74-583: The Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter is a nickel smelter in Feysville , south of the town of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia . The smelter is operated by BHP and part of its Nickel West operations. Having originally been built by WMC Resources , it changed ownership in 2005 when BHP acquired WMC. The Kalgoorlie smelter is part of BHP's Nickel West operations, which includes, apart from the Kalgoorlie smelter,
148-484: A matte for further refining. Hydrometallurgical techniques are also used. Most sulfide deposits have traditionally been processed by concentration through a froth flotation process followed by pyrometallurgical extraction. The nickel matte is further processed with the Sherritt-Gordon process . First, copper is removed by adding hydrogen sulfide , leaving a concentrate of cobalt and nickel. Then, solvent extraction
222-552: A passivation layer of nickel oxide forms on the surface that prevents further corrosion. Even so, pure native nickel is found in Earth's crust only in tiny amounts, usually in ultramafic rocks , and in the interiors of larger nickel–iron meteorites that were not exposed to oxygen when outside Earth's atmosphere. Meteoric nickel is found in combination with iron , a reflection of the origin of those elements as major end products of supernova nucleosynthesis . An iron–nickel mixture
296-399: A compound, nickel has a number of niche chemical manufacturing uses, such as a catalyst for hydrogenation , cathodes for rechargeable batteries, pigments and metal surface treatments. Nickel is an essential nutrient for some microorganisms and plants that have enzymes with nickel as an active site . Nickel is a silvery-white metal with a slight golden tinge that takes a high polish. It
370-507: A number of businesses including food retailing and the manufacture, wholesale and retail of marine and boating equipment. As an 18 Foot Skiff sailor in the mid 1970s, he combined the concepts of trapezing with the sliding plank (as used on the International Canoe ) into a sliding rack. This feature increased righting moment, sail carrying power, and ultimately boat speed. The concept was simplified into fixed wings, rapidly adopted by
444-404: A point where no rebricking was required for almost 12 years from 1981 to 1993. The larger capacity of the smelter allowed for toll-processing of nickel ore from the non-WMC Agnew Mine from 1978, a mine WMC eventually acquired a decade later. When mining ceased at Agnew in 1986, throughput of the smelter was negatively affected, one reason WMC opted to purchase and reopen the mine. In June 1988,
518-496: A potential restart. The decision was estimated to affect 300 workers at the smelter but BHP committed to offer all employees affected a redeployment or redundancy. Nickel Nickel is a chemical element ; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal . Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slow to react with air under standard conditions because
592-702: A public controversy regarding the problems of people with nickel allergy . An estimated 3.6 million tonnes (t) of nickel per year are mined worldwide; Indonesia (1,800,000 t), the Philippines (400,000 t), Russia (200,000 t), New Caledonia ( France ) (230,000 t), Canada (180,000 t) and Australia (160,000 t) are the largest producers as of 2023. The largest nickel deposits in non-Russian Europe are in Finland and Greece . Identified land-based sources averaging at least 1% nickel contain at least 130 million tonnes of nickel. About 60%
666-572: A rebuilt of the smelter which is scheduled to extend the life of the facility by 20 years. Due to an oversupply of nickel and a consequent drop in nickel prices, BHP announced on 11 July 2024 that it would temporarily close all of its Nickel West operations in October 2024 and place them in care and maintenance . This decision is scheduled to be reviewed in February 2027 but BHP would continue to spend $ 450 million annually on its nickel operations to facilitate
740-497: Is Ni with 28 protons and 50 neutrons. Both are therefore unusually stable for nuclei with so large a proton–neutron imbalance . Nickel-63 is a contaminant found in the support structure of nuclear reactors. It is produced through neutron capture by nickel-62. Small amounts have also been found near nuclear weapon test sites in the South Pacific. Nickel ores are classified as oxides or sulfides. Oxides include laterite , where
814-411: Is $ 0.045 (90% of the face value). In the 21st century, the high price of nickel has led to some replacement of the metal in coins around the world. Coins still made with nickel alloys include one- and two- euro coins , 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, and $ 1 U.S. coins , and 20p, 50p, £1, and £2 UK coins . From 2012 on the nickel-alloy used for 5p and 10p UK coins was replaced with nickel-plated steel. This ignited
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#1732899112925888-417: Is a 3d 4s energy level, specifically the 3d ( F) 4s F, J = 4 level. However, each of these two configurations splits into several energy levels due to fine structure , and the two sets of energy levels overlap. The average energy of states with [Ar] 3d 4s is actually lower than the average energy of states with [Ar] 3d 4s . Therefore, the research literature on atomic calculations quotes
962-714: Is a new nickel mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula . Construction was completed in 2013, and operations began in the third quarter of 2014. In the first full year of operation, the Eagle Mine produced 18,000 t. Nickel is obtained through extractive metallurgy : it is extracted from ore by conventional roasting and reduction processes that yield metal of greater than 75% purity. In many stainless steel applications, 75% pure nickel can be used without further purification, depending on impurities. Traditionally, most sulfide ores are processed using pyrometallurgical techniques to produce
1036-497: Is a volatile, highly toxic liquid at room temperature. On heating, the complex decomposes back to nickel and carbon monoxide: This behavior is exploited in the Mond process for purifying nickel, as described above. The related nickel(0) complex bis(cyclooctadiene)nickel(0) is a useful catalyst in organonickel chemistry because the cyclooctadiene (or cod ) ligands are easily displaced. Nickel(I) complexes are uncommon, but one example
1110-426: Is also formed in nickel distillation as a by-product, but it decomposes to tetracobalt dodecacarbonyl at the reaction temperature to give a non-volatile solid. Richard Court Richard Fairfax Court AC (born 27 September 1947) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001 and as Australian Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2020. A member of
1184-667: Is currently being set in place by the International Seabed Authority to ensure that these nodules are collected in an environmentally conscientious manner while adhering to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals . The one place in the United States where nickel has been profitably mined is Riddle, Oregon , with several square miles of nickel-bearing garnierite surface deposits. The mine closed in 1987. The Eagle mine project
1258-470: Is greater than both Fe and Fe , more abundant nuclides often incorrectly cited as having the highest binding energy. Though this would seem to predict nickel as the most abundant heavy element in the universe, the high rate of photodisintegration of nickel in stellar interiors causes iron to be by far the most abundant. Nickel-60 is the daughter product of the extinct radionuclide Fe (half-life 2.6 million years). Due to
1332-558: Is in laterites and 40% is in sulfide deposits. Also, extensive nickel sources are found in the depths of the Pacific Ocean , especially in an area called the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the form of polymetallic nodules peppering the seafloor at 3.5–6 km below sea level . These nodules are composed of numerous rare-earth metals and are estimated to be 1.7% nickel. With advances in science and engineering , regulation
1406-455: Is now Syria have been found to contain as much as 2% nickel. Some ancient Chinese manuscripts suggest that "white copper" ( cupronickel , known as baitong ) was used there in 1700–1400 BCE. This Paktong white copper was exported to Britain as early as the 17th century, but the nickel content of this alloy was not discovered until 1822. Coins of nickel-copper alloy were minted by Bactrian kings Agathocles , Euthydemus II , and Pantaleon in
1480-434: Is now known as the mineral nickeline (formerly niccolite ), a nickel arsenide . In 1751, Baron Axel Fredrik Cronstedt tried to extract copper from kupfernickel at a cobalt mine in the village of Los, Sweden , and instead produced a white metal that he named nickel after the spirit that had given its name to the mineral. In modern German, Kupfernickel or Kupfer-Nickel designates the alloy cupronickel . Originally,
1554-412: Is one of only four elements that are ferromagnetic at or near room temperature; the others are iron, cobalt and gadolinium . Its Curie temperature is 355 °C (671 °F), meaning that bulk nickel is non-magnetic above this temperature. The unit cell of nickel is a face-centered cube ; it has lattice parameter of 0.352 nm, giving an atomic radius of 0.124 nm. This crystal structure
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#17328991129251628-469: Is produced by the silicon burning process and later set free in large amounts in type Ia supernovae . The shape of the light curve of these supernovae at intermediate to late-times corresponds to the decay via electron capture of Ni to cobalt -56 and ultimately to iron-56. Nickel-59 is a long-lived cosmogenic radionuclide ; half-life 76,000 years. Ni has found many applications in isotope geology . Ni has been used to date
1702-569: Is stable to pressures of at least 70 GPa. Nickel is hard, malleable and ductile , and has a relatively high electrical and thermal conductivity for transition metals. The high compressive strength of 34 GPa, predicted for ideal crystals, is never obtained in the real bulk material due to formation and movement of dislocations . However, it has been reached in Ni nanoparticles . Nickel has two atomic electron configurations , [Ar] 3d 4s and [Ar] 3d 4s , which are very close in energy; [Ar] denotes
1776-446: Is the tetrahedral complex NiBr(PPh 3 ) 3 . Many nickel(I) complexes have Ni–Ni bonding, such as the dark red diamagnetic K 4 [Ni 2 (CN) 6 ] prepared by reduction of K 2 [Ni 2 (CN) 6 ] with sodium amalgam . This compound is oxidized in water, liberating H 2 . It is thought that the nickel(I) oxidation state is important to nickel-containing enzymes, such as [NiFe]-hydrogenase , which catalyzes
1850-631: Is thought to compose Earth's outer and inner cores . Use of nickel (as natural meteoric nickel–iron alloy) has been traced as far back as 3500 BCE. Nickel was first isolated and classified as an element in 1751 by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt , who initially mistook the ore for a copper mineral , in the cobalt mines of Los, Hälsingland, Sweden . The element's name comes from a mischievous sprite of German miner mythology, Nickel (similar to Old Nick ). Nickel minerals can be green, like copper ores, and were known as kupfernickel – Nickel's copper – because they produced no copper. Although most nickel in
1924-475: Is used as the cathode in many rechargeable batteries , including nickel–cadmium , nickel–iron , nickel–hydrogen , and nickel–metal hydride , and used by certain manufacturers in Li-ion batteries . Ni(IV) remains a rare oxidation state and very few compounds are known. Ni(IV) occurs in the mixed oxide BaNiO 3 . Unintentional use of nickel can be traced back as far as 3500 BCE. Bronzes from what
1998-455: Is used chiefly in alloys and corrosion-resistant plating. About 68% of world production is used in stainless steel . A further 10% is used for nickel-based and copper-based alloys, 9% for plating, 7% for alloy steels, 3% in foundries, and 4% in other applications such as in rechargeable batteries, including those in electric vehicles (EVs). Nickel is widely used in coins , though nickel-plated objects sometimes provoke nickel allergy . As
2072-412: Is used to separate the cobalt and nickel, with the final nickel content greater than 86%. A second common refining process is leaching the metal matte into a nickel salt solution, followed by electrowinning the nickel from solution by plating it onto a cathode as electrolytic nickel. The purest metal is obtained from nickel oxide by the Mond process , which gives a purity of over 99.99%. The process
2146-524: The 1983 state election . Court was elevated to the shadow frontbench in 1984, serving as the opposition spokesman for Resources and Industrial Development, Mines and Aboriginal Affairs. He became deputy leader of the Liberal Party in September 1987, serving under Barry MacKinnon , and became leader in 1992. Court ousted MacKinnon as leader by a vote of 20 to 12. In February 1993, a state election brought
2220-802: The Leinster Nickel Mine , the Mount Keith Mine , the Kambalda Nickel Concentrator and the Kwinana Nickel Refinery . Soon after the discovery of nickel at Kambalda by WMC Resources , the company started to look into the feasibility of constructing a nickel smelter in Western Australia. A number of smelting methods were considered before WMC made the decision in 1970 to opt for the flash smelting method, developed by Finnish company Outokumpu . A number of locations for
2294-587: The Liberal Party , he represented the Perth -area electorate of Nedlands in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1982 to 2001. His father, Sir Charles Court , also served as state premier. Court was born into a political family. His father, Sir Charles Court , was the previous member for Nedlands (1953–1982) and served as Premier from 1974 to 1982. His older brother Barry Court
Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter - Misplaced Pages Continue
2368-467: The arsenide niccolite . Identified land-based resources throughout the world averaging 1% nickel or greater comprise at least 130 million tons of nickel (about the double of known reserves). About 60% is in laterites and 40% in sulfide deposits. On geophysical evidence, most of the nickel on Earth is believed to be in Earth's outer and inner cores . Kamacite and taenite are naturally occurring alloys of iron and nickel. For kamacite,
2442-484: The metal aquo complex [Ni(H 2 O) 6 ] . The four halides form nickel compounds, which are solids with molecules with octahedral Ni centres. Nickel(II) chloride is most common, and its behavior is illustrative of the other halides. Nickel(II) chloride is made by dissolving nickel or its oxide in hydrochloric acid . It is usually found as the green hexahydrate, whose formula is usually written NiCl 2 ·6H 2 O . When dissolved in water, this salt forms
2516-479: The metal aquo complex [Ni(H 2 O) 6 ] . Dehydration of NiCl 2 ·6H 2 O gives yellow anhydrous NiCl 2 . Some tetracoordinate nickel(II) complexes, e.g. bis(triphenylphosphine)nickel chloride , exist both in tetrahedral and square planar geometries. The tetrahedral complexes are paramagnetic ; the square planar complexes are diamagnetic . In having properties of magnetic equilibrium and formation of octahedral complexes, they contrast with
2590-451: The 180,000 tonnes produced in Western Australia in 2004–05. At the time of the WMC acquisition by BHP, the smelter employed over 900 people. BHP closed the smelter for four month from June 2008 to carry out repairs, thereby reducing annual nickel production in Western Australia by 20,000 tonnes. The smelter was once more shut down for maintenance in October 2015, this time for 21 days, which reduced
2664-531: The 2nd century BCE, possibly out of the Chinese cupronickel. In medieval Germany, a metallic yellow mineral was found in the Ore Mountains that resembled copper ore. But when miners were unable to get any copper from it, they blamed a mischievous sprite of German mythology, Nickel (similar to Old Nick ), for besetting the copper. They called this ore Kupfernickel from German Kupfer 'copper'. This ore
2738-566: The Kwinana refinery and the Kambalda concentrator, the later having been in care and maintenance since 2018 but being recommissioned in May 2022. The smelter underwent a lengthy shut down in late 2022 to conduct a A$ 7.5 million upgrade which negatively affected BHP's annual nickel production. In August 2023, BHP received permission to construct a 1,152-room FIFO camp for three years to accommodate workers for
2812-531: The Liberal Party and their coalition partner, the Nationals , to power with a stable majority following revelations from the WA Inc royal commission examining deals made with businessmen such as Alan Bond and Laurie Connell by Labor governments during the 1980s. The Court government was comfortably re-elected in the 1996 WA State election. The Liberals actually won a majority in their own right (29 seats out of 57) for
2886-547: The Opposition—defying media predictions by announcing he would stay for up to eight years. Court was from the conservative wing of the WA Liberals, while Barnett was from the moderate wing. He said he intended to continue in the role as other well-known contenders for party leadership had lost their seats at the election. Political commentator Matt Price described the decision to stay on as "insanity", although allowed for
2960-498: The United States, the term "nickel" or "nick" originally applied to the copper-nickel Flying Eagle cent , which replaced copper with 12% nickel 1857–58, then the Indian Head cent of the same alloy from 1859 to 1864. Still later, in 1865, the term designated the three-cent nickel , with nickel increased to 25%. In 1866, the five-cent shield nickel (25% nickel, 75% copper) appropriated the designation, which has been used ever since for
3034-497: The alloy is usually in the proportion of 90:10 to 95:5, though impurities (such as cobalt or carbon ) may be present. Taenite is 20% to 65% nickel. Kamacite and taenite are also found in nickel iron meteorites . Nickel is commonly found in iron meteorites as the alloys kamacite and taenite . Nickel in meteorites was first detected in 1799 by Joseph-Louis Proust , a French chemist who then worked in Spain. Proust analyzed samples of
Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-464: The complete argon core structure. There is some disagreement on which configuration has the lower energy. Chemistry textbooks quote nickel's electron configuration as [Ar] 4s 3d , also written [Ar] 3d 4s . This configuration agrees with the Madelung energy ordering rule , which predicts that 4s is filled before 3d. It is supported by the experimental fact that the lowest energy state of the nickel atom
3182-484: The divalent complexes of the heavier group 10 metals, palladium(II) and platinum(II), which form only square-planar geometry. Nickelocene has an electron count of 20. Many chemical reactions of nickelocene tend to yield 18-electron products. Many Ni(III) compounds are known. Ni(III) forms simple salts with fluoride or oxide ions. Ni(III) can be stabilized by σ-donor ligands such as thiols and organophosphines . Ni(III) occurs in nickel oxide hydroxide , which
3256-691: The earth's crust exists as oxides, economically more important nickel ores are sulfides, especially pentlandite . Major production sites include the Sudbury region , Canada (which is thought to be of meteoric origin), New Caledonia in the Pacific , Western Australia , and Norilsk , Russia. Nickel is one of four elements (the others are iron , cobalt , and gadolinium ) that are ferromagnetic at about room temperature. Alnico permanent magnets based partly on nickel are of intermediate strength between iron-based permanent magnets and rare-earth magnets . The metal
3330-566: The first time ever, but Court opted to retain the coalition with the Nationals. However, Court's popularity suffered in his second term as Premier due to scandals, including deals made between the government and the Premier's brother, Ken Court, as well as the finance broking scandal, where many elderly investors lost their savings and an inquiry found the Government ineffective and inefficient in managing
3404-479: The ground state configuration as [Ar] 3d 4s . The isotopes of nickel range in atomic weight from 48 u ( Ni ) to 82 u ( Ni ). Natural nickel is composed of five stable isotopes , Ni , Ni , Ni , Ni and Ni , of which Ni is the most abundant (68.077% natural abundance ). Nickel-62 has the highest binding energy per nucleon of any nuclide : 8.7946 MeV/nucleon. Its binding energy
3478-606: The industry. Also important was the continued logging of old growth forests in the South West of Western Australia. A rejuvenated Labor Party, led since 1996 by Dr Geoff Gallop , won the state election on 10 February 2001 on a 13-seat, 7-point swing—a shift in voter sympathies not seen since the 1911 state election . On 14 February 2001, a few days after losing the election, Court refused to resign and endorse his long-serving deputy leader and factional rival Colin Barnett as Leader of
3552-717: The large deposits in the Sudbury Basin in Canada in 1883, in Norilsk -Talnakh in Russia in 1920, and in the Merensky Reef in South Africa in 1924 made large-scale nickel production possible. Aside from the aforementioned Bactrian coins, nickel was not a component of coins until the mid-19th century. 99.9% nickel five-cent coins were struck in Canada (the world's largest nickel producer at
3626-745: The leadership in the ensuing party room ballot in which he defeated Rod Sweetman. Court had disputes with the Keating Government over Mabo. On 9 June 2003, Richard Court was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). The award cited "[his] service to the Western Australian Parliament and to the community, particularly the Indigenous community, and in the areas of child health research and cultural heritage and to economic development through negotiating major resource projects including
3700-469: The location were still ongoing. WMC itself announced the construction of the smelter on 4 November 1970,, with a cost estimate of A$ 30 million and a two year time frame for construction, and construction commenced in early 1971. The construction site was visited by the then-Premier of Western Australia, John Tonkin , on 2 July 1971 and the smelter was ready for commissioning in December 1972. Its initial capacity
3774-772: The long half-life of Fe , its persistence in materials in the Solar System may generate observable variations in the isotopic composition of Ni . Therefore, the abundance of Ni in extraterrestrial material may give insight into the origin of the Solar System and its early history. At least 26 nickel radioisotopes have been characterized; the most stable are Ni with half-life 76,000 years, Ni (100 years), and Ni (6 days). All other radioisotopes have half-lives less than 60 hours and most these have half-lives less than 30 seconds. This element also has one meta state . Radioactive nickel-56
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#17328991129253848-416: The metals at a profit. The United States Mint , anticipating this practice, implemented new interim rules on December 14, 2006, subject to public comment for 30 days, which criminalized the melting and export of cents and nickels. Violators can be punished with a fine of up to $ 10,000 and/or a maximum of five years in prison. As of September 19, 2013, the melt value of a US nickel (copper and nickel included)
3922-446: The meteorite from Campo del Cielo (Argentina), which had been obtained in 1783 by Miguel Rubín de Celis, discovering the presence in them of nickel (about 10%) along with iron. The most common oxidation state of nickel is +2, but compounds of Ni , Ni , and Ni are well known, and the exotic oxidation states Ni and Ni have been characterized. Nickel tetracarbonyl (Ni(CO) 4 ), discovered by Ludwig Mond ,
3996-505: The only source for nickel was the rare Kupfernickel. Beginning in 1824, nickel was obtained as a byproduct of cobalt blue production. The first large-scale smelting of nickel began in Norway in 1848 from nickel-rich pyrrhotite . The introduction of nickel in steel production in 1889 increased the demand for nickel; the nickel deposits of New Caledonia , discovered in 1865, provided most of the world's supply between 1875 and 1915. The discovery of
4070-472: The operational life of the smelter to 2040. Nickel production in Western Australia increased again by 2017 but a fire at the smelter in September 2018 reduced production figures for Nickel West once more. In 2021–22, BHP signed an agreement with renewable energy provider TransAlta to build a solar farm and a battery storage system in the Northern Goldfields, designed to power the Kalgoorlie smelter,
4144-432: The party leadership to Bishop once she was safely in state parliament. The plan was announced on the front page of The West Australian in a story by editor Brian Rogers, which reported that Barnett had been "sounded out about the plan". However, Barnett stated he "choked on his Weet-Bix " as he read details of the plan in the newspaper, describing it as "an act of treachery". Many other Liberal MPs had also not heard of
4218-405: The plan before the story. Despite this, Court won the ballot 17–13 against Barnett during a four-hour party-room meeting, with Dan Sullivan being elected as his deputy. By 23 February, the plan had to be scrapped when Bishop, who had never formally committed to the plan, rejected it. Court was now in an untenable position, and was forced to retire from politics the next day, with Barnett taking
4292-408: The possibility Court's main reason for staying on was to thwart the plans of his "barely tolerated deputy" by buying time for another contender. Initially, Barnett did not nominate for any position ahead of 21 February party room ballot, but on 19 February, announced he would stand against Court for the leadership, saying that party renewal was necessary. On the morning of the ballot, Liberal MPs and
4366-407: The principal mineral mixtures are nickeliferous limonite , (Fe,Ni)O(OH), and garnierite (a mixture of various hydrous nickel and nickel-rich silicates). Nickel sulfides commonly exist as solid solutions with iron in minerals such as pentlandite and pyrrhotite with the formula Fe 9-x Ni x S 8 and Fe 7-x Ni x S 6 , respectively. Other common Ni-containing minerals are millerite and
4440-661: The public learned of a reported "backroom deal" brokered by Western Australian party president David Johnston to install federal MP Julie Bishop as state Liberal leader. Under this plan, Barnett and Court would both resign their seats. Barnett would have been offered Bishop's seat of Curtin , the safest federal seat in the Perth area. Bishop would contest the resulting by-election in either Nedlands or Barnett's seat of Cottesloe (both of which were within Curtin's boundaries, and are reckoned as comfortably safe Liberal seats). Court would hand over
4514-441: The rest of the 18 ft skiff fleet, and now ubiquitous in sailing skiffs . In March 1982, at a by-election upon the retirement of his father from politics, Court was elected to represent his father's seat of Nedlands, located in Perth's wealthy beachside suburbs, in the state legislature. His time as a government backbencher was short-lived, however, as the opposition Labor Party and its charismatic leader, Brian Burke , won
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#17328991129254588-477: The reversible reduction of protons to H 2 . Nickel(II) forms compounds with all common anions, including sulfide , sulfate , carbonate, hydroxide, carboxylates, and halides. Nickel(II) sulfate is produced in large amounts by dissolving nickel metal or oxides in sulfuric acid , forming both a hexa- and heptahydrate useful for electroplating nickel. Common salts of nickel, such as chloride, nitrate, and sulfate, dissolve in water to give green solutions of
4662-448: The smelter achieved the milestone of having processed five million tonnes of nickel concentrate and, in 1990–91, it achieved a record throughput of 537,758 tonnes. This record was eventually broken in 1995–96 when a new furnace processed 626,100 tonnes. The construction of the new furnace was announced in September 1991 and was to have an annual capacity of 750,000 tonnes in order to produce 65,000 tonnes of nickel concentrate. The old furnace
4736-429: The smelter operated at a two-thirds capacity, suffering start-up problems, being only the second nickel smelter constructed of this design. A partial rebricking of the flash furnace was required after just 10 month. The original flash furnace was replaced with a larger one, with a 450,000 tonne capacity, in late 1978 and the old one decommissioned, having been consistently run at capacity. Reliability improved after this, to
4810-507: The smelter south of Kalgoorlie while WMC agreed to partly fund a narrow-gauge railway to Esperance. In return, WMC would receive special freight rates for its nickel ore on the Western Australian Government Railway system. On 16 September, then- Premier of Western Australia , David Brand , announced the upcoming construction of the smelter, something WMC declined to confirm at the time, stating that negotiations about
4884-575: The smelter were considered, Kambalda, Kwinana , Esperance in Western Australia and Port Pirie in South Australia , before Kalgoorlie was chosen. Kalgoorlie's proximity to nickel deposits, its existing infrastructure and an available work force, gold mining in the area experiencing a downturn at the time, were the main arguments for building the smelter there. As part of the decision, the Western Australian state government made land available for
4958-434: The state's nickel output by 7,000 tonnes for the year, at a time of decreasing volumes of nickel mining in Western Australia and a decreasing global nickel price. At the time, 2015, BHP also looked at the future of its nickel operations, planning to expand the operational life to at least 2032. Among these, a rebuild of the kalgoorlie smelter in 2023 was proposed, which was estimated to have cost A$ 150 million and would extend
5032-464: The subsequent 5-cent pieces. This alloy proportion is not ferromagnetic . The US nickel coin contains 0.04 ounces (1.1 g) of nickel, which at the April 2007 price was worth 6.5 cents, along with 3.75 grams of copper worth about 3 cents, with a total metal value of more than 9 cents. Since the face value of a nickel is 5 cents, this made it an attractive target for melting by people wanting to sell
5106-399: The terrestrial age of meteorites and to determine abundances of extraterrestrial dust in ice and sediment . Nickel-78, with a half-life of 110 milliseconds, is believed an important isotope in supernova nucleosynthesis of elements heavier than iron. Ni, discovered in 1999, is the most proton-rich heavy element isotope known. With 28 protons and 20 neutrons , Ni is " doubly magic ", as
5180-552: The time) during non-war years from 1922 to 1981; the metal content made these coins magnetic. During the war years 1942–1945, most or all nickel was removed from Canadian and US coins to save it for making armor. Canada used 99.9% nickel from 1968 in its higher-value coins until 2000. Coins of nearly pure nickel were first used in 1881 in Switzerland. Birmingham forged nickel coins in c. 1833 for trading in Malaysia. In
5254-401: Was decommissioned on 8 September 1993 and the new constructed in its place in 70 days, officially opening on 15 December 1993 in the presence of the Western Australian premier Richard Court . In 2005, WMC Resources was acquired by BHP , which bundled WMC's nickel assets under its Nickel West brand, which became the largest nickel producer in the state, producing a combined 67,000 tonnes out of
5328-429: Was patented by Ludwig Mond and has been in industrial use since before the beginning of the 20th century. In this process, nickel is treated with carbon monoxide in the presence of a sulfur catalyst at around 40–80 °C to form nickel carbonyl . In a similar reaction with iron, iron pentacarbonyl can form, though this reaction is slow. If necessary, the nickel may be separated by distillation. Dicobalt octacarbonyl
5402-618: Was president of the Pastoralists' and Graziers' Association, married Margaret Court , and became President of the Liberal Party of Western Australia in March 2008. Richard Court was educated at Hale School and graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1968. He subsequently spent a year as a management trainee at Ford Motor Company in the United States, and on his return to Western Australia, operated
5476-526: Was to annually process 200,000 tonnes of nickel concentrate at a grade of 10 percent to with the aim of producing 29,000 tonnes of nickel matte at a grade of 70 percent. The official opening of the smelter took place on 7 April 1973 in the presence of the Prime Minister of Australia , Gough Whitlam , as well as John Tonkin. The Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter was the first nickel smelter in Australia. By mid-1973,
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