Greenhouse gases and the metallurgical process industry

The Kyoto Protocol of December 1997 highlighted the importance of greenhouse gas emissions. The metallurgical process industry is a contributor to these emissions and would be seriously affected by measures curtailing them. The present lecture offers a brief review of the greenhouse effect, the sources of greenhouse gases, the potential effect of these gases on global warming, the response of the international community, and the probable cost of national compliance. The specific emissions of the metallurgical process industry, particularly those of the steel and aluminum sectors, are then examined. The potential applications of life-cycle assessments and of an input-output model in programs of emissions’ abatement are investigated, and, finally, a few remarks on some implications for education are presented. Thank you for the honor and the pleasure of addressing you today. I am indeed grateful. I have chosen to speak on greenhouse gases and the metallurgical process industry, because I believe the issue is topical and I hope you will find it of interest. A comprehensive analysis of such a vast subject is clearly beyond the scope of this lecture. I have chosen instead to give you a brief overview of the situation and to examine a few particular points. As you are well aware, in the last three decades, the metallurgical industry has been faced with an explosion of environmental laws and regulations. Greenhouse gases and global warming appear to represent the next threat. That threat generates a wide spectrum of reactions, from concerned interest to indignant incredulity. I propose to start with a quick review of the greenhouse effect, the sources of greenhouse gases, the potential effect of these gases on global warming, the response of the international community, and the probable cost of national compliance. I shall then focus on the metallurgical process industry (mostly the steel and aluminum industries), and investigate the possible usage of life-cycle assessments as well as the potential of an input-output model for the analysis of various alternatives. I will also make a few remarks on certain implications for education. The Extraction and Processing Lecturer Award honors an outstanding scientific leader in the field of nonferrous extractive metallurgy with an invitation to present a comprehensive lecture at the TMS Annual Meeting. Dr. Claude H.P. Lupis is the recipient of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society’s (TMS) 1999 Extraction & Processing Lecture Award. This award was first established in 1955 to recognize an eminent individual in the extraction and processing of nonferrous metals with an invitation to present a comprehensive lecture at the TMS Annual Meeting. Dr. Lupis, Principal of Claude Lupis & Associates Pty. Ltd. (Sydney, Australia) has been appointed the Danae and Vasilis Salapatas Professor of Ferrous Metallurgy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) (1998–2003). Dr. Lupis earned his M.S. at the University of Paris, his M.B.A. from the Institut d’Administration des Entreprises, and his degree of Ingenieur Civil des Mines from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines de Paris. He also obtained his D.Sc. in metallurgy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the Senior United States Scientist Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 1975, and being named a Ford Foundation Fellow in 1965 and 1970. Dr. Lupis has authored or co-authored more than 40 papers, a graduate-level textbook, and two pedagogical films. He owns a patent on the desulfurization of fluorite ores.     

The interdisciplinary nature of hydrometallurgy

Hydrometallurgical extraction of metals is an important widely practiced technology in the metallurgical industry for treating both primary and secondary resources of valuable metals. Successful hydrometallurgical approaches to metal extraction require a full understanding of a wide spectrum of scientific and engineering principles in many disciplines. These include solution chemistry, electrochemistry, thermodynamics, kinetics, transport processes, and, frequently, biology. In this article, intricate relationships among various disciplines influencing hydrometallurgical extraction are reviewed and analyzed with pertinent examples. The effect of operating parameters on the overall extraction strategy are examined and discussed. The Extraction and Processing Lecturer Award honors an outstanding scientific leader in the field of nonferrous extractive metallurgy with an invitation to present a comprehensive lecture at the TMS Annual Meeting. Kenneth N. Han is the Regents Distinguished Professor and Douglas W. Fuerstenau Professor in the Department of Materials & Metallurgical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T). He obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Seoul National University (SNU), an M.S. from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He was with the Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) from 1971 to 1980. In 1981, he joined SDSM&T. He was head of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering from 1987 to 1994 and dean of the College of Materials Science and Engineering from 1994 to 1999. His research interests include hydrometallurgy, interfacial phenomena, metallurgical kinetics, solution chemistry, fine particle recovery, and electrometallurgy. He has directed over 70 graduate students and postdoctorate researchers, published more than 150 papers in national and international journals, and presented more than 100 papers at international conferences. He is an author of ten monographs and holds eight patents in the area of extractive metallurgy. In 1987, he received the Presidential Professor Award from SDSM&T. In 1994, he received the Ernest L. Buckley Award, a South Dakota State Governor’s Award, for his industrial research efforts. He received the Milton E. Wadsworth Award and the Arthur F. Taggart Award from the Society of Mining, Metallurgical and Exploration in 1995. In 1997, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Engineering of SNU. He became an SME Distinguished Member in 1998. In 1998, he was awarded the Excellence in Research by the SD Board of Regents. In 2000, he received the AIME Mineral Industry Education Award, and, in 2002, the Robert H. Richards Award from AIME. In 2003, he received the 2003 Extraction and Processing Distinguished Lecturer Award at the 132 TMS annual meeting in San Diego. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 1996. He is a foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea since 1998 and was inducted into the Korea Academy of Science and Technology in 1999.     

Aspects of technology transfer

Bibliometric studies have shown that the number of articles and citations of these articles in extractive metallurgy is relatively small compared to most other scientific and engineering disciplines. However, many of these other disciplines can have a significant influence on extractive metallurgy, and this article gives examples drawn from such diverse areas as solid-state chemistry, materials for energy storage, solid-state physics, molten salt chemistry, and physical metallurgy. By use of this information, it is demonstrated that significant improvements in the extraction of metals are possible. The Extraction and Processing Lecturer Award honors an outstanding scientific leader in the field of nonferrous extractive metallurgy with an invitation to present a comprehensive lecture at the TMS Annual Meeting. Derek J. Fray is a Professor of Materials Chemistry in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge. He earned his B.S. in metallurgy in 1961 and his Ph.D. in extractive metallurgy in 1965, both from Imperial College, London University. Dr. Fray has held teaching positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Leeds, where he served as department head. Dr. Fray is the recipient of several honors and awards. He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, as well as several other universities and organizations.     

Emerging technologies in extraction and processing of metals

The growing need to conserve energy and materials and prevent environmental pollution led to an increased demand for better understanding of potential as well as existing processes. In this context, thermodynamic and transport modeling of materials and processes provides a rapid and cost-effective means of conducting and minimizing the complexity of experimental investigations and developing innovative and environmentally friendly metallurgical processes. This presentation concentrates on some fundamentals on new technologies as extractive metallurgy of copper, lead, aluminum, and other nonferrous metals and processing of nanocomposites. The newer routes of copper smelting and modeling of impurities in copper and lead slags and mattes are reviewed. The copper smelting capacity increased by a factor of 10 during the last three decades, the smelting rate increased by a factor of 6, and the process fuel equivalent decreased by a factor of 2. The a priori prediction, with no adjustable parameters, of impurity capacities of S and As in copper slags and S in lead slags, based on the Reddy-Blander model, is reviewed. Excellent agreement between the model-predicted capacities data and laboratory experimental and industrial data was observed. The model is an invaluable tool for optimization of process parameters in the efficient removal of impurities from the nonferrous-metals smelting and refining processes. A new in-situ processing technology for the production of a lightweight alloy matrix with ceramic particle reinforcements such as SiC in aluminum alloy matrix composites by bubbling reactive gas is reviewed. Thermal plasma processing of a nanoscale aluminum alloy matrix with TiC and TiN composites is discussed. The in-situ formed reinforcements are thermodynamically stable, and the composite particles are of uniform size. The optimum process parameters for the production of composite powders by thermal plasma are discussed. A low-temperature aluminum production and refining process using ionic liquids as electrolytes is reviewed. This newly developed aluminum production process has many advantages over the current industrial process, and the energy consumption is closer to the thermodynamic limit of aluminum production. The Extraction and Processing Lecturer Award honors an outstanding scientific leader in the field of nonferrous extractive metallurgy with an invitation to present a comprehensive lecture at the TMS Annual Meeting. Dr. R.G. Reddy is an ACIPCO Chair Professor of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering; Adjunct Professor of Chemical Engineering; and Associate Director of Center for Green Manufacturing at The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL). His academic and research work experiences include: Professor and Chairman of the Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at University of Nevada, Reno; Visiting Researcher at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley; Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay; and Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago. Professor Reddy has 20 years of teaching and research experience in the field of chemical and materials engineering. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of Utah. He has conducted projects involving thermodynamics and kinetics of metallurgical reactions; pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, plasma processing of metals, molten salt electrolysis, and waste processing. He has published over 174 research articles in national and international journals and 7 books, including one undergraduate student textbook in thermodynamics. He has presented numerous invited lectures and research presentations in the United States and abroad. As an Endowed Chair Professor in the college of engineering and a major professor and supervisor, he advised and worked with over 60 research scholars, students, and visiting scientists. Recently, his alma mater, the University of Utah, recognized Dr. Reddy as a John Lewis Distinguished Lecturer of the year. Dr. Reddy has served in many leadership positions within the College of Engineering, the University, and other national and international organizations. He currently chairs the Extraction and Processing committee for TMS, and the Phase-equilibria committee of ASM. In SME, Dr. Reddy serves on the Pyrometallurgy committee (past chair) and Education committee (past chair). He was appointed as the University of Alabama Coordinator for the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) and NASA, and Council Member for the Alabama State Committee for Department of Defense-EPSCoR programs. He has received the “Service Award” from TMS Light Metals. Dr. Reddy has received a Research Award from the J. Manufacturing Society and a Best Research Paper—Recycling Award from the Light Metals Division, TMS. He is also a Fellow of ASM International.     

Phase diagram calculations in teaching, research, and industry

I have a long-standing interest in alloy thermodynamics/phase diagrams and in utilizing the principles of this subject for materials research and engineering applications. At the same time, I also have a long association with ASM International as a member and a former Trustee of the Society. The Society’s initiative in promoting critical assessments of phase diagrams beginning in the late 1970s rekindled this field and stimulated further research, particularly in phase diagram calculations. Significant advancements have been made in phase diagram calculations using the Calphad approach since the late 1980s due primarily to the availability of inexpensive computers and robust software. In this article, I first present the use of computational thermodynamics including phase diagram calculation in teaching, next the use of calculated phase diagrams, particularly for multicomponent systems, for materials research/development, and manufacturing, and last describe some current research in advancing this methodology when the phases involve ordering with decreasing temperature. He received his BS from the University of California-Berkeley and his MS from the University of Washington-Seattle, both in Chemical Engineering, and his Ph.D. in Metallurgy from the University of California-Berkeley. After spending 4 years in industry, he joined the faculty of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as Associate Professor in 1967 and was promoted to Professor in 1970. He served as the Chair of the Materials Department from 1971 to 1977 and then as the Associate Dean for Research in the Graduate School from 1978–1980. In 1980, he joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the Fall of 1980 as Professor, served as the Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 1982 to 1991, and was named Wisconsin Distinguished Professor in 1988. He delivered the Edward DeMille Campbell Lecture at the Annual ASM International (ASM) Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, on October 14, 2003. Professor Chang has a strong interest in research, teaching, and education. He is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Fellow of ASM and the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS). He has focused his research on thermodynamic modeling/phase diagram calculation and in applying thermodynamics and kinetics to extraction/refining in his earlier career and then structural, electronic, and magnetic materials in bulk form as well as at the nanoscale. Among his recognitions are the Wisconsin Idea Fellow Award (UW System, 2004), a highly cited materials scientist covering the period 1981–1999 (ISHighlyCited, 2003), John Bardeen Award (TMS, 2000), Albert Sauveur Achievement Award (ASM, 1996). Champion H. Mathewson Medal (TMS, 1996), Extraction and Processing Lecturer Award (TMS, 1993), William Hume-Rothery Award (TMS, 1989), Belton Lecturer Award (CSIRO, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 2000), Winchell Lecturer Award (Purdue University, 1999), Best Paper Award with Dr. W.-M. Huang (Alloy Phase Diagram International Commission or APDIC, 1999), Honorary Professorship (Northeast University, Shenyang, 1998-, Southeast University, Nanjing, 1997-, Central South University of Technology, Changsha, Hunan, 1996-, and University of Science and Technology Beijing, 1995-, all in the People’s Republic of China), Summer Faculty (Quantum Structure Research Initiative, Hewlett-Packard Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA, 1999). Honorary Chair Professor (National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Republic of China, 2002–2005), Visiting Professorship (MIT, 1991 and Tohoku University, Sendai, 1987), Honorary Life Membership of Alpha Sigma Mu (1985), and Byron Bird Award (University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1978). He also received recognitions in teaching and education: an Outstanding Instructor Award (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1972), Educator Award (TMS, 1990), and Albert Easton White Distinguished Teacher Award (ASM, 1994). He served as a Trustee of ASM (1981–1984), as the 2000 President of TMS, and as the National President of Alpha Sigma Mu (1984).     

Converting an idea into a worldwide business commercializing smelting technology

Pyrometallurgy is an ancient art which has defined significant stages of human development. Today, new opportunities for improvements in the economic, environmental, and workplace costs of metal production continue to provide challenges for the profession and industry. Top-submerged lancing technology for the high-temperature processing of a range of metals and wastes is an example that has been taken up by many companies around the world. The furnace system now marketed under the names of Ausmelt and Isasmelt was, in the early stage of its 33 years of development, known as Sirosmelt. The voyage from the original idea through theoretical, laboratory, pilot plant, and commercial developments to establishment of a worldwide business has been both stimulating and rewarding. The Extraction and Processing Lecturer Award honors an outstanding scientific leader in the field of nonferrous extractive metallurgy with an invitation to present a comprehensive lecture at the TMS Annual Meeting. John Floyd is Deputy Chair, Ausmelt Limited, Australia. He earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Melbourne, Ph.D. from London University, and DIC from Imperial College. Dr. Floyd has authored or co-authored more than 70 published technical articles and has invented or co-invented 15 patented process or equipment inventions in the extractive metallurgy and high-temperature processing plant areas.     

Some generalities in the analyses of equilibria in lonic solutions

Despite great differences in the physical and chemical properties of various ionic media, common methods for analyzing internal equilibrium provide useful and simple means for interpreting and predicting their behavior. The formalism of M. Pourbaix for analyzing the activities and solubilities of solutes in aqueous solutions has provided a foundation for interpreting corrosion, solubilities, and electrochemical phenomena for such solutions. Although perhaps not so obvious, the formalism of Kroger-Vink (K-V) in plotting the point defect concentrations for ionic solids derives from the same mathematical method. Likewise, the activities and solubilities for solutes in fused salts, e.g., fused sodium sulfate, can be treated by exactly the same sort of simultaneous resolution of equilibria for reactions in an ionic medium. Suggestions for extension of this analysis to cryolite-base fused salt solutions important to aluminum extraction are discussed. The Institute of Metals Lecture and Robert Franklin Mehl Award is presented for leadership in the field of materials science and applications. This honor recognizes an outstanding scientific leader by inviting him or her to present a lecture, at the Society’s Annual Meeting, on a technical subject of particular interest to members in the materials science and application of metals program areas. Dr. Robert A. Rapp, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at Ohio State University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, is The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society’s (TMS) 2000 Institute of Metals Lecturer and will receive the Robert Franklin Mehl Award at the 2000 TMS Annual Meeting. Dr. Rapp earned his B.S. from Purdue University in 1956 and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1958 and 1959, all in metallurgical engineering. Dr. Rapp was a research metallurgist at Wright Patterson Air Force Base before joining the faculty at Ohio State. He has published over 245 papers and holds 20 patients. Dr. Rapp was a Guggenheim Fellow from 1972 to 1973, has held two Fulbright scholarships, and is a fellow of six US and foreign societies. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Presentation of this award took place at the 2000 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Nashville, TN March 12–16. 2000.     

The changing scene in steel

In the past thirty years the United States has moved from a position where it dominated world steel production to where it is now only one of the major world steel producers. The interplay of technology, economics and world politics which has brought this about will be reviewed, with particular emphasis on important technological changes which have occurred in the last three decades. To illustrate how research, development and application interacted to bring about change, specific examples will be given in ore reduction, continuous casting and high-strength steel products. The Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture was established in 1926 as an annual lecture in memory of and in recognition of the outstanding scientific contributions to the metallurgical profession by a distinguished educator who was blind for all but two years of his professional life. It recognizes demonstrated ability in metallurgical science and engineering. H. W. PAXTON is Vice President-Research of the United States Steel Corporation. He received a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in 1947 and 1948 from the University of Manchester and his Ph.D. in 1952 from the University of Birmingham. In 1953 he became Assistant Professor of Metallurgical Engineering at Carnegie Institute of Technology, subsequently Carnegie-Mellon University, and became Head of the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science and Director of the Metals Research Laboratory of Carnegie-Mellon in 1966. He was Visiting Professor in Metallurgy and Materials Science at Imperial College, London, in 1962–63 and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1970, and served two years as the first Director, Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation 1971–1973. He was a consultant to industry from 1953 to 1974 and has authored many technical papers, primarily in the field of physical metallurgy. He also co-authored a book,Alloying Elements in Steel, with the late Dr. E. C. Bain. Dr. Paxton received the Bradley Stoughton Award for young teachers of metallurgy in 1960. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Directors of Industrial Research, and the Industrial Research Institute; Fellow of the American Society for Metals and The Metallurgical Society of AIME; Past President of TMS; Vice President of the American Institute of Mining Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers; Past Chairman of the General Research committee of the American Iron and Steel Institute, and was elected to membership of the National Academy of Engineering on April 3, 1978.     

Why materials science and engineering is good for metallurgy

Metallurgy/materials education will continue to evolve to encompass, in an intellectually unified way, the full range of structural and functional materials. Computation, information, and other advanced sciences and technologies will assume increasing roles in materials education, as will distance and continuing education. The advantages of the changes will be many … to the graduates, to emerging industries, and to the traditional metallurgical industries seeking productive, creative young engineers as employees. The need for continuing change in our metallurgy/materials departments is now no less if we are to attract the best young people into our field in the numbers needed and to best serve the needs of industry. Merton C. Flemings received his S.B. degree from MIT in the Department of Metallurgy in 1951. He received his S.M. and Sc.D. degrees, also in Metallurgy, in 1952 and 1954, respectively. From 1954 to 1956, he was employed as Metallurgist at Abex Corporation (Mahwah, NJ), and in 1956 returned to MIT as Assistant Professor. He was appointed Associate Professor in 1961 and Professor in 1969. In 1970, he was appointed Abex Professor of Metallurgy. In 1975, he became Ford Professor of Engineering, and, in 1981, Toyota Professor of Materials Processing. He established and was the first director of the Materials Processing. He established and was the first director of the Materials Processing Center at MIT in 1979. He served as Head, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, from 1982 to 1995 and thereafter returned to full-time teaching and research as Toyota Professor. He was Visiting Professor at Cambridge University in 1971, Tokyo University in 1986, and Ecole des Mines in 1996. In 1999, he was appointed Co-Director of the Singapore-MIT Alliance, a major distance educational and research collaboration among MIT and two Singaporean universities. Professor Flemings’ research and teaching concentrate on engineering fundamentals of materials processing and on innovation of materials processing operations. He is active nationally and internationally in strengthening the field of Materials Science and Engineering and in delineation of new directions for the field. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is author or co-author of 300 papers, 26 patents, and 2 books in the fields of solidification science and engineering, foundry technology, and materials processing. He has worked closely with industry and industrial problems throughout his professional career and currently serves on a number of corporate and technical advisory boards. He received the Simpson Gold Medal from the American Foundrymen’s Society in 1961, the Mathewson Gold Medal of TMS in 1969, and the Henry Marion Howe Medal of ASM International in 1973 and became a Fellow, ASM International, in 1976. In 1977, he was awarded the Henri Sainte-Claire Deville Medal by the Societe Francaise de Metallurgie. In October 1978, he received the Albert Sauveur Achievement Award from ASM INTERNATIONAL. In 1980, he received the John Chipman Award from AIME. In 1984, he was elected an honorary member of the Japan Foundrymen’s Society and, in 1985, received the James Douglas Gold Medal from the AIME. The Italian Metallurgical Association awarded him the Luigi Losana Gold Medal in 1986, and he was elected honorary member of The Japan Iron and Steel Institute in 1987. He was elected a TMS Fellow in 1989. In 1990, he received the TMS Leadership Award, and the Henry Marion Howe Medal and delivered the Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture of ASM INTERNATIONAL. In 1991, he received the Merton C. Flemings Award from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Sigma Alpha Mu elected him a Distinguished Life Member in 1992. In 1993, he received the TMS 1993 Bruce Chalmers Award and was elected Councillor of the Materials Research Society. He was elected to the ASM INTERNATIONAL Board of Trustees in 1994. He received the Acta Metallurgica J. Herbert Holloman Award in 1997 for “contributions to materials technology that have had major impact on society.” Also in 1997 he was appointed David Turnbull Lecturer of the Materials Research Society for “outstanding contributions to understanding materials phenomena and properties.” He received the Educator Award of TMS in 1999, received the FMS (Federation of Materials Societies) National Materials Advancement Award in late 1999, and delivered the ASM and TMS Distinguished Lecture in Materials and Society in 2000.     

Heap Leaching Technology—Current State,Innovations, and Future Directions: A Review

Heap leaching is a well-established extractive metallurgical technology enabling the economical processing of various kinds of low-grade ores, which could not otherwise be exploited. However, despite much progress since it was first applied in recent times, the process remains limited by low recoveries and long extraction times. It is becoming increasingly clear that the choice of heap leaching as a suitable technology to process a particular mineral resource, which is both environmentally sound and economically viable, very much depends on having a comprehensive understanding of the underlying fundamental mechanisms of the processes and how they interact with the particular mineralogy of the ore body under consideration. This paper provides an introduction to the theoretical background of various heap leach processes, offers a scientific and patent literature overview on technology developments in commercial heap leaching operations around the world, identifies factors that drive the selection of heap leaching as a processing technology, describes challenges to exploiting these innovations, and concludes with a discussion on the future of heap leaching.     

Why materials science and engineering is good for metallurgy

Metallurgy/materials education will continue to evolve to encompass, in an intellectually unified way, the full range of structural and functional materials. Computation, information, and other advanced sciences and technologies will assume increasing roles in materials education, as will distance and continuing education. The advantages of the changes will be many ... to the graduates, to emerging industries, and to the traditional metallurgical industries seeking productive, creative young engineers as employees. The need for continuing change in our metallurgy/materials departments is now no less if we are to attract the best young people into our field in the numbers and to best serve the needs of industry. Merton C. Flemings received his S.B. degree from MIT in the Department of Metallurgy in 1951. He received his S.M. and Sc.D. degrees, also in Metallurgy, in 1952 and 1954, respectively. From 1954 to 1956, he was employed as Metallurgist at Abex Corporation (Mahwah, NJ), and in 1956 returned to MIT as Assistant Professor. He was appointed Associate Professor in 1961 and Professor in 1969. In 1970, he was appointed Abex Professor of Metallurgy. In 1975, he became Ford Professor of Engineering, and, in 1981, Toyota Professor of Materials Processing. He established and was the first director of the Materials Processing Center at MIT in 1979. He served as Head, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, from 1982 to 1995 and thereafter returned to full-time teaching and research as Toyota Professor. He was Visiting Professor at Cambridge University in 1971, Tokyo University in 1986, and Ecole des Mines in 1996. In 1999, he was appointed Co-Director of the Singapore-MIT Alliance, a major distance educational and research collaboration among MIT and two Singaporean universities. Professor Flemings’ research and teaching concentrate on engineering fundamentals of materials processing and on innovation of materials processing operations. He is active nationally and internationally in strengthening the field of Materials Science and Engineering and in delineation of new directions for the field. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is author or co-author of 300 papers, 26 patents, and 2 books in the fields of solidification science and engineering, foundry technology, and materials processing. He has worked closely with industry and industrial problems throughout his professional career and currently serves on a number of corporate and technical advisory boards. He received the Simpson Gold Medal from the American Foundrymen’s Society in 1961, the Mathewson Gold Medal of TMS in 1969, and the Henry Marion Howe Medal of ASM International in 1973 and became a Fellow, ASM International, in 1976. In 1977, he was awarded the Henri Sainte-Claire Deville Medal by the Societe Francaise de Metallurgie. In October 1978, he received the Albert Sauveur Achievement Award from ASM INTERNATIONAL. In 1980, he received the John Chipman Award from AIME. In 1984, he was elected an honorary member of the Japan Foundrymen’s Society and, in 1985, received the James Douglas Gold Medal from the AIME. The Italian Metallurgical Association awarded him the Luigi Losana Gold Medal in 1986, and he was elected honorary member of The Japan Iron and Steel Institute in 1987. He was elected a TMS Fellow in 1989. In 1990, he received the TMS Leadership Award, and the Henry Marion Howe Medal and delivered the Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture of ASM INTERNATIONAL. In 1991, he received the Merton C. Flemings Award from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Sigma Alpha Mu elected him a Distinguished Life Member in 1992. In 1993, he received the TMS 1993 Bruce Chalmers Award and was elected Councillor of the Materials Research Society. He was elected to the ASM INTERNATIONAL Board of Trustees in 1994. He received the Acta Metallurgica J. Herbert Holloman Award in 1997 for “contributions to materials technology that have had major impact on society.” Also in 1997 he was appointed David Turnbull Lecturer of the Materials Research Society for “outstanding contributions to understanding materials phenomena and properties.” He received the Educator Award of TMS in 1999, received the FMS (Federation of Materials Societies) National Materials Advancement Award in late 1999, and delivered the ASM and TMS Distinguished Lecture in Materials and Society in 2000.     

The challenge of quality in continuous casting processes

As in any process, the laws of nature are at work in the continuous casting of metals. Heat spills down temperature gradients under the watchful eye of Fourier, while molten metal moves in response to inertial and body forces governed by the Navier-Stokes equations. Tensile strains develop in the solidifying shell subject to changing cooling conditions, the constitutive behavior of the metal, compatibility, and the Prandtl-Reuss relations. Solutes segregate as thermodynamics compete with diffusion to create a heterogeneous solid from a homogeneous liquid. The challenge to the process engineer is to harness these laws to continuously cast a metal section that is free of cracks, has minimal macrosegregation, and has the desired shape. Confronted with the demands of production, cost containment, and an educationally challenged workforce, the obstacles are very real. One response to the challenge is to move knowledge to the shop floor, where wealth is created, through expert systems to educate the workforce and through artificial intelligence to make the continuous casting process “smart.” Harnessing knowledge for wealth creation, and profitability, is the real challenge. The Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture was established in 1926 as an annual lecture in memory of and in recognition of the outstanding scientific contributions to the metallurgical profession by a distinguished educator who was blind for all but two years of his professional life. It recognizes demonstrated ability in metallurgical science and engineering. Dr. J. Keith Brimacombe delivered the 1996 Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture at the ASM-TMS Meeting in Cincinnati, OH. The written lecture was nearly complete at the time of his untimely passing on December 16, 1997 and has been finished and submitted by his colleague, Professor I.V. Samarasekera. On October 1, 1997, J. Keith Brimacombe was appointed the first President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. This enterprise, newly established by the Federal Government of Canada, was provided with one billion dollars of funding with the objective of strengthening the nation’s research infrastructure in universities and hospitals. Sadly, Dr. Brimacombe was able to serve only 3 months of his term and succumbed to a massive heart attack on December 16, 1997, at the age of 54. Dr. Brimacombe held the Alcan Chair in Materials Process Engineering, The Centre for Metallurgical Process Engineering at the University of British Columbia, prior to his appointment with the Canada Foundation for Innovation. He was born in Nova Scotia, raised in Alberta, and received his undergraduate education at UBC, obtaining a B.A.Sc. (Hons.) in 1966. With the support of a Commonwealth Fellowship, he traveled to England and studied under one of the great metallurgical thermochemists of this century, F.D. Richardson, F.R.S., at Imperial College of Science and Technology in the University of London, where he received a Ph.D. in 1970. Subsequently, he was awarded the D.Sc. (Eng.) in 1986 by the University of London and an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering degree in 1994 by the Colorado School of Mines. He returned to the University of British Columbia in 1970 to establish courses and a research program in metallurgical process engineering. He remained at UBC, achieving the rank of Professor in 1979, Stelco Professor of Process Metallurgy (a chair endowed by Stelco) in 1980, Stelco/NSERC Professor (a chair endowed by Stelco and NSERC) in 1985, and the Alcan Chair in 1992. One of the finest metallurgical engineers on the world stage in this century, Dr. Brimacombe pioneered the application of mathematical models and industrial and laboratory measurements, to shed light on complex metallurgical processes spanning both the ferrous and nonferrous industries during his 27 year career at the University of British Columbia. For his groundbreaking research, he earned the reputation of being one of the most innovative intellectual giants in the field, for which he earned global recognition. During his tenure at UBC, he built a large collaborative research group in metallurgical process engineering consisting of about 70 faculty, graduate students, research engineers, and technicians. Much of the research was conducted in close collaboration with Canadian companies such as Stelco, Hatch Associates, Algoma Steel, Western Canada Steel, Sidbec-Dosco, Ivaco, Cominco, Noranda, Inco, Alcan, Domtar, Canadian Liquid Air, and Liquid Carbonic. The thrust of the research was the development and improvement of metallurgical processes, such as continuous casting of steel, flash smelting of lead and copper converting, rotary kilns, and micro-structural engineering of steel and aluminum, and DC casting processes. This body of work led to 300 publications and nine patents as well as two books. In 1985, in cooperation with faculty colleagues, he founded the Centre for Metallurgical Process Engineering at UBC and was named its Director. The purpose of the Centre is to strengthen the interdisciplinary approach to metallurgical process research and to broaden the field of application to materials other than metals. For this body of research, he was awarded the B.C. Science and Engineering Gold Medal (1985) and the Ernest C. Manning Prize (1987) and, before that, the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (1979) from NSERC. He also received the following awards: TMS-AIME Charles Herty Award (1973 and 1987), AMS Marcus A. Grossmann Award (1976), TMS Extractive Metallurgy Science Award (1979, 1987, and 1989), ISS John Chipman Award (1979, 1985, and 1996), TMS Champion H. Mathewson Gold Medal (1980), ISS Robert Woolston Hunt Silver Medal (1980, 1983, and 1993), ASM Henry Marion Howe Medal (1980 and 1985), TMS Extractive Metallurgy Technology Award (1983 and 1991), the Williams Prize of the Metals Society (UK) (1983), the ISS Mechanical Working and Steel Processing Conference Meritorious Award (1986 and 1996), the ASM Canadian Council Lectureship (1986), and the CIM Metallurgical Society Alcan Award (1988). In 1981, he delivered the Arnold Markey Lecture to the Steel Bar Mill Association. In 1987, he was made a Distinguished Member of the Iron and Steel Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1988, he became a Fellow of the CIM and, in 1989, he delivered the TMS Extractive Metallurgy Lecture while being awarded Fellowship in TMS. Also in 1989, he was awarded the Izaak Walton Killam Prize for Engineering by the Canada Council, joined the Board of Directors of Sherritt Gordon Ltd., received the Bell Canada Corporate-Higher Education Award and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1990, he received the Meritorious Achievement Award of the Association of Professional Engineers of British Columbia and a UBC Killam Research Prize. In 1992, he was honored with the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation and, in 1993, delivered the Howe Memorial Lecture of the Iron and Steel Society and became Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. In 1994, he presented the D.K.C. MacDonald Memorial Lecture; and in 1995, he was the Inland Steel Lecturer at Northwestern University and received the Ablett Prize of the Institute of Materials. In 1996, he delivered the ASM Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture and, in 1997, received the AIME Distinguished Service, and he was elected a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Engineering. In June 1997, he received Canada’s highest scientific honor, the Canada Gold Medal in Science and Engineering from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. In 1998, Dr. Brimacombe was posthumously awarded the Benjamin Fairless Award by the AIME and the Inco Medal by the CIM at their centennlal celebration. Beyond the quest to generate knowledge and train young people, he was driven by the desire to see the fruits of his research implemented in industry. Not satisfied that publications in peer-reviewed journals are an effective means of reaching out to the shop floor, where knowledge implementation creates wealth, he worked tirelessly at the University-Industry interface to make the transfer of knowledge to industry a reality. A gifted speaker, he was renowned for his ability to translate complex research results to changes that are required to the process for improved quality and/or productivity. Thus, he was sought after by the global metallurgical industry and presented over 50 courses in companies in every continent. A course on continuous casting of steel offered annually in Vancouver, under his directorship, attracted participants from around the world. He seized the opportunities provided by the revolution in computer technology to help further the transfer of knowledge, and since the early 1980s drove the development of user-friendly mathematical models as a means of transferring research results to industry. Brimacombe was also instrumental in developing “smart” systems for the transfer of knowledge and spearheaded the development of an expert system for diagnosing defects in steel billets, which is being marketed commercially. A recent project involving Canadian companies is the development of a “Smart Process,” in which knowledge is made to work in the process through the use of an on-line expert system and sensors. He gave unreservedly of his time to professional societies, which are a vehicle for knowledge transfer and professional development of materials engineers. He was the only professional who was President of the three major societies serving materials engineers in North America: TMS-CIM in Canada in 1985, TMS-AIME in 1993, and ISS-AIME in 1995. His enthusiasm for professional societies was infectious and has led to the initiation of a very dynamic student chapter at UBC. He served on the Killam Research Fellowships Committee of the Canada Council from 1982 to 1985, where he initiated the Killam Prize in Engineering and worked on other committees of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, the Science Council of British Columbia, and the Canadian Steel Industry Research Association. He served on the Boards of the ISS and TMS in the United States. He served on numerous committees in these societies, including Joint Commission and Board of Review of Metallurgical Transactions, Book Publishing Committee, Awards Committee, Extractive Metallurgy Sub-committee, Nominating Committee, and Long Range Planning Committee. In 1989, he assumed responsibilities as Founding Chairman of the TMS Extraction and Processing Division, in 1993–4 was TMS President, and in 1994–5 was Founding President of the TMS Foundation. In 1990, he was named as an Eminent Scientist to the Board of Directors of the Ontario Centre for Materials Research. In 1995, he was Chairman of the Science Policy Committee of the Royal Society of Canada and was a member of the National Materials Advisory Board (united States). In 1996, he was elected Vice President of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada and was appointed to the Board of the United Engineering Trust. He served on the Board of Trustees of the AIME since 1993; had he lived, he would have become President of the AIME in 1999.     

The challenge of quality in continuous casting processes

As in any process, the laws of nature are at work in the continuous casting of metals. Heat spills down temperature gradients under the watchful eye of Fourier, while molten metal moves in response to inertial and body forces governed by the Navier-Stokes equations. Tensile strains develop in the solidifying shell subject to changing cooling conditions, the constitutive behavior of the metal, compatibility, and the Prandtl-Reuss relations. Solutes segregate as thermodynamics compete with diffusion to create a heterogeneous solid from a homogeneous liquid. The challenge to the process engineer is to harness these laws to continuously cast a metal section that is free of cracks, has minimal macrosegregation, and has the desired shape. Confronted with the demands of production, cost containment, and an educationally challenged workforce, the obstacles are very real. One response to the challenge is to move knowledge to the shop floor, where wealth is created, through expert systems to educate the workforce and through artificial intelligence to make the continuous casting process “smart.” Harnessing knowledge for wealth creation, and profitability, is the real challenge. The Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture was established in 1926 as an annual lecture in memory of and in recognition of the outstanding scientific contributions to the metallurgical profession by a distinguished educator who was blind for all but two years of his professional life. It recognizes demonstrated ability in metallurgical science and engineering. Dr. J. Keith Brimacombe delivered the 1996 Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture at the ASM-TMS Meeting in Cincinnati, OH. The written lecture was nearly complete at the time of his untimely passing on December 16, 1997 and has been finished and submitted by his colleague, Professor I.V. Samarasekera. On October 1, 1997, J. Keith Brimacombe was appointed the first President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. This enterprise, newly established by the Federal Government of Canada, was provided with one billion dollars of funding with the objective of strengthening the nation’s research infrastructure in universities and hospitals. Sadly, Dr. Brimacombe was able to serve only 3 months of his term and succumbed to a massive heart attack on December 16, 1997, at the age of 54. Dr. Brimacombe held the Alcan Chair in Materials Process Engineering, The Centre for Metallurgical Process Engineering at the University of British Columbia, prior to his appointment with the Canada Foundation for Innovation. He was born in Nova Scotia, raised in Alberta, and received his undergraduate education at UBC, obtaining a B.A.Sc. (Hons.) in 1966. With the support of a Commonwealth Fellowship, he traveled to England and studied under one of the great metallurgical thermochemists of this century, F.D. Richardson, F.R.S., at Imperial College of Science and Technology in the University of London, where he received a Ph.D. in 1970. Subsequently, he was awarded the D.Sc. (Eng.) in 1986 by the University of London and an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering degree in 1994 by the Colorado School of Mines. He returned to the University of British Columbia in 1970 to establish courses and a research program in metallurgical process engineering. He remained at UBC, achieving the rank of Professor in 1979, Stelco Professor of Process Metallurgy (a chair endowed by Stelco) in 1980, Stelco/NSERC Professor (a chair endowed by Stelco and NSERC) in 1985, and the Alcan Chair in 1992. One of the finest metallurgical engineers on the world stage in this century, Dr. Brimacombe pioneered the application of mathematical models and industrial and laboratory measurements, to shed light on complex metallurgical processes spanning both the ferrous and nonferrous industries during his 27 year career at the University of British Columbia. For his groundbreaking research, he earned the reputation of being one of the most innovative intellectual grants in the field, for which he earned global recognition. During his tenure at UBC, he built a large collaborative research group in metallurgical process engineering consisting of about 70 faculty, graduate students, research engineers, and technicians. Much of the research was conducted in close collaboration with Canadian companies such as Stelco, Hatch Associates, Algoma Steel, Western Canada Steel, Sidbec-Dosco, Ivaco, Cominco. Noranda, Inco, Alcan, Domtar, Canadian Liquid Air, and Liquid Carbonic. The thrust of the research was the development and improvement of metallurgical processes, such as continuous casting of steel, flash smelting of lead and copper converting, rotary kilns, and microstructural engineering of steel and aluminum, and DC casting processes. This body of work led to 300 publications and nine patents as well as two books. In 1985, in cooperation with faculty colleagues, he founded the Centre for Metallurgical Process Engineering at UBC and was named its Director. The purpose of the Centre is to strengthen the interdisciplinary approach to metallurgical process research and to broaden the field of application to materials other than metals. For this body of research, he was awarded the B.C. Science and Engineering Gold Medal (1985) and the Ernest C. Manning Prize (1987) and, before that, the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (1979) from NSERC. He also received the following awards: TMS-AIME Charles Herty Award (1973 and 1987). AMS Marcus A. Grossmann Award (1976), TMS Extractive Metallurgy Science Award (1979, 1987, and 1989), ISS John Chipman Award (1979, 1985, and 1996), TMS Champion H. Mathewson Gold Medal (1980), ISS Robert Woolston Hunt Silver Medal (1980, 1983, and 1993), ASM Henry Marion Howe Medal (1980 and 1985), TMS Extractive Metallurgy Technology Award (1983 and 1991), the Williams Prize of the Metals Society (UK) (1983), the ISS Mechanical Working and Steel Processing Conference Meritorious Award (1986 and 1996), the ASM Canadian Council Lectureship (1986), and the CIM Metallurgical Society Alcan Award (1988). In 1981, he delivered the Arnold Markey Lecture to the Steel Bar Mill Association. In 1987, he was made a Distinguished Member of the Iron and Steel Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1988, he became a Fellow of the CIM and, in 1989, he delivered the TMS Extractive Metallurgy Lecture while being awarded Fellowship in TMS. Also in 1989, he was awarded the Izaak Walton Killam Prize for Engineering by the Canada Council, joined the Board of Directors of Sherritt Gordon Ltd., received the Bell Canada Corporate Higher Education Award and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1990, he received the Meritorious Achievement Award of the Association of Professional Engineers of British Columbia and a UBC Killam Research Prize. In 1992, he was honored with the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation and, in 1993, delivered the Howe Memorial Lecture of the Iron and Steel Society and became Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. In 1994, he presented the D.K.C. MacDonald Memorial Lecture; and in 1995, he was the Inland Steel Lecturer at Northwestern University and received the Ablett Prize of the Institute of Materials. In 1996, he delivered the ASM Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture and, in 1997, received the AIME Distinguished Service, and he was elected a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Engineering. In June 1997, he received Canada’s highest scientific honor, the Canada Gold Medal in Science and Engineering from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. In 1998, Dr. Brimacombe was posthumously awarded the Benjamin Fairless Award by the AIME and the Inco Medal by the CIM at their centennial celebration. Beyond the quest to generate knowledge and train young people, he was driven by the desire to see the fruits of his research implemented in industry. Not satisfied that publications in peer-reviewed journals are an effective means of reaching out to the shop floor, where knowledge implementation creates wealth, he worked tirelessly at the University-Industry interface to make the transfer of knowledge to industry a reality. A gifted speaker, he was renowned for his ability to translate complex research results to changes that are required to the process for improved quality and or productivity. Thus, he was sought after by the global metallurgical industry and presented over 50 courses in companies in every continent. A course on continuous casting of steel offered annually in Vancouver, under his directorship, attracted participants from around the world. He seized the opportunities provided by the revolution in computer technology to help further the transfer of knowledge, and since the early 1980s drove the development of user-friendly mathematical models as a means of transferring research results to industry. Brimacombe was also instrumental in developing “smart” systems for the transfer of knowledge and spearheaded the development of an expert system for diagnosing defects in steel billets, which is being marketed commercially. A recent project involving Canadian companies is the development of a “Smart Process,” in which knowledge is made to work in the process through the use of an on-line expert system and sensors. He gave unreservedly of his time to professional societies, which are a vehicle for knowledge transfer and professional development of materials engineers. He was the only professional who was President of the three major societies serving materials engineers in North America: TMS-CIM in Canada in 1985, TMS-AIME in 1993, and ISS-AIME in 1995. His enthusiasm for professional societies was infectious and has led to the initiation of a very dynamic student chapter at UBC. He served on the Killam Research Fellowships Committee of the Canada Council from 1982 to 1985, where he initiated the Killam Prize in Engineering and worked on other committees of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, the Science Council of British Columbia, and the Canadian Steel Industry Research Association. He served on the Boards of the ISS and TMS in the United States. He served on numerous committees in these societies, including Joint Commission and Board of Review of Metallurgical Transactions, Book Publishing Committee, Awards Committee, Extractive Metallurgy Sub-committee, Nominating Committee, and Long Range Planning Committee. In 1989, he assumed responsibilities as Founding Chairman of the TMS Extraction and Processing Division, in 1993–4 was TMS President, and in 1994–5 was Founding President of the TMS Foundation. In 1990, he was named as an Eminent Scientist to the Board of Directors of the Ontario Centre for Materials Research. In 1995, he was Chairman of the Science Policy Committee of the Royal Society of Canada and was a member of the National Materials Advisory Board (United States). In 1996, he was elected Vice President of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada and was appointed to the Board of the United Engineering Trust. He served on the Board of Trustees of the AIME since 1993; had he lived, he would have become President of the AIME in 1999.     

非饱和矿堆溶液渗流迟滞与毛细扩散行为表征

为深入理解非饱和矿堆内溶浸液毛细渗流扩散以及渗流迟滞行为,本文构建适于非饱和矿堆的毛细渗流模型,利用COMSOL multiphysics有限元数值平台开展毛细渗流可视化模拟研究,并利用时域反射器（Time domain reflector,TDR）实时探测了非饱和堆内持液率变化,探索了基于Design Expert的毛细渗流过程多因素响应规律,讨论了非饱和矿堆持液率、毛细吸力、孔隙率与喷淋强度间的潜在关联机制。研究结果表明:孔隙率对矿堆持液率的影响高于喷淋强度,矿堆持液率随喷淋时间的增长收敛性增加,且孔隙率小的矿堆需要更长的时间才能达到稳态持液;不考虑溶液喷淋强度影响时,矿堆持液率与孔隙比、水力传导系数呈正相关;特别是在喷淋初期（0～20 s）,喷淋强度、水力传导系数和孔隙比对矿堆持液率的影响更为显著;初步构建了考虑气液两相运移的非饱和矿堆溶液毛细渗流模型;毛细吸力的变化对孔隙率较小的矿堆更敏感;喷淋强度较大、孔隙比越小时,矿堆底部的毛细吸力越大,更易达到稳态持液状态。      

高含泥氧化铜矿石分粒级筑堆技术及其应用

高含泥氧化矿石浸堆因渗透性差而影响堆浸的正常进行.渗透试验表明,高含泥氧化矿石矿堆的渗透性与矿石粒级组成密切相关,采取矿石堆浸粒级划分:-1 mm为泥质物,+5 mm为块状矿,5～1 mm之间为粉状矿.在此基础上,提出了分粒级筑堆技术,即先对矿石进行分级,然后按粒级分区筑堆,对不同粒级浸堆采用不同的布液强度.该项技术应...     

缅甸莱比塘铜矿生物堆浸场翻堆提升浸出效果工业实践

针对缅甸莱比塘辉铜矿生物堆浸场生产,建立了完整的翻堆作业技术体系,包括作业节点判定、翻堆工艺、过程控制、效果评价等,通过机械手段将矿堆内部结构重组,改善渗滤性和浸出效果,稳定矿堆地质结构。对9个单元堆进行了翻堆作业,日均浸出速率平均增加0.86~4.09倍,浸出铜产量净增2648.38t,经济收益增加总计17739547美元,产量和经济效益均非常明显。     

Modeling of the continuous casting of steel—past,present, and future

This lecture honoring Keith Brimacombe looks over the history, current abilities, and future potential of mathematical models to improve understanding and to help solve practical problems in the continuous casting of steel. Early finite-difference models of solidification, which were pioneered by Keith Brimacombe and his students, form the basis for the online dynamic models used to control spray water flow in a modern slab caster. Computational thermal-stress models, also pioneered by Brimacombe, have led to improved understanding of mold distortion, crack formation, and other phenomena. This has enabled process improvements, such as optimized mold geometry and spray-cooling design. Today, sophisticated models such as transient and multiphase fluid-flow simulations rival water modeling in providing insights into flow-related defects. Heat-flow and stress models have also advanced to yield new insights. As computer power increases and improvements via empirical plant trials become more costly, models will likely play an increasing role in future developments of complex mature processes, such as continuous casting. The Brimacombe Memorial Lectureship was established in 1999 by the Process Technology Division of the Iron & Steel Society to honor Dr. J. Keith Brimacombe’s outstanding accomplishments in the area of process metallurgy, his dedication to the steel industry, and his profound effect on people in the industry; and also to acquaint members, students, and engineers with the many exciting opportunities that exist in the area of process metallurgy and to inspire them to pursue careers in this field. Brian G. Thomas is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois and director of the Continuous Casting Consortium. He received his Bachelors of metallurgical engineering from McGill University in 1979 and Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering in 1985 from the University of British Columbia. In between, he worked in the Materials Research Department of Algoma Steel (Sault Ste. Marie, ON). His recent research efforts focus on the development and application of mathematical models of all aspects of the continuous casting of steel and related processes. Dr. Thomas has authored with co-workers over 150 technical publications on his research, which has been recognized with a Presidential Young Investigator Award from NSF, Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from SME, Xerox Award for UIUC Faculty research, and more than ten best paper awards from AFS, AIME, ISS, TMS, CIM, and ASM International. He has participated in several short courses to transfer technology to industry, including the annual Brimacombe Continuous Casting Course.     

Improtance of fundamental study in hydrometallurgy

Recent developments in modeling and optimization studies using computer technology have had a remarkable effect on all areas of extractive metallurgy. However, a lack of fundamental data regarding, for instance, activities, diffusion coefficients, limiting current densities,etc. obstructs the reliable use of this method. In studying hydrometallurgy, I recognized the importance of fundamental analysis and continued such works throughout my university life. For example, activities of water and solutes of the solution systems H₂SO₄−M_x(SO₄)_y−H₂O and HCl−MCl_x−H₂O were determined, and the results were employed to analyze the dissolution mechanism of metal oxides as well as metal sulfides in those solutions. In this article, fundamental studies mainly made in my laboratory to understand hydrometallurgical phenomena will be discussed. Dr. Majima received his Bachelor of Engineering and Doctor of Engineering degrees from Kyoto University. In the past 40 years, he has served as an associate professor at the Research Institute of Mineral Dressing and Metallurgy of Tohoku University, a professor at the Department of Mineral Engineering of the University of British Columbia, and a professor at the Department of Metallurgy of Kyoto University. His research interest is directed toward thermodynamics related to hydrometallurgy. He is the recipient of awards from the Mining and Metallurgical Institute of Japan and the surface Finishing Society of Japan. The Extraction and Processing Lecturer Award honors an outstanding scientific leader in the Field of nonferrous extractive metallurgy with an invitation to present a comprehensive lecture at the TMS Annual Meeting.     

适于金矿堆浸的制粒新技术研究

堆浸是处理低品位含金矿石的有效方法,然而细粒物料和黏土含量太高的矿石不宜直接堆浸,需先进行制粒预处理,提高矿堆的渗透性,且制粒可大大强化金的浸出,加快金的浸出速度,提高金的浸出率。以某难处理金精矿为原料,使用粒矿和粉矿混合制粒法开展制粒实验,以水泥、石膏、膨润土、聚丙烯酰胺、石灰或几种粘结剂组合作为粘结剂,进行了多组制粒实验。研究表明,由于石膏的浸出性能太差,不适合作为制粒粘结剂;当粒矿与粉矿配比为1∶2,加水量为140~160 mL/kg时,采用适量水泥、石灰与聚丙烯酰胺组成的复合粘结剂开展制粒实验时获得了良好的制粒效果。