2026 Short Courses
Warning! Web API Url is not set for the tutorials.
Tuesday, 5 May 2026 18:15 – 19:45
SC1 SC1: Autoclave Mass and Energy Balance: How to Increase Your Reaction Yield
18:15 Autoclave Mass and Energy Balance: How to Increase Your Reaction Yield
Rob Mock, Director Research & Development, NOVA Hydromet
This short course will teach the first-principles basics of mass and energy balance (MEB) modeling for autoclaves. MEB topics covered include micro-scale overpressure, autoclave compartment inputs and outputs, compartment mixing, and how to balance reactants, residence time, temperature, and pressure for maximum yield. Examples will be provided from a gold pressure oxidation process, although principles are applicable to HPAL processes as well.
INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY:
Rob is one of the founders of NOVA Hydromet, a company specializing in severe service applications for pressure hydrometallurgy worldwide, and currently serves as its director of research and development. Using an interdisciplinary approach based on first principles, Rob has helped resolve multi-million-dollar production issues at some of the world’s largest autoclave production sites and pioneered industry best practices in letdown analysis and design. He is passionate about solving complex problems, often using mathematical models that draw on various sciences and his experience in control theory from the aerospace and instrumentation industries. Rob has authored multiple patents, previously worked at Memorex, Textron, and Caldera Engineering, and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University.
#ALTA26
