Assignment 1 Material Balance, Dimensionless Analysis and Similarity

NOTE: Due date: submitted in class on Tuesday 9 April before lecture starts. Question 1: FeS2 is roasted to Fe3O4 and SO2 in a flash roaster. FeS2 occurs in a pyrite ore, which in this case analyses 48%S. If the air supply is controlled at 10kg air/kg ore, calculate the expected exit gas analysis.
Pyrite ore Air

Fe3O4

Waste Gas

Question 2: 100 tons of hard lead (98%Pb, 2%Sb) are melted in a steel kettle and then treated with 2 tons of PbO. The products are (1) a slag consisting of PbO and Sb2O3, analyzing 20%Sb, (2) a PbSb alloy of lowered Sb content and negligible oxygen content. Calculate the % Sb in the final alloy. The reaction involved is: 3PbO + 2Sb(in Pb) = Sb2O3 +3 Pb Question 3: Thermal stress developed in continuously cast ingots: The thermal stress developed in the centre of a continuously cast cooling ingot is a function of its shape and the following independent variables: E modulus of elasticity coefficient of linear thermal expression initial temperature difference between cooling medium and melting point of metal L characteristic linear dimension of ingot h heat transfer coefficient of cooling medium at surface of ingot k thermal conductivity of ingot C thermal capacity of ingot density of metal t time from start of cooling (i.e. distance from mould/downward velocity of ingot) LH Latent heat of metal Using Buckinghams theorem, or otherwise, show by dimensional analysis what form the unknown physical equation relating to the pertinent variables must take. In an industrial process, a 6-inch diameter steel ingot was found to develop an acceptable maximum stress after 4 min. What process variables would you adjust to ensure that this stress would not be

exceeded in a similar steel, whose thermal conductivity was 9/10 times that of the steel investigated? In particular, what diameter must the mould have, and at which time will maximum thermal stress be developed? Question 4: A model of a soaking pit (or reheat) furnace has been proposed so that gas flow patterns generated in a new one-way fired pit design can be optimized for uniform convective heat flow to the reheating ingots. Develop an expression showing how the gas velocity at any given point within the system is related to the length L, and width W, of the pit, the combusted gas (i.e. burnt oxygen fuel mixture) flow rate G0, and the mean density and viscosity of these combusted gases. In order to model the system at the one-fifth scale, it is proposed that water, rather than cold air, be used as the fluid medium. Comment on this proposal and recommend the inlet gas and water flows and other dimensions that would be required to simulate the following set of conditions expected for the prototype.