O Polskiej Stacji Antarktycznej im. Henryka Arctowskiego na Wyspie Króla Jerzego mówi dr hab. Robert Bialik, kierownik Zakładu Biologii Antarktyki Instytutu Biochemii i Biofizyki PAN.

O Polskiej Stacji Antarktycznej im. Henryka Arctowskiego na Wyspie Króla Jerzego mówi dr hab. Robert Bialik, kierownik Zakładu Biologii An tarktyki Instytutu Biochemii i Biofizyki PAN.

An economical alternative for the steel industry which uses a separate ferrosilicon and aluminum for the deoxidization of steel is a complex deoxidizer in the form of FeSiAl alloys. The effectiveness of complex deoxidizers is higher and they have a positive effect on quality improvement and also for mechanical properties of the finished steel. It is associated with a smaller number of non-metallic inclusions and a more favorable its distribution in the structure of steel. Noteworthy are the waste from the mining industry simultaneously contains SiO2 and Al2O3 oxides with a few of dopants in the form of CaO, MgO, FeO, TiO2 oxides. These wastes are present in large quantities and can be a cheap raw material for obtaining complex FeSiAl ferroalloys by an electrothermal method. “Poor” hard coal grades which so far did not apply as a reducing agent in the ferroalloy industry because of the high ash content can also be a raw material for the electrothermal FeSiAl process. The electrothermal FeSiAl melting process is similar to the ferrosilicon process in the submerged arc furnace. For this reason, a model based on Gibbs’ free enthalpy minimization algorithm was used to analyze the simultaneous reduction of SiO2 and Al2O3 oxides, which was originally elaborated for the ferrosilicon smelting process. This is a system of two closed reactors: the upper one with the lower temperature and the lower one with the higher temperature. Between the reaction system and the environment, and between the reactors inside the system, there is a cyclical mass transfer in moments when the state of equilibrium is reached in the reactors. Based on the model, the basic parameters of the electrothermal reduction process of SiO2 and Al2O3 oxides were determined and a comparative analysis was made towards the ferrosilicon process.

Higher active power of a submerged arc furnace is commonly believed to increase its capacity in the process of ferrosilicon smelting. This is a true statement but only to a limited extent. For a given electrode diameter d, there is a certain limit value of the submerged arc furnace active power. When this value is exceeded, the furnace capacity in the process of ferrosilicon smelting does not increase but the energy loss is higher and the technical and economic indicators become worse. Maximum output regarding the reaction zone volumes is one of parameters that characterize similarities of furnaces with various geometrical parameters. It is proportional to d3 and does not depend on the furnace size. The results of statistical analysis of the ferrosilicon smelting process in the 20 MVA furnace have been presented. In addition to basic electrical parameters, such as active power and electrical load of the electrodes, factors contributing to higher resistance of the furnace bath and resulting lower reactive power Px demonstrate the most significant effect on the electrothermal process of ferrosilicon smelting. These parameters reflect metallurgical conditions of ferrosilicon smelting, such as the reducer fraction, position of the electrodes and temperature conditions of the reaction zones.

This paper presents a unique case study and methodology for measurements of the bedload transport in the two, newly created troughs at the forefield of the Baranowski Glacier: Fosa and Siodło creeks. The weather conditions and the granulometric analysis are presented and discussed briefly. Rating curves for the Fosa and Siodło creeks are presented for the first time for this region. Changes of the bedload transport as well as water discharge and water velocity at both creeks are investigated. The hysteresis for the relationships between rate of bedload transport and water discharges were identified showing that for both creeks for the higher water levels a figure of eight loop may be easily recognized. Moreover, a new method for the calculation of bedload transport rate, based on the weighted arithmetic mean instead of the arithmetic mean, is proposed.

In the paper, on the basis of our studies and the available literature data, a model of changes in the number of active centers corresponding to the structure of the reactive coal particle has been developed. A new distribution function that links the specific surface area of a particle with its porosity and reaction degree has been proposed. An equation for estimation of changes in this parameter during the reaction, on the basis of the initial value, has been presented. In the range of our data and the analysis of the literature data, the model, with satisfactory accuracy, describes internal structural changes of coal and coal char particles. The present results may constitute a basis for complex modelling of coal conversion processes.

Based on the results it was found that the total active centres are related to the internal surface area and porosity of the particle. For a specific coal type, this value depends on the porosity, true density and size of the particle. Changes in total active centres, when these structural properties during thermal conversion of coal are considered, are described in equations.