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By Michael Sheedy

Sulfuric acid is widely used as an electrolyte for the electrorefming and electrowinning or metals. Impurities in this electrolyte are controlled by continuously bleeding solution from the tank house. In addition to the contaminant these bleed streams contain high levels of sulfuric acid and the metal being recovered. Subsequent treatment of these bleed streams often requires neutralization which generates large volumes of solid waste. Absorption resin technology employing a novel ion exchange technique known as Recoflo® allows the separation of the mineral acid from dissolved metal salts. The recovered acid is suitable for recycle back to the electrolyte circuit. The metal salt and other contaminants leave the process free .of the sulfuric acid. In this process, known commercially as the APU®, ion exchange resin is used to sorb sulfuric acid while excluding the metal salts. The purified acid is then removed by washing the resin with water. The process has been extensively used for the recovery of waste pickling acids in the steel industry and anodizing solutions in the aluminum industry. In the mining and metallurgical industries the process has been successfully evaluated for the separation of excess sulfuric acid from copper electrolytes, the removal of magnesium and manganese contaminants from zinc electrolytes, and nickel and copper from copper electrolytes. A full scale installation on a copper refinery bleed stream at Palconbridge's Kidd Creek plant in Timmins, Ontario has now been operating successfully for more than 1 year while pilot field trials have been successfully completed on other applications.

Jan 1, 1997

By Gabriel A. Torma

This paper provides infonnation on selected technologies available for remediation of metal contaminated soils and industrial effluent solutions. Because some of the industrial sites are contaminated with organics (solvents, gasolines and oils), an effort has been made to introduce the most frequently used cost-effective cleanup methods, such as "bioventing" and "composting." The microorganisms involved in these processes are capable of degrading organic soil contaminants to environmentally harmless compounds: water and carbon dioxide. Heavy metals and radionuclides contaminated mining and industrial sites can be remediated by using adapted heap and dump leaching technologies, which can be chemical in nature or bio-assisted. The importance of volume reduction by physical separation is discussed. A special attention is devoted to the remediation of soils by leaching (soil washing) to remove heavy metal contaminants, such as chromium, lead, nickel and cadmium. Furthermore, the applicability of biosorption technology in the remediation of heavy metals and radionuclides contaminated industrial waste waters and acidic mining effluent solutions was indicated.

Jan 1, 1996

By J. L. Liow

Studies have been carried out on the causes and effects of slopping in an annular cylindrical geometry such as the top submerged combustion reactor. Properties of standing waves formed such as the wave profile, period, pressure distribution and velocity have been derived analytically. The wear profile due to wave erosion was calculated based on the assumption of linear motion and that the wear is a dissolution process. The use of the j, factor showed that the wear was proportional to the square root of the wave velocity at any point. Using the dimensions of the lsasmelt reactor given by Errington et al. (1987)[11, the wear profile due to wave erosion was calculated using the analytical solution. The wear profile calculated was shown to have a maximum just below the initial bath surface. The wear was found to be concentrated in the region where the first asymmetric standing wave was most active. The results showed that the refractory near the bath surface will be affected by wave erosion, more so than any other parts of the reactor. The contribution of wave erosion on wear must be accounted for in assessing the total refractory wear of a vessel in which slopping exists.

Jan 1, 1991

By Shoji Taniguchi, Lifeng Zhang

"In this paper, firstly the 3D single-phase turbulent steady fluid flow in a vessel with four baffles stirred by a single impeller is mathematically simulated. Turbulence is modeled by using the standard k - e model. Sliding-grid method is used to model the impeller. The flow domain is divided into two cylindrical, the inner one rotates at the same speed as the impeller, and the outer one is fixed with the baffles. Results indicate that the high-speed zone is near the paddles, and larger stirring speed generates larger fluid flow velocity. The calculated stirring intensity data are used to analyze the experimental results. Secondly the effects, such as filter pore size, gas flow rate and NaCl concentration, on bubble size are studied by experiment. For the particle removal rate by bubble flotation in this vessel, first order kinetics is adopted. The effects of initial number of the particles, gas flow rate, particle and bubble size, stirring speed and surface condition, on the removal rate constant are discussed, and an empirical equation is derived by experimental data. At last, a simple model is developed to study the particle attachment probability on bubble surface under turbulent flow conditions. IntroductionIt is well known that inclusions have a bad effect on steel quality. Trying to remove inclusions from liquid steel as many as possible is one of the main objects for the metallurgical workers. Lots of ways are developed to remove inclusions from liquid steel. Gas injection is an effective one. This technique is used to achieve homogeneity in the temperature and metal composition and to assist in the removal of second phase and dissolved impurities from molten steel. Gas injection is commonly applied to the secondary metallurgy processes and continuous casting, for example the ladle argon gas treatment, RH vacuum degassing, and the gas injection in the Submerged Entry Nozzles (SEN) of continuous casting mold, etc. The development of these processes focuses on achieving two conditions: fine bubbles and good mixing. Fine bubbles provide a large gas/liquid interfacial area and a high attachment probability to inclusions, and good mixing enhances the efficiency of impurity transfer."

Jan 1, 2000

By P. Wieser, D. Feke

"Priming of filters with small pores is influenced by the surface tension of the liquid metal and may be complicated by freezing • Freezing followed by melting has been observed experimentally. This process has been modeled on the basis of one dimensional heat flow by radiation to the filter and by conduction in the metal. Also considered are super-heat of the metal and the initial filter temperature. The results of the model provide useful guidelines for the application of filters. IntroductionFiltration has been recognized as a valuable method of refining by removing suspended phases from liquid metals or alloys. Woven fiberglass type fabrics and wire screens were used initially in the aluminum industry. With the introduction of the ceramic filters that exhibit improved inertness and refractoryness, filtration has been introduced to higher melting alloys including cast irons, superalloys, stainless steels, as well as low and medium carbon low alloy steels. A considerable literature is delveloping rapidly on the progress in applications and the advances in understanding the mechanisms and effectiveness of filtration processes (1-8).With the use of filtration for different alloy systems for the production of cast to shape parts a bewildering variety of gating system modifications has been developed (Figure 1) to accommodate the installation of filters in the mold. The modifications have two principal purposes: 1) the runner expansion is intended to compensate for the resistance to flow due to the filter and that of the captured inclusions, and 2) the metal reservoir upstream of the filter, provides a temporary by-pass which permits metal to flow across the filter and heat it until priming can be accomplished. priming of.filters by low and medium carbon steel is readily accomplished but, compared to such alloys as cast iron or 19 Cr-9Ni stainless steel, requires greater precautions to avoid failure to prime by excessive freezing on or inside the filter pores. This problem is further examined below:"

Jan 1, 1986

By Sang-Su Lee

This paper shows the application of the porous plug system in the Mitsubishi continuous copper smelting and converting process. This system has already been adopted and utilized in the steel industry to enhance productivity. Recently, some copper smelters have adopted this system but the results have not been satisfactory. The porous plug system was installed at the anode furnace in December 2001 to reduce the oxidation time and decrease the oil consumption. A good effect was that the nitrogen stirring of the melt through porous plugs improved the melt heat transfer. As the result of the enhancing heat transfer the oil consumption and the build up inside the furnace were actually decreased. But until now the oxidation time has not been sufficiently reduced. In the future, further research and tests are needed in order to increase the productivity and save costs.

Jan 1, 2003

By P. M. Tyroler

At INCO's Copper Cliff Nickel Refinery, nickel is extracted by using the INCO Pressure Carbonyl (IPC) process. The resulting IPC residue containing copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, sulphur, precious metals, selenium and tellurium is further processed at a hydrometallurgical plant. This plant treats approximately fifty metric tons per day of IPC residue. The components of the feed are separated in a number of steps and a precious metals concentrate, nickel-cobalt carbonate, a selenium-tellurium intermediate and copper cathodes are produced. An iron-arsenic waste stream is also produced and discarded to tailings. The hydrometallurgical processes include pres- sure leaching, cementation, precipitation, thickening, filtration and electrowinning. This paper describes in detail the individual steps of the flowsheet.

Jan 1, 1988

By Hebi Yin

A two-dimensional finite element solidification model was developed to simulate the transport phenomena occurring during laser deposition of AISI 410 stainless steel during the Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS®) process. The molten pool geometry and the distribution of temperature, solute concentration and velocity were calculated during deposition of a thin wall plate. An analysis of the simulations results revealed the importance of heat transfer by both conduction and convection as well as the roles of the driving forces for convection in the molten pool. The heat transfer and the flow pattern in the molten pool are considerably dependent on the travel speed of the laser beam. For the alloy and process parameters in the simulations, no significant macrosegregation was observed. The temperature-dependent properties and thermodynamic variables involved in solidification modeling were calculated using Thermo-Calc software. The results of this work contribute to the current understanding of transport phenomena in the molten pool of laser deposition processes.

Jan 1, 2008

Lead removal has been problematic in nickel production by electrowinning from chloride solutions, as developed by Falconbridge. The C12 leach liquor needs to be diluted by electrolyte to allow precipitation of the lead prior to electrowinning. This results in higher solution purification costs and an aversion to consider lead contaminated (secondary) feeds. In this paper, the electrowinning of nickel chloride is carried out in a membrane equipped electrolytic cell. When lead containing nickel solutions are fed into the anode compartment and the anolyte is separated from the catholyte with a cation exchange membrane, lead remains in the anolyte due to the presence of a negatively charged chloride complex. The positive nickel ions migrate preferentially through the membrane to the catholyte, allowing a lower lead nickel cathode to be produced. Lead concentration in the catholyte and the cathode product has been tested as a function of lead concentration in the anolyte. Results are presented and discussed.

Jan 1, 1998

By B. Q. Li, H. C. de Groh, X. Lu

"A fully 3-D, transient finite element model is developed to represent the magnetic damping effects on complex fluid flow, heat transfer and electromagnetic field distributions in a metallic melt. The model development is based on our in-house finite element code for the fluid flow, heat transfer and electromagnetic field calculations. The numerical model is tested against numerical and experimental results for water as reported in literature. Various numerical simulations are carried out for the melt convection and temperature distribution with and without the presence of a transverse magnetic field. Numerical results show that magnetic damping can be effectively applied to stabilize melt flow, reduce turbulence and flow levels in the melt and over a certain threshold value a higher magnetic field resulted in a greater reduction in velocity. Also, for the study of melt flow instability, a long enough running time is needed to ensure the final fluid flow recirculation pattern. Moreover, numerical results suggest that there seems to exist a threshold value of applied magnetic field, above which magnetic damping becomes possible and below which the convection in the melt is actually enhanced.1. INTRODUCTIONThe imposition of a DC magnetic field on a moving, electrically conducting fluid, such as molten metal or semiconductor melt, produces an opposing Lorentz force that results in a reduction of flow velocity in the liquid. This effect has been explored in both the semiconductor and metals industries to control natural convection and/or surface tension induced Marangoni convection as well as thermally induced flow instability during solidification processing of these melts [1-6]. A mathematical model can be of great use in developing both fundamental understanding of the fluid-magnetic field interactions in these magnetically-assisted processing systems and basic guidelines for process design, control and optimization.This paper presents a 3-D mathematical model for magnetically damped fluid flow and heat transfer in a melt cavity, which is useful for interpreting results for unidirectional solidification processes at slow solidification rate, and some preliminary results concerning the magnetic damping effects on the flow instability in the melt. The model development is based on the finite element solution of the Navier-Stokes equations, energy equations and equations for induced electric field. The model is tested against reported results and is then applied to study the fluid flow and thermal distribution in the metallic melt with and without an external magnetic field."

Jan 1, 1999

By Rauf Hurman Eric

In this review paper the effect of composition and temperature on electrical conductivity and viscosity of the slags encountered in electric smelting of PGM-containing sulfide concentrates is described along with their liquidus temperatures. Optimization of slag composition is attempted on the basis of opposite trends of viscosity and electrical conductivity. Metal losses to slag, matte-slag separation and matte settling are also discussed in conjunction with interfacial and surface tension concepts. The electrode immersed in the slag phase is the main factor in the design and operation of the furnace. The most important electrode parameters are the size and the positioning in the slag phase which are determined by the slag resistivity, furnace resistance, cell constant and power input. The flow of heat generated by the electrode current determines the energy distribution and furnace dimensions creating viscosity profiles within the slag phase which in turn affects the flow conditions. Thus the flow of slag is discussed together with furnace geometry, stirring action, buoyancy and electromagnetic effects and the action of the electric furnace as a settler is emphasized. A discussion on the design d production capacity of the furnace is provided which are based on considerations derived mainly from slag properties.

Jan 1, 2006

Hazardous waste has often very complicated chemical compositions in a variety of physical forms and is normally processed in rotary kiln incinerators. Due to large variations in waste types and difficulties in feed characterization, the complex transport processes within the incinerator are not well understood, and the incineration process meets challenges in a smooth operation, and expects various uncertainties in the process chemistry and emission control. For better understanding of the incineration process, simulation was carried out by using Computational Fluid-dynamics (CFD) to characterize temperature and species distribution in the incinerator. In order to catch certain aspects of thermal and chemical behavior, a novel approach is proposed to represent approximately the waste streams and the subsequent combustion process. Hazardous waste in various forms from an industrial-rotary-kiln waste incinerator is firstly converted to a hydrocarbon-based virtual fuel mixture with approximately the same HIC molar ratio and calorific value. The simulation of the combustion process of the simplified hazardous waste was proceeded with a combustion model. The distribution of temperature and chemical species especially the remaining CO in the system is preliminarily investigated. Distribution of CO concentration, as a good indicator of emission level for the incineration process, could be used to evaluate the emission control. The predicted temperature distribution has been compared with available measurement data from an operating rotary kiln waste incinerator at A VR-Chieme, in the Netherlands. Reasonable agreement has been reached between the measured and predicted temperature data. [n the next step, measurement of species distribution in the system is planned to further validate the combustion model.

Jan 1, 2003

By S. B. Breyner, A. Ressler, D. Gregurek, A. Spanring

"The changes in process conditions that frequently decrease the service life of refractory products provided incentive for RHI AG to develop high performance bricks, especially for non-ferrous metal applications. Innovative product development was required to determine suitable refractory products for improving lining life. At the Technology Center in Leoben, Austria, practical corrosion testing methods and facilities, including an induction furnace and rotary kiln, enable detailed comparative analysis of brick wear on a pilot scale. In tests that were carried out using a fayalite type slag, the newly developed RADEX VFG magnesia-chromite grade showed very promising results compared to the standard grades. Based on the test results, optimal refractory solutions can be recommended for this challenging industrial application and field trials can be performed directly at the customer's site.IntroductionThe complexity of metallurgical processes in the non-ferrous metal industry, and especially changes to the process conditions in combination with the diversity of metal processing furnaces ''', requires a precise understanding of each individual system for appropriate refractory product selection l2'. In addition, particular importance is focused on the specific refractory consumption being as low as possible.Another important aspect results from the global shortage of resources, which forces companies to invest in recycling processes. In the base metal industry, recycling operations have resulted in significant changes; for example, operating with two slag chemistries and process temperatures will influence the performance of previously suitable linings. The raw material mix for primary smelters has also changed, including higher levels of secondary raw materials in the smelter feed."

Jan 1, 2012

By E. Saez, M. Bellet, T. Coupez, O. Jaouen

"The paper presents a 3D finite element solver for non-steady state fluid flow. The thermomechanical simulation package REM3D® has been initially developed to model Stokes' flow for polymer injection. The mechanical module is based on a Eulerian velocitypressure formulation. The spatial discretization uses P 1+IP1 tetrahedral elements. The front tracking module consists of the resolution of a transport equation, thanks to a space-time discontinuous Galerkin formulation. It includes mesh adaptation, which permits a dynamic refinement at the front, thus controling the numerical diffusion. The same approach is used to solve heat transfer. In this paper, we focus on the specific adaptations done to treat Navier Stokes flow. The treatment of inertia is detailed, as well as the implementation of sliding conditions at mould surface, using conservative normals. Industrial applications are presented.IntroductionThe study of the mould filling stage in casting processes requires the ability to simulate complex non steady-state three-dimensional flows. Most commercial software use the volume of fluid (VOF) method, associated with a Eulerian formulation, see for instance the series of conferences ""Modelling of Casting, Welding and Advanced Solidification Processes"" [1-3]. The VOF method [4] consists in solving the conservation equation dF / dt = 0 for a variable F - the volumic fraction of fluid - whose value is 1 in filled regions and 0 elsewhere. Two fluids are actually considered: the molten alloy and a gas in the empty regions. This method suffers generally from numerical diffusion in the resolution of the free surface tracking equation, which is of pure advective type. The precision of the computation is then strongly dependent on the mesh density. Since the mesh is fixed (Eulerian formulation) this implies that in case of complex flow the user must have a priori a fairly good idea of the flow characteristics in order to capture properly the critical features of the flow. In addition, the method can hardly handle the discontinuity of the material viscosity at the interface. To prevent this difficulty, the viscosity value is smoothed around the interfuce, adding once again some inaccuracy. Since the value F = ½ is supposed to represent the free surface, it results in a smeared fluid surface. An alternative to the fixed mesh methods are the methods in which the mesh covers the fluid domain only, as proposed by Navti and Lewis [5-6], or Gaston and Bellet [7]. Based on updated Lagrangian schemes, they must be associated with an ALE formulation (arbitrary LagrangianEulerian) in order to reduce the number of full remeshing operations."

Jan 1, 2004

By A. K. Kyllo, G. G. Richards

"The formation and control of accretions is an important aspect of process operation for gas injection. The nature of the accretion formed can have a considerable effect on a process, especially on the life of the lance or the refractories in the tuyere region. There are three basic shapes of accretion formed on tuyeres; pipes, hemispheres and hollow-cored hemispheres. However, there are wide variations within these shapes. Generally, the type of accretion formed will depend on the injector design, certain operating parameters and the physical properties of the bath materials. This paper seeks to collect the results of previous and current physical and mathematical modelling together with data gathered from operating furnaces, to obtain a better understanding of the effects of process design and operating variables on accretion formation.IntroductionAn important consideration in the design of a gas injection process is the possible freezing of the bath either around the tuyere or on the lance. With proper design, freezing may be controlled to provide protection of the lance or refractory, and to avoid blockage. Improper design may lead to tuyere blockage and significant refractory or lance erosion. In view of this, a good understanding of the heat transfer in the injection region is essential.While tuyere blockage has been a persistent problem since the inception of submerged gas injection processes, the problem of accretion formation was not studied in detail until the development of the shrouded tuyere by Savard and Lee. A number of studies relating to accretion formation have been carried out since then, but there is still little information available relating the nature of the accretion formed to the design of the injection system.The build up of materials on lances is a similar problem, and may also be either beneficial or detrimental, depending on circumstances. Unfortunately, there is even less information available regarding build up on lances than there is relating to tuyere accretions. While the form of build up on lances is generally a simple coating of the lance, accretions on tuyeres tend to be more complex. Tuyere accretions tend to occur in one of three basic forms: pipe, hemispherical and hollow-cored hemispherical (Figure 1). However, there appears to be a considerable variation within these forms."

Jan 1, 1996

By Corby G. Anderson

Today, with a stringent economic and environmental climate prevailing in the copper business, there is increased interest in evaluating new processing alternatives for production. Hydrometallurgical pressure oxidation of copper concentrates is one of the more viable approaches and several technological candidates have emerged. Of these, an overlooked but, ironically the first industrially proven methodology, utilized nitrogen species catalyzation in the oxidizing pressure leach system to produce copper via SX!EW. Given its many inherent process advantages, this may prove to be a feasible process alternative for the future. In this paper, the history of the system and its application to chalcopyrite concentrates will be outlined. In particular, a novel methodology for effective recovery of precious metals from chalcopyrite concentrates will be discussed. Finally, the perceived economics of this unique industrially proven process will be delineated.

Jan 1, 2000

By Kongfang Feng, Fei Ruan, Zhiyu Liu, Jieyu Zhang, Xin Hong, Shaobo Zheng, Jixu Wang, Jinyin Xie

"Mixing phenomena in smelting reduction furnaces with asymmetric side blowing were studied in this paper. Mixing phenomena in a smelting reduction furnace was represented as the mixing time by electrical conductivity measurements. Experiments were performed in a water model under various operating conditions to determine the effects of horizontal angle, radial angle, inserting depth, flow rate of the upper and the lower side nozzle, the included angle between the upper side nozzle, and the lower side nozzle on mixing phenomena in smelting reduction furnace. Comparing mixing time and mixing phenomena, the optimal conditions were obtained for an asymmetric side blowing process.IntroductionIn recent years, many countries have put forward development strategies for saving resources and environment-friendly, the development of various industries had to face its influence for resources and the environment .As we all know, the steel industry is a pillar industry of the global economy, in which ironmaking is an important part of it. In the modern ironmaking process, the blast furnace is regarded as the most important equipment and tool. But with the increasing scarcity of metallurgical coke resources and considering the environmental impact of such processes, metallurgists proposed the concept of smelting reduction. Smelting reduction processes to produce hot metal from iron ore and coal were being developed as a possible alternative to the traditional blast furnace. At present, a number of smelting reduction processes had been developed all over the world, they were mainly included COREX, HISMELT, FINEX, DIOS, etc."

Jan 1, 2012

By P. D. Ferro

The direct oxide reduction (DOR) of plutonium oxide generates significant amounts of contaminated waste. This waste primarily consists of calcium oxide-saturated calcium chloride salt. This investigation explores the possibility of recycling the salt, by the electroreduction of the calcium oxide. Fused salt electrolysis of a simulated salt mix (CaC12 + ~10 wt. pct. CaO) is being carried out to electrowin calcium, and the process is being optimized in terms of the calcium solubility, cell temperature, current density and cell design to maximize the current efficiency. This work identifies the major concerns in the development of a process to electrowin calcium from this simulated salt mix.

Jan 1, 1992

By D. Silva-Galvan, R. D. Morales, S. Gonzáelez-López, A. Romero-Serrano, G. Plascencia-Barrera, F. Chavez-Alcala

This work is focussed on lead decopperising by two techniques: conventional top addition of sulfur and injection of sulfur powder. It is found that the first method proceeds under equilibrium conditions and the second one depends on kinetic considerations. Experiments were carried out using 15 kg lead baths at two temperatures, 340°C and 380°C. The carrying gas used for the injection trials was nitrogen at flow rates of 6.3 and 18.6 L min- 1• The results show that 'decopperising process is more efficient at temperatures close to the melting point of lead for the sulfur top addition process, whereas high temperatures produce better copper removal for the injection of sulfur powder. Besides, the sulfur injection with the higher nitrogen flow rate (18.6 L min-1) produced higher decopperising rates. Thermodynamic and kinetic models are used to simulate this lead refining process.

Jan 1, 2000

By KNona Liddell

Many metal recovery processes Involve heterogeneous reactions In porous media accompanied by fluid flow and mass transfer. Modeling such systems Is difficult because of the number of rate processes Involved and is complicated even further by effects due to the structure of the porous medium. Data on even bulk properties of the medium are often severely limited or unavailable. For many such systems, a cell model may provide, an attractive alternative to models based on transport ,mechanisms in a differential volume. A cell model requires less input data and is computationally efficient. Identical residence time distributions can be obtained with models of both types, and both allow conversion and concentration profiles and histories to be calculated. The formulation and properties of cell models for metals recovery are described in detail.

Jan 1, 1996