Download or read book The Use of Computers in the South African Ferro alloy Industry written by and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The growth of the ferro-alloy industry in South Africa has been accompanied by developments in electric-furnace technology and an increase in furnace capacity. It soon became clear that stricter control of furnace operation was necessary, especially in the larger furnaces, if optimum production was to be achieved. In 1974 a research team set up by the Council for Mineral Technology (formerly the National Institute for Metallurgy) and a large ferro-alloy producer started investigating the control of a large submerged-arc electric furnace, their objectives being to install a computer system, to increase their understanding of the process, to devise strategies to improve the furnace operation, and, in the long term, to optimize the process. An account is given of the first system installed - a minicomputer system that was responsible for the acquisition and storage of data on the status of the furnace at all times, and for the development of off-line programmes for metallurgical control of the process. As the project developed, it became clear that control of the raw-material feed and electrode-hoist position were unsatisfactory. The analogue system for the batching of raw materials was changed to a system that controls the automatic feeding of raw materials according to a preset recipe, controls the dry mass of the reducing agent, and compensates for any errors that occurred during the previous batching. Electrode control was achieved through a system that depends on phase resistances, which are calculated from reliable measurements made in the furnace. Both these controllers were designed and developed as stand-alone microcomputer units. Although there is still much room for improvement in the production of ferro-alloys in South Africa, a lack of skilled manpower will probably delay the implementation of computer control on the whole plant operation as has been achieved overseas.
Download or read book Recent Developments in the Ferro alloy Field in South Africa written by and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ferro-alloy industry in South Africa has witnessed a spectacular growth since the Seventh Commonwealth Mining and Metallurgical Congress, in 1961. The reserves of manganese ore, chromium ore, and carbonaceous reducing agents are discussed briefly, and the growth of the industry is traced by use of a record of furnace installations. Technological developments in the industry include an increase in furnace size and power rating, progress in agglomeration techniques, and computer-aided control. The development of a technique for the decarburization of high-carbon ferrochromium was a major factor in the growth of the country's ferrochromium industry. Research of a more fundamental nature, which was carried out at universities, played a key role in providing an improved understanding of how South African raw materials behave both metallurgically and electrically in smelting furnaces. Current research work and likely future developments in the industry are discussed. The most interesting prospects include even more-advanced computer-based control and optimization of large electric-smelting furnaces, new furnace designs based on the plasma arc, and the use of fluidized-bed reactors for the pretreatment of ore fines prior to their agglomeration, or preferably prior to their direct charging to plasma furnaces. Good collaboration between industry and research-and-development organizations, as well as an open-minded approach to new challenges, has been largely responsible for the successes reaped by the ferro-alloy industry in the face of great foreign competition. It will almost certainly be in the field of new stainless-steel alloys that future growth will occur, and South Africa can look forward to another twenty-one years of growth and new developments.
Download or read book Proceedings Twelfth Congress of the Council of Mining and Metallurgical Institutions Johannesburg South Africa 3rd 7th May 1982 written by Council of Mining and Metallurgical Institutions. Congress and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Unrestricted Mintek Publications written by and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Reflections on the Future and on the Role of the Ferro Alloy Industry in South Africa as Part of the Social System written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The recent political developments in South Africa have created a favourable climate for major industries, including ferro-alloys, to play an increasing role in the various social upliftment programmes such as education, training, occupational health and safety. For this goal to be achieved, the economic viability of the industry must not only be sustained, but also improved. The generation of additional wealth by manufacturing value-added products from ferro-alloys has great potential to assist in addressing South Africa's growing financial needs. The future of the social programmes will no doubt depend on the adoption of appropriate policies and the success of these initiatives, as well as the continuing growth of the ferro-alloy industry itself. Technical and environmental considerations are becoming increasingly important factors.
Download or read book Digital Computer Applications to Process Control written by R. Isermann and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2014-05-20 with total page 597 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Digital Computer Applications to Process Control presents the developments in the application of digital computers to the control of technical processes. This book discusses the control principles and includes as well direct feedback and feed forward control as monitoring and optimization of technical processes. Organized into five parts encompassing 77 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the two categories of microprocessor systems. This text then discusses the concept of a sensor controlled robot that adapts to any task, assures product quality, and eliminates machine tending labor. Other chapters consider the ergonomic adaptation of the human operator's working conditions to his abilities. This book discusses as well the self-tuning regulator for liquid level in the acetic acid evaporator and its actual performance in production. The final chapter deals with algebraic method for deadbeat control of multivariable linear time-invariant continuous systems. This book is a valuable resource for electrical and control engineers.
Download or read book Annual Report written by Council for Mineral Technology (South Africa) and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Journal of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy written by South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book List of Unrestricted Mintek Publications Issued from 1966 to 1982 written by Helena Wilhelmina Glen and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication lists the 834 unrestricted reports, 449 papers, 41 patents, and 4 other technical publications that were issued as publications of the National Institute for Metallurgy (NIM) and the Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek) from 1966 (the year of NIM's inception) to 31st December, 1982. For ease of reference, these publications are also classified under research topics. Also included are details of the periodical issued by Mintek and a list of its current miscellaneous publications, which include the annual report, and brochures and leaflets of various kinds.
Download or read book South Africa written by and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 940 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ferro alloys from South Africa written by South African Ferro Alloy Producers' Association and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Automation in Mining Mineral and Metal Processing 1983 written by Tapio Westerlund and published by Pergamon. This book was released on 1984 with total page 792 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains 73 papers which discuss the latest developments in the important field of control applications, equipment and theory. Emphasis has been placed on applications, large distributed digital control systems, measurement systems, optimality, adaptivity, reliability and safety aspects. Major topics covered include: thermal processes and energy control; control in cement making; modelling and control of grinding mills; systems and equipment; steelmaking and continuous casting; theory; control and modelling in extraction metallurgy; on-line control of concentration and separation processes; measurement and analysis in mining and mineral processes; automation in coal mining; hot and cold rolling; and automation in mining.
Download or read book Highlights of Current Metallurgical Research and Development in the South African Precious metals and Ferro alloy Industries written by and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some of the current research-and-development programmes in South Africa are reviewed, including those involving the extraction metallurgy of gold, uranium, ferrochromium, ferromanganese, and the platinum-group metals, and the transfer of technology to the industry. The motivation for such research and development is the reduction of capital and operating costs, the improvement of existing processes by computer-assisted control and optimization, the development of new processes for ores not previously exploited, the optimization of energy consumption, and the further processing of minerals to intermediate and end products. In a country with a limited amount of highly-trained manpower, the optimization of metallurgical research and development has to be based on good technical interaction between the mining and metallurgical industries and their in-house laboratories on the one hand, and the national laboratories on the other. In addition, the successful transfer of technology from the research-and-development phase to industry is essential. The examples quoted demonstrate that the local metallurgical industry is supported by a vigorous research-and-development effort that should generate confidence in South Africa's continued large-scale supply of raw and processed mineral products at competitive prices.
Download or read book Sub Saharan Africa Report written by and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 858 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Application of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral Industry written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Automation in Mining Mineral and Metal Processing written by F. H. Lancaster and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 852 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
