Professional credentials
Dr Samir Ganguly
Independent metallurgical consultant with a career spanning steel, copper smelting, manganese ferroalloys, technical services, due diligence and process research.
Tasmania, Australia · Record current to February 2025
Qualifications
Formal education
- 1991
PhD, Metallurgical Engineering
The University of Queensland, Australia
- 1970
B.Tech (Honours), Metallurgical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
Profile
Operating and advisory perspective
Dr Ganguly combines plant-floor accountability with senior consulting and research. His work has covered stable operation, debottlenecking, furnace and refractory performance, raw-material strategy, process design, project review and the development of metallurgical teams across Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
- Manganese and silicomanganese smelting
- Submerged-arc furnace operations
- Sintering and raw-material evaluation
- Technical due diligence and feasibility
- Furnace, refractory and freeze-lining review
- Operational diagnosis and process improvement
- Copper smelting and anode production
- Metallurgical training and mentoring
Selected outcomes
Quantified operating record
60 to 180 kt/yr
Manganese sinter production
Production increased during a six-month exchange assignment focused on silicomanganese and sinter operations.
ELKEM Sauda, Norway - 1994
2x
M14 furnace production
Production increased twofold during a technical-audit and process-improvement engagement.
Metalloys, South Africa - 2017 to 2019
5 weeks / 12 planned
Furnace 1 reline
A complete refractory reline was completed in five weeks against a 12-week schedule.
TEMCO, Bell Bay
22 to 30 to 38 MW
Electric furnace loading
Furnace loading increased in two stages while supporting copper-smelter operations and process stability.
ZCCM, Mufulira - 1979 to 1983
+30%
Copper anode output
Stable copper anode output was sustained above installed capacity in a senior smelter leadership role.
ZCCM, Mufulira - 1986 to 1987
Experience
Career chronology
- 2021-Feb 2025
Contract project metallurgist
Liberty Bell Bay · Bell Bay, Australia
The professional record current to February 2025 covers ore evaluation, furnace and sinter support, emissions work and mentoring.
- 2017-2019
Contract metallurgical consultant
South32 Manganese · South Africa
Technical audits and process improvement at Metalloys and the Mamatwan sinter plant.
- 2012-2021
Contract project metallurgist
TEMCO / South32 · Bell Bay, Australia
Raw-material evaluation, sinter and furnace support, refractory review, improvement projects and mentoring.
- 2008-2014
Principal pyrometallurgical specialist
Hatch · Brisbane, Australia
Due diligence, concept and feasibility studies, technical audits and client process support.
- 2005-2008
Manager, Smelting and Technology
TEMCO / BHP Billiton · Bell Bay, Australia
Led smelting, technical services, process control, research, raw materials and a 20-person professional team.
- 2001-2005
Manager, Technical Services
TEMCO / BHP Billiton · Bell Bay, Australia
Led metallurgy, process technology, analytical services, R&D, production planning and raw-material strategy.
- 1994-2001
Technical Services Superintendent
TEMCO / BHP / Samancor / Billiton · Bell Bay, Australia
Progressive responsibility for furnace practice, raw materials, refractories, quality, process control and technical operations.
- 1994
Exchange metallurgist - six months
ELKEM · Sauda, Norway
Silicomanganese and manganese-sinter production, equipment modification and process improvement.
- 1988-1994
Production metallurgist
TEMCO / BHP · Bell Bay, Australia
Submerged-arc furnaces, sinter plant operations, furnace loading, relines and process research.
- 1986-1987
Assistant superintendent
Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines · Mufulira, Zambia
Production, maintenance, technical and administrative responsibility across the copper smelter.
- 1985-1986
Plant metallurgist
Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines · Mufulira, Zambia
Copper smelting, converting, anode processing, gas cleaning, refractories and recovery improvement.
- 1983-1985
PhD research period
The University of Queensland · Brisbane, Australia
Research on phase equilibria and gaseous reduction of calcium ferrites in iron ore sinter systems.
- 1981-1983
Plant metallurgist
Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines · Mufulira, Zambia
Technical and operational responsibility across smelting, converting, anode production and gas handling.
- 1979-1981
Senior assistant metallurgical engineer
Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines · Mufulira, Zambia
Electric and reverberatory furnaces, concentrate drying, raw materials, refractories and off-gas systems.
- 1970-1979
Steel melting shop production and shift leadership
Indian Iron and Steel Co. · Burnpur, India
High-carbon and high-manganese steelmaking through hands-on operational roles.
Project work
Selected advisory and technical scope
- 01Technical audits and future roadmaps for manganese and ferrosilicon smelters in South Africa, Kazakhstan and China.
- 02Due-diligence studies covering ferroalloy assets and process technologies in the United States, Mexico, Iran and South Africa.
- 03Concept study for a 100,000-tonne greenfield silicomanganese smelter, including process basis, balances, equipment, layout, opex and capex.
- 04Furnace lining, freeze-lining, electrode and refractory work across manganese, silicomanganese, ferronickel and copper operations.
- 05Ore, reductant and waste-material evaluation linked to sinter and submerged-arc-furnace performance.
- 06Training, co-supervision and mentoring of metallurgical and chemical engineers across operating and research settings.
Research
Publications, invention and professional contribution
Selected publications
- Carbothermal Solid State Reduction of Manganese Ores: 1. Manganese Ore Characterisation - ISIJ International, 2009.
- Carbothermal Solid State Reduction of Manganese Ores: 2. Non-isothermal and Isothermal Reduction in Different Gas Atmospheres - ISIJ International, 2009.
- Carbothermal Solid State Reduction of Manganese Ores: 3. Phase Development - ISIJ International, 2009.
- Carbothermal Reduction of Manganese Oxide in Different Gas Atmospheres - Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B, 2008.
- Carbon Solubility and Phase Composition of Silicomanganese - Steel Research International, 2006.
- Reduction of Manganese Ores by Methane-Containing Gas - ISIJ International, 2004.
Public records
- Carbothermal Solid State Reduction of Manganese Ores: 1. Manganese Ore Characterisation
ISIJ International, 2009, with Ring Kononov and Oleg Ostrovski.
- Carbon Solubility and Phase Composition of Silicomanganese
Steel Research International, 2006, with Nathaniel Anacleto and Oleg Ostrovski.
- EP1230407 - Solid state reduction of oxides
Dr Ganguly is named as a co-inventor. The patent record shows expired status.
- An Historical of TEMCO/LBB Production at Bell Bay
Public AIST Australia/New Zealand past-event listing for a presentation by Samir Ganguly, Hatch.
- International Ferroalloys Congress referees
Dr Samir Ganguly is listed among the INFACON X referees.
Contact
Technical advisory enquiries
Send a brief description of the asset, location and decision requiring review.
samir.ganguly49@gmail.com