MM202 Process Metallurgy

(3-1-0) 6 credits
Dr. Manish Singh- 20 lecture
MM202 Process Metallurgy (3-1-0) 6 credits

General methods of extraction in Pyrometallurgy-drying, calcination, roasting, smelting, carbothermic and

metallothermic reduction, refining techniques like liquation, distillation, vacuum distillation etc.

Principles of hydro and electrometallurgy with suitable examples Leaching techniques, leaching solvents,
theory of leaching, bacterial leaching, electrochemical nature of leaching, gold and silver extraction. Pressure
leaching, Sherritt - Gorden process for copper, nickel, cobalt ores; solvent extraction, ion exchange.

Electrometallurgy - electrolysis of aqueous solutions and fuses salts, cell design, recovery of metal values by
cementation, electro-winning, electro-refining etc. Principles and important applications. Extraction of metals
from oxides - magnesium and titanium extraction, Bayer’s process, Hall Héroult process. Extraction of metals
from sulphides. Extraction of copper, lead, zinc and nickel.
 Material and Heat balance of processes

•The product output of any process depends on amount of

materials consumed as raw materials and the chemical reactions.
Similarly, the energy requirements are related to that heating of
materials to sufficiently high temperature and sustain the chemical
reactions.
•Material and heat balance calculations aim at estimating inflow
and outflow of mass and energy respectively.
Flow diagram:

A line diagram shows the successive steps of a process by indicating the pieces of equipment in which they
occur and the material streams entering and leaving each piece of equipment.

It is very important for saving time and eliminating mistakes.

Output
Input Reaction chamber
(Ex, Furnace, reactor,.. )
Following guidelines to be follows:
1. The flow diagram should show the unit
operations/process by simple steps.
2. Each arrow should represent an actual stream of material
in a single phase.
• Ex: A gaseous mixture of CO2, O2, CO, N2 and water
vapor coming out of furnace should be shown as a
single stream of gas and not as five separate streams
• On the other hand, slag and metal produced by a
blast furnace be shown by two separate streams.
• Blast furnace being indicated by a simple rectangular
box.
Materials Balance procedure
Material balance is essentially an application of the law of conservation of mass.
The following equation describes in words the principle of general material balance applicable to processes both with
and without chemical reactions.

Accumulation of mass Input through system Output through system

within the system
=
boundaries - boundaries

Depending on the magnitudes of the last two terms of above equation, the accumulation may be positive or negative.

The equation, written simply as Accumulation = Input – Output.

When there is no accumulation within the system,

in that case Input = Output … Applicable in Batch process

Batch process: Involves the treatment of given mass of

materials in a process after which the products are taken
out.
Example; Furnace
Continuous process: If the process is operated such that, over long periods, continuous stream of materials enter into
the processing unit and continuous stream of leave the same then its is called Continuous process.
In this case, process is concerned with the rate of input and rate of output. If the continuous process runs at steady state,
then the chemical compositions of the input materials and output materials remain unchanged and there can be no
accumulation within the system either. In such situation, material balance equation is written as:
- Rate of input of materials into the system = Rate of output of materials from the system
Implies for both the batch and continuous process, what goes in must come out.

KILN
Continuous process refers to a production process where the incoming flow of raw material to the system is constant during
the production cycle, and the product output is also constant.

Batch process refers to a production process where the total amount of raw material is introduced to the system at the
beginning of the process, and the total outgoing product is obtained after a certain time

Numerical:
1 ton of chalcopyrite containing 2 % copper is floated to obtained a concentrate containing 25% copper. If
the mass of the concentrate is 60 kg, the percent of copper in tailing is?
 Steps in material balance calculation

1. Represent each process by a rectangle. And indicate each feed or product by arrow. Write
complete flow diagram.
2. Gather all know data in a table or if not too many data , put the data on the flow diagram
itself.
3. Make suitable assumption, if required.
4. Choose a convenient basis for calculation.
5. Write over all chemical reaction that take place in the process.
6. Write the elemental balanced equations.
7. Solve the equations.
8. Make up the balance table.
9. Check by independent method that the calculations are correct.
 Problem
A lead(Pb) sinter to be smelted in a blast furnace analyses 8%CaO, 25%SiO2 and 15%Fe. In
Smelting this, a slag is desired with CaO, FeO and SiO2 in the proportions.
CaO: FeO: SiO2 = 4:6:7.
To obtain this slag, iron ore and limestone of the following analyses are added to the charge:

• Iron ore: wt% Fe = 45%, wt% CaO = 0.5% and wt% SiO2 = 15%
• Limestone: wt%Fe = 2%, wt% CaO = 46 and wt% SiO2 = 8%
• Coke is added to the charge as a fuel in an amount = 12% of the wt(sinter+Ironore+limestone)
• Coke contains 2.5%Fe2O3 and 12%SiO2

Assume that the lime, Iron and SiO2 enter the slag as CaO, FeO and SiO2.

Calculate the weight of iron ore, Limestone and coke to be used per metric tonne of lead sinter.

Mw: FeO 72
 Limestone WL = ?
Fe = 2%, CaO = 46% and SiO2 = 8%

Sinter, 1 ton Slag, Ws = ?

8%CaO, 25%SiO2, 15%Fe CaO: FeO;SiO2 = 4:6:7
Lead blast furnace

Iron ore, Wore =? Liquid Lead

Fe = 45%, CaO = 0.5%, SiO2 = 15%

Coke =12% (sinter +Ore + limestone).

(2.5%Fe2O3, 12%SiO2, Wc = ?
INPUT = OUTPUT
FeO balance:
1*0.15*(72/56) + Wore *0.45* (72/56) + Wc*0.025*(144/56) + WL *0.02* (72/56) = Ws * (6/17)

CaO balance:
1*0.08 + 0.005*Wore + 0.46* WL = 4/17 *Ws
SiO2 balance

0.25*1 + 0.15* Wo + 0.12* Wc + 0.08* WL = 7/17 * Ws

Wc = 0.12* (1 + Wo + WL)
Steel is being made in an L.D Converter. The metallic charge consists of hot metal and Scrap in the ratio f
4:1. The hot metal contains 4%C, 1%Si, 1%Mn, 0.3%P and rest Fe. Oxygen of 99.5% purity is blown for
refining. Lime, analyses 2% SiO2, 3%Mgo and rest CaO as flux. The gas leaving the converter has a Pco/Pco2
ratio of 1:1. 2% of Fe charged is lost in the slag as FeO and Fe2O3, the ratio of ferrous to ferric ion in the slag
is 1:1. The steel may be assumed to contain 0.2%C, 0.2%Mn and rest Fe. Assume that the slag is to conatin
50%CaO. Also assume, the efficiency of oxygen utilization is 90%. Calculate the following per tonne steel
1) Weight of hot metal an scrap to be charged?
2) Oxygen to be blown in m3 (STP)
3) Weight of the Lime to be charged Lime, WL = ?
4) Wt of the slag produced. SiO2 = 2%, MgO = 3%, CaO = 95%

Hot metal, WHM Gas, PcO/PCo2 = 1/1

C= 4%, Fe = 93.7% L.D Converter
Si = 1%
Mn = 1% Slag, WS =?
P = 0.3% CaO = 50%, Fe+2/Fe+3 = 1/1
Oxygen, purity = 99.5% 2% of total Fe charge is lost in the slag
Volume =? as FeO and Fe2O3
Utilization = 90%
Steel, 1 ton
Scrap, WHM/WSC= 4/1 C = 0.2%, Mn = 0.2%, Fe = 99.6%
Fe = 100%
Steel is being made in an L.D Converter. The metallic charge consists of hot metal and Scrap in the ratio f
4:1. The hot metal contains 4%C, 1%Si, 1%Mn, 0.3%P and rest Fe. Oxygen of 99.5% purity is blown for
refining. Lime, analyses 2% SiO2, 3%Mgo and rest CaO as flux. The gas leaving the converter has a Pco/Pco2
ratio of 1:1. 2% of Fe charged is lost in the slag as FeO and Fe2O3, the ratio of ferrous to ferric ion in the slag
is 1:1. The steel may be assumed to contain 0.2%C, 0.2%Mn and rest Fe. Assume that the slag is to conatin
50%CaO. Also assume, the efficiency of oxygen utilization is 90%. Calculate the following per tonne steel
1) Weight of hot metal and scrap to be charged?
2) Oxygen to be blown in m3 (STP)
3) Weight of the Lime to be charged Oxygen: Woxygen?
4) Wt of the slag produced. purity = 99.5%
Utilization = 90%
Hot metal: WHM Gas, PCO/PCO2 = 1:1
C = 4%, Mn = 1%
Si= 1%, P = 0.3% Steel L. D
Fe= 93.7% converter Steel: 1 ton
C = 0.2%, Mn = 0.2%, Fe = 99.6%
Flux: Wflux=?
SiO2 = 2% Slag, Ws = ?
Scrap:
MgO = 3%, CaO = 95% CaO = 50%, Fe+2/Fe+3 = 1:1
WHM/WSC = 4/1
2% of Fe charged is lost in the slag as FeO and Fe2O3
 Oxygen: Woxygen?
Hot metal: WHM purity = 99.5%
C = 4%, Mn = 1% Utilization = 90%
Gas, PCO/PCO2 = 1:1
Si= 1%, P = 0.3%
Fe= 93.7% Steel L. D
converter Steel: 1 ton
C = 0.2%, Mn = 0.2%, Fe = 99.6%
Flux: Wflux=?
SiO2 = 2% Slag, Ws = ?
Scrap:
MgO = 3%, CaO = 95% CaO = 50%, Fe+2/Fe+3 = 1:1
WHM/WSC = 4/1
2% of Fe charged is lost in the slag as FeO and Fe2O3

1) Weight of hot metal and scrap to be charged?

INPUT = OUTPUT
Fe Balance:

(WHM*0.937 + WS*1.00) = 1* 0.996 + 0.02*(WHM*0.937 + WS*1.00) WHM/WSC = 4/1

(WHM*0.937 + WS*1.00) - 0.02*(WHM*0.937 + WS*1.00) = 1* 0.996

WHM = 855.6 Kg
(WHM*0.937 + WS*1.00) *(1-0.02) = 1* 0.996 WSC = 213.9 Kg
Charge Total = 1069.5 Kg
 Lime, WL = ?
SiO2 = 2%, MgO = 3%, CaO = 95%

Hot metal, WHM Gas, PcO/PCo2 = 1/1

C= 4%, Fe = 93.7% L.D Converter
Si = 1% Slag, WS =?
Mn = 1% CaO = 50%, Fe+2/Fe+3 = 1/1
Oxygen, purity = 99.5%
P = 0.3% 2% of total Fe charged is lost in the
Volume =?
Utilization = 90% slag as FeO and Fe2O3
Steel, 1 ton
Scrap, WHM/WSC= 4/1 C = 0.2%, Mn = 0.2%, Fe = 99.6%

1. Wt of hot metal and scrap? INPUT = OUTPUT

Fe balance:
(WHM*0.937 + WSc*1.00) = 1*0.996 + 0.02 (WHM*0.937 + WSc*1.00)
(WHM*0.937 + WSc*1.00)-0.02 (WHM*0.937 + WSc*1.00) = 1*0.996
(WHM*0.937 + WSc*1.00)(1-0.02) = 0.996
WHM/WSC = 4/1

WHM= 856 Kg, WSC = 214 Kg, Total = 1071 kg, 2% = 20.32
2. Oxygen blown: oxidation reaction:
[Si] +O2(g) = (SiO2) Elements Wt of the Nature of Wt of the Wt of the slag
elements to be oxides oxygen forming oxide
[Mn] + 1/2O2(g) = (MnO) oxidized required

2[P] + 5/2O2(g) = (P2O5) C 16.12 CO 21.49

16.12 CO2 42.99
[Fe] + 1/2O2 (g) = (FeO)
Si 8.56 SiO2 9.79 18.35
2[Fe] +3/2O2(g) = (Fe2O3)
Mn 6.56 MnO 1.91 8.47
[C] + 1/2O2(g) = CO(g) P 2.57 P2O5 3.3 5.87
[C] + O2(g) = CO2 Fe 10.1 FeO 2.88 12.98
10.1 Fe2O3 4.3 14.4
Purity = 99.5%
Efficiency = 90% Total 86.66 60.07
32 kg O2 occupies 22.4m2 at STP

= (86.66/32) * 22.4 * 100/99.5 *100/90

= 67.74 m3 (STP)
CaO balance
WL* 0.95 = Ws *0.5
Ws = WL+ 60.07

Ws = 126.8 kg
WL = 66.74 kg