Abstract
This article reviews more than 45 years of experience in the scale-up of pressure hydrometallurgical processes, from the pioneering collaboration between Sherritt and Chemical Construction Company to current process development by their successor, Dynatec Corporation. The evolution of test work is discussed, from traditional pilot-plant operations using semicommercial equipment to small scale or minipiloting with equipment several thousand times smaller than commercial units. Nickel, uranium, zinc, and gold processes have been developed and successfully implemented in worldwide operations treating a variety of feed materials, including concentrates, ores, and mattes. Data on test work duration and the ramp-up of commercial plants are presented.
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For more information, contact B. Vardill, Dynatec Corporation, Metallurgical Technologies Division, 8301-113 Street, Fort Sas-katchewan, Alberta T8L 4K7, Canada; (780) 992-8190; fax (780) 992-8100; e-mail wvardill@mettech.dynatec.ca.
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Campbell, F., Vardill, W.D. & Trytten, L. The scale-up and design of pressure hydrometallurgical process plants. JOM 51, 12–15 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-999-0149-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-999-0149-9