2017, Volume 3, Issue 3
Engineering >> 2017, Volume 3, Issue 3 doi: 10.1016/J.ENG.2017.03.006
Application of Microwave Melting for the Recovery of Tin Powder
a Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, China
b State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, China
c Yunnan Tin Group (Holding) Company Limited, Gejiu, Yunnan 661000, China
d Chemical Engineering Program, The Petroleum Institute, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Abstract
The present work explores the application of microwave heating for the melting of powdered tin. The morphology and particle size of powdered tin prepared by the centrifugal atomization method were characterized. The tin particles were uniform and spherical in shape, with 90% of the particles in the size range of 38–75 μm. The microwave absorption characteristic of the tin powder was assessed by an estimation of the dielectric properties. Microwave penetration was found to have good volumetric heating on powdered tin. Conduction losses were the main loss mechanisms for powdered tin by microwave heating at temperatures above 150 °C. A 20 kW commercial-scale microwave tin-melting unit was designed, developed, and utilized for production. This unit achieved a heating rate that was at least 10 times higher than those of conventional methods, as well as a far shorter melting duration. The results suggest that microwave heating accelerates the heating rate and shortens the melting time. Tin recovery rate was 97.79%, with a slag ratio of only 1.65% and other losses accounting for less than 0.56%. The unit energy consumption was only 0.17 (kW·h)·kg−1—far lower than the energy required by conventional melting methods. Thus, the microwave melting process improved heating efficiency and reduced energy consumption.
Keywords
Microwave heating ; Melting ; Tin powder ; Microwave equipment ; Recovery
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