In Summary

The sixth High Temperature Processing Symposium being held at Swinburne University of Technology will bring together researchers, scientists, engineers and industry associates from the iron, steel, aluminium and non-ferrous metals industry to exchange and share their research results, new ideas and experiences on all aspects of high temperature processing.

Symposium organiser Dr Akbar Rhamdhani said the annual conference is an ideal platform for delegates from academia and industry to discuss the practical challenges encountered with high temperature processing and appropriate solutions.

“Swinburne's high temperature processing group is a leader in this technologically challenging area of research,” Dr Rhamdhani said.

“The university has world-class laboratories for research and teaching in the area of high temperature processing through the Robert Simpson High Temperature Processing Laboratory. This will be further enhanced by the Solar Thermal Research Laboratory which will be housed in the new Advanced Manufacturing and Design Centre currently under construction.”

Dr Rhamdhani said the symposium aimed to foster communication among researchers and practitioners with a common interest in improving high temperature processing techniques.

“Representatives from industry will be able to discuss problems and challenges involved in their industrial process and gain insight into potential solutions,” he said.

“For academics and researchers, it is a chance to present their research and get fresh perspective on their work. While postgraduate students will get the opportunity to discuss their research with experienced researchers and practitioners and expand their network.”

The keynote speakers include Professor Kenneth Coley from McMaster University Canada, Associate Professor Damien Giurco, University of Technology Sydney, Professor Jie Bao, UNSW, and Professor Hae-Geon Lee from Adama Science and Technology University, Ethiopia, and Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea.

Professor Coley will discuss the complexities of the kinetics of industrial high temperature processes, and also explain the success of the work that his team of researchers has carried out, as well as that conducted by Swinburne researchers.

Associate Professor Giurco will explain how wastes from one site may provide raw materials to another via reuse and recycling. This is an area being investigated by the new Wealth from Waste Research Cluster that Swinburne is a part of.

The third keynote speaker is Professor Bao who will outline the success of applying process control and monitoring in the industrial operation of aluminium smelter cells. This was done by measuring the individual anode current of each cell.

Professor Lee will discuss the kinetics of copper evaporation from liquid steel. The removal of copper and tin from liquid steel is extremely difficult, and Professor Lee will explain the success of the work his team has been doing in solving this problem.

The symposium will be followed by a tour of OneSteel’s plant at Laverton.

Registration for the symposium is free.

What: High Temperature Processing Symposium

When: 3-4 February 2014

Where: Advanced Technology Centre lecture theatre 101, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn