Method of reducing zirconium
AssigneeTeledyne Industries, Inc.
InventorJoseph A. Megy
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Abstract
A method for reducing zirconium is disclosed in which a reductant metal, preferably aluminum, is dissolved in the molten state in a solvent metal, preferably zinc. This molten metal phase is contacted with a fused salt phase which includes a zirconium salt to be reduced as one of its components. The desired reduction is effected by mutual displacement, with aluminum being transported from the molten metal phase to the fused salt phase, replacing zirconium in the salt, while zirconium is transported from the fused salt phase to the molten metal phase. The fused salt phase and the molten metal phase are then separated, and the solvent metal and zirconium are separated, such as by distillation.
Claims9
The method of producing nuclear grade zirconium from a zirconium compound, comprising the steps of:
- preparing a fused salt phase including the zirconium compound to be reduced, and
- contacting the fused salt phase with a molten metal phase which comprises aluminum and zinc, whereby the zirconium compound is reduced by the aluminum, with the aluminum being transported from the molten metal phase to the fused salt phase while zirconium is transported from the fused salt phase to the molten metal phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.