Short Courses 2023
We invite you to join us at COM 2023 Short Courses. Courses are presented prior to the Conference at the host hotel.
These courses are set to complement the content offered at COM 2023- 62nd Annual Conference of Metallurgists. It is not mandatory to register for the conference to purchase a registration for any of the Short Courses.
Furnace Refractory Design and Management
One-day course | 6 hours

A journey through refractory design development – how to evaluate the best techno-economical solution for my process?
Scope: Refractories are ceramic products designed for the application in high temperature processes up to 1800°C. In our daily life’s it is considered to be just “a brick” or “a mix” for most of us but a refractory solution for a furnace consists of a complex interaction of mechanical, chemical and thermal factors and their trade-off in terms of the expected service life for a furnace. This short course provides a unique opportunity to deepen the knowledge into the refractory world. Participants are enabled to assess refractories and lining concepts with respect to their suitability for pyrometallurgical processes in the non-ferrous industry. They also become familiar with common wear mechanisms, possible failure types and strategies to mitigate them during the design process.
Furnace Refractory Management Based on Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Continuous Monitoring
Scope: As furnace lining concepts and designs have improved over the last century, the smelter management and maintenance approach has also changed significantly within this period. One of the fundamental approaches that have changed is the view of the furnace lining. In traditional thinking, the lining was viewed as a consumable with unpredictable service life, but a new and modern idea is to see the furnace lining as equipment that should be maintained. Simply burning through the lining and hoping for the best is no longer acceptable or economically and environmentally viable. To manage and understand the condition of the lining we need data; reliable data that continuously provides knowledge about the thickness and structural integrity of the lining. Throughout the campaign life of a furnace, successful refractory maintenance procedures will ultimately reduce relining costs, furnace downtime, waste disposal volume, and carbon footprint of the smelter.
Participants will learn about various techniques to inspect and monitor metallurgical process vessels, such as electric furnaces, flash furnaces, reactors, and blast furnaces. In addition, they learn about case studies, data comparisons between NDT and physical measurments, detection of chemical attacks within the lining during furnace operation, extension of furnace campaign life, and unique cases.
Additive Manufacturing of Advanced Engineering Materials
Two-day course | 9-14 hours
This intensive short course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of fundamentals of additive manufacturing (AM) technology, its applications in the industry, and its implications in the markets.
The course introduces AM process fundamentals, material properties, design rules, qualification methods, cost and value analysis, and industrial and consumer applications of AM. Particular emphasis will be placed on AM technologies for metals and other advanced materials (ceramics and composites), and related design principles and part performance. The AM techniques introduced in this course include, but are not limited, to selective laser melting (SLM), direct energy deposition (DED), wire arc deposition, cold spray, powder binder jetting, electroplating, fused deposition modeling (FDM) and stereolithography (SLA).
The course will also include:
- Group activities involving both desktop and commerial 3D printers for metals, ceramics and composites
- Several interactive case studies of quantitative analysis on AM products
- Virtual visits to local AM Labs and AM equipment.
Pressure Hydrometallurgy – Theory, Design and Safety in Operation
One-day course | 6-8 hours
The short course will cover the thermodynamic and kinetic theory of pressure hydrometallurgy, pressure hydrometallurgical flow sheets for the extraction of base and precious metals, materials of construction and corrosion, refractory linings and golden rules of pressure vessel operational safety.
Audience
The intended audience is students and professionals new to pressure hydrometallurgy who would like to gain a base understanding of the theory, design and practical operating considerations of pressure hydrometallurgy circuits. This is an introductory-level course. The expected turnout would be 15 to 25 people.
Speakers
To be announced. Stay tuned!
