In this work, subcooled droplet impact on a highly thermally conductive spherical surface was investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Specifically, the effect of Weber number on spreading of droplets of three different liquids namely water, isopropyl alcohol and acetone was studied. The droplet shape evolution and surface wetting upon droplet impact at surface temperatures ranging between 20 o C and 250 o C were investigated using a high speed camera. Maximum droplet spread was measured and compared with available correlations. Generally wetting contact was observed at surface temperatures below or close to saturation temperature whilst a non-wetting contact was exhibited at surface temperatures significantly greater than the saturation temperature. The drop in surface temperature was found to be significantly lower in this non-wetting contact regime which led to significant reduction in heat transfer coefficient. Despite a very small temperature drop in the film boiling regime indicating small fraction of vaporization, Schlieren imaging of acetone droplets showed qualitative vapour field around the rebounding droplets. The droplet spreading patterns in cold condition and film boiling regime were simulated using the 3D CFD models which were found to be in good agreement with the experimental observations.

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Only when the process of particle detachment is well understood and modelled can minerals recovery using the flotation process be modulated to achieve a high efficiency by suitably changing the operating parameters. This is vitally necessary for the recovery of coarse particles in an energy efficient way, as detachment is the key limiting factor in the successful recovery of large particles. However, until the detachment mechanism is more fully understood, an upper limit on the floatable particle diameter still remains unidentified. To assess the current state of knowledge available in this area, a comprehensive literature review on the mechanisms and models of the bubble-particle detachment process in froth flotation is presented. In general, the detachment process is considered to be a stochastic process, and is usually attributed to the dynamic interactions with the turbulent flow structures (eddies) in the flotation environment which cause particles to detach because of dissipating energy. In this paper, previous studies on bubble-particle detachment have been critically analyzed with respect to the formulation of the models in predicting the detachment probability of particles. The models are classified into three different categories: force balance analysis; energy balance analysis and empirical analysis of particle size compared to maximum floatable particle size. Attention is also paid to an understanding of the mechanisms of bubble-particle detachment in quiescent and turbulent liquid flow fields. The predictions of all these models have been compared with the published experimental data and it was found that models which take an accurate consideration of the influence of eddies on a particle's detachment give the closest predictions. The generally held concept of bubble-particle detachment inside an eddy was experimentally validated, where a particle was observed to rotate on the surface of a bubble, resulting in a centrifugal acceleration 20 times that of gravitational acceleration. The aim of this paper is to review the developments and limitations of the existing models. The experimental work is reviewed so as to reveal the mechanisms of bubble-particle 3 detachment. Therefore, the future development of models is identified in order to successfully predict particle detachment.

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For the first time, the bed voidage of samples from interrupted softening and melting (S&M) under load tests was measured directly using computed tomography (CT). The large size, fused structure and high metallic iron content of the samples required the very high energy synchrotron X-ray source for scanning; samples produced at higher temperatures, e.g., 1 450°C, required neutron CT to allow adequate penetration of the samples. This method was able to uniquely and accurately identify the volumes, distributions, and structures of coke, ferrous, and void in the S&M samples, and quantify the tortuosity of the voids. This information is critical for analysis of the pressure drop-contraction relationship in the S&M under load test, and will allow the improvement of the treatment of the cohesive zone in numerical models of the blast furnace.