Industrial Trials Research Articles

Prevention of Ladle Furnace Slag Disintegration Through Different Slag Additives

Ladle refining is a popular secondary metallurgy process and plays a vital role in achieving the desired chemistry and temperature during steelmaking. The slag produced after ladle refining mostly contains dicalcium silicate (C2S). The presence of high C2S in slag leads to the disintegration of slag into fine powder during cooling due to phase transformation of C2S. The adverse impact is that the dust is easily aerated and carried by wind creating environmental pollution and makes the working area unsafe. In this paper, an attempt was made to study the effect of the addition of different additives on the disintegration of slag. Initial laboratory experiments were conducted with different additives such as Colemanite (boron-based mineral), silica-rich synthetic slag, and a siliceous natural occurring mineral perlite. Analysis of slag samples was carried out before and after treatment with additives. Based on the optimized conditions, industrial trials were conducted with different additives, and its success was measured in terms of lumpy slag formation. It was successfully studied that the addition of 10% of perlite during ladle furnace treatment process helped in preventing the slag disintegration by 90%.

Thermomechanical Processing without Accelerated Cooling to Achieve an As-Rolled Yield Strength of 400MPa in C-Mn Steel Plate

Thermomechanical (TM) rolling schedules have been developed using mathematical modelling, physical simulation and industrial trials to produce C-Mn steel plate with yield strengths of 400MPa and good impact toughness without the need of expensive micro-alloying additions or accelerated cooling. The process relies on careful selection of delay times to accumulate sufficient retained strain during austenite conditioning for enhanced nucleation of ferrite. An integrated heat transfer-austenite processing model was used to predict the final microstructure and mechanical properties. The extent of strain accumulation and progress of recrystallisation during rolling were confirmed by laboratory simulation. Based on these results, carefully controlled industrial TM rolling trials were performed on C-Mn steels. Adequate grain refinement and properties are achieved through suppression of recrystallisation and strain accumulation in the low austenite temperature region after a sufficient delay period prior to finishing.

The use of waste and industrial by-products and possibilities of reducing CO2 emission in the cement industry – industrial trials

This article aims to present the possibility of reducing CO2 emission in the composite cement production, by using large amounts of industrial by-products and to present the possibility of reducing CO2 emission in the process of Portland clinker synthesis. The last one will be the result of using raw materials containing calcium compounds other than carbonates and the use of alternative fuels containing biomass for the synthesis of clinker, the combustion of which is not included in the CO2 emission balance. Replacing one mass % of CaO in the raw mix as limestone, reduces the emission by 8 kg CO2 per Mg of clinker. The reduction of CO2 emissions was evaluated and confirmed by industrial production trial. Clinker was produced using raw materials containing carbide lime or limestone fly ash. The results of the trial showed, that the use of 2%÷5% of Bełchatów calcareous fl y ash in the composition of the raw mix, allows of reducing the emission by 4.0÷10.3 kg of CO2 per Mg of Portland clinker. The use of 2%÷5% of carbide lime in the composition of the raw mix leads to emission reduction by 9.5÷23.9 kg of CO2 per Mg of Portland clinker. On the other hand, the development of composite cement production with a large amount of industrial by-products, seems to be the basic solution for the coming years, allowing a significant reduction of CO2 emission in the cement industry and in the concrete production.

Reducing the CO2 Footprint from Simn Production by Optimization of Fluxes

During the production of manganese ferroalloys a large amount of CO2 is emitted. Eramet Norway is committed to reducing its CO2 footprint, and have started several actions in order to reach its long-term climate goals. One of the short-term actions is to optimize the pre-reduction and raw material usage. The usage of carbonated materials contributes to the CO2 emissions both through releasing the bound CO2, and through the released CO2 reacting with solid carbon according to the Boudouard reaction. Removing carbonated fluxes is thus one potential way of reducing the CO2emissions from the furnace. Mass balance calculations were done to check the potential for CO2reduction through removing fluxes, namely dolomite, from the mix blend on a 32 MW SiMn furnace.An industrial trial was run to verify the results from the mass balance. The trial without dolomite lasted for over four months with good operational results. A decrease in CO2 footprint of 8.5% and a reduction in SEC of 5% was achieved when compared to the reference with dolomite. The main drawback of the reduced usage of fluxes is a decrease in Mn recovery.

2020 K-State Industrial Hemp CBD Variety Trial

2020 K-State Industrial Hemp CBD Variety Trial

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Industrial measurements of the gas and temperature in Si and FeSi production process

The production process for silicon has been steadily improving with respect to health, safety and environmental aspects due to improved process understanding, process design and operation control. Nonetheless, a deeper understanding of the process dynamics with respect to the process gas within the furnace charge is required, especially focusing on composition and chemistry before combustion with ambient air in the off gas.This paper presents the results of industrial trials focusing on measuring the charge temperature and gas composition from Si and FeSi furnace. The two main goals of this research were to: a) verify a system designed to extract gaseous samples from the charge of SAF. b) analyse both temperature distribution and gas composition from Si and FeSi process.Temperatures inside and at the top of the charge differs significantly from place to place, and temperatures on top of the charge can be higher than inside. A Micro-GC was successfully used to measure the gas composition on- and inside the charge. Off- gas measurements were carried out during the campaign with a portable emission analyser.

IRB Tales from the Heart of the Pandemic

IRB Tales from the Heart of the Pandemic Hallie Kassan The week of March 9, 2020 started off like any other week in an IRB/HRPP office. Two new staff had started in our office within the past two weeks, and we were training them. There was talk of coronavirus and COVID-19 in the news as it had made its way to the US, but our health system was not yet feeling a major impact. Then, as each day passed, there were new developments. Rumors started flying that someone in the building in which the HRPP office is housed had come down with COVID-19. Staff started panicking. Leadership at work and within research reassured everyone that if we all follow the basic guidelines, we will stay safe. Those guidelines were wash your hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough, and stay home if you feel sick. By Thursday morning, March 12, 2020, it was clear that staff did not feel safe coming in to work any longer. The challenge that day was setting everyone up (including two new employees who had been with us for less than three weeks) to work remotely, as our work force was generally not remote. My assistant director and I worked with IT support to make sure everyone had a functional computer to use at home, with which they would be able to login to our network. By the end of the day Thursday, all the HRPP staff had been told they could work remotely until told otherwise. Once the staff were settled, I was able to focus on work in the office and decisions that had to be made: • Do we need to put out a notice closing down research? Or can we allow investigators to make their own choices regarding their studies and continued activity as long as it was in compliance with the health system policies being put forth to combat COVID? • Will research studies be opening up? What IRB will be reviewing them? Our health system's IRB or an external IRB? • For studies coming through the IRB, what type of turnaround are investigators expecting? It became clear that research leadership had to put out a memo providing direction on how ongoing research studies should be handled. Investigators were confused and not sure whether they could move forward or not. They needed direction. Thus, over the course of a weekend, the HRPP worked together with clinical research operations. Together, we sent out a notification requiring enrollment on open studies be halted. In addition, we asked for research activities to be paused, unless the studies were of potential benefit and pausing activity could cause harm to an enrolled subject. The next agenda item was determining which COVID-19 research studies we should open within our health system. A small group was formed to vet all the COVID-19 trials that were coming our way and determine whether they were feasible to move forward. The decision makers felt very strongly that we should try to limit our trials to randomized controlled trials, in an effort to put the best science forward. The first trials we opened were industry sponsored multi center studies, for which we relied [End Page 76] on an external IRB. It was amazing how fast we were able to get these studies opened when all efforts across the organization were focused just on this. We opened up three trials within about a week of being approached about the studies. The health system's HRPP office worked side by side with the study team to assure all regulatory and institutional requirements were being met, as the study team was applying to the external IRB. The industry trials opened and enrolled very quickly. The next focus was on an investigator initiated study that would be opened within our health system only. We are a 23 hospital system. Thus, even when we are a single site we have the opportunity to enroll participants at 23 hospitals. This investigator initiated study was the first COVID-19 treatment trial coming through our IRB. Fortunately, our IRB moved to a flexible roster video conference system in 2014. Therefore, the change to a...

News Print from Corn Stalk Fiber: Industrial and commercial Trials

Abstract The chemical composition of corn stalk as well as fiber morphology, fiber length and diameter were carried out. Furthermore, Kraft pulping process using different cooking conditions (temperature, 125 – 170oC, time, 15 - 40 min., and % alkali 9 - 12%) were done at laboratory scale. The obtained pulps were characterized with respect to %yield, %rejects, kappa number and rest alkali. Effect of chemical composition of corn stalk on yield and kappa number was discussed. The mechanical properties of hand sheet paper were explained in details, according to different cooking conditions. The high ash content and the relatively short fiber of corn stalk can attribute to positive effect with respect to bulk, opacity and the necessary strength of paper which are important properties in newspaper. Industrial trials were carried out using Pandia continuous digester(74 tons corn stalk kraft pulp was produced) and 90 tons newsprint paper (furnish: 86.5% bleached corn stalk pulp + 13.5 bleached soft wood pulp) was obtained using Furdirinier paper machine. The produced newsprint was printed and commercialized by four famous newsprint companies in Cairo – Egypt (about twenty tons for each). Comparison with the imported newsprint paper was done, the produced newsprint has better qualities with respect to opacity, and strength properties. Findings from industrial and commercialized trials in this study provide insights into new opportunities to utilize corn stalk pulp as better alternative to produce good quality of newsprint.

Clogging‐Induced Asymmetrical and Transient Flow Pattern in a Steel Continuous Casting Slab Strand Measured Using Nail Boards

Herein, the fluid flow pattern in a continuous casting slab strand with varied degree of clogging of the submerged entry nozzle is measured using nail boards in industrial trials. The influence of clogging on meniscus velocity, top surface position, surface level fluctuation, and slag entrainment of the strand is investigated. The number density and area fraction of nonmetallic inclusions including Na2O and K2O‐bearing entrained slag ones within the subsurface of steel slabs are inspected using an automatic scanning electron microscope (SEM). The flow pattern in the strand periodically transforms from a double roll flow to a complex flow and/or a single roll flow. The fluid field in the continuous casting mold is unstable and asymmetric under the condition of varied degree of clogging with time. The variation of the meniscus velocity and the surface level fluctuation with time is stochastic. The percentage of >3 mm level fluctuation increases from 4.7% to 10.6% with a serious clogging of the submerged entry nozzle. The amount of entrained slag inclusions with serious clogging is approximately 1.6 times than that with slight clogging. In addition, slag entrainment mechanisms of the shear‐layer instability and the vortex formation are discussed.

Vibration-Based Diagnostics of Radial Clearances and Bolts Loosening in the Bearing Supports of the Heavy-Duty Gearboxes.

The problem solved in this research is the diagnosis of the radial clearances in bearing supports and the loosening of fastening bolts due to their plastic elongation (creep) or weak tightening using vibration signals. This is an important issue for the maintenance of the heavy-duty gearboxes of powerful mining machines and rolling mills working in non-stationary regimes. Based on a comprehensive overview of bolted joint diagnostic methods, a solution to this problem based on a developed nonlinear dynamical model of bearing supports is proposed. Diagnostic rules are developed by comparing the changes of natural frequency and its harmonics, the amplitudes and phases of shaft transient oscillations. Then, the vibration signals are measured on real gearboxes while the torque is increasing in the transmission during several series of industrial trials under changing bearings and bolts conditions. In parallel, dynamical torque is measured and its interrelation with vibration is determined. It is concluded that the radial clearances are the most influencing factors among the failure parameters in heavy-duty gearboxes of industrial machines working under impulsive and step-like loading. The developed diagnostics algorithm allows condition monitoring of bearings and fastening bolts, allowing one to undertake timely maintenance actions to prevent failures.

Study on the Migration Law of Overlying Strata of Gob-Side Entry Retaining Formed by Roof Cutting and Pressure Releasing in the Shallow Seam

A mechanical model of a hard roof was built to analyze the pressure relief roof cutting (RCPR) process for gob-side entry retaining (GER) and identify the critical stage of roadway stability control during RCPR. Based on the mechanical analysis of key parameters of automatic roadway with RCPR, the FLAC3D software was adopted to conduct a numerical simulation to investigate the influence law of height and angle of RCPR, to analyze the trend of variations in the vertical displacement of roadway surrounding rock stress and the roof under different conditions, and to verify that the optimal roof cutting height and seam cutting angle of the 12201 working face of Halagou Coal mine are 6 m and 20°, respectively. The effect of automatic roadway with RCPR has been well implemented through conducting the bidirectional cumulative blasting test on site. To impose effective roadway surrounding rock controlling measures on Halagou Coal mine in RCPR of hard, coal-bearing roof structures at a shallow mining depth, constant resistance large deformation anchor cables, in combination with a single hydraulic prop, joist steel 11#, and steel mesh reinforcement, could provide active surrounding rock support. In addition to the active support, surrounding rock control could be strengthened using grouting bolts. Based on the result, the stress in the roadway coal side and the vertical displacement of the roof can be reduced through increasing the roof cutting height, contributing to the stability of the roadway. Increasing of the roof cutting angle will lead to the increasing of stress in the coal side of the roadway and the increasing of roof displacement with a maximum angle of 20°. Meanwhile, the peak of stress concentrating on both sides of the extreme angle is decreased. Thus, increasing the cutting roof angle at random can be unfavorable to the management of roadway roof. To develop RCPR GER, roadway surrounding rock requires greater support when the mine face passes through a cutting slot. After industrial trials, these measures are proved to be effective in controlling surrounding rock movement and developing GER.

Optimization of Deodorization Design for Four Different Kinds of Vegetable Oil in Industrial Trial to Reduce Thermal Deterioration of Product

AbstractTrans fatty acids (TFA) have been shown to be associated with various health disorders. Due to thermal stress, one major source of dietary TFA is high‐temperature deodorization of vegetable oils. In this study, precision minimal deodorization was proposed to obtain healthier “zero‐TFA” vegetable oils (TFA ≤0.3%). By optimizing temperatures for different deodorizers, dual columns with dual temperatures (DCDT) deodorizers were proposed, transformed, and industrially implemented among dozens of plants. The deodorization temperatures were optimized and customized, respectively, for four kinds of vegetable oil (soybean oil and rapeseed oil: tray column 205 °C and packed column 225 °C, maize oil and sunflower seed oil: tray column 210 °C and packed column 230 °C). Industrial trials showed that all four kinds of oils can achieve “zero‐TFA” by DCDT deodorization at the customized mild temperatures, and meanwhile oil physicochemical qualities and shelf‐life stabilities were compared with corresponding conventional refining oils. The initial free fatty acid and color were a little higher than that of conventional refining oils, but no significant differences were shown in change trends of these physicochemical indexes during the shelf life, which indicated a good and stable oil quality of “zero‐TFA” oils for future industrial productions and sales.

Recent developments and applications on high-performance cast magnesium rare-earth alloys

Abstract During the past decades, with the increasing demands in lightweight structural materials, Mg alloys with low density and high performance have been extensively investigated and partly applied in some industries. Especially when rare earth (RE) elements are added as major alloying elements to Mg alloys, the alloy strength and creep resistance are greatly improved, which have promoted several series of Mg-RE alloys. This paper reviews the progress and developments of high-performance Mg-RE alloys in recent years with emphasis on cast alloys. The main contents include the alloy design, melt purification, grain refinement, castability, novel liquid casting and semisolid forming approaches, and the industrial applications or trials made of Mg-RE alloys. The review will provide insights for future developments of new alloys, techniques and applications of Mg alloys.

CFD study of multiphase flow in aerated grit tank

Grit removal is an important step in a municipal wastewater treatment plant to remove fine particles from wastewater. One of the prominent technologies for grit removal is an aerated grit tank (AGT), which uses air diffusers to create spiral flow that allows heavier particles to accelerate and settle to the bottom of the tank. The performance of an AGT largely depends on induced flow patterns and hydrodynamic forces. The current study investigated an industrial-scale AGT using computational fluid dynamics modelling and simulations. For the simulated tank, industrial trials were conducted to measure grit quantity and particle size distribution in the influent and effluent of the tank. The measured data were used to validate the CFD model and then the validated model was used to investigate the effect operating conditions and modifications in tank geometry on flow patterns and grit capture efficiency. The objective of this parametric investigation was aimed to improve grit removal efficiency of the simulated AGT. The predictions suggested only 6.6 % change in the grit capture efficiency of the tank when air flowrate was either increased by 50 % from the current setpoint (230 Nm3/hr). Simulation of a peak wet weather wastewater flowrate (= 986 L/s) resulted in ∼50 % drop in grit capture compared to dry weather wastewater flowrate (= 460 L/s). Among the simulated tank modifications to improve grit removal during peak wet weather events, increase in tank length and width did not provide significant improvement. However, modification in tank base by relocating the screw conveyor recess from its current position (midway along the width of the tank) to a location adjacent to the wall resulted in 34 % increase in the capture efficiency of smaller particles in a size range of 100–150 μm.

Quantitative Methods to Support Data Acquisition Modernization within Copper Smelters

Sensors and process control systems are essential for process automation and optimization. Many sectors have adapted to the Industry 4.0 paradigm, but copper smelters remain hesitant to implement these technologies without appropriate justification, as many critical functions remain subject to ground operator experience. Recent experiments and industrial trials using radiometric optoelectronic data acquisition, coupled with advanced quantitative methods and expert systems, have successfully distinguished between mineral species in reactive vessels with high classification rates. These experiments demonstrate the increasing potential for the online monitoring of the state of a charge in pyrometallurgical furnaces, allowing data-driven adjustments to critical operational parameters. However, the justification to implement an innovative control system requires a quantitative framework that is conducive to multiphase engineering projects. This paper presents a unified quantitative framework for copper and nickel-copper smelters, which integrates thermochemical modeling into discrete event simulation and is, indeed, able to simulate smelters, with and without a proposed set of sensors, thus quantifying the benefit of these sensors. Sample computations are presented, which are based on the authors’ experiences in smelter reengineering projects.

Effect of various components on the distribution of phosphorus in CaO–FeO–MgO–SiO2–MnO–TiO2–V2O5–P2O5 slag based on IMCT

ABSTRACT A thermodynamic calculation model of phosphorus distribution ratio between CaO–FeO–MgO–SiO2–MnO–TiO2–V2O5–P2O5 slags and molten metal has been developed based on the ion and molecule coexistence theory (IMCT). The calculated phosphorus distribution ratio shows a good agreement with the measured ones by the data of industrial trial, which proves the reliability of this model. Therefore, the model is used to study the effects of TiO2, V2O5, slag basicity, FeO, MgO and MnO on phosphorus distribution. The results illustrate that the effects on phosphorus distribution from V2O5 and TiO2 are non-negligible and they are almost the same, slag basicity and FeO have the most significant effects on phosphorus distribution, while MgO and MnO have the least.

EPID-07. ACCESS TO GLIOBLASTOMA CLINICAL TRIALS FOR RURAL PATIENTS IN THE UNITED STATES FROM 2010–2020

Abstract BACKGROUND Patients in rural communities have less access to optimal cancer care and clinical trials. For GBM, access to experimental therapies, and consideration of a clinical trial is embedded in national guidelines. Still, the availability of clinical trials to rural communities, representing 20% of the US population, has not been described. METHODS We queried ClinicalTrials.gov for glioblastoma interventional treatment trials opened between 1/2010 and 1/2020 in the United States. We created a Structured Query Language database and leveraged Google application programming interfaces (API) Places to find name and street addresses for the sites, and Google’s Geocode API to determine the county location. Counties were classified by US Department of Agriculture Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC 1–3 = urban and RUCC 4–9 = rural). We used z-ratios for rural-urban statistical comparisons. RESULTS We identified 406 interventional treatment trials for GBM at 1491 unique sites. 8.7% of unique sites were in rural settings. Rural sites opened an average of 1.7 trials/site and urban sites 2.8 trials/site from 1/2010–1/2020. Rural sites offered more phase II trials (63% vs 57%, p= 0.03) and fewer phase I trials (22% vs 28%, p= 0.01) than urban sites. Rural locations were more likely to offer federally-sponsored trials (p< 0.002). There were no investigator-initiated or single-institution trials offered at rural locations, and only 1% of industry trials were offered rurally. DISCUSSION Clinical trials for GBM were rarely open in rural areas, and were more dependent on federal funding. Clinical trials are likely difficult to access for rural patients, and this has important implications for the generalizability of research as well as how we engage the field of neuro-oncology and patient advocacy groups in improving patient access to trials. Increasing the number of clinical trials in rural locations may enable more rural patients to access and enroll in GBM studies.

Clinical Trial Outcomes in Urology: Assessing Early Discontinuation, Results Reporting and Publication in ClinicalTrials.Gov Registrations 2007-2019.

Clinical trials require significant resources, but benefits are only realized after trial completion and dissemination of results. We comprehensively assessed early discontinuation, registry results reporting, and publication by trial sponsor and subspecialty in urology trials. We assessed trial registrations from 2007 to 2019 on ClinicalTrials.gov and publication data from PubMed®/MEDLINE®. Associations between sponsor or subspecialty with early discontinuation were assessed using Cox proportional hazards and results reporting or publication with logistic regression at 3 years after completion. Of 8,636 trials 3,541 (41.0%) were completed and 999 (11.6%) were discontinued. Of completed trials 26.9% reported results and 21.6% were published. Sponsors included academic institutions (53.1%), industry (37.1%) and the U.S. government (9.8%). Academic-sponsored (adjusted HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.96, p=0.012) and government-sponsored trials (adjusted HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.49-0.78, p <0.001) were less likely than industry to discontinue early. Government-sponsored trials were more likely to report (adjusted OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.17-2.54, p=0.006) and publish (adjusted OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.23-2.89, p=0.004). Academic-sponsored trials were less likely to report (adjusted OR 0.65, CI:0.48-0.88, p=0.006) but more likely to publish (adjusted OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.25-2.37, p <0.001). These outcomes were similar across subspecialties. However, endourology was more likely to discontinue early (adjusted HR 2.00, 95% CI 1.53-2.95, p <0.001), general urology was more likely to report results (adjusted OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.13-2.11, p=0.006) and andrology was less likely to publish (adjusted OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.35-0.81, p=0.003). Sponsor type is significantly associated with trial completion and dissemination. Government-sponsored trials had the best performance, while industry and academic-sponsored trials lagged in completion and results reporting, respectively. Subspecialty played a lesser role. Lack of dissemination remains a problem for urology trials.

Does green industrial policy promote the sustainable growth of polluting firms? Evidences from China

In this research, the impact of municipal green industry policies in 15 cities on the economic and environmental performance of local companies was evaluated, and the policy coordination mechanism was studied. As a dual-goal policy mix, the green industrial policy has been used by Chinese municipal governments to solve the dilemma between the economic growth and environmental mitigation. However, the quantitative evaluation of these green industrial policy trials remains limited. To address this issue, the policy evaluation in this research applied sewage discharge data and operation data of 22,670 Chinese textile firms from 1998 to 2013 from Chinese Environmental Statistics Database. Fixed-effect regression analysis and dynamic difference-in-differences (DID) approach were used to assess the dual-faceted impacts of green industrial policies and their subtypes, as well as the continuity of these impacts. The findings suggest that adopting a dual-objective green industrial policy is an effective approach to encourage heavy-polluting firms to develop in a more balanced and sustainable way. From dynamic DID analysis, these green industrial policies have continuity effects on both chemical oxygen demand discharge intensity and annual revenue of firms after implementation and the general impacts can last for at least 4 years. The study also reveals the heterogeneity in the impacts of three different subtypes of green industrial policy. The technology-push policy subtype can quickly reduce environmental discharge without compromising economic development, while demand-pull policy subtype has a slow effect on the improvement of environmental performance. The balanced policy subtype can promote enterprises to achieve both optimal performance of economy and environment, although the efficiency of balanced policy subtype is between two subtypes. Generally, this research provides reliable basis for the implementation of green industrial policies in developing countries and provides certain inspiration for the enriching of green industry policy theory.