidate rapidly solidified material which is in powder form into useful shapes often requires subjecting the material to elevated temperature for extended periods of time under mechanical forces, as in hot isostatic pressing or hot extrusion. In such cases, some of the characteristics of the rapid-cooling step can be strongly affected. An alternative is dynamic consolidation (1), for example by explosive forming, where the time frame at least is extremely short.In the present work, effects of the consolidation processes of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and explosive forming in a die are examined. The particular material is 304 stainless steel. The characteristics of both RS and VGA 304 stainless-steel powders were described by Wright, Flinn, and Korth (2) earlier."

Jan 1, 1988

By M. R. Jolly, J. -C. Gebelin

"A number of different types of so-called ""filters"" are used in the metal casting industries to impart some cleaning effect and flow control on the liquid metal as it passes through them. The filters range from simple planar meshes through extruded channels to reticulated foam structures and they are manufactured from a range of material going from metals to glass or ceramics. It is most common that software packages used in the industry model the filters by a simple pressure drop associated with some area fraction and permeability parameters.Recent experimental work at the IRC in Birmingham [1] has shown that filters of the same type can behave very differently depending upon the casting process in which they are employed. Modelling filter geometries for a range of different casting processes has indicated that the flow of metal and heat losses through the filters are rather complex and should be considered when using filters in the casting processes. This paper will present a number of cases of different types of filters modelled and different processes and indicate some of the sensitivities of the processes to boundary conditions imposed by the process.IntroductionFilters are commonly used in the foundry industry. The real action of the filters on the liquid metal is not really understood. Some filters are claimed to have a chemical action on the liquid metal or to be able to clean the metal by stopping the impurities or oxides that will result in inclusions in the cast part. However, some recent experiment carried out at the University of Birmingham in investment casting and results available on sand casting [2] have shown that the action of filters may be different in these two processes. As the main difference between these two processes is the mould temperature, the hypothesis of a partial solidification of the metal in the filter occurring in the sand casting process during the primary stage of the filling has been advanced, whereas there is little or no solidification in investment casting. In order to verify this hypothesis, and to reach a better understanding of how filters work, a numerical investigation of the flow and heat transfer in filters in both sand and investment casting has started at the University of Birmingham, in the framework of the FOCAST project. The FOCAST project is an EPSRC project aimed to increase the understanding of the investment casting process. Another issue is the way the simulation packages predict the influence of the filters on the metal flow. The filters are most of the time modelled as porous obstacles characterised by a pressure drop calculated from porosity and some surface ratios or proprietary coefficients. This paper will present the preliminary results of this numerical investigation. First, the different models that have been used are presented, followed by the obtained results. A discussion of these results and their perspectives conclude the paper."

Jan 1, 2001

By Marcio B. Fonseca

Nickel-cobalt laterite deposits have become the focus of attention for hydrometallurgical processing. Following the lessons of the second generation high pressure acid leach (HPAL) projects in Western Australia other Ni-Co laterite projects are now evaluating potential HPAL projects with a rigorous integrated approach that begins with geological modeling, resource estimation and metallurgical studies. The Vermelho nickel-cobalt laterite deposit has been under exploration and study for several years with investigations of various metallurgical processes. Recent HPAL studies have indicated that the nickel and cobalt laterite at this deposit is amenable to upgrading by silica rejection followed by pressure leaching. These studies have required a detailed geological investigation to generate a new resource model. The recent development of a sophisticated geological model integrated with a multi-element resource estimation for this complex tropical nickel laterite deposit in northern Brazil provides an example of the contribution of geology at the critical project stage where process technology decisions are made on relatively small samples of the total resource.\ Keywords: Ni Laterite, Geological Modeling, Resource Estimation

Jan 1, 2004

By W. D. Judge, Z. W. Xiao, G. J. Kipouros

Rare earths have taken a prominent position in the Hi-Tech field after the discovery of the NdFeB permanent magnets. Their use in the magnets sparked miniaturization of the communication devices such as computers and mobile phones and are being considered in many more applications. Potential applications of rare earth elements in energy conversion technologies including wind turbines, photovoltaics, and other renewable energy systems are reviewed, along with sustainability considerations and production processes.

Mar 1, 2017

By K. Adham, T. Buchholz

Debottlenecking of high temperature processes within an existing metallurgical plant can significantly increase the throughput to meet new production demands. Modeling and simulation can help to fulfil that aim through incremental changes and operational improvements, rather than the more expensive option of building new plants and facing new environmental and infrastructure challenges. This paper describes a methodology of how modeling tools can be used to simulate the processing steps, how to estimate their existing and ultimate capacities, and how to determine the minimum cost points for a plant capacity expansion. This technique is presented through a generic description that can be applied to different metallurgical processing studies. We start with heat-and-mass balances, draw a bottleneck diagram, brainstorm capacity increase options, and prepare a cost-capacity curve. Hatch has successfully applied this technique to a number of plant capacity studies, with great benefits to our industrial clients (Adhametal et al. in A Success Path from Process R&D to Commercial Plants, Montreal, Canada, [1]).

Mar 1, 2017

By Jianhua Xin, Min Chen, Lei Xu, Haohua Deng, Nan Wang

A mathematical model of converter slagging and steelmaking process by replacing part of lime with limestone is established. The rate equations of oxidation reactions and lime dissolution in converter under the limestone substitution proportion increasing from 25 to 50% can be obtained and the effects of limestone substitution proportion on the variations of the composition of hot metal, slag and converter gas during the steelmaking process are investigated. In the process of converter slagging and steelmaking by replacing part of lime with limestone, increasing the hot metal temperature and the lance height could be favor to increase the content of FeO in the slag and accelerate the limestone decomposition and dissolution. With the limestone substitution proportion increasing from 25 to 50%, the maximum of oxygen supply ratio increases from 10.7 to 19.7% and the temperature drop of converter bath is 8–60 °C.

Mar 1, 2018

By T. E. Warner

In order to detect arsenic and antimony in zinc, various electrochemcial experiments were performed involving the electrochemical introduction of sodium atoms into molten zinc using a solid electrolyte. Under high rates, the formation of the intermetallic phase NaZn13 was assumed to form. Under more moderate injection rates of sodium, employing a symmetric "zinc/zinc cell", a qualitative relationship between the current generated during cyclic voltammeuy and the arsenic and antimony concentrations in molten zinc was observed.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. A. Usman, E. I. Akpan, S. O. Adeosun

Preliminary studies on the extraction and characterisation of biodegradable lignin from palm oil fruitbunch (POFB) for carbon fibre production has been conducted. Centra lComposite Design was used to determine the optimum operating conditions for maximum yield and properties of the extracted lignin. Soda concentration (1–3 wt/vol%), temperature (50–90 °C) and reaction time (20–30 min) were analysed using Rcore software. Experimental results show that using reaction temperature of 90 °C, time of 30 min and 3 wt/vol% soda concentration yields 3.3 g of lignin from 30 g of the POFB. The path of steepest ascent from ridge analysis shows that with temperature of 130 °C, time of 40 min. and soda concentration of 3. wt/vol%, 8.7 g of lignin can be extracted from 30 g of POFB. Analysis of FTIR and SEM show that the lignin has the same structure in all cases with minimal impurities.

Mar 1, 2017

By Shusen Cheng, Dongdong Zhou, Yongqiang Bai

The strength of sinter could affect the permeability and CO gas utilization of blast furnace, and one of the main impacted factors of sinter strength is crack. With the widely use of vanadium-titanium sinter in China, the blast conditions of some blast furnaces became worse since the vanadium-titanium sinter has been added. However, there have little public research for this phenomenon. In this paper, the influence of titanium content on the sinter ore phase structure and crack were studied by DMRX polarizing microscope. In addition, the influence of basicity and oversintering on the sinter ore phase structure were also investigated. The observed results of vanadium-titanium sinter were compared with typical sinter in China, and the influence law of titanium content on the sinter ore crack was obtained.

Mar 1, 2017

By C. H. Bucknam

A review of phase analysis methods used to characterize refractory gold ores is presented. Updating of assay methods using database technology, on-line instrument interfacing and response surface modeling is highlighted. The use of assay results to classify ores for metallurgical purposes is demonstrated.

Jan 1, 1987

By Batric Pesic

Calcium silicate slag (Di-Cal) and magnesium oxide condensate (MgO) are the by-products of magnesium smelting operations, As these oxides have acid neutralizing and metal precipitating properties, it was decided to examine their reactions with (a) individual heavy metals and (b) with a mixture of metals in solution, The resulting solid reaction products were further tested with respect to the stability of the contained metals, The stability of the solid precipitates were examined as a function of the method of precipitation and as function of the solution pH With respect to the method of precipitation, the performance of Di-Cal and MgO was compared to the performance of lime, an industry standard for heavy metal precipitation, Four different pH solutions (4,0, 5,0, 7,0 and 1 LO) were used to study the effect of pH on the stability of the precipitates. It was found that Di-Cal, in most cases, produced the most stable precipitates and thus, outperformed lime, Metal precipitates prepared by the addition of MgO were the most soluble for each metal studied, except for Se,

Jan 1, 2001

By Dmitri Goljandin, Jaan Kers, Xiangjun Zuo, Lifeng Zhang, Priidu Peetsalu

"In this paper, the mechanical milling of the electronic wastes was carried out. The metal parts and plastic parts were roughly separated. The final plastic powder size could be as small as ~100 µm. Then the pyrometallurgical recycling Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) was executed. The mechanisms of thermal degradation and combustion are investigated using TG/DTA and MS. Some chemical powders, such as Na2CO3, NaHCO3, NaOH and CaCO3 are used to control the exhausted toxic gas such as Br2. Introduction Waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE), or electronic wastes (E-wastes), has been taken into consideration not only by the government but also by the public due to their hazardous material components [1-3]. From the point of material composition, electronic wastes can be defined as a mixture of various metals, particularly copper, aluminum, and steel, attached to, covered with, or mixed with various types of plastics and ceramics [4]. Precious metals have a wide application in the manufacture of electronic appliances, serving as contact materials due to their high chemical stability and their good conducting properties. Platinum group metals are used among other things in switching contacts (relays, switches) or as sensors to ascertain the electrical measurand as a function of the temperature [5]. Table 1 [6] gives examples of the metal composition of different electronic scraps from literatures. Additionally, non-ferrous metals and precious metals content have gradually decreased in concentration in scraps. The value distributions for different electronic scrap samples are shown in Table 2 [6], where the metal price data are from London Metal Exchange (LME) (Octoebr 2007). It can be seen that for cell phones, calculators, and printed circuit board scraps, the precious metals make up more than 70% of the value, for TV boards and the DVD player they still contribute to about 40%. This indicates that the major economic driver for recycling of electronic waste in industry is from the recovery of precious metals. Behind the precious metals come copper and zinc, while Al, Pb, and Fe are less value. Recycling of electronic waste is an important subject not only from the point of waste treatment but also from the recovery aspect of valuable materials."

Jan 1, 2008