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By Yong J. Kim, J. M. Park

"Solid/melt interface shape during continuous casting process has a strong influence on the resulting microstructure of the ingot. The interface shape is primarily governed by the heat flow condition between the molten metal and mold (or container). The roll of the microstructural transition resulting from various solid/melt interface shapes is discussed using the Sn-22.6wt%Pb alloy. Three different types of mold such as cold mold, resistantly heated mold, and electromagnetically heated mold were used to generate those interfaces having different curvatures. Experimental measurements of complete temperature profile along the axis and surface of the ingot during downward continuous casting are presented to determine the solid/melt interface geometry. The results provide an explanation of the ingot property with emphasis on microstructure.IntroductionA large scale of continuous casting process of alloys often has a rather deep V channel type of solid/melt interface resulting from a limited heat flow condition. As a result, the deep V type solid/melt interface shape entraps defects such as pores and inclusions and also creates canter segregation. In order to reduce the defects concentration, electromagnetic stirring(EMS) mechanism has been applied to the melt in the channel[l]. Speith and Bungeroth introduced first experimental EMS device to the continuous caster in 1952.[2] Today, with wide ranges of benefit, a large variety of such technique is available. Electromagnetic field on the melt can be divided into three aspects. First, eddy current is induced on the metal surface by alternating magnetic field with high frequency, which results in heating the metal. Second, electromagnetic body force which is generated by the magnetic field and the eddy current reduces the melt pressure on mold or support the melt not to contact with the mold[3,4,5]. This force is used for electromagnetic casting process(EMC). Finally, it causes stirring in the melt. Many research efforts have been done on the EMC process to improve surface quality of slab[6] and control meniscus shape where three phases such as melt, solidified metal, and mold powder coexist[7,8]. However, the eddy current heating effect on the surface of the ingot was less considered. It is worth noting that induced eddy current on the surface of slab melts the solidified shell and thus changes the heat flow condition between the mold and melt. Mold heating effect was first proposed by A. Ohno[9] and its processing conditions were identified in details[ 10, 11]. The so-called Ohno process is based on the fact that by keeping the mold temperature slightly above the melting temperature of the liquid, no grain can be nucleated on the mold wall[12]."

Jan 1, 1998

By Francisco M. S. Garrido, Fabiano A. C. M. Passos, Carla N. Barbato, Karoline K. Ferreira, Danielle C. Castro, Adriana A. S. Felix, Luiz C. Bertolino, Fernanda A. N. G. Silva, Karla M. A. Simões

Cancrinite and sodalite are characterized by high capacity of adsorption due to its porous structure. The aim of this work was to use kaolin from Borborema-Seridó/Brazil as a source of aluminium and silicon to hydrothermal synthesis of sodalite and cancrinite and to evaluate the best conditions to the formation of these phases. Therefore, kaolin was heated at 700 and 900 °C for 2 h in order to transform kaolinite in metakaolin. Thereafter, experiments with the calcined kaolin’s were carried out between 150 and 230 °C for 30–270 min on a stainless steel pressure vessel using NaOH, Na2CO3 and H2O. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electronic microscopy, thermogravimetry, and Zeta potential. The most pure sodalite phase was obtained at 230 °C, with the kaolin/NaOH ratio of 1:1, low concentration of Na2CO3 and smaller time of synthesis (30 min). On the other hand, for the synthesis of cancrinite phase at 230 °C, it was necessary to use kaolin heated at 900 °C, a longer time of synthesis (270 min) and a higher concentration of Na2CO3.

Mar 1, 2017

By Zhenglong Li

A process has been developed to recover titanium from a blast-furnace slag which contains about 20-25% Ti02 and 12% Fe. In this process. "hot" slag from the blast furnace is directed to a separate furnace where it is reheated with additives to form two simple slag phases: one is titanium enriched anosovite (Ti3O5) and the other is a titanium lean non-crystal glass phase. The modified slag is then processed by conventional beneficiation techniques to produce a marketable titanium concentrate and a usable slag material. This paper focus on separating anosovite from glass by electrostatic separation and froth flotation.

Jan 1, 1996

By Huimin Lu, Qiang Li, Jingbo Xu

"The smelting reduction of V-Ti bearing beach placer by combined rotary hearth furnace and direct current arc furnace was studied in laboratory. It takes the aid of back propagation (BP) neural network theory to build the nonlinear mapping relations between the crucial process variables such as content of carbon, temperature and time and the degree of reduction. Then by the integrating BP neural network and genetic algorithm (GA), the optimized process parameters for the high degree of reduction were searched. The comparisons between experiment results and neural network simulation results show that GA-based on BP method can predict the degree of reduction with higher prediction accuracy. Calculations show that the integrated energy consumption of new technology is 580kgce/tHM, less than the current existing blast furnace.IntroductionThese V-Ti bearing beach placers (VTBBP) are secondary Fe-rich minerals formed by rivers, ocean waves, ocean tides and ocean currents on beach zones, their useful minerals are V-Ti magnetite ores. On Asia Pacific zone, such as Japan, China, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, the VTBBP have large reserves and wide distribution. But so far, the VTBBP are not still comprehensively utilized. Therefore, in this paper, a combined rotary hearth furnace technology and arc furnace smelting method is studied for comprehensive utilization of the VTBBP. The main objective of this paper is to find optimum operation conditions for the production ofV-bearing iron and titania-rich slag from the VTBBP by means of the laboratory testing.Recently, neural network (NN) expected to be able to provide an effective tool because of its advantages, which describe nonlinear mapping relations. With the characteristics of strong selflearning, self-organization, robust error toleration and accurate nonlinear relation approximation, artificial neural network can be applied to nonlinear process modeling based on sufficient training. Back-propagation (BP) training algorithm is probably the frequently used one in practical application. Genetic algorithm has parallel search strategy and global optimization characteristics, which makes the trained neural network being higher classification accuracy and faster convergence speed. So it is necessary to combine neural network and genetic algorithm. The nonlinear relationship between input and output presented by NN and the global optimal function of GA are abroad applied in the engineering and scientific research [1, 2]. So these methods supply an efficient path to solve the above problems. At present, it is common to study the optimization of process parameters by orthogonal experimental design, the method combining neural network and genetic algorithm is a novel and better method than orthogonal experimental design. Tills study organized the above advantages to optimize the process parameters for comprehensive utilization of the VTBBP."

Jan 1, 2012

By Xinzhong Deng, Naixiang Feng, Kejia Liu, Jianping Peng, Yaowu Wang, Yi Zhang, Yuezhong Di

Low-carbon Ti2O3 was prepared by carbonthermal reduction of the mixture of titanium dioxide and activated carbon at vacuum condition. The kinetics and phase evolution of Ti2O3 formation process were investigated through X-ray diffraction and gravimetric analysis. The only intermediate phase detected is Ti3O5. The reduction time was reduced sharply to 4 h when temperature was raised to 1300 °C. The best molar ratio of activated carbon and TiO2 is 0.6–1. At this condition, the content of Ti2O3 in slag is up to 95.63% and the content of the carbon element is below 0.004%, which meets the requirements for the further preparation of metal Ti by FFC Cambridge process. At the same time, the microstructure of Ti2O3 generated presented porosity, which would promote the electro-deoxidation process extremely.

Mar 1, 2017

By C. L. Lin

Multiphase, irregularly-shaped randomly-oriented PARGEN particles were grown to determine the breakage/liberation characteristics of such locked particles. The simulated locked particles were randomly broken to establish the liberation characteristics of the broken fragments. The progeny size distributions are consistent with Gilvarry's volume and surface flaw model for single particle breakage. The extent of liberation of both continuous and dispersed phases can be described from the conservation of interfacial area. In this regard the data can be normalized and liberation described for a wide range of dispersed phase grades and dispersion densities.

Jan 1, 1988

By Geoffrey Brooks, Mehedi Bin Mohammad, M. Akbar Rhamdhani

Molten alkali nitrates are used commercially as thermal storage fluids (HTF) for solar thermal electricity generation. Their range of operation is limited by the thermal stability and this limits the energy (steam-Rankine cycle) efficiency of these processes. In this study, the effect of atmosphere on the thermal stability of nitrates was investigated using simultaneous thermal analysis techniques (STA). The use of oxygen (O2) as a blanket gas was found to delay the decomposition point of the ternary NaNO3–KNO3–LiNO3 (13.23–57.14–29.63 weight ratio) mixture by 55 °C. By which operating range will increase 65 °C more compared to the binary solar salt. Higher heating rates increased the decomposition point but had less effect on premelting and melting properties. Nitrogen monoxide, and O2 evolution after melting indicates concurrent reversible reactions. Similar phenomena were observed for single and binary nitrates. The eutectic melting point of ternary nitrate obtained from the STA agreed well with FactSage eutectic composition prediction.

Mar 1, 2017

By Ma Ying

The continuous directional solidification technique of five kinds of special ZA alloys with eutectic, peritectic and eutectoid transformation under the condition of continuous casting by heated mold was studied. The mechanism of surface defects appearing in ZA alloy line was discussed and the structure of some defects were analyzed by SEM. The results show that only when the fitting of various technique factors, pressure head, outlet temperature, pulling speed and cooling condition are reasonable under a certain range, can the ZA alloy smooth line be continuously pulled out. Unreasonable techniques will result in hot tear, rough surface, mush outlet, leaking and other defects. The shape and location of solid-liquid zone have an important influence on the formation of the above defects. When the solid-liquid zone is located in the mould outlet or inner mould, the surface of solidification will protrude into the inner mould. If the remaining liquid cannot counteract the solidification contraction, a rough surface will appear. If the solidification surface further into the mould, the ingot in the mould will have a great friction force when pulling and will form a hot tear. When the solid-liquid zone is moved out of mould, the solidification surface will turn into a plane, which easily results in leaking. A vibration or unstable operation will cause an ingot winding during pulling

Jan 1, 2003

By Yichi Lu, Haydn N. G. Wadley, Douglas T. Queheillalt

"Using a 3-D ray tracing methodology combined with laser ultrasonically measured elastic constant data near the melting point, ultrasonic propagation in cylindrical single crystal bodies containing either a convex or a concave solid-liquid interface have been simulated and used to design new sensing concepts. Ray paths, wavefronts and time-of-flight (TOF) of rays that travel from a source to an arbitrarily positioned receiver have been calculated. Experimentally measured TOF data have been collected using laser generated/detected ultrasound on model systems with independently known interface shapes. Both numerically simulated data and experimental results have shown that the solidification (interfacial) region can be identified from ultrasonic transmission TOF data. Since convex and concave solid-liquid interfaces result in distinctively different TOF data. When TOF data collected in the diametral plane are used in a nonlinear least squares algorithm, the interface curvature has been successfully reconstructed and ultrasonic velocities of both the solid and liquid obtained. The reconstruction errors were found to be less than 5%.IntroductionMany of today's single crystal semiconductors are grown by variants of a vertical Bridgman technique in which a cylindrical ampoule of a molten semiconductor is translated through a thermal gradient, resulting in directional solidification and the growth of a single crystal, Fig. 1.1 It has long been recognized that during crystal growth the velocity and the shape of the solid-liquid interface, together with the local temperature gradient, control the mechanism of solidification (i.e. planar, cellular or dendritic), the likelihood of secondary grain nucleation/ twin formation (i.e. the loss of single crystallinity), solute (dopant) segregation, dislocation generation, etc. They thus determine the crystals' resulting quality.2-4 The solidification rate and the solid-liquid interface shape are also sensitive functions of the internal temperature gradient (both axial and radial) during solidification.5•6 This in turn is governed by the heat flux distribution incident upon the ampoule, the latent heat release at the interface, and heat transport (by a combination of conduction, buoyancy and surface tension driven convection, and radiation) within the ampoule. The solid-liquid interface's instantaneous position, velocity and shape during crystal growth are therefore difficult to predict and uncontrolled during growth, especially for those semiconductor materials with low thermal conductivity (e.g. CdTe).4-6 The development of technologies to non-invasively sense the interface position and shape throughout the vertical Bridgman crystal growth process has therefore become a key step toward developing a better understanding of the growth process, for enabling sensor-based process control, and thus ultimately for improving the yield and quality of difficult to grow semiconductor materials like CdTe."

Jan 1, 1997

By Phillip B. Messersmith, Emmanuel P. Giannelis

"A versatile in-situ polymerization approach is described for the synthesis of polymerceramic nanocomposites consisting of two-dimensional layers of mica-type silicate (MTS) within polymer matrices. Functionalized, organically modified mica-type silicates (OMTS) were used to promote delamination/dispersion of the host layers and initiate polymerization of organic rrionomer. Epoxy nanocomposites prepared in this manner exhibit substantial modulus reinforcement at low silicate loadings. The water vapor permeability of the poly(?-caprolactone) nanocomposite containing 4.8% silicate by volume was reduced by nearly an order of magnitude compared to pure poly (?-caprolactone).IntroductionPolymer matrix nanocomposites are a relatively new class of materials with dimensions typically in the range of 1-100 nm.1 In general, because of the ultrafine phase dimensions involved, nanocomposites exhibit new and improved properties when compared to their micro- or macrocomposite counterparts. We as well as others are currently investigating the design, synthesis and characterization of polymer-ceramic nanocomposites. Our effort, in particular, has focused on the use of mica-type silicates (MTS) with various thermoplastic and thermosetting matrices.2-5MTS's belong to the general family of 2: 1 layered silicates. Their crystal structure consists of layers of two silica tetrahedral sheets fused to an edge-shared octahedral sheet of either aluminum or magnesium hydroxide. Stacking of the layers leads to a regular van der Waals gap or interlayer.6 Isomorphic substitution within the layers generates negative charges that are counterbalanced by cations residing in the interlayers. Although the natural forms of MTS's usually contain hydrated Na+ or K+ ions, ion exchange reactions with organic cations (e.g. alkylammonium ions) can render the normally hydrophilic MTS's organophilic."

Jan 1, 1994

By Thomas Weyand, Thomas Claridge, Dale Nickels

"This paper addresses the initial results of a project to evaluate the suitability of copper mining tailings as raw material for the production of structural products using PMET’s patented technology. Preliminary testing indicated that high performance structural products were possible using these materials. A demonstration scale project produced approximately 1,500 bricks in various colors. These products fall under under ASTM C- 73 and were found to present properties suitable for severe weather applications. Although the products in this project were of typical brick dimensions, other products are possible, for example concrete block substitutes or pavers. These products from the PMET process are commercially known as Brixx. This paper will provide operational details of the production process, mineralogy and mechanical properties of the products.INTRODUCTIONPMET has developed process technology that can convert various siliceous waste materials into competent structural products. This technology is the subject of US patent # 6,068,803. In general, the process consists of mixing lime, water and the major feed stock, pressing to form a “green” shape, and curing the product in an autoclave for 6 hours with saturated steam at ~200oC. The curing process forms Tobermorite, which acts as a crystalline binder. Freeport-McMoRan approached PMET to see whether mine tailings from the Sierrita mine, containing significant amounts of clay, might be a suitable feed material for the production of structural products. “Brixx” is the commercial term used to describe the resultant structural product formed in the test work. This paper is a preliminary evaluation of a technology that is being considered by Freeport-McMoRan. This report is not an endorsement by Freeport-McMoRan of the process or products, nor is it a commitment to use this technology."

Jan 1, 2008

By Dale Zacherl, Andreas Buhr, Rainer Kockegey-Lorenz

"The microporous calcium hexaluminate insulating material SLA-92 has been introduced as an alternative to refractory ceramic fiber and other insulating refractory materials. Key properties associated with this product include: high chemical purity, long term high temperature stability up to 1500 °C, low thermal conductivity up to 1500 °C, and high thermal shock resistance. The properties of the new material and various applications in the steel and ceramic industries have been reported in previous papers. The current paper summarizes the industrial application experiences with innovative refractories based on SLA- 92 and discusses potential new applications in various manufacturing as well as energyrelated industries.IntroductionSLA-92 was introduced to the refractories industry in 1998 by van Garsel, et al. [1] as a new insulating raw material for high temperature applications, followed by investigations [2] of long term temperature stability for this new lightweight aggregate up to 1500°C.SLA-92 was developed as an innovative alternative to commonly used refractory ceramic fibers. It has unique properties regarding chemical purity and mineral composition and is a microporous, silica-free calcium hexaluminate (CA6 – mineral name: hibonite)."

Jan 1, 2010

By Hui-gang Wang, Mei Zhang, Min Guo

Metal-doped Ni–Zn ferrite with spinel structure was directly synthesized from treated zinc-containing electric arc furnace dust (Zn-containing EAFD) by solid state reaction method, realizing the transformation of Zn-containing EAFD from solid waste to high value-added material. A certain mass of NiCl26H2O was added to the treated Zn-containing EAFD before calcination. Then the effects of the mass ratio of treated Zn-containing EAFD to NiCl26H2O (RTZE/N, g g−1) and calcination temperature on the synthesis and magnetic properties of as-synthesized samples were systematically investigated by X-ray Diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy and Physical Property Measurement System. It is indicated that RTZE/N and calcination temperature had important influences on the synthesis of single-phase spinel ferrite and their magnetic properties. Pure metal-doped Ni–Zn ferrite, which exhibited good magnetic properties of higher saturation magnetization (Ms, 60.5 emu g−1) and lower coercivity (Hc, 49.8 Oe), was obtained when the calcination temperature was controlled at 1100 °C for 2 h with RTZE/N of 1:0.9.

Mar 1, 2017

By C. J. McKee

A gold-silver-lead-zinc deposit at Montana Tunnels, Jefferson County, Montana is located in a diatreme of middle Eocene age (45 to 50 m.y.). Sulfide minerals within the diatreme occur as disseminations, veinlets, and locally as breccia matrix. Principal sulfide minerals are pyrite, sphalerite, and galena. The diatreme is a matrix-rich quartz latitic breccia with a fine grained rather soft matrix and heterolithic clasts. The ore deposit contains approximately 50 million tons of ore at a grade of 0.025 oz/ton Au, 0.5 oz/ton Ag, 0.25 % Pb, and 0.65 % Zn. Mining is by open pit methods. The original process flowsheet included flotation and cyanide leaching. Problems with the leaching circuit led to a change to the straight flotation process which is presently in use. To maintain a reason-ably uniform feed material, blending of ore is required for grades of four metals as well as for ore hardness and oxidation.

Jan 1, 1988

By Dan Michaelsen, Warwick Stewart

"PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) is a large-scale truck and shovel operation mining thermal-coal in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The operation produces 15 million tonnes of coal and mines over 120 million bank cubic metres of overburden annually. Approximately 35 percent of the waste rock is classified as potentially acid forming. Acid drainage must therefore be managed to prevent acid formation from spoil dumps and mined-out areas.KPC aims to prevent acid production in dumps by covering potentially acid forming spoils with materials identified as non acid-forming. The covers, built to engineering standards, minimise the flux of oxygen and water to pyritic spoils, thereby controlling the oxidation reaction, and reducing ARD discharge to negligible rates. Cover designs and cover materials vary according to stability, materials availability, equipment availability, and cost effectiveness. A modified field net acid generation (NAG) test procedure has been developed at KPC to identify and segregate overburden geochemical types. This paper discusses the ARD management strategies and operational procedures adopted by KPC to manage potentially acid forming waste rock. The development and field application of the NAG procedure at KPC is presented in a companion paper. Analytical"

Jan 1, 1999

By David Seymour

Newmont Gold Company (NGC) located in Northeastern Nevada has been processing carbonaceous and sulfide refractory gold ores through a chlorination circuit prior to cyanidation. A "Flash Chlorination" pilot plant was installed in 1987 in an effort to obtain higher chlorine utilization efficiency and increase gold extraction. The Flash Chlorination process oxidizes organic carbon and sulfide sulfur. It also deactivates preg-robbing carbon, making the ore amenable to cyanidation. Significant recovery improvements were observed using this new process. This scheme has also been instrumental in the processing of higher than normal grade ores at economic chlorine levels. The Flash Chlorination pilot plant has been successfully treating carbonaceous ore on a production scale since April 1988. This paper summarizes laboratory and pilot plant optimization test work, using conventional and statistical methods.

Jan 1, 1989

By D. Lambert

Process modeling for large deformation metal forming processes has been developed into a very successful tool in commercial applications during the last two decades. DEFOR.MTM is a well-known metal forming process simulation program used by many industrial and research institutions. Recent developments include the ability to model multiple deforming body behavior during multi-pass pack rolling and microstructure prediction during multi-pass shape rolling. This paper summarizes how DEFOR.MTM can be applied to a number of rolling processes and briefly describes preliminary work carried out using the ALE technique. Keywords: Simulation, Rolling, Pack, Shape, Microstructure, FEM, ALE, Tantalum

Jan 1, 2003

By Guo Xueyi

The method of Substance Flow Analysis (abbreviated as SFA) provides a helpful tool for the study of the industrial metabolism of a certain metal within a regional level. In this work the flow of lead in China, 2006, was traced within the STAF model, and the situation of production, consumption and recycling of lead resources in China were introduced. The SFA is performed on lead flows during its one year life cycle in detail. As one of the biggest producer and consumer of lead in the world, China is facing a problem depletion of lead resources. How to increase the resource efficiency is a significant issue for lead industry of China. Based on the result, several suggestions were proposed in the paper, aiming to contribute important reference information for the industrial metabolism and resource management and recycling of lead industry in China.

Jan 1, 2009

By Michael J. Marinigh

"Increased safety requirements, higher operational costs, greater environmental restrictions, and new competitive processing techniques are the challenges smelter operators must confront in order to remain economically viable.In converting furnaces which have tuyères such as the Noranda Reactor and the Teniente, Peirce- Smith and Hoboken converters, efficient tuyère line management is critical to optimizing blowing rates, increasing refractory life, and improving safety.This paper will describe recent improvements made to equipment used for tuyère punching, tuyère silencing, tuyère pyrometry and refractory drilling of tuyères and how the proper application of the equipment can lead to operational and safety improvements."

Jan 1, 2009

By Ma Ying

The continuous directional solidification technique of five kinds of special ZA alloys with eutectic, peritectic and eutectoid transfonnation under the condition of continuous casting by heated mold was studied. The mechanism of surface defects appearing in ZA alloy line was discussed and the structure of some defects were analyzed by SEM. The results show that only when the fitting of various technique factors, pressure head, outlet temperature, pulling speed and cooling condition are reasonable under a certain range, can the ZA alloy smooth line be continuously pulled out. Unreasonable techniques will result in hot tear, rough surface, mush outlet, leaking and other defects. The shape and location of solid-liquid zone have an important influence on the formation of the above defects. When the solid-liquid zone is located in the mould outlet or inner mould, the surface of solidification will protrude into the inner mould. If the remaining liquid cannot counteract the solidification contraction, a rough surface will appear. If the solidification surface further into the mould, the ingot in the mould will have a great friction force when pulling and will form a hot tear. When the solid-liquid zone is moved out of mould, the solidification surface will turn into a plane, which easily results in leaking. A vibration or unstable operation will cause an ingot winding during pulling.

Jan 1, 2003