News in Brief

Aluminium Industry Forum in August

The Light Metals Flagship is planning a two-day Aluminium Industry Forum in August. The event will highlight research capabilities in Australia and technological opportunities and challenges facing the industry. The event is targeted at managers from aluminium companies, the research sector, state and federal governments, and consultancies. For further information, email Mark.Cooksey@csiro.au

Same address, new look

The Flagship website has a new look, as part of a move by CSIRO to bring its many different websites under one 'roof'. The new Light Metals Flagship website is now part of a bigger 'one-CSIRO' website. You can use the old web address www.lightmetals.csiro.au to get to the Light Metals Flagship section of the CSIRO site.

Check out these Flagship projects

We recently updated many of our Light Metals Flagship project profiles on the web, including:

Processing lower-grade bauxites – Our researchers are developing new technology to process lower-quality, high-silica bauxite, which would open up significant new reserves to meet the escalating demand for aluminium.
http://www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps1n9,,.html

On-line particle size monitoring to improve alumina production – The Flagship is developing an on-line particle size analyser to improve the operational efficiency of alumina refineries. Real-time monitoring of particle size in the Bayer liquor used in alumina production could bring an estimated A$10 million per year in added value to the industry.
http://cms.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps1nd,,.html

Increasing aluminium in car bodies – Substituting aluminium for steel in a car body can reduce its weight by 50% and allow savings of approximately 3000 litres of fuel and 20 kg of CO2 over the lifetime of an average car.
http://www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps1jb,,.html

Coming up in Process

The following Light Metals Flagship projects feature in the forthcoming June edition of Process magazine, published quarterly by CSIRO Minerals:

• The TiRO process that will cut the cost of titanium metal production by half

• 'Designer solvents': ionic liquids to reduce the energy consumption, and cost, of aluminium production

• Disposal and recycling of red mud from alumina production

• Development of non-consumable anodes to replace carbon in light metals production

Subscription to Process is free – just email editor.process@csiro.au

Light Metals Flagship recent publications

CSIRO researchers presented five papers on light metals research at the TMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society) annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, in March:

• Design of Supersonic Nozzles for Ultra Rapid Quenching of Metallic Vapours (Brooks, Khan, Barton and Nagle)

• Physical Modelling of Aluminium Reduction Cells (Cooksey and Yang)

• The Physical Chemistry of the Carbothermic Route to Magnesium (Brooks, Nagle and Trang)

• Development and Field Testing of a Prototype Aluminum Tapping Camera (Death, Pollard, Rogers, Gwan, Maunder, Giurco, Herd and Johnston)

• Nb-Doped TiO₂ Inert Anode Materials for Electrowinning in Chloride Melts (Mousa, Yan, Pownceby, Cooksey, McDonald and Lanyon)

Two other papers of note that are published or due for publication:

• The Carbothermic Route to Magnesium (Brooks, Trang, Witt, Khan and Nagle), JOM, May 2006

• Challenges in Light Metals Production (Brooks, Cooksey, Wellwood and Goodes), Green Processing Conference, Newcastle, Australia, 5-6 June 2006.

UPDATE Home

Message from the Director

Low-cost, high-performance
titanium alloys

Demand for aluminium to boost alumina exports

Sheet from powder: the 'holy grail' of titanium manufacture

Flagship technologies shine at top automotive event

Thinking titanium for Australia

News in brief

MEET THE SCIENTIST:

Dr Chris Goodes - Theme Leader Aluminium and Magnesium for the Light Metals Flagship and Program Manager for Light Metal Production in CSIRO Minerals.

Meet Dr Chris Goodes

EARLIER UPDATES 

February 2006

November 2005

August 2005

February 2005

October 2004

June 2004

The Light Metals Flagship is a CSIRO initiative and part of the National Research Flagships program that aims to deliver scientific solutions to advance Australia's most important national objectives. One of the largest scientific initiatives ever mounted in Australia, it aligns closely with the Federal Government's National Research Priorities. The initiative brings together our national research resources to deliver breakthroughs in fields ranging from healthcare to light metals and the environment.

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