Utilization of Thermodynamics in Extractive Metallurgy

Abstract

Historically thermodynamics was developed in order to describe the relation between heat and work, for example in steam engine. The traditional introduction to thermodynamics shows this traditional derivation. In metallurgy the application has been to relations between heat, temperature, pressure and chemical compositions. This field is often called metallurgical thermodynamics. Among the various, applicability of thermodynamics to extractive metallurgical processes, calculation methods combining stoichiometric relations with equilibrium constants and the availability of chemical potential diagrams are emphasized. For thermodynamically understanding of smelting processes, the phase equilibrium and distribution of minor elements among the metal, slag, and matte phases are reviewed.