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By Han Ilhan

This paper discusses and describes aspects of a cost effective and safe tailings impoundment selection. In light of the current low metal prices and recent tailings embankment failures around the world, it is becoming extremely more important to develop tailings impoundment design that balance cost efficiency with safety. The paper will present critical design components associated with a tailings impoundment which need to be addressed during the planning phase. Procedures for identifying various tailings impoundment alternatives, and evaluation and selection of alternatives are presented.

Jan 1, 1999

By R. K. F. Lam

Unacceptable levels of impurity were noted in high purity chromium melting. Analysis of recent melting data determined that oxygen content in chromium is the critical parameter. Thermodynamics studies identify zirconia to be the most stable oxide in the presence of liquid chromium, followed by alumina and silica. Iron oxide reacts readily with liquid Cr. A certain degree of chemical reaction between liquid chromium and oxides does occur, contamination by the crucible is therefore unavoidable. Equilibrium constants indicate that a chromium oxide addition decreases 'ceramic dissolution and reduces impurity contamination. Safe operating conditions with oxygen content between 1190 ppm and 2500 ppm were identified. Additions of chromium oxide (Cr2O3) of 161 grams and 264 grams to liquid chromium yielded acceptable levels of impurity, and oxygen content was respectively increased to 1624 ppm and 2 179 ppm. A new process of melting high purity chromium with chromium oxide addition for controlling the activity of Cr2O3 is recommended.

Jan 1, 1997

By Moo Eob Choi

The reduction of iron oxide particles by hydrogen is one of the most widely investigated gas-solid reactions. The search for new methods for producing iron by the direct reduction of iron oxide has resulted in a large number of exhaustive studies of the various aspects of this reaction. However, previous studies have largely been done with either pellets or lump ores. Little has been published on the hydrogen reduction of very fine concentrate particles smaller than 37 µm (-400 mesh). The kinetics of hydrogen reduction of fine iron oxide concentrates were investigated in the temperature range of 900 - 1300°C.

Jan 1, 2006

By Donald O. Voit

A BASIC language program has been written that simulates the performance of an integrated solvent extraction circuit consisting of an extractor, a reflux fed scrubber, and a stripper. The program is designed to simulate the performance of a circuit having an aqueous feed containing each of the lanthanides as well as yttrium. The Kremser equation is used to determine the separation occuring in each section of the circuit. The required input variables are the feed composition, the separation factors, the light key extraction factors and extractor feed zone distribution coefficient, the number of stages, and the reflux ratios. The program calculates the composition of the streams at each node in the circuit, the total loading, and the remaining distribution coefficients. User interaction with the program is essential. The program has no capability to determine if the calculated values are consistent with various real restraints. Knowledge of the physical, chemical, and equilibrium behavior is essential to successfully utilize the program. The number of iterations required to achieve steady-state provides insight to the circuit response times. With suitable supervision the program can be used as a simulator for operator training.

Jan 1, 1989

By M. Jahazi, P. P. Bhattacharjee, K. Chadha

The present work investigated the effect of strain reversal during high pressure torsion on the evolution of microstructure, texture and hardness properties of two different materials with different dynamic recovery behavior, namely, high purity (99%) Aluminum (2N-Al) and Aluminum-Magnesium (Al-2.5%Mg) alloy. In the two aluminum alloys subjected to different routes, the evolution of the ultrafine structure followed same trend. At lower strain level, sub grains with prominent LAGBs network were observed and at higher strains, ultrafine equiaxed grains separated by HAGBs were observed throughout the disk. The texture evolution in monotonically and strain reversal processed 2N-Al and Al-2.5%Mg showed presence of typical torsion texture components at different strain levels. The strength of the components was observed to follow different trends depending on the processing routes.

Jan 1, 2015

By Bo Björkman

Four different arsenic containing dusts from the Boliden plant, Boliden mineral AB, Sweden have been examined. A kinetic study of the As elimination was performed in a laboratory scale roasting furnace for roasting furnace ESP dust and smelting furnace ESP dust. Characterisation and thermodynamic calculations were carried out to determine the mineralogy, and the stability of compounds in the dusts studied. The characterisation methods used were chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and microprobe analysis. It was found in the experiments that a high degree of As elimination was obtained for roasting fumace ESP dust and a low degree for smelting fumace ESP dust. Derived kinetic models are given. A prediction of the As-elimation for settling furnace dust and converter ventilation dust is presented.

Jan 1, 1994

By L. Klinger, T. Werber, LA Levin, A Katsman

"The process of catastrophic carburization known as ""metal dusting"", whereby a solid metallic material is converted into fine particles in a carburizing atmosphere, was analyzed. It was shown that this conversion is the result of plastic deformation and subsequent fracture accompanying diffusional phase formation in the near-surface layer. The process is controlled by internal stresses arising during phase transformation. Competition between stress generation and relaxation may result in the attaining the ultimate strength in the near-surface layer and its fracture. Such a mechanism of metal disintegration may occur in a certain temperature interval depending on the kinetic and geometrical parameters of the system - the diffusivities of the alloy's components, the ratio between specific volumes of the new and the old phases, and the ultimate plastic strain. The temperature interval for disintegration of carbon steel, the rate of disintegration, and the period of the disintegration cycle, were evaluated and compared with experimental data. IntroductionCatastrophic carburization, known as ""metal dusting"", consists in conversion of a solid metallic material into fine particles. The process occurs in a carburizing atmosphere at elevated temperatures. The corrosion product, usually named ""coke"", consists of metallic particles dispersed in a loose carbon matrix. Under industrial conditions metal dusting takes place, for example, in a gas mixture of CO and H2 or in hydrocarbon environments. Steels, nickel- and cobalt alloys are susceptible to this kind of wastage in the temperature range 400-800°.A mechanism of metal dusting in steels was proposed by Hochman [1] and later developed by Grabke and coworkers [2-5]. According to the proposed model, the process consists of the following reaction steps:"

Jan 1, 1996

By Y. Maeda

Non-ferrous smelting furnaces generally lnstal1 a gas cooling system for treatment of waste gas containing S02. From the point of view of corrosion resistance and recovery of waste heat, the high pressure boiler system Is the best way to cool gas, however this system requires high Initial investment and relatively higher operating costs. Because the feasibility of this boiler system greatly depends on the smelting process and scale, other lower temperature systems, e.g. water-cooled Jacket system, are more suitable If the smelting process does not produce enough steam nor generate enough electricity to compensate operating cost. In addition, the water-cooled Jacket system Is simple in structure and easy to operate. For those reasons, it is applied widely. A new smelting furnace. was planned tin our factory and It was necessary to install waste gas cooling equipment. In our case, a water-cooled Jacket system was mo11e feasible because of the low gas volume and high dust content. H was also expected to operate without maintenance for ten years. On the other hand, some leakage problems with the water-cool1ed Jacket had been experienced In the past. That is because S02 in the waste gas changed into sulfuric acid which corroded the Jacket material, As the first step, several data from actual usage were reviewed to throw light on the corrosion process, and an appropriate procedure to determine the operating temperature of cooling water was obtained. For the basis of this study, a water-cooled Jacket system was newly designed and tested for three months in a pilot plant. After this system's performance was confirmed, It was installed In a new furnace as a commercial pl.ant. After one year of operation, the initial thickness of carbon steel Jacket remains almost the same.

Jan 1, 1992

By Dan A. Mackie

Continuous leaching of precious metals ores in a vat is possible using a jigging technique. This patented method promises to be competitive with heap leaching, particularly in northern climates, difficult terrain, high precipiptation regions, and environmentally sensitive areas. The paper discusses test work to date, plans for pilot plant testing and basic economics

Jan 1, 1990

By Michael S. Moats, Jan D. Miller, Wlodzimierz W. Zmierczak

"For many, hydrogen in a pure hydrogen economy would be like natural gas in today’s energy economy. Unfortunately, hydrogen’s physical properties are unsuited to the energy market’s requirements in terms of packaging, storage, transfer, and delivery. In this paper, a hybrid energy economy that packages hydrogen chemically on carbon atoms from various sources including recycled carbon dioxide is introduced and discussed. For this new hybrid energy economy to become a sustainable reality, the ability to recycle carbon dioxide and use hydrogen to create an appropriate energy product, such as dimethyl ether (DME), is needed. DME is recognized as a potential next generation, “beyond-petroleum”, environmentally benign commodity for energy storage and distribution. It is expected that to maximize the sustainability of the proposed hybrid energy economy, “green” hydrogen will be utilized. The “green” hydrogen would be created by the electrolysis of water powered by renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind or geothermal heat.IntroductionWith the growing concerns surrounding trends in global warming and increasing concentrations of “greenhouse” gases, such as CO2 and CH4, efforts to mitigate the emission of these gases from industrial sources are growing. With respect to CO2, the demonstrations of various capture and sequestration methods are underway around the world.The sequestration of CO2 is mainly focused on storing the gas underground or deep in the ocean. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that 2000 Gtonnes of CO2 can be stored underground in depleted oilfields, un-minable coal beds and other geologic features [1]. Additionally CO2 may be stored at the bottom of the ocean. The lure of storing carbon dioxide in depleted oilfields or un-mineable coal seams is that an economic benefit (enhanced oil or methane recovery) can offset the costs of gas capture, transportation and storage. Unfortunately, all of these storage methods have potential for the release of CO2 or CH4 back into atmosphere or creating environmental damage (mobilizing heavy metals, disrupting deep sea ecology)."

Jan 1, 2008

By Juan B. Cabezas

"The favorable characteristics and workability of plastics as a replacement of wood, lead, stainless steel, asphalt and other materials are described. Various types of plastic have proven to be the most favorable choice for handling a variety of acidic, alkaline and organic solutions, as well as pulps, chemical wastes, slurries or tailings for impoundments. The material origin of various plastics, methods of manufacturing and specifications applied to leaching solutions are discussed, including availability and costs. Examples of select plastics are considered for use as alternatives of other materials under severe environmental requirements.IntroductionHydrometallurgical processes applied to gold recovery, as well as other metals, require the use of strong solutions of alkaline, acidic or organic nature, and may also include a variety of materials with extraneous characteristics and complications for handling in storage.The technology of leaching has been in use for more than 100 years, but the applications of leaching processes in metallurgy have become more commonly used in the last 15 years. Suitable materials for the construction of containers, launders, piping, and various accessories, to be used in the handling of leach solutions or slurries, have become a serious problem. Various metals such as brass, lead, stainless steel, etc., and non metallics including wood, clays, glass, rubber, ooncrete, tars or miscellaneous compounds have been tried in the past with serious limitations in workability and resistance to wear and corrosion. For example, the use of metallic, wooden or glass piping systems would require extraordinary shop maintenance to keep such systems in operation"

Jan 1, 1997

By P. Felix

A discussion on the need of visualization and animation tools in modelling solidification processes is made. An outline of an approach for the production of a video computer animation is provided. A number of examples including, 2 and 3 dimensional melting, filling, and macrosegregation are presented.

Jan 1, 1993

By Tor Lindstad

Specific C02-emissions are given for the production of silicon-metal, ferrosilicon, ferromanganese and silicomanganese. Emissions taken into account come from reduction materials, from coke production and generation of electric energy. C02-emissions can be abated by direct and by indirect methods. A direct method is to replace fossil carbon as reduction material wholly or partially by endogenous carbon (biocarbon, charcoal). Another possibility is to produce metals by electrolysis instead of the present electric smelting furnace. Indirectly CO2-emissions can be reduced by energy recovery, thus saving coal, oil or natural gas for heat generation. Some reduction in global C02-emissions can be obtained by giving credit for the use of silica dust partially replacing cement in concrete. In addition to give an overview of possible methods, costs will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1999

By Takahiro Miki

Soldering material widely used is Sn-Pb alloy, which have low melting point and excellent electrical, strength properties and wettability. However, Pb is one of the toxic elements, which is undesirable due to environmental and safety reasons, thus Pb-free alternative alloy is preferred for new soldering material. Sn-Ag and Sn-Zn based alloys have been viewed as very promising candidates, among many potential substitutes. Addition of third element to these alloys will decrease melting point of the alloys. Hence, Sn-Ag-In and Sn-Zn-Mg alloys are expected to be suitable for replacing Sn-Pb solder alloy. In order to design new Pb-free soldering materials, it is crucial to understand precise thermodynamic properties and phase diagrams of alloy systems. In the present work, ion current ratios of Ag to In and Mg to Zn were measured for Sn-Ag-In and Sn-Zn-Mg alloys by mass spectrometry, respectively. Also, the authors reviewed the thermodynamic properties of terminal binary alloys determined by other researchers and evaluated a thermodynamic functions to express the excess Gibbs free energy of each binary alloy. Thermodynamic functions to express the excess Gibbs free energy of liquid Sn-Ag-In and Sn-Zn-Mg ternary alloys were determined, utilizing the assessed Gibbs free energy of terminal binary alloys with the measured ion current ratios using mass spectrometer.

Jan 1, 2003

By Michael G. Mayer

Since its invention in 1859 various designs of lead batteries have evolved to meet commercial needs for traction applications and standby power. In recent years major developments have taken place in lead alloys and the chemistry and mechanical design of industrial lead batteries. These are reviewed in relation to their commercial application together with the new type of maintenance free gas re-combination lead-acid batteries which are opening so many new markets for lead.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. K. Yelloji Roa

Effect of conditioning with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on the floatability of sphaierite and galena has been determined in this work. The flotation behavior of the conditioned minerals clearly shows that such bacterial conditioning does produce marked modification of their surfaces. The variables affecting the surface modification and thereby the flotation response of the minerals were found to be cell concentration used for bacterial conditioning, the period of biotreatment and the pulp density. Importantly, while the enhancement in flotation obtained due to sulphuric acid treatment was retarded by biotreatment in the case of galena at all cell concentrations due to electrochemical effects, such decrease occurred in the case of sphalerite only at cell concentration sufficiently high for their attachment to the mineral surface. The effect of bacterial conditioning has significant implications to the differential flotation of sphalerite and galena. Mechanisms responsible for the modification of the surface properties of these sulphides due, to bacterial conditioning are discussed.

Jan 1, 1991

By Frank R. A. Jorgensen

Flash smelting is used to smelt a large proportion of the world's copper and nickel and some lead/zinc concentrates. Understanding the factors controlling the ignition of these concentrates is an important consideration in designing burners and maximising the throughput of the flash smelting process. The literature on the subject is briefly reviewed and techniques for the measurement of ignition temperature discussed. The mineralogy of the concentrates and the role of thermodynamics and phase diagrams in interpreting and predicting ignition behaviour are emphasised and applied to interpreting results obtained on a nickel concentrate.

Jan 1, 2002

By Patrick R. Taylor

Titanium nitride has been synthesized in a thermal plasma reactor from ilmenite ore concentrate using methane and ammonia as the reactive gases. The product has been characterized by x-ray diffraction and SEM. Results show that a high concentration of methane favors the formation of iron, titanium nitride and titanium carbonitride. The formation of titanium carbonitride can be minimized by controlling the concentration of methane. The formation of TiN proceeds by the progressive reduction of the oxides of titanium to titanium, which is converted to titanium nitride.

Jan 1, 1998

By B. Yalamanchili

Gerdau Ameristeel Beaumont presents its systematic approach for upgrade decisions that has developed over 30 years of ongoing capital projects for quality and cost improvements. This system serves to identify product needs, select process improvement strategies, justify them, and assist multi-department communications and decision-making. This is illustrated with Beaumont mills? last Stelmor upgrade and leads to a discussion of the need to consider Life Cycles of both products and technologies as we move to answer the challenges of the future.

Jan 1, 2006

By F. G. Prado

The technology for the extraction of zinc from zinc residues, such as zinc ashes, drosses and metallurgical flue dusts, by way of ammonium chloride solutions is well established, at least at the laboratory and bench scale levels. (3, 4) Zinc is soluble in ammonium chloride solutions in the form of zinc diammine chloride. Its solubility depends upon the concentrations and temperatures employed. The procedure and the equipment required are simple, and they can be applied either to small or large operations. As a by-product, zinc diammine chloride is produced with extremely low impurities in quantities which are stoichiometrically proportional to the zinc removed. The technology has been applied experimentally to galvanized steel residues. The dezincing results, including removal performance, energy and reagents required, and by-products are summarily presented in this paper.

Jan 1, 1992