Note: / The object of the present thesis was the development of a mathematical model suitable for computer simulation of hydrometallurgical processes. The model formulation was made for a strongly exothermic three-phase reaction system, namely the pressure oxidation process as applied to the treatment of refractory gold ores and concentrates. The steps followed during the course of this work involved first, the experimental identification of the intrinsic kinetics of the two principal refractory gold minerals, arsenopyrite and pyrite, and second, the development of reactor models describing the isothermal and non-isothermal behaviour of batch and multi-stage continuous reactors at steady state. Emphasis was given to the identification of feed conditions for autothermal operation.The key features of the developed model are the coupling of both mass and heat balance equations, the description of the non-isothermal performance of a multistage continuous reactor, and the treatment of a two-mineral mixture concentrate. In addition, continuous functions are used to describe the size distribution of reacting particles and gas-liquid mass transfer rate limitations are assessed.The model predictions were in good agreement with pilot-plant scale industrial data. Simulation runs of alternative reactor configurations and feed compositions elucidated the impact of the size of the first reactor stage, the rate limiting regime, and the sulphur content of the feed on the attainment of autogenous performance. / Le but de cette etude etait de developper un modele mathematique pour la simulation par ordinateur des processus hydrometallurgiques. La formulation du modele a ete faite pour un systeme de reaction de trois phases fortement exothermique, Ie processus d'oxidation sous pression applique au traitement des minerais et des concentres refract aires d'or. Les etapes suivies au cours de cette etude necessitaient premierement l'identification experiment ale de la cinetique intrinseque des deux principaux mineraux d'or, l'arsenopyrite et la pyrite, et par la suite, Ie developpement de modeies de reacteurs decrivant Ie comportement isothermique et non-isothermique de reacteurs en discontinu et de reacteurs en sene continus a Petat d'equilibre. L'emphase a ete donnee al'identification des conditions d'alimentation pouvant produire une operation autothermique.Les principales caracteristiques du modele developpe sont: la combinaison de deux equations d'equilibre de la masse et de la chaleur, la description de la performance non-isothermique de reacteurs en serie continus, Ie traitement d'un con centre d'unmeiange des deux mineraux, l'emploi de fonctions [...]
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.121089 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Papangelakis, Vladimiros George |
| Contributors | Demopoulos, G. P. (Supervisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy. (Dept. of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001235972, Theses scanned by McGill Library |
Page generated in 0.0025 seconds