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By Jan Steinhoff

The design options of a gravity separator are still limited and rely on the study of settling behavior. A methodology will be presented where an experimentally given inlet droplet size distribution (DSD) is the basis for the calculation of the dispersion layer in a gravity separator. A pilot-scale continuous gravity separator is presented and CFD (computational fluid dynamic) results are validated. A transmitted light measurement technique for the determination of the DSD is presented up to a holdup of 15% dispersed phase. The resulting DSD was in the range of 20–2000 μm depending on flow rate and phase ratio. Furthermore, correlations of the real DSD with the settling behavior of the dispersion in a settling cell are discussed. The new approach to the description of gravity separators will be presented and the applied CFD methods showed good results with the system water/paraffin.

By Guillermo J. Román

The precipitation of copper and zinc as cements from a copper alloys' spent pickling solution has been studied at laboratory and pilot scale, with the objective of designing an economic process to recover both metals and render a solution to be either recycled to the pickling process or treated in a standard fashion and produce a non-hazardous sludge. The sulfuric acid spent pickling solution already containing copper and zinc was used first to dissolve another solid residue originated in the copper alloys foundry to neutralize part of the acidity. The resulting enriched solution was treated separately with two reductants,; sodium borohydride and iron powder varying pH and excess of reductant under constant agitation. Under the best conditions, precipitation of over 95 percent of zinc and copper was achieved together with the reduction of lead and cadmium contents respectively. A process for the combined residues treatment is proposed.

Jan 1, 1995

By Marcela Morvová, Mário Janda, Morva Imrich

"The possibilities of greenhouse gas mitigation using various methods are brought out. The special case of utilization of mixture of CO2 with other greenhouse gases in a synergetic way inside non-thermal plasma based system is described in detail.Measurements on pilot system comprising pyrolysis chamber as alternative energy system (production of hydrogen and liquid tar) were made for various biomass and waste as the input material. The exhaust from this system was treated with non-thermal plasma gap suitable for up to 650Nm3/hour of exhaust gas flow. Condensable portion of exhaust is liquefied in distillation unit; produced hydrogen is stored on-line inside nano sized carbon of our own production.The CO2 removal efficiency varies depending on exhaust composition between 45 to 98%. Other oxides as CO, NOx, SOx and several hydrocarbons and VOC are also removed. The main product connected with CO2 removal is a solid powder of proteinoid nature. There exist strong probability, that precursor of the origin of life on the Earth from primary atmosphere were formed in the similar way as it is present in the electric discharge system used. Our system is equipped with on-line as well as ex-post analysis of all forms of products. We have also developed a system for recuperation of all forms of produced heat. It is stored inside as latent heat of waxes.IntroductionNatural greenhouse effect on the Earth is caused mainly by water vapour with the average absolute concentration about 4%. Other gases able to absorb long-wave radiation and thus this causing greenhouse effect are CO2, CH4, N2O, halocarbons and as precursors ozone and NOX. Some of them we produce and introduce into atmosphere in large quantities during production of energy and in transport. This factor leads to permanent increase of average temperature of air, sea and oceans, so called global warming.Nowadays large amount of data exists showing that the temperature of Earth in the last 150 years has been continually increasing. It represents about 03°C per ten years and the most of climatologist believe, that the increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is responsible for this effect.The most important greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide CO2. Majority of CO2 emissions comes from electric power stations working with fossil fuels, cars and industry. Burning of fossil fuels contribute up to 80% to world wide anthropogenetic emissions of CO2."

Jan 1, 2010

By Erich Hovestädt, Hans-Jürgen Odenthal, Christian Wuppermann, Herbert Pfeifer, Antje Rückert

"During the argon oxygen decarburization (AOD) process high-chromium steel melts are decarburized by oxygen and inert gas injection through sidewall nozzles and a top-lance. Due to the large amount of the injected processing gas, low frequency oscillations of the vessel can be observed. It is suspected that these oscillations can influence the converter's structure. The exchange of forces between fluid and the surrounding vessel is the focus of this study. An oscillation model was developed and tested, one objective being to limit the computational effort which is necessary for fully coupled and time resolved CFD and FEM simulations. Experimental results obtained from water-model studies as well as from on-sight measurements are available and were used in order to validate the numerical results. The authors' intention is a contribution towards a more in depth understanding of the factors influencing vessel vibration during the AOD process.IntroductionDuring the last four decades the AOD process has been established as a reliable and efficient refining process in stainless steel making. The injection of process gases (O2, N2, Ar) through sidewall nozzles shows advantages in mixing effectiveness compared to other injection geometries e.g. bottom blowing [1]. Stainless steel grades contain usually more than 10% chromium. With decreasing carbon content during the decarburization periods the tendency of chromium oxidation increases according to the varying chemical equilibrium which depends on the partial pressure of carbon-monoxide (CO) in the gas phase. That's why oxygen is gradually replaced by inert gases, usually argon or nitrogen, in order to lower the CO partial pressure and thus to minimize chromium oxidation. Despite the high injection velocity of approximately Ma = 1, the kinetic energy of the gas jets is consumed within a short distance from the nozzle exits due to the large density ratio between gas and melt of approximately 1:8000. With increasing distance to the nozzle exit, the initial horizontal velocity of the gas jet decreases and due to buoyancy force motion of the detached bubbles turns into a vertical direction. Subsequently a gas plume develops with its typical conical shape described by various authors [1-4]. Due to the drag force between gas bubbles and melt also the liquid phase is forced into a vertical motion. Near the free surface and the wall regions the melt flow is deflected in different directions. Subsequently, the typical flow pattern in the AOD vessel arises, as sketched in Figure 1 and described in literature [5-9]."

Jan 1, 2012

By Erwin Flender, Preben N. Hansen, Peter R. Sahm

"Until now FDM-Techniques have been widely used for Modeling Solidification Processes in Castings. Often a rigid, regular type of enmeshment (cubes, , --) have been used. This has the advantage of low CPU-costs, but the disadvantage of a zig-zag presentation of the interface between the casting and the mold. The last point is the reason why FEM-Techniques, giving the possibility of a true presentation of the shape in the enmeshment, are increasingly used. The disadvantage is the high CPU-costs. In this paper, a technique is presented, which uses the FDM-Mesh with the zig-zag presentation of shape and ADI-Algorithms to calculate temperatures and gradients. The new idea is that the calculated parameters are not presented related to the mesh in which they are calculated, but displayed using the true shape of the casting. Such an advantage of both low CPU-costs and shape correct presentation of the calculated results are achieved. IntroductionThe main reason for using a regular type of enmeshment is that it gives the possibility, via ADI-Algorithms, of obtaining a very fast FDM-Technique. The technique presented by P.R. Sahm and P. N. Hansen (1984), and also used by E. Flender (1985), is numerically so stable that average time steps, at least 200 times larger than the limit given by the explicit FDM-Technique, can be applied. To obtain reasonably good results, average time steps in the range of 20 to 50 times the explicit limit seems to be applicable. It should be pointed out,however, that FDM-Techniques can be used on arbitrary nets, the disadvantages being the same as for the FEM-Techniques. This has, among others, been discussed by P.R. Sahm and P.N. Hansen (1984)."

Jan 1, 1986

By J. K. Brimacombe, I. V. Samarasekera, B. G. Thomas

"Mathematical models have been developed for the processing of static cast steel ingots and are app1ied to investigate the mechanisms for the formation of panel cracks. Panel cracking is an intermittent but persistent defect that causes affected steel ingots to be scrapped. A two-dimensional, finite-element, heat-transfer model was formulated and employed to calculate the temperature distribution in both large and small steel ingots during the various processing stages from initial casting to the start of rolling, including solidification, cooling in the mold and in air, reheating in the soaking pit, and subsequent air cooling. The stress state in the ingot arising from the calculated temperature variations was then determined. This involved the development of a transient, elasto-visco-plastic, finite element, thermal stress model, including the effects of phase transformation volume changes and kinetics creep, and temperature-dependent, mechanical properties. The results of the mathematical model predictions of temperature and stress were then used to determine the mechanisms and to suggest solutions for two different types of panel crack formation. Mid-face panel cracks apparently form during air cooling when the mid-face surface temperature is between the Arl and 500~C. Off-corner panel cracks appear to initiate internally during the early stages of reheating but do not propagate to the surface until much later. IntroductionPanel crack formation in static-cast steel ingots is a defect that has been plaguing the steel industry for several decades. Although the problem is intermittent, it is also serious since affected ingots must be scrapped. Panel cracks are manifested as two distinct types of cracking problems. ""Mid-face"" panel cracks are found exclusively in small, 2 to 6 ton, medium carbon steel (0.3 to 0.7% C) ingots and usually exhibit a single, continuous, longitudinal crack down the center of one of the ingot faces as shown in Fig. l (l). ""Off-corner"" panel cracks often form roughly oval, discontinuous crack patterns on the wide faces of large, 20 to 30 ton ingots as seen in Fig. 2 (2). They affect only low carbon steels (0. l to 0.2% C) with high manganese content. Both defects affect only aluminum-treated steels and are caused by a combination of intermediate temperature ductility loss involving aluminum-nitride precipitation and thermal stress generation. The ductility problem has received a good deal of attention which was the subject of a recent review (3). The present study was undertaken to investigate the thermal stress aspects of the problem through the development of mathematical models of heat transfer and stress generation in static-cast steel ingots. The ultimate objective was to elucidate the mechanisms of formation for both types of panel crack and to evaluate possible solutions to the problem."

Jan 1, 1986

By Dong Liu, Zejian Yang, Yong Li, Tao Jiang, Xiangxin Xue, He Yang

"The structure, composition, morphology, and adsorption property of UV-vis light of as-prepared samples were characterized using XRD, SEM, FTIR-EDS, and UV-vis DRS. UV-visible light induced photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue ~) over Ti02-doped diopside was investigated. Experimental results show that doping Fe + induced the formation of Ti-0 or Ti-0-Si in diopside, and promoted the light adsorption property of diopside. Photocatalytic reactivity of Ti02-doped diopside obviously depended on content of doping Ti02. The diopside with 3% Ti02 exhibited the superior photocatalytic activity with 76% degradation of methylene blue under light irradiation for 3 h.IntroductionPhotocatalytic technology has been extensively studied in the process of dealing with inorganic and organic pollutants. Ti02, with its own non-toxic, stable, low-cost and other advantages, has become the most widely studied photocatalytic materials[l-SJ_ The low utilization quantum made it restricted in the practical application. SrTi03 as the representative of the perovskite[9·121, Bi2W06 for the composite oxide[13,141, also attracted wide interest in the photocatalytic studies. However, these photocatalytic material has been mostly prepared in relatively strict experimental conditions with chemical reagents, they had small production, high cost, which made them difficult for practical applications.In our country, there has 400 million tonnes of ti-bearing blast furnace slag (TBBFS) each year in the process of smelting pig iron, which has lead to waste of titanium resources and pollution of the surrounding environment. In recent years, studies have shown that TBBFS instead of pure Ti02 to be photocatalytic materials is feasible[ 151. TBBFS has not only been higher photocatalytic degradation activity for the o-nitrophenol, methyl orange, nitrobenzene and other organic matter[16-191,but also exhibited excellent in the process of dealing with inorganic heavy metals in waste water (containing Cr6+i201. If TBBFS can be successfully applied to photocatalytic technology, the will make large accumulation of titanium-bearing slag reasonable used, so as promote the re-use of energy. At present, our understanding of the photocatalytic activity of TBBFS is steadily deepening. Photocatalytic activity ofCaTi03 has been reported as one of the main minerals ofTBBFS [21'21J, However, there were few studies for Another major mineral of TBBFS - diopside which had the content of9-15%. diopside would doped with Ti02 In the process of smelting pig iron, therefore, Ti02-doped diopside's photocatalytic activity in the UV-Vis was mainly studied in this paper."

Jan 1, 2013

By Ehsan Vahidi, Fereshteh Rashchi, Amirhossein Shahnazi

"The pig iron from steel manufacturing plants contains a high concentration of vanadium-bearing materials smelted with iron ore. During the oxidation process of the molten pig iron with oxygen lances, vanadium transfers to the slag. In this research, recovery of vanadium from LD (Linz-Donawitz) converter slag of steelmaking plant was investigated. The leaching residue was characterized by XRD and XRF techniques. The maximum vanadium recovery was achieved at optimum leaching conditions of 70 °C, S/L: 1/15, sodium hydroxide concentration: 3 M and leaching time: 150 minutes. The dissolution rate increased with rising sodium hydroxide concentration and temperature and decreasing particle size. The experimental data are treated graphically to explain the kinetics of the vanadium recovery process using shrinking core model (SCM). As a result, the controlling regimes in the SCM were analyzed separately using liquid film diffusion control, solid product diffusion control, and reaction control mechanisms.IntroductionVanadium is commercially important as a constituent of several alloys and catalysts. Nowadays, vanadium is mostly recovered as a by-product from secondary sources or from industrial waste streams such as titaniferrous magnetite, fly ash, spent catalysts, and petroleum coke. Steelmaking operations are specifically concerned by this problem due to the production of a huge quantity of by-products [1]. These by-products, including LD converter slag, sludge, fly ash, spent catalyst, ash, and alloyed scrap, contain a notable amount of heavy metals which may cause environmental problems. Solvent extraction is one of the techniques being increasingly used for the recovery of vanadium [2]. Apart from vanadium ore, secondary resources such as titanmagnetite, ilmenite and slag from the ferrous industry are a major source of supply. The pig iron from steel manufacturing contains a majority of vanadium-bearing materials smelted with iron ore. In a heat resistant shaking ladle the molten pig iron is oxidized with oxygen lances, causing the vanadium to be transferred to the slag. Normally, the vanadium in LD converter steel slag (coming from Linz-Donawitz steelmaking process) is ca. 5% as vanadium pentoxide (V2O5). This slag is the world's principal raw material for vanadium production [3, 4]. Moskalyk and Alfantazi [4] reported that a roast-leach process is used in South Africa for the production of vanadium oxides from magnetite ores while some of the slag was converted to ferrovanadium. A portion of the slag was exported to Europe for the production of vanadium oxide. The researchers mentioned that alkaline roasting was the main process at that time employed to extract vanadium pentoxide from vanadium slags."

Jan 1, 2012

By Masatsugu Morimitsu, Tian Zhang

"This paper presents a novel anode for oxygen evolution in acidic aqueous solutions to produce non-ferrous metals by electrowinning. The method to prepare the anode was thermal decomposition of a precursor solution, and the obtained anode consisted of Ru02-based oxide catalytic layers formed on a titanium substrate, in which the catalytic layer contains nano-oxide particles as the active component. The oxygen evolution potential was lower than amorphous lr02-Ta20s coated titanium anodes so that the cell voltage of electrowinning was further reduced with the amorphous Ru02-based electrode.IntroductionElectrowinning (EW) is used to produce high purity of non-ferrous metals, and the primary metal production of copper, zinc, nickel, and cobalt by EW consumes huge electric energy worldwide, which tends to increase with increasing demand of such metals. The reduction of electric energy consumption is a significant issue for electrowinning industry, which means that the cell voltage reduction is needed to realize more energy-efficient EW processes. Another issue is also indicated from environmental perspectives; i.e., an improvement in EW plant environment by eliminating hazardous byproducts and wastes. Such byproducts and wastes include lead oxide, manganese oxide, and acid mist.We have been developing the anodes for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly electrowinning processes [ 1-11]. The development has been successfully done with the invention of the smart anode, MSA TM (Morimitsu Smart Anode) [ 1-5], which has low polarization for the main reaction and high polarization for the side reaction, in which the main reaction is oxygen or chlorine evolution, while the side reaction is the anodic deposition of each or both of lead oxide, manganese oxide, and cobalt oxide. The anode consists of a valve metal substrate coated with amorphous or less crystalline oxide catalytic layers. One of the typical examples of such oxides is amorphous lr02-Ta20s, and the substrate is normally titanium plate or mesh. The most important point of the oxide is that the amorphization or less crystallinity induce the increase in the active surface area only to the main reaction, not to the side reaction, thereby the polarization of the main reaction being reduced.In this paper, we present the smart anode consisting of RuO2-based catalyst formed on titanium substrates for oxygen evolution in electrowinning. The preparation, characterization, and polarization behaviors of the anodes are shown, and the cell voltage data for zinc or copper electrowinning using the anodes are also presented."

Jan 1, 2012

By Jeffrey Shepherd, Scott R. Smith, Eduard Guerra

"Electrochemical and spectroscopic evidence for the dissolution of a Au electrode by meso-2,3- dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) from an acidic LiCl04 electrolyte is presented. Near the potential of zero charge, DMSA was determined to form a stable layer on the metal surface but at more anodic polarizations, DMSA was displaced from the metal through an oxidative process. The anodic displacement of the layer from the electrode resulted in a small amount of Au that was detected in the electrolyte using atomic absorption analysis. The extent of Au dissolution, was monitored while holding the potential of the electrode for 24 hours at the thermodynamic Eo/H,O in LiCl04 electrolytes containing 10 mM DMSA. This routine resulted in detectable quantities of a soluble Au-DMSA complex in the electrolyte and the greatest leaching was observed at a pH = 2.0. At room temperature, the leaching rate was stable at 10.9 µg cm·2 hr·' however, upon increasing the temperature to 50.0°C, the rate of Au dissolution increased yielding an average rate of extraction of 40.1 µg cm·2 hr- 1. Interestingly, after the first 12 hours of leaching at 50.0°C, the leaching current decreased dramatically suggesting surface passivation which prevented further Au extraction. The implications of this process in the industrial leaching of Au will be discussed.IntroductionThe use of cyanide in the industrial process of leaching Au from ores has raised concerns regarding both operational safety and environmental issues surrounding the disposal of spent leaching eftluents in tailings ponds. Depending on the chemical nature of the processed ore, the spent solutions that are released into the tailings ponds can contain toxic cyanide, either dissolved or complexed with different metals and may pose serious risk to wildlife as well as freshwater contamination to nearby water systems. Because of these issues, some recent studies have focused on the exploration of more environmentally-friendly molecules to selectively leach Au with appropriate kinetics. However, to effectively leach Au into an aqueous solution, a suitable ligand that reacts to form a stable chemical bond with Au is needed to form soluble Au complexes that can be later recovered [I]. Recently several sulfur bearing alternatives have been shown to leach significant quantities of Au in aqueous solutions. These include thiourea [2], thiocyanate [3], and thiosulphate [4]. However, alkylthiols are also known to quickly form a stable covalent Au-S bond [5], but have been relatively understudied in term of their ability to leach Au in solution, even though some short chain thiols are water soluble and relatively nontoxic."

Jan 1, 2012

By Thomas Schuman, Jaan Kers, Lucas N. W. Damoah, Xiangjun Zuo, Lifeng Zhang

"Rapid technological innovation has propelled the use of electronic equipment leading to the generation of more and more waste electrical and electronic equipments (WEEE). Printed wiring board (PWB) is a component made of one or more layers of insulating material with electrical conductors. To investigate an environmentally friendly process to recycle PWBs, PWB samples with and without additives were pyrolyzed. Liquid, gas and solid products were achieved with different conversion fraction. Analysis of the exhaust gases from the experiments using GC-MS and MS showed that without CaCO3 additives poisonous gases such as C6H6 and HBr were produced which were adequately controlled if CaCO3 was added.IntroductionPyrolysis is one of the best methods for treating complex mixtures of waste polymers and to recover the material and energy content. The process consists of thermal decomposition at moderate temperatures in total absence or small amount of oxygen in which the structures of polymers break down into smaller intermediate products "". The decomposition temperature of a substance is the temperature at which the substance breaks up into smaller substances or into its constituent atoms 2). Thermal treatment of PWBs were reported using DC Arc Plasma furnace 3), and fixed bed reactor 4). One drawback in dealing with thermal treatment of PWB scraps is the likely production of super-toxic halogenated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans from the bromine containing structures. Pyrolysis of organic materials contained in waste PWBs leads to the formation of gases, oils, and chars which can be used as chemical feedstock or fuels ""'. Dehalogenation of the pyrolysis product of electronic scraps is essential to make it commercially acceptable. It would be obviously the most advantageous solution as pyrolysis and dehalogenation are carried out simultaneously. Reported pyrolysis investigations are at experimental stage and have been carried out in vacuum, molten salt, fluidized bed, rotary kiln, entrained, stationary, and moving bed reactors 7). Comparing to the incineration and combustion of PWBs, the pyrolysis process has several characteristics: 8'"">) 1). Converting the organic solid substance into fuel gas, fuel oil and carbon-black as storage energy; 2) Emitting toxic substances such as sulfur, bromine and heavy metals in wastes; and 3) Keeping metals from being oxidized. Although many researches into the pyrolysis of PWB wastes have been reported, most of the works have been carried out using analytical pyrolysis techniques or very small batch reactors ""~'5). Also, most of the works for the pyrolysis of PWBs haves concentrated on the composition of the organic products, particularly the brominated organics. The current study is to investigate the pyrolysis of PWB powders in a small TG-DTA scale and a 50-gram tube furnace scale."

Jan 1, 2011

By Xiaohui Li, Lianyun Liu, Hongmin Zhu, Chunfang Zi, Kai Huang, Hongjie Li

"The dissolution kinetics of steelmaking slag in pure water was studied, and the relative influential factors were investigated. The dissolution behavior of slag particles in water was well described by Noyes–Whitney equation, and for this kind of sparingly soluble rigid mineral this simple model was extensively applicable to describe their dissolution process. Experimental data were also obtained to confirm the significant promotion effect on the growth of some algae.1 . IntroductionIt has been found that the population of phytoplankton distributed in the ocean was significantly related to the concentration of some elements [1]. For example, silicon and iron were very low in the high-nitrate low-chlorophyll (HNLC) areas, which was the main factor limiting phytoplankton and other biomass growth in these open ocean surface water [7]. The silicon and iron-rich test also confirmed that the supply of these elements had the direct effect on the growth of phytoplankton processes at HNLC areas [2-8]. So in order to promote the growth of phytoplankton in these ocean areas, providing some of these elements into these ocean areas is a natural idea for choice. Steelmaking slag is a good resource for consideration because it usually contains silicon, iron, phosphorus and other elements that are necessary for the growth of phytoplankton [8-10].Haraguchi has proposed the following idea that [5-6], if steelmaking slag can be spread to the open ocean, the trace components like silicate, iron and phosphate as the indispensable nutrients for the growth of phytoplankton, will be leached into the sea water, not only promoting the growth of phytoplankton, but also making good use of these huge amount of steelmaking slag produced every year. Based on this idea, they have carried out studies in recent years and they found that silicon and iron in the slag could be extracted into seawater effectively and play a positive role in the growth process of many algae. About the dissolution of the steelmaking slag, the Japanese scholars' research work mainly focused on the thermodynamic analysis of its dissolution possibility, and in the process of dissolution they tried to adjust the pH value of the seawater by continuously adding hydrochloric acid, which was deviated from the natural conditions of dissolution, and so the laws drawn under these special conditions can not give the identical guide to the practical application. Therefore, it is quite necessary to investigate the dissolution behavior of the steelmaking slag in the seawater at the normal pH range without adjustment to simulate the dissolution possibility under the natural conditions. In the present study, the silicon extraction behavior from the steelmaking slag was investigated and the dissolution kinetics in this process was also discussed in detail. Further studies were also performed here to evaluate the promotion of steelmaking slag on the growth of algae."

Jan 1, 2011

By Matthew Tunnicliffe, Akram Alfantazi, Paul Nesbitt, Farzad Mohammadi

"Lead and its alloys are proper candidates for anodes in electrowinning processes mainly because they are insoluble in the leach solutions and relatively cheap. However, the annual cost of corrosion problems associated with these anodes is millions of dollars. In this study lead-silver and lead-calcium anodes were tested under typical nickel electrowinning conditions and the effect of chloride on the corrosion performance of the anode materials was investigated. Corrosion rates of the anodes were calculated using the discharge plateau (reduction of lead dioxide to lead sulfate) after galvanostatic experiments. It was found that lead calcium anodes have the highest corrosion rate both in the presence and absence of chloride. Surface morphology of the electrodes was studied using SEM and the corrosion products were characterized using XRD.IntroductionLead (Pb) is usually the preferred material for commercial anodes since it is insoluble in the leach solution and the costs are manageable. One advantage of using an insoluble material as an anode is the higher purity of the cathodic deposits and better quality of the end product. During nickel electrowinning, metallic nickel is deposited on the cathode while oxygen evolution reaction (OER) takes place on the anode. In practice, relatively high potentials are necessary for the reaction to proceed at the desired rate because of the high overpotential of OER on lead. Lead anodes get oxidized in typical electrowinning conditions and usually have two to three years of lifetime. Although the price of each anode is insignificant, the overall cost of corrosion of these anodes is considerable, which is due to the large number of anodes used in a plant, typically two to three thousand. Therefore, corrosion is a significant problem associated with lead anodes in commercial nickel electrowinning plants and industries show interest in addressing this problem. Corrosion of lead electrodes in acidic environments has been previously the subject of many research studies [I-7]. It has been reported that, during the anodic polarization of lead, several phases may be present on the surface, depending on the potential range that is being studied [8]. Lander showed that lead is oxidized at potentials higher than 0.252 YsHE with tetragonal lead monoxide being the main reaction product [9]. At 0.666 YsHE lead can transform to lead dioxide; however, it is not stable and transforms to lead sulfate and lead oxide. At potentials higher than 1.684 YsHE, lead dioxide is eventually a stable phase and forms a protective layer on the surface [I 0, 11]. Under conditions of a typical nickel electrowinning plant, usually a 200 A/m2 current density is passed through the electrodes."

Jan 1, 2012

By Toshiyuki Hashida, Victor M. Lopez-Hirata

"Small-punch tests and determination of fracture toughness JIC were conducted at 4 and 77 K on new cryogenic JN1, JJ1 and JK2 austenitic stainless steels, after isothermal aging. Equivalent fracture strain ?qf determined by measuring the reduction of thickness in the small-punch test specimen. A linear dependence of JIC on ?qf was found in these new materials. Regression analysis of experimental data produced the following linear relation JIC = 1304.1 ?qf + 8.09 [kJm-2]. An analysis of present work relation was pursued on the basis of material properties and evaluation method of he. Results showed that the slope value has a strong dependence on material yield strength and JIC evaluation method. This linear relation is useful for the evaluation of fracture toughness JIC, measuring the equivalent fracture strain ?qf by means of small-punch test. Thus it can be useful for assessing the degradation of fracture toughness in small areas such as, the heat-affected zone in welded components.IntroductionCryogenic structural materials for superconducting magnets of fusion nuclear reactor are required to possess a good combination of strength and toughness. The mechanical properties are required beyond the capability of conventional austenitic stainless steels [1]. New cryogenic JN1, JJ1 and JK2 austenitic stainless steels were developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) [1]. The structure of superconducting magnets is constructed by welding of 200 = thick plates of these steels, which are solution treated at high temperatures and then water-quenched to avoid intergranular precipitation. However, the welding process involves heating and cooling [2], which cause microstructural changes in both base metal and weld. In this heterogeneous microstructure, it is important to estimate the fracture toughness of these materials at cryogenic temperatures. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effect of aging process on the fracture toughness behavior of these new steels. To determine the cryogenic fracture toughness, the elastic-plastic JIC value has been co=only used [2]; however, the specimen size is much larger than heat-affected zones in welded components. Small-punch (SP) testing method, employing miniature specimens, has permitted to evaluate the fracture toughness behavior at different temperatures in different nuclear reactor materials [3,4]. Mao et al. [5,6] and Misawa et al. [7] found a linear relation between JIC value and equivalent fracture strain ?qf, determined by SP method in non-ferrous alloys and ferritic steels at room temperature and austenitic stainless steels at 4 and 77 K, respectively. So that, this kind of correlation would be very useful to assess the fracture toughness JICe values by means of SP test in small zones of welded components."

Jan 1, 2012

By Shadia J. Ikhmayies

"Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a very interesting material that has many applications. Thin films of p-type CdTe can be used as the absorber layer in the heterojunction CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells in which n-type cadmium sulfide (CdS) works as the window layer. A review of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra ofp-type CdTe thin films prepared by different techniques was performed. The presence of defects and impurities such as oxygen and chlorine influence the PL spectrum. Copper and other dopants change the PL spectra and enhance the defects band. Chemical-heat treatment especially with CdCh is known to improve the quality of CdTe thin films because it decreases the Cd vacancies and quenches deep traps, so it enhances the PL signal. A discussion of chemical-heat treatment especially with CdCh, the effect of the ambient atmosphere, and that of the measuring temperature is performed.IntroductionCadmium telluride (CdTe) is a II-VI compound semiconductor that has a cubic zincblende (sphalerite) structure with a lattice constant of 0 A4~11]. Other than all of II -VI semiconductors, CdTe can be made both n- and p-type. But due to self compensation it is not easy to get p-type CdTe films [2]. Polycrystalline CdTe thin films are interesting because they have a lot of applications. Most of the problems associated with the use of these films are attributed to inhomogeneity, self-compensation, and the difficulty of forming a stable and lowresistivity ohmic contact [3]. CdTe technology has been established for a large number of applications, including solar cells, optical and nuclear detectors, and thermal- and radiationimaging devices [3]. At present, the highest demonstrated conversion efficiency for a CdTe based heterojunction (ID), with CdS as a window layer, is 16.5% [4, 5]. CdTe thin films can be prepared by different experimental techniques, such as thermal evaporation [l], electrochemical deposition (ED) [3], close-spaced sublimation (CSS) [3, 4, 6], physical vapor deposition (PVD) [3], chemical molecular beam deposition (CMBD) [7], and close space vapor transport (CSVT) [8].The objective of this paper is to make a review of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra ofp-type CdTe thin films prepared by different techniques and discuss the factors that influence the PL spectra. The composition of the film is very interesting in determining its PL spectrum. Different kinds of defects, impurities and dopants have their finger prints in the PL spectrum. Deposition techniques and deposition parameters such as the deposition temperature and ambient atmosphere also have their influence. Heat and chemical treatments which are known to improve crystallization and reduce the defects change the PL spectrum."

Jan 1, 2013

By Robert D. Boiler, Bill Wilkie

"There is a wide choice of different types of woven filter media for hundreds of different filtration applications. Factors such as type of fiber, synthetic polymers used, weave style, fabric finishes and fabrication techniques all play an important part in selecting the best choice for a specific type of filter and process application. The purpose of this paper is to offer some basic knowledge of these factors and how they can impact the performance of a filter, the life of the media and the overall cost of operation through case studies of actual plant filtration applications.IntroductionThe use of woven filter cloth in liquid/solid separation applications is generally well known. Woven filter cloth, by the nature of the weaving process, offers unique consistency and repeatability when compared to some other filter media such as needled felts, papers, sintered structures and knitted cloth. This unique consistency and repeatability is particularly applicable to woven filter cloth produced using monofilament fibers. These fibers are consistent in shape and form the basis for a woven cloth with predictable pore size and throughput characteristics. Woven filter cloth can be used in most wet filtration applications. Typical examples are the separation of chemical and pharmaceutical solids from process liquors, waste stream solids capture, liquid foods clarification, mining separations, and polymer filtration.EnvironmentOne of the first considerations is the environmental demand of the given process. Though it is tempting to look immediately at the particles in a filtration process, it is often better to consider some of the more basic needs of the system. There are numerous materials available, both synthetic and wire cloth. Each has its own unique set of properties."

Jan 1, 2012

By Nagahiro Saito, Takashi Nishimura, Takamichi Ichikawa, Akio Fuwa

"Yttria-stabilized zircohia (YSZ) has high potential to be used as solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrolyte. However, the high efficiency of SOFC has not been yet achieved due to the high internal resistance of bulk electrolyte. The resistance becomes lower with the decrease in the electrolyte thickness. Thus, the decrease in electrolyte thickness leads to lower internal resistance. . The aim of this study is as follows: (a) to prepare the thin films of YSZ by inductively-coupled RF plasma-enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition (PEMOCVD) process using Zr(t-OC4H9)4,Y(DPMh and oxygeil, and (b) to reveal the relationship between the structural characterizations and the process parameters.1. IntroductionYttia-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) has, been widely used as not only heat-resistant materials but also the components in automotive oxygen sensors, electrolytes of solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC)(1)(2) and the buffer layers for the high-temperature superconductor because of its low thermal conductivity, good mechanical properties and high ionic conductivity. However, it is said that the internal resistance of the bulk electrolyte is too high to be appropriate as a solid electrolyte for high-efficient SOFC. The authors believe that the thin YSZ electrolyte can give a high performance to characteristics SOFC, since the internal resistance becomes lower with the decrease of electrolyte thickness. Thus the process technology to prepare YSZ thin films is desirable and must be established.In recent years, the YSZ thin films have been reported by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), thermal CVD using metal chlorides (MC) of ZrCl4 and YC(3)(4), thermal CVD using metal organic compounds (MO)(5)(10) Zr(t-OC4H9)4 and Y(C11H19O2)(11) and plasma-enhanced (PE) CVD using MO. Here, these methods are called MCCVD, MOCVD and PEMOCVD. MCCVD has two disadvantages; a large quantity of chlorinated impurities in deposited films and high processing temperature (> 1273K). This high processing temperature leads to damage of substrates in particular, so the application of this technology is limited. On the other hands, the processing temperature by MOCVD becomes and is lower. Unfortunately, the accurate vapor pressures of these metal organic compounds have not been, known so: that it is difficult to control the composition and the film thickness by MOCVD method well. Moreover, the large amount of carbonic compounds in the films prepared by MOCVD method is produced. However, plasma-effect has been reported to decrease large amount of the carbonic impurities by PEMOCVD. However, PEMOCVD has many reaction parameters in plasma processing; the geometry of experimental apparatus, radio frequency, electronic power input and so on. Thus, the general understanding about the relationship among reaction parameters, the composition and crystal structure of thin deposit film by this method has not yet been established."

Jan 1, 2000

By Ladislav Bebar, Tomas Parizek, Radek Dvorak, Petr Stehlik

"More and more sweeping environmental regulations initiate research, development and introducing into operation up to date technologies for cleaning off-gas and flue gas generated in various branches of industry and municipal waste treatment. The following systems based on novel types of equipment are shown: thermal and catalytic treatment of waste gases polluted by VOC (Volatile organic compounds) and carbon monoxide (alternatively NOx), catalytic filtration for efficient destruction of PCDD/F (dioxins) and potentially NOx, wet cleaning of flue gases polluted by SO2, HCl and HF with a original type of homogenizer “O-element”, integrated equipment for cleaning waste gases polluted by solid particulates, SO2, HCl, HF and heavy metals (alternatively NOx or PCDD/F). The outstanding features of all equipment mentioned above are low investment and operating costs together with high removing efficiency of pollutants. These units can be used mainly in incineration plants, refineries and other chemical plants. The paper represents a review based on papers published in reputable international journals and a monograph under preparation as well as on experience from industrial applications.IntroductionIn the recent years, more and more emphasis is put on preserving clean environment. One of the most closely monitored objects of general public attention are exhaust gases, containing a number of undesirable compounds like NOx, CO, SO2, HCl, HF, fly ash a PCDD/F. These harmful species are created in chemical processes mainly in the industry, transport and energy sectors. There is therefore a strong impetus for abatement of these harmful pollutants. Sectors of industry are thus subject to emission regulations specific to various types of units. In the framework of increasing demand for a clean environment, the concerned legislation is becoming increasingly strict and requires removal of pollutants by modern methods that would ensure efficient abatement of emissions at reasonable investment and operating costs.Attention is focused chiefly on methods for decreasing harmful emissions from thermal waste treatment facilities processing industrial and municipal waste that may be subsequently applied in other sectors of industry. Units for the thermal treatment of waste not only provide means of its disposal, but may become also important sources of energy, provided that strict emissions limits are satisfied. Figure 1 compares emission limits given by the legislation for municipal waste incinerators and limits for a selection of energy sources with heat capacity up to 50 MW (see EU regulation 200/76/EC). The Figure implies that the values of emission limits for waste incineration are mostly comparable with emissions from the combustion of natural gas. Thanks to the continuing improvements of the methods for removal of harmful pollutants, the emissions from waste incinerators are typically deep below the limits."

Jan 1, 2008

By A. M. Alfantazi, M. Boissoneault, D. B. Dreisinger, J. Synnott

"The effects of five commercially available foaming reagents (range of 0 to 25 ppm) namely Dowfroth 250, Saponin, Yucca, Licorice and Meta-Para Cresol on acid mist control, current efficiency, polarization behavior, and deposit morphology and orientation were investigated. The deposition was carried out using a bench scale electrolysis apparatus (cell volume 3L) at 500 Nm-2 and 38°C for 3 hours from Kidd Creek zinc electrolyte. The acid mist control capability of the various reagents was studied and compared by characterizing the foam layer generated during actual electrowinning conditions and by direct quantitative measurements of acid mist levels on top of the electrowinning cells. Within the range considered, the addition of these reagents reduced the current efficiency, refined the grain size of the deposit, and changed to preferred orientation of most of the deposits. Among the reagents tested, acid mist measurements indicated that Licorice and Dowfroth 250 were the best acid mist suppressant at emissions of 0.30 mglm3 and 031 mg/m3 respectively while Yucca and MPC produced the most mist at 3.0 mg/m3 and 33 mg/m3 emission rates, respectively.IntroductionMost of the world's primary zinc is produced via a combined roast-Ieach-purificationelectrowinning process. Depending on the electrolysis conditions, several additives may be added to the electrolyte. Some (e.g. glue, antimony, sodium carbonate) are added to mainly counteract the detrimental effects caused by impurities while others (e.g. licorice, Saponin) are used as foaming reagents to prevent excessive acid mist formation. Acid mist emission is a problem in many electrolysis operations because it corrodes the equipment and is a health hazard to the workers in the tankhouse as well as it pollutes the environment. Due to recent trends towards more environmental protection and more stringent in-plant hygiene, there is an increasing need to minimize these aerosols. In order to eliminate or minimize these aerosols foaming agents are usually added to the electrolyte to produce a foam layer on top of the electrolyte, thus trapping most of the mist. The ideal foaming agent would trap all of the mist and would not interfere with the electrowinning process. It is also evident that the reagent toxicology, cost and availability are important factors that need to be considered.Review of the available literature clearly indicated that very little work has been done in the past on the subject of acid mist control in electrowinning operations particularly in the area of foaming and anti-misting properties of surfactants. Two papers [1,2] have reviewed briefly the existing technologies for acid mist control. Recently, most of the work in this area has focused on the development of special mechanical devices that could be attached to the electrodes and control the mist generation at the source before it is emitted to the cellhouse [2-5]. On the other hand, extensive body of literature exists that deals with the effects of anti-misting reagents on the electrowinning aspects [6-7]."

Jan 1, 1997

By S. -H. Jeon, Y. -S. Choi

"The three dimensional current distribution on the rectangular cathode is predicted using a boundary element method with a linear element of trigonal type. The effect of cell geometry and anode shape on current distribution is simulated. Calculated results compare well with experimental results. The proper combination of anode size and distance between electrodes increase the current uniformity.The importance of electrodeposition as a fabrication technology in the electronics industry is large and growing. The main advantages of this wet processing method, in comparison to other dry processing methods, lie in its high yield, rapid processing and low cost. In nearly every application of electrodeposition the pursuit of deposit uniformity, especially thickness uniformity, has been technically imperative. The thickness uniformity of the deposit depends largely on the current distribution over the cathode. The current distribution is primarily determined by the geometrical characteristics of the electrodes and the cell. Also the polarization at the electrode surface and the mass transfer affect the current distribution.The current distribution is an important consideration for those involved in designing electrochemical systems and electroplating systems in particular. Although it is important, the common practice in industry is to use trial and error method to design the cell that optimize the uniformity of current distributions in electroplating. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the useof boundary element method to predict three-dimensional current distribution in rectangular cell.The calculation of the current distribution is possible by various numerical techniques, which include the finite difference method (FDM)1, the finite element method (FEM)2, and the boundary element method (BEM)3,4. These methods of the numerical calculation have various problems, respectively, but the BEM is considered to be the most efficient. This is due to the fact that the BEM has the advantage of solving field equations only on the surface of a calculation domain. A good comparison between the BEM and the FEM for the secondary current distribution in a Hull cell was made by Matlosz et al.5The fundamentals on the theory of current distribution in electroplating are well-established in the literature by a number of authors.6, 7, 8 However, a small fraction of these works have been specially addressed to three-dimensional analysis, and, mostly thel·10 have focused on the problem qualitatively rather than quantitatively.Extending the previous work to three-dimension, we developed the program for the quantitative calculation of 3-dimensional current distribution using a boundary element method with a linear element of trigonal type. Integrals with singularity from the fundamental solution have been analytically computed and it is shown in detail in the Iiterature11. This paper deals with the three dimensional current distribution for the electrode position of copper in a cubic type cell and the effect of anode shape, size and the distance between electrodes on current distribution is studied."

Jan 1, 1997