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By Chuandong Wei, Mao Chen, Baojun Zhao, Zhixiang Cui

The first bottom blown copper smelting furnace (BBF) has been successfully operated for 10 years at Dongying Fangyuan Nonferrous Metals. In addition to many advantages of the BBF reported previously, stable operation with spinel-containing slags enabled the BBF refractories to achieve three-year campaign life. Understanding of the degradation mechanisms of the magnesia-chromite refractory will be able to further prolong the service life of the refractories and develop new refractories. In the present study, the post-mortem refractories were collected from different locations of the BBF during the annual maintenance. It is the first systematic study for the used refractories of a BBF. The phases present in the refractories and their compositions have been determined by Electron Probe X-Ray Microanalysis. The degradation mechanisms of the refractories are discussed based on the analyses. The results will be used to optimize the operation and select proper refractories in the furnaces.

Mar 1, 2018

By Claudio Toro, Alex Moyano, Jonkion Font, Carlos Caballero, Pedro Morales

"Codelco-Chile in the last decade has carried out industrially-oriented research as an alternative to the traditional batch-type converting process. In a first stage carried out preliminary evaluations in a rearranged Peirce Smith (PS) converter, and then an exploratory test in a “Convertidor Teniente” (Teniente converter, TC) for the Codelco-Chile Continuous Converting Process. However, the validation test for this process in the TC was delayed up to the second quarter of 2007 where the validation studies were done satisfactorily.Thus, the objective of this paper is to present the results of the campaign tests validating the Codelco-Chile Continuous Converting Process in the TC1 of the Codelco Norte smelter.The results of charging the solid or liquid matte or high grade matte (“white metal”) by Garrgun, or by mouth of the 22 m x 5 m TC1 are presented. Some features of the industrially validated process are discussed, and the pilot test results of the matte injection are also presented."

Jan 1, 2009

By R. Nilsson

In the present work, an assessment of the sulphide capacities of a number of binary and ternary slag systems have been carried out in the light of a sulphide capacity model. The model is based on the expression: {CS- exp (-A G °/R T) ? ao2 / fs2-} where AGO is the standard Gibbs energy change for the above reaction, ao2 is the activity of oxygen ions and f, is the activity coefficient of the sulphide ion in the slag. In the present model, the ratio (ao2/fs2) is optimized for the experimental data available in literature. The systems assessed are the binaries MnO-SiO2, CaO-SiO2, Al2O3-CaO, as well as the ternaries CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 and CaO-MnO-SiO2. In the case of all these systems, the experimental data available in literature were complemented by measurements carried out at the Division of Theoretical Metallurgy. The sulphide capacities of some FeO- containing binary, ternary and quaternary slags are also examined. The potentiality of the model to estimate the sulphide capacities of complex slag systems from binary and ternary data is demonstrated.

Jan 1, 1996

By M. C. Ruiz

In the present study, the size distribution, Fo(v), of organic drops produced in a continuous-mixing vessel has been determined experimentally for various conditions. The organic phase used was a 1: 1 mixture of a salicylaldoxime (LIX 860N-IC) and a ketoxime (LIX 64-IC) in an aliphatic diluent (Escaid 103). The aqueous phase was a copper sulfate solution. The results indicated that an increase in stirring speed, extractant concentration, and pH produced smaller drops. The effect of the stirring speed was the most significant, decreasing the average volume of drops by 57 % for a change from 300 to 400 rpm. On the contrary, an increase in the dispersed phase fraction, copper sulfate concentration, and retention time produced larger drops. Changes in temperature from 23 to 30°C did not affect significantly the drop sizes. In all cases, the experimental drop size distributions could be accurately represented by a lognormal distribution.

Jan 1, 2001

A novel pressure leaching process for platinum group metal (PGM) feedstocks is described. The process is particularly well suited for treatment of ores or concentrates that are too low grade for economic processing by the conventional smelting/leaching process. Operating conditions have been identified under which gold, the PGM's and the base metals dissolve simultaneously in a pressure leaching autoclave. The product of this leaching process can then be treated by one of several flowsheets, of which the preferred will likely involve solid/liquid separation, followed by precipitation (or adsorption on activated carbon) of gold and the PGM's, followed by copper solvent extraction/electrowinning. Depending on the concentrations of nickel and cobalt, the copper raffinate would either be partially recycled to the autoclave to allow NilCo concentrations to build up, or it would proceed directly to a Ni/Co refinery. This paper deals with the pressure leaching process and the recovery of gold and the PGM's from the pressure leach product.

Jan 1, 2000

By J. Priede, G. Gerbeth

"Two different instability mechanisms of electromagnetically levitated bodies are analyzed. The first is due to the virtual coupling between the electric current passing through the magnetic system and the variation of position of the body. This mechanism can result in unstable mass center oscillations of a levitated solid body. Another type of instabilities may occur because of the coupling between the motion and the electric currents induced in the body. This effect can cause a spontaneous rotation of the body setting in as the frequency of the alternating magnetic field exceeds certain critical threshold depending on the configuration of the field. This instability can be suppressed by an axial steady magnetic field of strength comparable to that of the levitating field. 1 IntroductionAn alternating magnetic field interacting with eddy currents induced in a conducting body causes repulsion between the body and the coil generating the field. Besides, the eddy currents provide a contactless heating of the body. In such a way metallic samples can be levitated and melted without a contacting crucible. This technique allows to avoid contamination of the melt with container material and so to achieve a considerable super-cooling of the melt before it solidifies. Nowadays electromagnetic levitation is widely used in material research for measuring of the thermophysical properties of molten metals (2) .It has been observed since early fifties when the first experiments on the electromagnetic levitation were done that under certain circumstances solid levitated samples start to rotate or oscillate [l]. Surface oscillations can appear in addition when the sample is melted. Such phenomena are undesirable because they often result in failure of the levitation. Recently we showed that rotational as well as oscillatory instabilities can have electrodynamic origin related to additional eddy currents induced by motion of the body in an alternating magnetic field [3] , [4].In the first part of the present paper we analyze another possible cause of oscillatory instability due to the coupling between the electric current passing trough the magnetic system with variation of the position of the levitated body. The second part of the paper deals with the origin and suppression of rotational instability in a uniform alternating magnetic field."

Jan 1, 1999

By Jillian Spindura

This work investigates the carbothermic reduction of the complex sulphide mineral, pentlandite, in the presence of lime. The effects of change in temperature and the use of different carbon sources are studied and the role of these variables on the reducibility of pentlandite mineral is discussed. The microstructures of the heat-treated pellets are examined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic techniques. The latter analytical method also allows any variation in the morphology and composition of the metallic phases formed, with temperature, to be considered. The kinetics of the reduction process is studied and the magnitude of the overall activation energy is determined from the plots of percentage reduction versus time.

Jan 1, 1996

By M. A. Gimenes

The utilization of chlorination in extractive metallurgy and advanced ceramics areas has been widely investigated as a preparative route in order to obtain intermetallic compounds, which are used as precursors in the development of new materials and process. The major processes of decomposition of rare-earth ores use sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide at high temperatures, however there is not much work concerning chlorination. In this work, a systematic study of the reaction between xenotime (REPO4), chlorine and carbon has been performed. Particular emphasis was on kinetic studies to establish optimized conditions for the reaction. The kinetics of chlorination of xenotime raw material by rare-earth elements/compounds has been studied over a temperature range from 600°C to 950°C. The influence on the rate of conversion of xenotime to RECl3 on temperature, partial pressure of chlorine, carbon content, and particle size were investigated. A global rate equation that includes these parameters has been developed. The results show that the process follows the unreacted core-shrinking model with a formation of a porous product layer. The powder X ray-diffraction technique corroborated this model showing clearly the patterns related to the formation of yttrium oxychloride (YOCl), indicating that the reaction mechanism involves the presence ofan intermediate step before the formation of lanthanide chloride.

Jan 1, 2000

By Guo Chen, Xuefeng Liao, Tu Hu, Shengzhou Zhang, Hongying Xia, Jinhui Peng, Libo Zhang

Pine nut shell is as raw material for preparation of high surface area activated carbon (HSAAC) by microwave induced KOH activation. The effects of microwave power, activation duration and KOH/C mass rate (R) on the iodine adsorption capability and activated carbon yield were investigated. Additionally the surface characteristics of HSAAC were characterized by nitrogen adsorption isotherms and SEM. The operating variables were optimized utilizing the response surface methodology and were identified microwave power 738W, activation duration 17 min, and R 4, corresponding to a yield of 46.28 % and an iodine number of 2154 mg/g. The key pore structure parameters of HSAAC such as the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and total pore volume were estimated to be 3819 m2/g and 2.09 mL/g, respectively. The findings strongly support the feasibility of microwave heating for preparation of HSAAC from spent pine nut shell by microwave induced KOH activation.

Jan 1, 2016

By Mikiya Tanaka

This paper outlines our attempt to establish a recycle process of nickel in the spent baths and waste rinse water of electroless nickel plating plants using solvent extraction and solvent-impregnated support, Solvent extraction studies of nickel from actual spent baths revealed that (i) nickel is efficiently extracted by a hydroxyoxime extractant such as LIX84I at a pH greater than 6 and is readily stripped with sulfuric acid, and (ii) the mixtures of LIX63 and acidic organophosphorus extractants (D2ERP A, PC88A, and Cyanex 272) enhanee the nickel extraction efficiency to a sufficient degree without pH adjustment, but at the same time, reduce the stripping efficiency. The application of acidic organophosphorus extractants to selectively remove impurity metal ions (iron and zinc) from a real spent bath before extracting nickel lead to the finding that PC88A and Cyanex 272 effectively remove iron and zinc without pH adjustment leaving nickel in the raffinate. The removal of nickel from the waste rinse water was also studied. Solvent-impregnated supports with a macroporous resin and oil sorbents made of natural kapok fiber and synthetic fiber as supports were applied using D2EHPA and LIX860 as the extractants. During the batch operation, nickel is removed with a high efficiency without pH adjustment. During the column operation, however, the effective removal is hindered by (i) the dissolution of the nickel-D2EHPA complex into the aqueous phase in the high loading region, and (ii) the slow removal rate of the LIX860-impregnated support.

Jan 1, 2003

By ZhiLong ZHAO, Lin Lin, Zhancheng Guo, Jingtao GAO, Huiqing Tang

Grain sticking often occurs in the fluidized bed reduction of f ine iron ore, which is closely related to the precipitation morphology of metallic iron on the surface of ore particles. In this work, simulating the gas-solid reduction process of iron ore, in situ observations were carried out to investigate effects of doping mineral oxides on the precipitation morphology evolution of metallic iron during reduction of iron oxides with CO. Results indicate that the precipitation morphology of metallic iron is related to the quantity of doped mineral oxides. The minimum mole fraction of doped oxide ( xyOA N ) that can inhibit the growth of iron whiskers is related to its cation radius ( Ax r ), extranuclear electronic layers ( Ax n ) and valence electrons ( Ax q ). Their relation can be expressed as:

Jan 1, 2016

By Patrick R. Taylor

Sub-micron sized boron carbide powders have been synthesized in a non-transferred arc thermal plasma reactor. Precursors for this synthesis are boric acid or boron oxide powders and methane. The powders produced were characterized in terms of size, shape and purity. Methods to increase the purity of the product were evaluated and included hot water leaching to remove unreacted oxides and controlled temperature, air roasting to remove excess carbon. Theoretical results are also presented on the thermodynamics and mechanisms of the synthesis reactions.

Jan 1, 1994

The oxidation of zinc vapour plays a very important part in the operation of the Imperial Smelting Process. The kinetics of the reoxidation of zinc vapour by carbon dioxide and water vapour onto quartz and zinc oxide substrates is qualitatively understood and this pertains to the conditions found as the gases are being transferred from the furnace to the splash condenser. However, re-oxidation also occurs in the shaft of the furnace where the solid substrates are sinter and metallurgical coke. It was found that there was a threefold increase in the rate of oxidation on sinter, compared to quartz and a 30 to 300 increase in rate on the coke. This was attributed to the high surface area offered by these materials.

Jan 1, 2003

By Xiaobing Yang, Animesh Jha, Greg Doughty

"Successful use of inert anodes should reduce the CO2 footprint in aluminum production. The search for a “holy grail” inert anode for metal electro-winning from constituent oxides using molten salt bath as an electrolytic medium is continuing. In this article we demonstrate the engineering approaches for the fabrication of intermetallic anodes, based on a quaternary Al-Ti-Cu-M (M:Ni, Fe) system for primary aluminium production. In particular, we examine the microstructural and electrochemical properties of alloys, based on the quaternary compositions. We explain the aspects of phase stability under anodic potential, which leads to the loss of anodic materials in the temperature range of 850-1050oC. The results are analysed in the context of oxidation reaction and formation of oxide layers which readily dissolve in the cryolite melt and prevent passivation. The paper also describes the conditions under which the reduction of aluminium at the graphite cathode occurs which also strongly depends on the molten salt chemistry for the nucleation of molten aluminium at the cathode.1. IntroductionOxygen-evolving inert anodes are an alternative to the conventional consumable carbon anodes for the production of primary aluminium. In this paper the materials selection criteria chosen for the engineering of anode is based on the understanding of the thermodynamic stabilities of aluminide intermetallic phases, some of which are formed and remained stable in fluoride melts. For example, the formation Al3Ti dispersed in aluminium metal via molten-fluoride flux reaction is well known in the context of aluminium casting and grain refining [1-3]. It is for this reason in our research we concentrated on the engineering of stable intermetallic phase mixture in the Al-Ti-Cu ternary system, shown in Figure 1 [4]. In this figure two compositions in the Al3-0.5zTi1-0.5zCuz family are shown with the substitution of 7 atomic % and 11 atomic % copper. However initial investigations showed that these two compositions were unsuitable due to the formation of low-temperature liquid (~540oC) and intermetallic phase, Al2Cu along the Al-Cu binary edge during solidification. The Al2Cu phase segregated along the boundaries of Al3Ti and Al5Ti2Cu, and dissolved away when electrolysis was carried out using these anodes above 800oC. The presence of consequential porosity in the anode material increased the corrosion of the alloy through local heating due to high current density at 0.8 A cm-2. The early tests were carried out with cryolite melts, shown in Figure 2, having 3 weight percent of Al2O3 in the bath at 850oC."

Jan 1, 2010

By Yapeng Zhang, Zhiwen Shi, Chaoquan Yao, Fei Wang, Xinyu Li, Jianliang Zhang

A great deal of iron ores which have special elements have been applied in the sintering process with the decreasing of high-grade quality iron ores resources. In this paper, the laterite nickel ores were added into three different kinds of iron ores respectively to make liquid phase formation research by software of Factsage and high temperature characteristic sintering experiments. The results showed that the adding proportion of laterite nickel ores should be less than 15% when the high temperature properties of the mixing ores were well. Increasing the mixing ration of laterite nickel ores in the sintering blending would play an important role in the reduction of the sintering cost.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. K. Kyllo

A study has been carried out on the dusts from Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting's Flin Flon copper smelter. The aim of the work was to determine the mechanisms of dust formation and the deportment of the various constituents. The work concentrated on the copper converters, but the electrostatic precipitators and baghouse also clean the reverberatory furnace off gas, so some mixing will have occurred. The dust composition was found to vary with distance from the furnace, and to be made up of three major components: solidified droplets, unreacted flux, and condensed particles. The solidified droplets were formed from material ejected from the converter during blowing, while the flux was blown out of the converters immediately after charging. The condensed particles contained the majority of the lead and zinc, as well as the volatile impurities. There was also a significant soluble content of the dusts, increasing with distance from the furnace. The condensed material may be separated from the remainder by a simple washing and sizing technique.

Jan 1, 1996

By E. Oshilna

The Mitsubishi process has many advantages pertaining to economical and environmental matters. These advantages have led to the installations of the Mitsubishi process in constructing new smelters: The Mitsubishi process utilizes highly oxygen enriched blast air and uses a special lime slag in the C?furnace. These characteristics change the . distribution of Impurities from other processes which use P.S. converters, Recently an Increased amount of secondary materials which contain impurities Is being treated at Naoshima Smelter. In order to cope with an Increment of the Impurities load and maintain the cathode quality, many Improvements have been Implemented. This paper discusses the impurities behavior In the Mitsubishi process and describes the measures taken to treat an Increased ?amount of secondary materials:

Jan 1, 1998

By Åke Saudström

An EAF dust sample generated in a scrap based steel mill was treated by a combination of hydro- and pyrometallurgial techniques. The EAF dust contained mainly ferritic spinels forming solid solution phases according to the general chemical formula (MnxZnyFe1-x-y)Fe2O4 and other oxide phases such as ZuO. CaO and Ca2Fe2O5. The EAF dust was first treated by hydrochloric acid leaching at p8=3 which dissolved 63% of the zinc. The pyrometallurgical treatment of the leaching residue was studied using an induction heating system to simulate some important operations of EAF smelting of the residue in combination with steelmaking. The leaching residue was mixed with carbon powder to obtain a mixture with 52.1% ZnFe2O4 and 175% carbon. The mixture, scrap, and slag former were charged together in a crucible and heated to attain a melt temperature around 1650°C. The effects of different amounts of mixture on the zinc balance and iron recovery were examined. Based on the test results, suggestions are made for the EAF recycling procedure of the leaching residue.

Jan 1, 2003

By S. P. Ball

A major limitation to maximising the rate of gold extraction in commercial operations occurs as a consequence of the limited solubility of oxygen in cyanide liquors. The use of additions of solid inorganic peroxides as an in-situ supply of oxygen to the lixiviant has been studied, in particular in its application to heap leaching. Experimental studies showed-that the release of oxygen into solution from these peroxides is very sensitive to solution pH. Agitated leaching tests showed that, when either Ba, Ca or Sr peroxides were used as the-sole source of oxygen, both the rate and extent of gold extraccion was enhanced. Column leach tests were used to simulate heap leach conditions. These showed that significant increases in the rate of gold extraction could be achieved by additions of calcium peroxide, made to the ore, prior to it being loaded into the columns.

Jan 1, 1989

By Guanghui Li, Xuling Chen, Zhiyun Ji, Min Gan, Tao Jiang, Xiaohui Fan, Zhiyuan Yu

With the increase of proportion of biochar(without modified) replacing coke breeze, the physical strength of sinter decreases due to the faster burning speed of biochar. An investigation upon passivating biochar with boric acid was then conducted to strengthen sintering in this paper. A layer of thin film of B2O3 distributed in the surface of biochar was observed, which could reduce the contact between reaction gas and biochar. So the burning speed of biochar was decreased properly after passivation, and the combustion efficiency increased due to the inhibition of carbon gasification. The comprehensive effects of above changes could increase the maximum temperature of sintering bed, which facilitated to the mineralization of sintering mixtures. Eventually sintering indices got reinforced. Thus the indices of sinter as applying 40% passivated biochar were comparable with that of 100% coke breeze.

Jan 1, 2015