Metallurgical operations/techniques

An important technique developed in the mid-eighteenth century was to miniaturize large-scale metallurgical operations by adapting the blowpipe, which had long been used by glassblowers and goldsmiths, to provide an indispensable... 

As clearly indicated by Dr. Kalvoda the application of electrochemical processes for the removal of pollutants is mainly concerned with the many sources of toxic heavy metals such as chemical manufactures, metal plating, surface treatment, mining and metallurgical operations. Electrodeposition, electroreduction to insoluble species and the use of sacrificial anodes are the techniques most widely used in this field. The production of chlorine from saline waters in urban or industrial wastewater treatments must also be quoted as a very interesting and practical example of an electrochemical application to the disinfection of different types of water. 

The trainee will visit other departments in the head office to learn about the supporting facilities which are available such as non-destructive testing, metallurgical and failure analysis, hazard analysis and quality assurance. Emphasis is laid on safety, i.e. the integrity and safety of the plant in operation and on the surveyor s own personal safety. It is important that the trainee understands the techniques involved, particularly the limitations of their application. 

Many operating plants treating PGM ores use conventional flotation techniques and the metallurgical results are below optimum in a number of these plants. 

A recent and extremely important development lies in the application of the technique of liquid extraction to metallurgical processes. The successful development of methods for the purification of uranium fuel and for the recovery of spent fuel elements in the nuclear power industry by extraction methods, mainly based on packed, including pulsed, columns as discussed in Section 13.5 has led to their application to other metallurgical processes. Of these, the recovery of copper from acid leach liquors and subsequent electro-winning from these liquors is the most extensive, although further applications to nickel and other metals are being developed. In many of these processes, some form of chemical complex is formed between the solute and the solvent so that the kinetics of the process become important. The extraction operation may be either a physical operation, as discussed previously, or a chemical operation. Chemical operations have been classified by Hanson(1) as follows ... 

Specific designs have been conceived to resolve special problems in various fields (clinical and metallurgical chemistry, pollution, nutrition, etc.). In fact, they are instruments covered by a denomination referring to the analyte and type of sample for which they are intended. They are particularly suitable for carrying out a more or less large number of crucial determinations in the fields mentioned above. They are characterized by their simple operation (tuning, calibration, sample Introduction, delivery of results) insofar as they are intended for unskilled staff —so much so that few control laboratories know their operational foundation (i.e. the particular determinative technique being applied). 

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