Measuring and Modeling Corrosion in Hydrometallurgical Process Systems

金属腐蚀是一个非常常见且代价高昂的问题，也是化学加工工业（CPI）中导致工厂停工的最常见原因。对于大多数人来说，腐蚀是一种难看的麻烦，但对于CPI来说，它会导致设备故障、泄漏和污染，这些都会导致严重的健康和环境问题。当了解其发生的原因并采取适当的措施时，可以防止大部分这种腐蚀损害。*** CPI部分侧重于矿物加工，加拿大是全球领先者。加拿大拥有世界一流的铀和钾肥等矿产储量，其经济在很大程度上依赖于这些材料的开采和加工。加拿大是世界上第二大铀生产国，世界上最大的铀矿位于萨斯喀彻温省。该研究项目的重点是提高对铀矿石加工系统中腐蚀问题的理解和开发缓解技术。******将铀加工成可用材料的最初阶段包括通过焙烧和酸浸技术进行提取。酸具有天然腐蚀性，设备可以通过使用橡胶状屏障来保护。然而，有时这些屏障被损坏，使设备不受保护。本研究的重点是确定在浸出过程中使用的酸性溶液攻击金属的机制。它将包括仔细地进行模拟材料分解的实验，以及创建描述该过程的数学模型。这将使工程师和科学家能够创造更好的保护设备的方法。这个为期五年的项目将阐明金属被腐蚀的机制，确定腐蚀的速度，并开发预测模型，用于在设计新设备和改造现有设备时的“假设”情况。********

Corrosion of metals is a very common and costly problem and it is the most frequent cause of plant downtime in the Chemical Processing Industries (CPI). For most people corrosion is an unsightly nuisance but for CPI it causes equipment failure, leaks and contamination, and these can cause significant heath and environmental issues. A great deal of this corrosion damage can be prevented when the reasons its occurrence are understood and appropriate measures are undertaken.***Part of CPI is focused on mineral processing, of which Canada is a global leader. Canada has world-class reserves of minerals such as uranium and potash and its economy relies, to a great extent, on the extraction and processing of these materials. Canada is the second largest producer of uranium in the world and the world's largest mine is located in Saskatchewan. This research project is focused on improving the understanding of and developing mitigation technology for corrosion problems in uranium ore processing systems.******The initial stages of processing uranium into usable material involve extraction by using roasting and acid leaching technology. Acids are naturally corrosive and equipment is protected from them by using rubber-like barriers. However, sometimes these barriers becomes damaged leaving the equipment unprotected. This research is focused on determining the mechanisms by which the acidic solutions, used in the leaching process, attack the metal. It will involve carefully performing experiments that mimic the breakdown of the materials as well as creating mathematical models that describe the process. This will allow engineers and scientists to create better ways of protecting the equipment. This five-year project will elucidate the mechanism by which the metal is attacked, determine the rate of corrosion attack and develop predictive models that can be used in “what if” situations during the design of new and retrofit of existing equipment.********