Technological Resources Pty. Limited

Cra Services Ltd.

Other

The University of Melbourne

Robin John Batterham

Rodney James Dry

Raymond Walter Shaw

David S Conochie

Roderick M Grant

James V Happ

Glenn A Thiele

Rod James Dry

John Alexander Innes

Lucy Esdaile

Barry Stuart Andrews

John Vincent Keogh

Terry Alan Matthews

Peter Damian Burke

Carolyn Anne McCarthy

Nicholas Katsikaros

Warwick Arthur Hoffmann

Antoinette Tordesillas

Christopher Robin Cross

Richard Anthony Bearman

Warwick A Hoffmann

Methods and systems for predicting surface failure of a surface, for example a method comprising the steps of: obtaining a group of measured datasets, each including: a measurement value of at least a first type for each of a plurality of grid elements, each grid element associated with a location on the surface; and a time value, such that the group of datasets includes datasets associated with a plurality of unique time values, identifying an interface set of grid elements for each measured dataset, each interface set comprising grid elements of the associated measured dataset meeting a connection threshold according to a connection rule in dependence on the measurement values of the grid elements, determining a risk of surface failure in accordance with identification of a pattern of grid elements of the interface set which has a persistent location with respect to the surface of interface sets over a plurality of measured datasets.

Method for prediction of a surface event

A method of leaching a metal value from a heap of a metal-containing ore and a heap leaching operation are disclosed. The method includes establishing a downward flow of a leach liquor through a section of the heap by supplying the leach liquor onto a top surface of the section and allowing the leach liquor (containing metal values in solution) to drain from a lower part of the section. The method is characterized by supplying the leach liquor onto the top surface of the section at a flow rate that is sufficient so that the downwardly flowing leach liquor saturates the section of the heap.

Heap leaching

A steelmaking process is disclosed. The process includes producing molten steel and molten steelmaking slag in a steelmaking process, the steelmaking slag including iron units and flux units, and thereafter producing molten iron in a molten bath based direct smelting process using a substantial portion of the steelmaking slag as part of the feed material requirements for the direct smelting process. A direct smelting process is also disclosed. The process includes pre-treating ferrous material including steelmaking slag and thereafter direct smelting molten iron using the pretreated ferrous material as part of the feed material for the process.

Ironmaking and steelmaking

A method and an apparatus for crushing material, particularly mined material, are disclosed. In one embodiment two or more pairs of crushing rolls successively crush mined material. The pairs of crushing rolls are arranged and operated so that an upstream pair of rolls produces a feed, preferably a pressurized feed, for a downstream pair of rolls. In another embodiment, at least an upstream pair of rolls is driven intermittently, for example, by means of a stepping motor to provide stepped rotational movement of the rolls.

Crushing material

A method of treating ore particles to facilitate subsequent processing of the ore particles to recover valuable components from the ore is disclosed. The method includes exposing the ore particles to microwave energy and causing structural alteration of the ore particles. In one embodiment structural alteration is achieve without significantly altering the mineralogy, i.e., composition, of the ore. In another embodiment structural alteration is achieved with minimal change to the sizes of the ore particles. In another embodiment the method includes exposing the ore particles to short duration, high energy pulses of microwave energy.

Microwave treatment of ores

A direct smelting process and a fixed, ie non-rotatable, metallurgical vessel for producing metal from a metalliferous feed material is disclosed. The process is a molten bath-based process which includes injecting solid feed materials with a carrier gas into the molten bath via one or more downwardly extending lance/tuyere ( ) and causing gas flow from the molten bath at a flow rate of at least 0.30 Nm /s/m at the interface between the metal layer ( ) and the slag layer ( ) of the molten bath (under quiescent conditions).

Direct smelting process

A reactor for aerating a fluid with a gas comprises a mixing tank ( ) for the fluid and a centrally located vertical draft tube ( ) submerged in the fluid to divide the mixing tank ( ) into an inner chamber ( ) and an outer chamber ( ). The reactor further comprises a motor driven axial flow impeller ( ) located in the draft tube ( ) for circulating fluid downwardly through the inner chamber ( ) and upwardly through the outer chamber ( ). The reactor further comprises an external circuit for withdrawing a portion of the fluid from the mixing tank ( ), aerating the fluid, and returning the aerated fluid to the mixing tank ( ). The aerator is in the form of a venturi device ( ).

Reactor

A direct smelting process and a fixed, i.e. non-rotatable, metallurgical vessel for producing metal from a metalliferous feed material is disclosed. The process is a molten bath-based process which includes injecting solid feed materials with a carrier gas into the molten bath via one or more downwardly extending lance/tuyere ( ) and causing gas flow from the molten bath at:a flow rate of at least 0.30 Nm /s/m at the interface between the metal layer ( ) and the slag layer ( ) of the molten bath (under quiescent conditions).

A direct smelting process for producing metals from a metalliferous feed material is disclosed. The process includes forming a molten bath having a metal layer ( ) and a slag layer ( ) on the metal layer in a metallurgical vessel, injecting metalliferous feed material and solid carbonaceous material into the metal layer via a plurality of lances/tuyeres ( ), and smelting metalliferous material to metal in the metal layer. The process also includes causing molten material to be projected as splashes, droplets, and streams into a top space above a nominal quiescent surface of the molten bath to form a transition zone ( ). The process also includes injecting an oxygen-containing gas into the vessel via one or more than one lance/tuyere ( ) to post-combust reaction gases released from the molten bath, whereby the ascending and thereafter descending splashes, droplets and streams of molten material in the transition zone facilitate heat transfer to the molten bath, and whereby the transition zone minimises heat loss from the vessel via the side walls in contact with the transition zone. The process is controlled by maintaining a high slag inventory and by reducing the heat loss from the vessel through the side walls being continuously splashed by the transition zone.

A method and an apparatus for producing metals and metal alloys from metal oxides in a metallurgical vessel containing a molten bath having a metal layer and a slag layer is disclosed. The method is characterized by injecting a carrier gas and a solid carbonaceous material and/or metal oxides into the molten bath from a side of the vessel that is in contact with the molten bath or from above the molten bath so that the solids penetrate the molten bath and cause molten metal to be projected into the gas space above the molten bath to form a transition zone. The method is also characterized by injecting an oxygen-containing gas into the gas space to post-combust reaction gases released from the molten bath into the transition zone.

Method of producing metals and metal alloys

A process and a smelt reduction vessel (1) for producing metals and metal alloys, in particular iron and iron alloys, from metal oxides and ores in a smelt reduction vessel. The process and the vessel are characterized in that loss of liquid and solids with waste gases (11) from the vessel are minimized by causing the waste gases, oxidizing gases (5) and entrained liquid and solids in the space in the vessel that is above the molten metal to rotate about a vertical axis of the vessel thereby forcing liquid and solids outwardly toward the wall of the vessel. This rotational motion may be caused by injecting some or all the oxidizing gases through tuyeres (4) positioned above the bath surface obliquely to a vertical plane through a vertical axis of the vessel. The vessel may have a substantially rotationally symmetrical shape at least in the space above the molten metal (2A).

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Parkville, Australia

Robin John Batterham