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By Fisher N. I

Disequilibrium ratios (U3O8/eU3O8), which assess the degree to which gamma activity represents the uranium content of a sample, have been measured on a representative set of samples from the ore zone of a carnotite ranium deposit located at Yeelirrie, Western Australia. A statistical analysis has been performed to investigate the dependence of the ratios on lithology and on the location of the sample in the orebody. The analysis indicates that dependence on lithology and on position across the orebody is negligible. Samples from the western end of the orebody and those from below the water table level tend to have slightly lower ratios than samples from other positions, although these trends are small compared with a large random variation in the data. The large random variation could result from some redistribution of the daughter isotopes of uranium within the orebody. On the basis of the results from all the samples, the estimated deficiency of uranium relative to radium in the ore zone of the deposit is 11 per cent.

Jan 1, 1980

By Malcolm Scobie

"This paper reviews the evolution of Canadian surface and underground mining automation, principally relating to: advances in communications, initial development of machine teleoperation from line-of-sight remote control, and islands of automation. The eventual role of teleroboties and minewide robotic mining remains to be resolved. The progress and approaches adopted have tended to vary within each sector of the mining industry. Recent information technology advances have made possible the Digital Mine; in which information associated with all mining processes, however dispersed, would be integrated with support systems using new communications technology. The Digital Mine will provide the information infrastructure to serve as the foundation for minewide automation. This paper concludes by reviewing the issues likely to govern implementation success, relating to: mining process design, machine design, machine intelligence, and mine planning and control.IntroductionSignificant advances have recently been made in underground hardrock mine communications and teleoperation. Subsequent R&D efforts are mainly focussing on control systems for various types of machines. In underground potash mining, the realization of automated continuous mining systems appears to be imminent. Recent advances in surface mine dispatching, machine monitoring and global positioning systems (GPS) have tended to reactivate some of the initial R&D enthusiasm developed in the '70s for surface mine automation. Mines at large are approaching a major milestone: the implementation of comprehensive communications infrastructure which proves to be sufficiently reliable and economical to support the automation of routine mine production, either using teleoperated or autonomous machines. This then should motivate a deeper commitment to real time monitoring and management. The communications advances make possible the Digital Mine; in which information associated with all mining processes, however dispersed, would be integrated with support systems using information engineering. The Digital Mine will provide the information infrastructure to serve as the likely foundation for a wide range of automation scenarios. This paper surveys the status and directions of automation development in both surface and underground Canadian mines, pointing to what are seen to represent key technology development issues."

Jan 1, 1995

By P. O. Parfitt

The Critical Path Method has proved its usefulness at Mcintyre Porcupine Mines Ltd. This paper illustrates the techniques of network construction and analysis, and the application of the method at the Mcintyre copper mine to various projects in the gold mine. C.P.M.'s use in a mill maintenance project is also discussed.

Jan 1, 1966

By H. Krogerus, P. Jokinen, T. Lintumaa

The energy consumption and recovery of chromium are important economic factors in ferrochrome production. Outokumpu has a lot of experience of the reduction behavior of the sintered pellets in industrial-scale furnaces and also on the grounds of numerous laboratory and pilot-scale investigations. Sintered pellets have shown a superiority over lumpy ore and briquettes made of the same chromite grade. The good performance of the pellets has also resulted in investigations on the reasons for such a performance. In this study, the factors affecting pellet behavior in smelting furnace were investigated. This study is divided into two sections, i.e. the investigations were on the factors affecting solid state reduction and on the factors affecting reduction under melting. These tests were performed by means of thermo gravimetry and by smelting tests. The correlation between the pellet characteristics and reduction behavior was shown and its influence on industrial-scale furnaces was discussed. Factors worth of consideration are for instance, the extent of oxidation during sintering, slag formation and chemistry in respect of molten state reduction, and the grain size of the chromite mineral in the raw material in respect of kinetic reasons (retention time in smelting).

Jan 1, 2007

By Emilie S. Williams

The Doyon Mine?s Zone 1 (Altered Zone), found along the southern boundary of the mine, encompasses approximately 20% of the mining reserves. The mineralisation is found in a series of steeply dipping narrow veinlets, which are contained in an extremely weak host rock: a sericitic schist with RQD values ranging from 0 to 20. Longhole mining methods are used, with either longitudinal or transverse approaches, depending on the width of the ore zone. Dilution is of critical importance in the mining of this zone, particularly in longitudinal stopes, where dilution levels have averaged 55% since 2000. Major factors influencing dilution in this zone include the stope geometry and standup time. A two-phase approach has been developed to mine and backfill longitudinal stopes: the top of the stope is pastefilled after approximately half of the broken ore has been extracted; the remainder of the ore is extracted once the plug has cured; and the remaining void is filled. This method has been used in six stopes to date, resulting in an average dilution of 17%. This paper details the application of this technique and its effect on dilution.

Oct 1, 2004

By Roger L. Beals, George A. Tweedy

I. INTRODUCTION. THE results of the cyanide-operations, given in detail in the following paper, show the progress that is being made at the Minas del Tajo. The old pan-amalgamation process, in operation up to and including 1905, while paying a profit on high-grade ores, was no longer able to treat profitably the ores in sight at that time, hence an alteration in the process was imperative. The success of this alteration is eloquently expressed by the following data Pan- Amalgamation. Cyanidation. 1905. 1907. 1903. Tons treated, . . 51,387 53,983 69,300 Value per ton (U. S. currency),. $10.75 $8.39 $8.28 Extraction, per cent., 65.00 88.50 S7.45 Extraction, per ton. .- $7.00 $7.4.; $7.24 Total cost, per ton treated, 6.50 4.311 4.01 Profit, per ton treated, . . 0.50 3.07 3.23.;

Feb 1, 1910

By K Morrison

Australia’s ageing population means that by 2050 there will be 2.7 people of working age to support each Australian aged 65 years and over compared with five working people per retiree today and compared with 7.5 in 1970 (Swan, 2010). This means that there is going to be a greater demand on social services – for medical and aged care – from a smaller private income base. How will this gap be met? Australia is fortunate in that it has vast resources of mineral wealth; from iron ore, nickel and gas in Western Australia to the giant copper and uranium deposits at Olympic Dam in South Australia.The prospect of a meaningful profit based tax on this vast mineral wealth has been lost through Australian government’s handling of the issue in 2010 and with an industry fiercely opposed to the prospect of a mining tax. Hence, new ways of thinking are required. This paper looks at the issues facing the implementation of a novel scheme whereby Australia leases the mineral resources it extracts and thus derives income over the decades the metals are in-use in pipes, wires and structures with a premium paid for unreturned material or that used in dissipative applications. Applicable minerals could include copper, aluminium, nickel and rare earths. If Australia simply digs up and sells the metals once, the buyer becomes custodian of that resource and they benefit from controlling the future ‘above-ground’ resource stock.A complementary driver for a leasing scheme is the increasing importance of chain-of-custody following initiatives of the Responsible Jewellery Council with gold and diamonds, now with the potential to extend across commodities. The Australian minerals sector could thus position itself as a premium supplier with high social and environmental credentials.Recognising the implementation challenges, this paper includes a review of how such a system could be enforced to ensure that the metal is tracked throughout its life. It concludes with a discussion of the rates and terms should such agreements hold and suggestions for institutional arrangements for enforcing compliance.

Nov 22, 2011

By S. V. Cherty

The utilization of natural gas in non-ferrous industries during smelting and refining stages of copper , aluminum, zinc and lead was studied. The total amount of nonelectrical energy consumed in the production of zinc, copper, lead and aluminium, are 96.5% ,93%,92%, and 6 % respectively. It is calculated that 9.45 wt %of air of stoichiometric amount can be substituted by natural gas to the total air input in the nonelectrical energy utilization processes. The results showed that the non electrical energy may be substituted to an amount of 71 % ,52 % ,35 % ,32 % ,and 26% ,in the production of lead, aluminium (plates, foils) copper, aluminium, zinc, respectivelly. Similar calculations are carried out in terms of energy in Btu for the total production of non-ferrous metals in the U.S. It shows that 51.866~106 millions of Btu of nonelectrical energy can be substituted by 54.58~106 cu. ft of natural gas. Finally, the substitution of non electrical energy in terms of equivalent coal energy is discussed. 1t is shown that total non electrical energy is equal to 1.852 million tones of coal .If this 1.852 million tones of coal is replaced by natural gas, a total savings of 22.14 million dollars are achieved. The total or partial substitution of coal by the natural gas in the existing industrial processes and modification of redesigning the processes is discussed.

Jan 1, 1993

By A. Dogan Paktunc

Abstract - The Mechanic Settlement pluton is a small body of mafic and ultramafic rocks of tholeiitic affinity, occurring in the Late Neoproterozoic volcanosedimentary rocks of the Avalon terrane of the Appalachian Orogen. The lenticular-shaped intrusion is layered and consists of ultramafic and mafic lithologies in at least six cyclic units that are relatively thin or short-lived. The lowermost exposed portion of the intrusion is characterized by the cumulate sequences of olivine and olivineclinopyroxene and display relatively flat rare earth element profiles. In the overlying lithologies, plagioclase is the dominant cumulus phase following olivine in the crystallization sequence. Olivine ranges in composition from Fo73 to Fo85 and plagioclase from An62 to An89. Variations in the compositions of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene are within Wo0-4En52-87Fs11-45 and Wo39-50En23-50Fs3-19. These mineral compositional variations in part reflect cryptic patterns and correspond to normal fractionation trends in cyclic units. Elevated Pt and Pd concentrations of up to 2.6 ppm occur in ten zones within the central cyclic series in association with both the peridotitic and gabbronoritic rock types. The mineralized zones are about several meters thick and appear to have lateral continuities over several hundred meters, suggesting that they are stratiform. Platinum-group elements (PGE) occur as discrete platinum-group minerals (PGM) including vysotskite, merenskyite, michenerite, sperrylite, stillwaterite, and hollingworthite that are associated with magmatic sulfides composed of pentlandite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite. PGM grains range in size from a few micrometers to well above 20 µm. Sulfur isotope ratios and the Se/S ratios of the mineralized rocks are typically higher than the mantle values. Sulfide saturation probably occurred as a result of assimilation of crustal rocks and magma mixing during emplacement of subsequent pulses of magma. Repetition of the PGE mineralization in rather thin cyclic units suggests that the replenishing magma probably had high PGE levels and was saturated with respect to sulfide during emplacement. Ingression of the replenishing magma into the chamber in a turbulent plume and its mixing with the resident magma was probably responsible for the formation of the PGE mineralizations in the Mechanic Settlement pluton.

Jan 1, 2000

By Michael J. Friedel

As part of an investigation aimed at mitigating the hazards caused by abandoned mine openings, the Bureau of Mines conducted a series of electromagnetic surveys in the Galena, KS, area of the Tri-State mining district. The application of monostatic ground-penetrating radar (OPR) and inductive electromagnetic methods for detecting and delineating hazardous mine openings and attendant features was demonstrated to be feasible for shallow mine workings (i.e., less than 35 ft) occurring below flat-lying areas. Accurate determinations of depth to a mine roof appeared to be limited to roughly 20 ft using the GPR method. Features such as mine voids, fractures, and zones of subsidence were located beneath the Mainstreet (State Highway 26) site using the GPR system. Both the GPR and inductive electromagnetic techniques satisfactorily located mine openings and pillars at the Hell's Half Acre site. Geophysical interpretations were supported by exploratory drilling and mine maps.

Jan 1, 1990

By Jamel Sgaoula

During 1998 COGEMA Resources Inc. announced that operations at the Cluff Lake mine will be suspended indefinitely by the end of year 2000 as a result of deteriorating uranium market conditions. To remain profitable, Cluff Lake mine started an aggressive cost reduction program. A cost reduction team was formed to look for ways to lower production costs. The focus of this team was to screen all areas and to come up with ideas to improve the economy of the mine and ensure the viability of the operations over the remaining three years of operations. Among the areas where significant savings were achieved are: (1) replacement of portion of cement with fly ash in backfill; (2) backfill optimization; and (3) new shotcrete plant installation on site for bulk in-house shotcrete production. This paper details the research work carried out by Cluff Lake mine on these projects and results of its application.

May 1, 2001

By J. Herman

The Mid-Continent Geophysical Anomaly (M.G.A.) which extends from Michigan into Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, has recently been the object of intense preliminary oil and gas exploration activity involving widespread land leasing, seismic data collection, permitting of deep exploratory holes and other activities (Paul et al., 1985). This report describes the remote-sensing techniques and results of the application of these techniques to study the geology of the M.G.A. and the surroundings in Iowa. In early 1981, Coal Valley Natural Resources contracted Geospectra Corporation to find a large, (100,000 acres or larger) lease block for wildcat oil and gas exploration. The southwest Iowa area was chosen for several reasons. First, southwest Iowa contains the northeast portion of the Forest City basin (Figure 1) which has produced oil and gas from numerous fields in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska (Landes, 1970; Petzet, 1982).

Jan 1, 1986

By Karl A. Gschneidner

The magnetocaloric effect has been known for 120 years and has been utilized for cooling about 70 years. But in the last four years significant advances have been made to show that magnetic refrigeration is a viable and competitive cooling technology. Most of the work has focused on reciprocating devices, but rotary apparati are being developed. To date the magnetocaloric properties have been characterized for more than 200 materials. The magnetocaloric effect behaviors have been classified into three types of behaviors. The most common one is found in magnetic materials which exhibit a second order magnetic phase transition. Magnetic materials which exhibit a first order magnetic phase transition account for the second group of materials. Materials which exhibit multi-magnetic phase transitions make up the third group. The best candidate materials for magnetic cooling over the range from -4 to -1 350 K are also presented.

Jan 1, 2002

By R. R. Kimpel, L. G. Austin

An equation is derived describing fragment size for single fracture of brittle solids. It contains the equations of earlier workers as special or approximate cases and, in addition, is capable of describing coarse distributions in which a few large particles are produced on fracture. The equation can be fitted well to single fracture experiments where over-breakage is avoided. In 1956 Broadbent and callcottl described a method of analyzing the unit operation of grinding, applicable to homogeneous breakage of brittle materials. In essence, the grinding process was split into two parts: 1) the fractional amount of a given size which is selected for grinding per unit time, 2) the size-weight distribution of the fragments produced by breakage of this certain size (primary breakage distribution function). The theory was formulated using matrix algebra. They attempted an experimental verification of the theory using an assumed primary breakage distribution but the results were not very satisfactory. Austin and Gardner2 showed that this assumed distribution was widely different from experimental values and that it led to the poor agreement of predicted size-weight distributions with experiment found by Broadbent and Callcott. In addition, Austin and Gardner2,3,4 reformulated the original approach in terms of differential equations of grinding and demonstrated that the approach led to a very satisfactory description of the grinding process, providing that the descriptive parameters were measured experimentally. Recent work5 has substantiated these findings and the distribution functions of several materials ground under different conditions in different mills have been determined experimentally. The fraction underweight versus size used by

Jan 1, 1965

By S. Whinery

In these times of sharp rivalry, both as to price and quality, among the makers and venders of engineering explosives, it is often desirable to be able to determine the relative energy or value of the various explosives offered for sale, in order to purchase intelligently ; or, having contracted for a large amount of an explosive of a certain standard quality, to be able to ascertain if the manufacturer keeps his product up to the specified standard. The simple and inexpensive apparatus described below was devised by the writer while engaged on the improvement of the Tennessee River, at MuscleShoals, under the direction of' Major W. R. King, U. S. Engineers, in the summer of 1879. It answered the purpose so well that it is thought that a brief account of it may be of interest to other engineers. It consisted, essentially, of an old blacksmith's anvil and a common striking hammer, such as is used for driving rock-drills. The anvil was placed face downward on solid, level ground. In what was then the top of it, a vertical hole, one and one-fourth inch in diameter and about one arid three-fourths inch deep, was made with a ratchetdrill. The surface of the anvil immediately around the drill-hole was made as true and smooth as possible with a file. Next, a new striking-hammer, weighing nine pounds, with a turned and true face, was selected ; and a handle, eleven feet long and about one and a half inches in diameter, was fitted into it so that it

Jan 1, 1886

By Frédéric Flament, Luc Lachance

"The important task of metallurgical accounting that used to be done manually is being more and more automated. Currently available solutions can generate accounting reports without human intervention or almost. However, the practical conditions for fully delivering the promised benefits of those solutions are sometimes overlooked either by end-users or by integrators. The mere fact of filling reports with values satisfying several constraints such as mass conservation constraints does not, by itself, ensure a high quality metallurgical balance. Since managers make decisions based on these reports, it is logical that the metallurgical balance performance be monitored and retrofits be made if necessary. Such retrofits may involve modifications to the measurement strategy or the reduction of the spatial resolution of the material balance model. This requires an estimability and redundancy analysis (ERA) tool to assess the feasibility of the modified model. Since determining by hand the estimability and redundancy of a set of non measured and measured variables is not trivial, even for a medium-sized mineral processing plant, a dedicated ERA tool brings valuable assistance to the metallurgist in charge. The present paper aims first at explaining how a state of the art metallurgical balance is a key enabler for the adoption of a smart process plants paradigm (SPPP) in mineral processing. Then, the fundamentals behind the building of an ERA algorithm are introduced and illustrated by two examples. Finally, the role of an ERA tool in achieving state of the art metallurgical accounting and how it contributes to delivering additional value are discussed.INTRODUCTIONThe Smart Process Plants Paradigm (SPPP)Mineral processors have seen an increase lately in external pressures toward operating performance improvements. Indeed, the globalization of the mining business is a key driver to becoming more productive, more responsive to market changes, to improving corporate governance and reporting standards. Furthermore, mineral processors are also expected by their neighbouring communities to continuously improve their sustainability score. These current pressures differ somewhat from the past ones in leading to a larger than ever number of conflicting constraints that plant managers must concurrently satisfy while maximizing plant profitability. It is in turn not surprising that this context requires actions involving more real-time collaborative actions between more people in more places than ever before."

Jan 1, 2011

By S. Y. Tan

As continual complementary metal?oxide?semiconductor (CMOS) scaling requirements, metal gate/high-k dielectric/Si gate stacks are expected to replace poly-Si/SiO2/Si gate stacks in the future CMOS sub-45 nm technology node. Hafnium based oxide is a promising candidate to replace SiO2 as a gate dielectric, due to its much higher dielectric constant (high-k) and stability. The key challenges of successfully adopting the high-k dielectric/Si gate stack into advanced CMOS technology mostly come from the interfacial properties. The origins of the electrical and physical characteristics of the dielectric oxide/bulk interface were studied in detail. The leakage current density-voltage (J-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurement techniques were employed to study the dielectric oxide/Si interface. The effects of the post-deposition annealing (PDA) treatment on the interface charges of dielectric oxides were studied. We found that the PDA can effectively reduce the trapping density and leakage current, and eliminate hysteresis in the C?V curves. Besides, the changes in chemical bonding features at HfO2/Si, HfSiO/Si and HfSiON/Si interfaces due to PDA treatment were evaluated by XPS measurements. The XPS analysis provides a better interpretation of the electrical outcomes. As a result, both HfSiO and HfSiON films have exhibited superior performance in terms of thermal stability and electrical characteristics.

Jan 1, 2010

By J. -E. Eriksson, L. Hupa, T. Khazraie

With increased co-firing of coal and different biomasses in power plants, there is a growing need to study and characterize the produced, often heterogeneous ashes and to assess their utilization as secondary raw materials. In this work, we compare different methods for characterizing the ash compositions. These methods include scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The content of carbonaceous residues in the ashes was measured with CHN Sanalyzer. The methods and the pretreatment required for each of the analysis were studied in detail for three ashes: (1) coal, (2) peat and wood, (3) peat and wood residue with dolomite addition. The limitations of each method will be discussed. This work gives guidelines for selecting a rapid and reliable method for analyzing the suitability of the ash for a particular application.

Mar 1, 2018

By G. R. Love, M. L. Picklesimer

Aboue 950°C the Nb-Zr system consists of a completely miscible bcc solid solution, commonly called the phase. Between 950 and 600°C, and between 20 and 85 pct Nb, the phase deconlposes, after sunciently long times, into two bcc solid solutions. The pct Zr alloys are conveniently descibecl with T-T-T (time-temperature-transformation) curves having a nose at about 2 hr at 700°C. The reaction rate varies only slowly with zirconium content and negligibly with oxygen contanzination; it is speeded up by a factor of 10 to 15 by 90 pct cold ulork and slowed dou by n factor oj 10 to 30 by a two-hundrecljold increase in grain size. Nb-r alloys with compositions between 40 and 85 pct Nb have been the basis for the majority of commercially important superconducting materials. In part because of their commercial promise, more is known about these alloys than about most other high-field superconducting materials. At the same time, there is considerable disputed or incomplete metallurgical information. For example, although Rogers and tkins&apos; indicate a monotectoid reaction at approximately 600°C and a two-phase 01 + 0, field extending between 20 and 85 pct Nb and to a maximum of 95OGC, erhout&apos; has reported that this entire region would be a single homogeneous B were it not for oxygen contamination. Again, although it has been shown that relatively short-time heat treatments in the vicinity of 700CZ significantly improve the ability of short wire samples to carry high currents in high magnetic fields at 4.2K, these observations have never been fully correlated with the structural change or changes occurring during the anneal. We intend to investigate in detail the effect of metallurgical variables, including heat treatment, on the superconducting properties of hard superconductors. To verify that our experimental techniques are valid and to establish a relative standard against which other materials may be measured, we feel it advisable to know the behavior of the Nb-Zr alloys under a variety of processing conditions. As an initial step toward this goal, we have determined in detail the kinetics of the transformations in Nb-Zr alloys. EXPERIMENT A number of problems had to be solved before beginning any fruitful work on the reaction kinetics in this system. While solving some of these problems, either by chance or by design, small amounts of information were obtained about alloys containing 40, 50, 60, 65, 67, 70, and 75 pct Nb, bal. Zr. In addition, a large range of grain sizes and a range of temperatures considerably greater than the range indicated by Rogers and Atkins phase diagram were examined. We will, however, report in detail only the results obtained for the Nb + 33 pct Zr and Nb + 25 pct Zr alloys at three grain sizes, two levels of oxygen contamination, and the temperature range 550 to 950°C. These data are most complete, but the other data are sufficiently complete to indicate the kind and magnitude of the variation of the transformation kinetics outside this range. The first and most difficult problem encountered in this inquiry was one of sample homogeneity. When Nb-Zr alloys are arc- or electron-beam-melted on a cooled copper hearth, solidification is sufficiently slow that there is appreciable coring in the cast structure and a large variation of grain size across the button thickness. Both these factors significantly affect the apparent reaction rate in the system. A two-step solution to the problem was attempted; an arc-melting and drop-casting technique has been developed by conald that greatly reduces the as-cast grain size and virtually eliminates coring segregation. Ingots made in this way exhibited no detectable (3 pct maximum) zirconium segregation. Before it was evident just how good this technique was, we attempted to supplement it with rather long-time, high-temperature annealing of the cast ingots. This annealing was carried out in evacuated and sealed (seal-off pressures < 1.0 x 106 torr) quartz capsules lined with tantalum foil at 1400 to 1450 C for 8 to 72 hr. There were two principal effects of this treatment: the grain size increased to a fairly uniform 150 p, and the surface and all grain boundaries near the surface acquired a film of a second phase, tentatively identified as an oxide (possibly additionally contaminated with silicon). There was no evidence that this 1400 C treatment had affected the zirconium segregation. High-temperature annealing was subsequently used only for grain-size control, but anneals of longer than 4 hr at temperatures greater than 1000°C were performed in dynamic vacuums (pressure no greater than 1.0 x lo torr). Any contamination resulting from these treatments was well below the limits of detection of our techniques. All samples, as cast, were cold-swaged to at least 85 pct reduction in area. The samples called cold-worked were tested as swaged. The minimum re-crystallization anneal for these alloys was about 12 hr at 1050 C; this produced an equiaxed grain diameter of about 4 to 8 P. Annealing for 4 hr at 1450°C produced a grain size of about 80 to 150 p; and annealing for 4 hr at 1650aC, close to the melting point of many of these alloys, produced a grain size of 0.5 to 1.0 mm. At all temperatures, the larger grain size was

Jan 1, 1967

By Christoph Sagadin

Corrosion mechanisms between high melting synthetic ferronickel slags and refractory were investigated. The used slags were prepared by mixing and melting of specific oxides. Substrates of the applied refractory material and specimens of FeNi slags were heated in a hot stage microscope up to 1650 °C. The experiments were performed under a defined gas atmosphere of 60% CO and 40% CO2. A further examination of the formed phases between slag and refractory occurred by scanning electron microscope. The investigations indicate that the slag penetrates between magnesia grains and partly dissolves magnesia. Spot analyses show that iron diffuses into the magnesia grains, which transform to magnesiawustite, meanwhile SiO2 forms different types of olivine like forsterite and monticellite. Thermodynamic calculations confirm the formation of these phases. The combination of practical lab scale experiments and thermodynamic calculations should finally contribute to an improvement of the refractory lifetime and performance.