Techniques of process analysis in extractive metallurgy
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Techniques of Process Analysis in Extractive Metallurgy
NICKOLAS J . T H E M E L I S
T h e study of p r o c e s s m e t a l l u r g y should include the t h e o r y of heat, m a s s , and m o m e n t u m t r a n s f e r and a l s o the t e c h n i q u e s of p r o c e s s a n a l y s i s and d e s i g n which have m a d e c h e m i c a l e n g i n e e r i n g an i n d i s p e n s a b l e p a r t n e r of the c h e m i c a l s c i e n c e . The a n a l y t i c a l t o o l s which can be u s e d in a p a r t i c u l a r s i t u a t i o n depend e n t i r e l y on the ingenuity of the m e t a l l u r g i s t and his w i l l i n g n e s s to adapt and u t i l i z e the e x i s t i n g m e t h o d o l o g y . V a r i o u s t e c h n i q u e s of p r o c e s s a n a l y s i s a r e e x e m p l i f i e d in t h i s p a p e r .
T H E study of e x t r a c t i v e m e t a l l u r g y can be divided into two m a j o r a r e a s : c h e m i c a l m e t a l l u r g y , which is c o n c e r n e d with t h e r m o d y n a m i c s , c h e m i c a l k i n e t i c s , and diffusion, and p r o c e s s m e t a l l u r g y , which e x a m i n e s the i n t e r a c t i o n of the above with the p h y s i c a l p h e n o m e n a of m o m e n t u m , heat, and m a s s t r a n s f e r in i n d u s t r i a l f u r n a c e s or o t h e r t y p e s of r e a c t o r s . In the p a s t , the g r o w t h of knowledge in the d o m a i n of p r o c e s s m e t a l l u r g y has b e e n v e r y slow, p r o b a b l y due to the fact that m e t a l l u r g i c a l p r o c e s s e s w e r e d e v e l o p e d and o p e r a t e d e m p i r i c a l l y and, t h e r e f o r e , t h e r e was l i t t l e i n c e n t i v e for t r a i n i n g s p e c i a l i s t s in t h i s a r e a . The s t a g n a t i o n of p r o c e s s m e t a l l u r g y a s a s c i e n c e might have continued if it w e r e not for the i n c r e a s e d
c o m p e t i t i o n in the m e t a l i n d u s t r y and the n e e d to p r o duce m e t a l s m o r e e f f i c i e n t l y and with the l e a s t p o s s i b l e w a s t e and effect on the e n v i r o n m e n t . T h e r e a r e now c o n c r e t e e x a m p l e s of the s u c c e s s f u l a p p l i c a t i o n of s c i e n t i f i c p r i n c i p l e s in the design and o p e r a t i o n of m e t a l e x t r a c t i o n p r o c e s s e s ; the m y t h that m e t a l l u r g i c a l f u r n a c e s a r e too l a r g e or too hot to be s u b j e c t e d to s y s t e m a t i c a n a l y s i s and s i m u l a t i o n , is g r a d u a l l y dying out. Most extractive reaction systems are heterogeneous and, t h e r e f o r e , a r e c o n t r o l l e d by the t r a n s p o r t p h e n o m ena in the r e a c t o r . F a i l u r e to a p p r e c i a t e t h i s fact has in the p a s t r e s u l t e d in m a n y l a b o r a t o r y s t u d i e s which w e r e of l i t t l e p r a c t i c a l u s e to i n d u s t r i a l m e t a l l u r g i s t s ,
N. J. THEMELIS was born in Athens, Greece, in 1933 and obtained his Chemical Enginee
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