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US 8,580,218 B2Granted
Method of purifying silicon utilizing cascading process
AssigneeSilicor Materials Inc.
InventorsAlain Turenne, Scott Nichol, Dan Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method of purifying a material using a metallic solvent. The present invention includes a method of purifying silicon utilizing a cascade process. In a cascade process, as the silicon moves through the purification process, it contacts increasingly pure solvent metal that is moving through the process in an opposite direction.
Claims24
A method for purifying metallurgical grade (MG) silicon, comprising:
- (a) contacting a first silicon with a second mother liquor, to provide a first mixture;
- (b) melting the first mixture to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a first molten mixture;
- (c) cooling the first molten mixture to a temperature below the solidus, to form first silicon crystals and a third mother liquor;
- (d) separating the first silicon crystals and the third mother liquor;
- (e) contacting the first silicon crystals and a first mother liquor, to provide a second mixture;
- (f) melting the second mixture to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a second molten mixture;
- (g) cooling the second molten mixture to a temperature below the solidus, to form second silicon crystals and a second mother liquor;
- (h) separating the second silicon crystals and the second mother liquor;
- (i) contacting the second silicon crystals with a first solvent metal, to provide a third mixture;
- (j) melting the third mixture to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a third molten mixture;
- (k) cooling the third molten mixture to a temperature below the solidus, to form third silicon crystals and a first mother liquor;
- and
- (l) separating the third silicon crystals and the first mother liquor;
- wherein the mother liquors and the first solvent metal comprise a solvent metal;
- wherein the method provides upgraded metallurgical-grade (UMG) silicon;
- and further comprising combining the first mother liquor with at least a portion of the second mother liquor prior to contacting the first mother liquor with the first silicon crystals.
13 more elements
A method for purifying metallurgical grade (MG) silicon, comprising:
- (a) contacting a first silicon with a second mother liquor, to provide a first mixture;
- (b) melting the first mixture to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a first molten mixture;
- (c) cooling the first molten liquid to a temperature below the solidus, to form first silicon crystals and a third mother liquor;
- (d) separating the first silicon crystals and the third mother liquor;
- (e) contacting the first silicon crystals and a first mother liquor, to provide a second mixture;
- (f) melting the second mixture to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a second molten mixture;
- (g) cooling the second molten liquid to a temperature below the solidus, to form second silicon crystals and a second mother liquor;
- (h) separating the second silicon crystals and the second mother liquor;
- (i) contacting the second silicon crystals with a first solvent metal, to provide a third mixture;
- (j) melting the third mixture to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a third molten mixture;
- (k) cooling the third molten liquid to a temperature below the solidus, to form third silicon crystals and a first mother liquor;
- (l) separating the third silicon crystals and the first mother liquor;
- (m) melting the third silicon crystals, to provide melted third crystals to a temperature above the liquidus;
- (n) directionally solidifying the melted third crystals, to provide a solidified silicon;
- and
- (o) removing at least a portion of the solidified silicon;
- wherein the mother liquors and the first solvent metal comprise a solvent metal,
- wherein the solvent metal comprises aluminum, and
- wherein the method provides upgraded metallurgical-grade (UMG) silicon;
- and further comprising combining the first mother liquor with at least a portion of the second mother liquor prior to contacting the first mother liquor with the first silicon crystals.
17 more elements
A method for purifying metallurgical grade (MG) silicon, comprising:
- (a) contacting a silicon A with a third mother liquor, to provide a mixture A;
- (b) melting the mixture A to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a molten mixture A;
- (c) cooling the molten liquid A to a temperature below the solidus, to form a first silicon and a fourth mother liquor;
- (d) separating the first silicon and the fourth mother liquor;
- (e) contacting the first silicon with a second mother liquor, to provide a first mixture;
- (f) melting the first mixture to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a first molten mixture;
- (g) cooling the first molten liquid to a temperature below the solidus, to form first silicon crystals and a third mother liquor;
- (h) separating the first silicon crystals and the third mother liquor;
- (i) contacting the first silicon crystals and a first mother liquor, to provide a second mixture;
- (j) melting the second mixture to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a second molten mixture;
- (k) cooling the second molten liquid to a temperature below the solidus, to form second silicon crystals and a second mother liquor;
- (l) separating the second silicon crystals and the second mother liquor;
- (m) contacting the second silicon crystals with a first solvent metal, to provide a third mixture;
- (n) melting the third mixture to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide a third molten mixture;
- (o) cooling the third molten liquid to a temperature below the solidus, to form third silicon crystals and a first mother liquor;
- (p) separating the third silicon crystals and the first mother liquor;
- (q) melting the third silicon crystals to a temperature above the liquidus, to provide melted third crystals;
- (r) directionally solidifying the melted third crystals, to provide a solidified silicon;
- and
- (s) removing at least a portion of the solidified silicon
- wherein the mother liquors and the first solvent metal comprise a solvent metal,
- wherein the solvent metal comprises aluminum,
- wherein steps (a)-(d) are repeated zero times, once, or twice,
- herein steps (e)-(h) are repeated zero times, once, or twice,
- herein steps (i)-(l) are repeated zero times, once, or twice,
- wherein steps (m)-(p) are repeated zero times, once, or twice,
- wherein steps (q)-(s) are repeated zero times, once, or twice,
- wherein the method provides upgraded metallurgical-grade (UMG) silicon, and
- wherein other metallic elements comprise one or more of magnesium, titanium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, molybdenum, cadmium, tin, tungsten, lead and uranium;
- and further comprising combining the second mother liquor with at least a portion of the third mother liquor prior to contacting the second mother liquor with the first silicon.
27 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.