Journals →  Tsvetnye Metally →  2018 →  #3 →  Back

MATERIALS SCIENCE
ArticleName Reasonableness of usage of hyperduplex stainless steel as autoclave equipment material for high-temperature oxidation leaching of gold-bearing sulphide concentrates
DOI 10.17580/tsm.2018.03.10
ArticleAuthor Bolobov V. I., Shneerson Ya. M., Lapin A. Yu.
ArticleAuthorData

Saint Petersburg Mining University, Saint Petersburg, Russia:
V. I. Bolobov, Professor of a Chair of Mechanical Engineering, e-mail: Boloboff@mail.ru

 

Scientific and Research Center “Gidrometallurgiya”, Saint Petersburg, Russia:
Ya. M. Shneerson, Chief Executive Officer, Professor
A. Yu. Lapin, Technical Director

Abstract

Our paper shows the results of comparative corrosion tests of some of the materials to be used in equipment for high-temperature oxidation leaching of gold-bearing sulfide concentrates: hyperduplex steel SAF 2707 (Sandvik Materials Technology); duplex steel SAF 2507; austenite steel AISI 904L, inconel 625 and experimental-industrial steel Hastalloy G35 (Haynes International Inc.). The samples were tested in a laboratory autoclave; they were put under effect of respective gas and liquid phases of products, obtained by high-temperature leaching of refractory gold-bearing sulphide ore with an increased level of sulphur and chlorine-bearing compounds (~54 g/l H2SO4 and 40 mg/l Cl), at a temperature of 225 oC, a 3.2 MPa total pressure in the autoclave throughout 100 hours. The determined values of weight and depth indexes of corrosion rate (K g/(m2·h) and P mm/year) were compared to K and P indexes, obtained at testing of the same materials at the same operating parameters in the pulp of hightemperature pressure leaching semi-industrial unit with a lower level of H2SO4 and Cl. The corrosion rate indicators for all tested materials in liquid phase of the autoclave were more than 10 times higher than the corresponding values for gaseous phase and higher than those in the semi-industrial unit’s pulp. This may be explained by a high amount of sulphuric acid and chlorine-ion in the solution. Among those that were tested, hastalloy G35 is the only resistant material in high-temperature leaching products. Other tested materials (including the hyperduplex steel 2707) may belong to the low-resistant ones. The alloy G35 is not exposed to crevice corrosion and ignition risk. That is the only reason why this alloy (along with titanium) is more suitable for manufacturing of elements of autoclave equipment for high-temperature leaching processes.

keywords Hyperduplex steel, hastalloy, pressure leaching, high-temperature leaching, sulphide concentrates, corrosion, oxidation leaching, crevice corrosion
References

1. Ketcham V. J., O’Reilly J. F., Vardill W. D. The Lihir gold project: process plant design. Minerals Engineering. 1993. Vol. 6, No. 8–10. pp. 1037–1065.
2. Giraudo T. S., Cadzow M. D., Lunt D. J., Quaife T. W. Design and commissioning of the Macraes pressure oxidation circuit. Randol gold & silver forum. 2000. pp. 197–205.
3. Pangum L. S., Browner R. E. Pressure chloride leaching of a refractory gold ore. Minerals Engineering. 1996. Vol. 9, No. 5. pp. 547–556.
4. Thomas K. G., Cole A., Williams R. A. Barrick gold — autoclaving & roasting of refractory ores. Mineral processing plant design, practice and control. Englewood : SME, 2002. Vol. 2. pp. 1530–1539.
5. King J. A., Knight D. A. Autoclave operations at Porgera. Hydrometallurgy. 1992. Vol. 29. pp. 493–511.
6. Boldyrev A. V., Balikov S. V., Bogorodskiy A. V., Emelyanov Yu. E. Pressure oxidation of refractory gold-bearing concentrates using halogen-containing solvents and adsorbent. Tsvetnye Metally. 2015. No. 11. pp. 29–33.
7. Marsden J. O., House C. I. The chemistry of gold extraction. Englewood : SME, 2006. pp. 542–564.
8. Lunt D., Briggs N. Refractory sulfide ores case studies. Advances in gold ore processing. Ed. M. D. Adams. Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2005. pp. 920–936.
9. Martin P. Special design considerations for pressure hydrometallurgy pilot plants. Pressure Hydrometallurgy 2012. Proceedings of the 42 Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting. Niagara, Canada. 2012. pp. 401–412.
10. Jung J., Keller W., Zucht A. Use of numerical methods, scale-up lab tests in the design of HPAL autoclaves. Pressure Hydrometallurgy 2012. Proceedings of the 42 Annual Hydrometallurgy Meeting. Niagara, Canada. 2012. pp. 91–103.
11. McClelland D. Pressure oxidation at sepon copper: opportunities abound. Oceana, 2007.
12. Naboychenko S. S., Ni L. P., Shneerson Ya. M., Kalashnikova M. I., Chugaev L. V. Pressure hydrometallurgy of non-ferrous metals. Ed.: S. S. Naboychenko. Ekaterinburg : GOU UGTU–UPI, 2002. 940 p.
13. Bolobov V. I. Safety of use of titanium in pressure processes of non-ferrous metallurgy with application of gaseous oxygen. Saint Petersburg : Lan, 2015. 144 p.
14. News. Avtomaticheskaya svarka. 2009. No. 5. p. 3–5.
15. Amursk POX hub. Launching and design performances. Presentation of Polymetal International PLC. 2013.
16. Bolobov V. I., Shneerson Ya. M., Lapin A. Yu. Corrosion resistance of nickel-chromium alloys, during the process of high temperature leaching of gold-bearing sulphide raw materials. Tsvetnye Metally. 2013. No. 5. pp. 73–77.
17. Vorobeva G. Ya. Corrosion resistance of materials in aggressive environments of chemical industries. Moscow: Khimiya, 1975. 816 p.
18. Bolobov V. I., Shneerson Ya. M., Lapin A. Yu. Crevice corrosion of titanium in the products of high-temperature leaching of gold-bearing sulfide raw materials. Tsvetnye Metally. 2017. No. 2. pp. 81–85.

Language of full-text russian
Full content Buy
Back