........ published in NEWSLETTER # 55
[ NATO-PCO Home Page ] [ Table of Contents of NEWSLETTER # 55 ]
........ published in NEWSLETTER # 55
FLASH REACTION PROCESSES
by Dr. T.W. Davies, University, Exeter (U.K.)
This book (NATO ASI SERIES E282) comprises the edited proceedings of a NATO ARW held in Istanbul in May 1994. The subject matter concerns the production of new materials using rapid heat treatment to bring about chemical/physical transformations of particulate solids. The solid materials may be metal ores (which are to be refined), inorganic minerals (which are to be calcined) or pure compounds. The particulate solids are usually in a gas/plasma suspension and the energy source is usually combustion or electromagnetic radiation. The objective of a flash reaction process is to create some desirable change in the composition/structure of a finely divided solid with low specific energy consumption.
The aim of the workshop was to define the state-of-the-art in a number of key areas across the spectrum of activities which make up the evolving subject of flash reaction technology. A collateral objective was to initiate the integration of information currently being generated from parallel but separate developments in the fields of pyrometallurgy, minerals processing and ceramic coating technology.
Contributions by leading practitioners from these application areas have been used to construct a synoptic view of the common distinctive features and problems of flash reaction processes. The material is arranged in five sections.
The first section is devoted to the basic physics and chemistry of flash reaction processes and includes a major contribution by Lesek Stoch. Experimental techniques developed for the study of the kinetics and transport processes associated with flash reactions are covered in the second section which includes a contribution by the plasma processing team led by Paul Fauchais. Mathematical modelling is a valuable tool for the development of new technology and the third section includes models of particular significance in the design of flash smelters by 'Rocky' Sohn and Frank Jorgensen. The fourth section is devoted to the practicialities of full-scale flash reactor operation; Nick Themelis explores the feasibility of the flash reduction of metal oxides, Pat Taylor defines the state of the art in cyclone flash reactor design and Sylvain Salvador describes the development of a flash calciner for the production of synthetic pozzolanic material from tropical soils.
To summarise, this book is a unique collection of 16 articles (370 pages, 460 references) by acknowledged authorities working on the basic science, the development and the commercial exploitation of a variety of flash reaction processes. It will be of value to those wishing to gain rapid access to contemporary knowledge on the key aspects of the subject of rapid thermal processing of solids.
Reference books: B259, C401, C456, E141, E155, E282, E297