Indian Institute of Technology

Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering  

Final Exam: MM2080-Principles of Extractive Metallurgy  

Total Marks: 90, Duration 3:00 Hrs  

Date: November 20, 2021, 9:00 AM to 12:00 AM.

Instructions:
1. Attempt all the questions
2. All questions carry equal marks
3. The parameters may be assumed wherever you find necessary.
4. For calculations, Excel-Solver may be used.
5. Submit the answer sheet (Pdf and Excel Sheets) by email by 12:10 PM. There will be penalty
for delayed submissions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. A Venture meter with a throat diameter of 0.2 m is in a 0.5 m main, supplying a reservoir in
which the water level is kept 3 m above the centerline of the meter. What is a maximum flow
through the meter if the flow pressure must not fall below 2 m of water absolute. Under these
conditions what will be the gauge pressure in the main upstream of the flow ? Neglect frictional
loss of energy. If the minimum flow is 1/10 of this, what range of pressure differences, between
the main and throat, is to be measured ? (10)

2. During the precipitation of liquid aluminium suitable for electrical grades, it is necessary to
eliminate any dissolved titanium, so as to enhance the metal’s electrical conductivity. This is
accompanied by making boron additions to the melt in a gas-fired holding furnace, thereby
nucleation particles of (Ti-V)B, which must subsequently be allowed to precipitate from the
melt. Recent experiments with a particle detection device have shown that approximately 1.5 h is
required for the inclusion count rate on 20 micron size particles to fall to negligible levels. Given
a liquid metal depth of 1m, and no convection currents, calculate the theoretical settling time
(hours) needed for such particles to settle on the basis of Stokes’s law. The density of liquid
aluminium at 700 0C can be taken as 2300 kg/m3 and density of (Ti-V)B particles as 4000
kg/m3.
(10)
3. The process of austempering requires that a steel be quenched to just above its Ms
temperature, and then isothermally transformed to a lower bainite structure that resembles
tempered martensite. For a steel with the continuous cooling diagram below, estimate the
maximum thickness of plate that can be completely austempered by quenching into molten salt at
400 oF from a 1600 oF austenitizing temperature with h = 50 Btu h-1ft2oF-1.

(10)

4. A plate of aluminum alloy with dimensions 6mmx300mmx300mm is soultionized at 810 K

and then quenched into water at 365 K. Over the temperature range 810-535 K, the heat transfer
coefficient for quenching may be assumed constant at 510 W.m-2.K-1. (a) Calculate the cooling
rate during quenching at that instant when the plate is at 590 K. (b) Repeat when the plate is at
420 K. (c) Determine the time it takes the plate to cool to 390 K. The properties of the aluminum
are: k = 78 W m-1K-1, Cp=100 J.kg-1.K-1, ρ=2880 kg.m-3. (10)

5. A liquid flows upward through a tube, overflows, and then flows downward as a film on the
outside. (a) Develop the pertinent momentum balance that applies to the falling film, for steady
state laminar flow, neglecting the end effects. (b) Develop and expression for velocity
distribution. (10)
6. (a) Briefly outline the functions and properties required in a slag.
(b) A slag is composed of three oxides at 1600 oC:
NMnO = 0.20, NCaO = 0.50, NSiO2 = 0.30, where N= mole fraction. Calculate the basisity ratio of
the slag using three different relationships.
(c) Discuss the effect of slag temperature and basisity on the following slag-metal reactions:
(MnO)+[C] = [Mn] +{CO} ∆Go = 290300-173.22 T J
(SiO2)+2[C]=[Si]+2{CO} logK = -31000/T+20.65
[Ti]+2{CO}=(TiO2)+2[C] ∆Go=-165000+83.68T J
aTiO2 increases slowly as basisity increases.
(d) Discuss the effect of:
(i) cation and anion size
(ii) ionic bond fraction
(iii) coordination number
On the basic/acid characteristics of an oxide.
(e) Explain the sequence of structural changes that occur when increasing additions of CaO to
SiO2 in the liquid state.
(f) Compare the ionic slag theories of Temkin, Flood and Masson with the molecular slag theory.
Special emphasis should be placed on the assumptions made and the applications of each to
practical slag systems. (10)

7. Determine the maximum number of linearly independent reactions possible in the following
system: CH4, H2, H2S, SO2, S2, H2O, CO, CO2, COS and CS2. (10)
8. In the Fe-C-O-Ca system, the following univariant equilibria have been identified:
3FeO(s)+CaCO3=Fe3O4(s)+CaO(s)+CO
∆Go = 138616 – 105.856.T J
CaCO3+C(s)=CaO(s)+2CO
∆Go = 337414 – 316.122.T J
Fe3O4(s)+C(s)=3FeO(s)+CO
∆Go = 198798 – 210.266.T J
Determine if there is an invaliant point in this system at which the five solid phases can co-exist
in equilibrium with the gas phase containing CO, and, if possible, find its coordinates (T, PCO).
In the event such a point exists, what is the corresponding PCO2/PCO ratio in the gas phase ? What
is the total pressure ? (10)
9.Coal is gasified in a lurgi high-pressure gas generator using an oxygen steam blast.
Temperatures in the generator range from a low of 700 oK near the top of the coal bed to a high
of 1400 oK near the base. The blast, containing 1 g.mole of O2 to 10.78 g.moles of steam, is
blown in near the base of the bed at the pressure of 30 atm. The gas generated contains
CO,CO2,CH4,H2,H2O and O2. For convenience we neglect the impurities present in the coal
and assume it to be pure solid carbon. Calculate the equilibrium compositions (ie the mole
fractions of the species) of the gas phase in the coal bed at 100 oK intervals in the range of 700-
1400 oK. You may use symbols for the required thermodynamic values. Just outline your
approach and equations to solve this problem. (10)