Development of Advanced Process Control for the Production of Specialty Nickel Powder Products

With the global movement towards electric vehicles (EVs) to combat pollution and climate change, one of the potential limiting factors for public embracement of the technology is the limited vehicle range and high cost largely due to the current state of battery technology. Battery makers require high-purity nickel in an appropriate physical form (e.g. powder), but the availability of such nickel is limited to a small number of producers in the world. This project investigates increasing the yield of nickel powder from a production process through the use of in-plant experimentation, modelling, and advanced process control and optimization techniques.

Faculty Supervisor:

Helen Shang

Student:

Partner:

Vale Canada Limited (Copper Cliff, ON)

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Mining

University:

Laurentian University

Program: