Engineering Commons^™

A Study Of Biochar Production Via Continuous Vacuum-Assisted Pyrolysis, Max Wohlgenant

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The present study focuses upon the design, fabrication, and feasibility of the bulk production of scientific biochar for mobile delivery. In the 2022 annual report, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine recommended the integration of mobile, decentralized reactors that employ flexible manufacturing and circular economic principles. Biochar production, involving the thermal degradation of biomass under an inert atmosphere to yield remediation media is an ideal material to satisfy this recommendation. Many potential application sites, such as abandoned mines, are remote and limit the construction of large infrastructure. The continuous vacuum-assisted pyrolysis (CVAP) reactor was designed to: increase biochar …

Predicting The Damage Behavior And Fracture Propagation In A 3d-Printed Synthetic Rock Material With The Distinct Element Method (Pfc3d) And Hybrid Finite-Discrete Element Method (Irazu3d), Frankie Johnston

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The ability to monitor and predict the evolution of rock damage and fracture is key for creating reliable and sustainable civil infrastructure. Rock crack propagation is a complex process that is dependent on material properties such as tensile strength, compressive strength, density, elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, friction coefficient, cohesion, and specimen conditions such as preexisting microcracks, particle size distribution, and mineral distribution. In conjunction with the 56th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, researchers primarily at Purdue University organized the Damage Mechanics Challenge to determine the current state and future direction of the rock modeling community’s ability to simulate rock crack formation. …

High-Pressure Slurry Ablation For Improving Separation Of Copper/Molybdenum And Flotation Of Gold Tailings, Mitchell Harvey

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Disa Technologies’ High-Pressure Slurry Ablation (HPSA) is a patented particle attrition technology for the comminution and selective liberation of minerals. Two slurry streams are pumped at high pressure through opposing nozzles and collisions between solid particles suspended in the slurry streams cause breakage of the feed material. HPSA was evaluated for improving the rougher flotation of molybdenite from Cu-Mo bulk concentrate and gold-bearing pyrite from gold tailings.

Copper/molybdenum samples were provided by Montana Resources in Butte, Montana. A two-factor factorial design of experiments was used to identify HPSA operating conditions which gave the highest increase in flotation performance. Variables were …

Optimization Of Porosity In Cold Spray Produced Copper And Zinc Coatings, Cameron Hughes

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Since its invention in 1981, the cold spray (CS) additive manufacturing (AM) process has been studied and optimized to produce well-adhered, dense material coatings. CS can operate at a wide range of temperatures if the feed material remains in a solid state. Copper and zinc were studied to characterize and understand the effects of heating element voltage, travel speed, and standoff distance on deposit porosity, grain size, microhardness, and coating thickness. Samples were sprayed on 3.2 mm x 25 mm x 150 mm 6061 aluminum substrates. Sections were taken from the middle of the samples to represent steady-state conditions. Sample …

A Guide To Fifty Years Of Research At Montana Tech: Part 2 The Treatment Of Electroplating And Electromachining Metal Hydroxide Sludge For The Recovery Of Metal Values [See Also Part 1), Larry G. Twidwell

Metallurgy

ABSTRACT and FORWARD

The treatment and recovery of metal species from hydrometallurgical solutions and wastewater solids has been and continues to be an important research topic. This presentation includes a guide to the literature with a summary discussion of the research conducted at Montana Tech in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering during the 1984-2001 period. A previous presentation (Part 1) focused on the removal of arsenic, selenium, and other species by hydrometallurgical processes and the formation of environmentally stable disposable products. This guide is available at the reference presented above.

This following presentation (Part 2) is based on …

A Guide To Fifty Years Of Research At Montana Tech: Part 1-The Treatment Of Arsenic, Selenium, Thallium, Metal Bearing Solutions And Waste Solids, Larry G. Twidwell

Metallurgy

ABSTRACT and FORWARD

The removal of arsenic, selenium, and metal species from hydrometallurgical solutions and wastewaters has been and continues to be an important research topic. This presentation includes a discussion of the research conducted at Montana Tech in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering during the past fifty years. The discussion is focused on removal of arsenic by co-precipitation with Fe(III) and Fe(II), co-precipitation with Fe(III) and Al(III), reduction using elemental iron; the removal of selenium by elemental iron and catalysed iron; and the removal of cadmium, copper, nickel, zinc by co-precipitation with Fe(III) and Al(III).

This presentation …

Timeline - History Of The Metallurgy / Mineral Processing Programs (1900-2022), Jerome Downey, Larry G. Twidwell

Metallurgy

No abstract provided.

History Of The Metallurgy / Mineral Processing Programs (1900-2022), Jerome Downey, Larry G. Twidwell

Metallurgy

No abstract provided.

Treatment Of Arsenic-Bearing Minerals And Fixation Of Recovered Arsenic Products: An Updated Review, Larry G. Twidwell

Metallurgy

Mineral processing and extractive metallurgical operations have created and are creating appreciable arsenic bearing wastewater and waste solid products that have to be handled, treated for recycle, or treated for environmentally safe disposal. At present there are intense research and operational activities being conducted to provide the best viable processing procedures to ensure that the mineral processing and extractive metallurgical industries are profitable and environmentally secure. The focus of this presentation is on the element arsenic, even though many other deleterious elements may also be present in ores and concentrates. Numerous base metal resources contain arsenic bearing minerals, especially resources …

Simplified Cost Models For Underground Mine Evaluation A Handbook For Quick Prefeasibility Cost Estimates - Revised Edition, Thomas W. Camm, Scott A. Stebbins

Mining Engineering

This handbook provides simplified cost models for evaluating underground mines. Regression analysis is used to generate capital and operating cost equations for each model in the form Y = AXB, where Y is the cost estimated and X is the assumed production capacity in tonnes per day. A and B are constants determined by the regression analysis. Equations are developed for operating costs in five subcategories: equipment operation, supplies, hourly labor, administration, and sundries. Subcategories for capital costs are: equipment purchase, preproduction underground excavation, surface facilities, engineering & management, contingency, and working capital. Cost models are developed for eight underground …