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A Review of Nickel Pyrometallurgical Operations

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Abstract

While the vast majority of the world’s nickel is produced using pyrometallurgical techniques, the equipment and processes employed in such production encompass a variety of technologies. Even though certain patterns are followed by many companies, the nature of the raw materials dictates how process parameters will vary from smelter to smelter. In addition, much remains unknown about nickel smelting. Further work is clearly required in such areas as the thermochemistry of sulfide, oxide and metal systems, correlation of industrial data with theoretical information and techniques to improve equipment design.

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Authors
  1. C. M. Diaz
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  2. C. A. Landolt
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  3. A. Vahed
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  4. A. E. M. Warner
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  5. J. C. Taylor
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Additional information

Editor’s Note: This article has been extracted from a much larger presentation which will appear in the upcoming TMS volume Extractive Metallurgy of Nickel & Cobalt. More information about specific smelters may be found in the recent TMS publication World Survey ofNonferrous Smelters.

C.M. Diaz received his Ph.D. in metallurgy from the Royal School of Mines, University of London. He is currently section head of pyrometallurgy at Inco’s J. Roy Gordon Research Laboratory in Mississauga, Ontario.

C.A. Landolt received his Ph.D. in metallurgy from Pennsylvania State University. He is currently superintendent of technical services at Inco’s Copper Cliff Smelter in Sudbury, Ontario. Dr. Landolt is also a member of TMS.

J.C. Taylor received his B.A.Sc. in metallurgical engineering from the University of Toronto in 1958. He is currently president of Jan H. Reimers and Associates in Oakville, Canada. Mr. Taylor is technical director of the TMS Extractive Division.

A. Vahed received his M.Sc. in metallurgical engineering from McMaster University. He is currently group leader, pyrometallurgy at Inco’s J. Roy Gordon Research Laboratory in Mississauga, Ontario.

A.E.M. Warner received his Ph.D. in metallurgy from the Royal School of Mines, University of London. He is currently superintendent of projects at Inco’s Copper Cliff Smelter in Sudbury, Ontario. Dr. Warner is also a member of TMS.

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Diaz, C.M., Landolt, C.A., Vahed, A. et al. A Review of Nickel Pyrometallurgical Operations. JOM 40, 28–33 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03258548

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