My general research philosophy is to carry out research in close cooperation with industry, and to make sure that all of my students start with fundamental research, and carry it all the way to implementation in operating plants. Some of the most significant projects are listed below.
Ash Analyzer
I developed the first on-line slurry ash analyzer based on X-ray backscatter, which has been patented and licensed to Outokumpu Oy, Finland. The analyzer incorporates two sensors: a gamma-ray transmission unit to measure the percent solids of the slurry, and an X-ray backscatter/ fluorescence unit to determine the ash content of the entire slurry. The combined signal from the two sensors provides a means for determining the ash content of the solids in the slurry.
On-Line Measurement of Rheology
My research group has developed a technique for rapid on-line measurement of the rheology of particulate processing streams. This method uses standard, off-the-shelf transducers, which are combined with computations using the gas law and the Hagen-Poiseuille equation to calculate the rheological behavior of the particulate suspension over a wide range of shear rates. Unlike existing vibrational and tube viscometers (which operate at fixed shear rates), the stress/ strain data is calculated directly, which allows the viscosity to be determined at whatever shear rates are of most interest for the process.
Selected Publications ~~~~~~~~~~ Full List of Publications
Kawatra, S. K., Eisele, T. C. and Dilley, H. L., "A procedure for Evaluating Existing Heavy-Media Coal Preparation Circuits to Enhance Sulfur Removal: A case Study", Chapter 4 in High Efficiency Coal Preparation (ed Kawatra), Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., Littleton, CO, 1995, pp. 55-61.
Udupa, A. R., and Kawatra, S. K., "Developments in Gold Leaching," Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy, Vol. 7, 1990, pp. 115-135.
Rose, W.I., Paces, J.B., Chesner, C.A., Pletka, B.J., Hellawell, A., Kawatra, S.K., Pilling, J.E., "New Interdisciplinary Engineering Design Course in Planetary Materials and Resource Utilization" Proc. of Space'90,American Society of Civil Engineers, Aerospace/ASCE/ Albuquerque, NM, 1990, pp., 1413-1422
DeLa'O, K. A., Eisele,T. C., Kasul, D. B., Rose W. I., Kawatra, S. K., "Separation of Lunar Ilmenite: Basalt vs. Regolith", Proc. of Space'90, American Society of Civil Engineers, Aerospace /ASCE/ Albuquerque, NM, 1990, pp. 177-186.
Kawatra, S. K., Eisele, T. C., and Bagley, S. T., "Studies of Pyrite Dissolution in Pachuca Tanks and Depression of Pyrite Flotation by Bacteria," Biotechnology in Minerals and Metal Processing (B. J. Scheiner, F. M. Doyle and S. K. Kawatra, eds.), Society of Mining Engineers, Littleton, CO, 1989, pp. 55-62. |
