Methods for reducing impurities in magnesium, purified magnesium, and zirconium metal production methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10422017-B2
Application number	US-201816041928-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2018
Priority date	Aug 14, 2012
Publication date	Sep 24, 2019
Grant date	Sep 24, 2019

Abstract

A method for reducing impurities in magnesium comprises: combining a zirconium-containing material with a molten low-impurity magnesium including no more than 1.0 weight percent of total impurities in a vessel to provide a mixture; holding the mixture in a molten state for a period of time sufficient to allow at least a portion of the zirconium-containing material to react with at least a portion of the impurities and form intermetallic compounds; and separating at least a portion of the molten magnesium in the mixture from at least a portion of the intermetallic compounds to provide a purified magnesium, wherein the purified magnesium includes an increased level of zirconium compared to the low-impurity magnesium, wherein the purified magnesium includes greater than 1000 ppm zirconium, and wherein the purified magnesium includes a reduced level of impurities other than zirconium compared to the low-impurity magnesium. A purified magnesium including at least 1000 ppm zirconium and methods for producing zirconium metal using magnesium reductant also are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing zirconium metal, the method comprising:
reacting zirconium tetrachloride with magnesium reductant, wherein the magnesium reductant comprises greater than 1000 up to 3000 ppm zirconium, 0 to 0.007 weight percent aluminum, no more than 50 ppm hafnium, and 0 to 0.005 weight percent nitrogen, to provide reaction products comprising zirconium metal and magnesium chloride salt; and
separating at least a portion of the zirconium metal from the reaction products.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnesium reductant consists essentially of:
greater than 1000 up to 3000 ppm zirconium;
magnesium;
0 to 0.007 weight percent aluminum;
0 to 0.0001 weight percent boron;
0 to 0.002 weight percent cadmium;
0 to 0.003 weight percent hafnium;
0 to 0.06 weight percent iron;
0 to 0.01 weight percent manganese;
0 to 0.005 weight percent nitrogen;
0 to 0.005 weight percent phosphorus; and
0 to 0.02 weight percent titanium.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnesium reductant consists of:
1000 to 3000 ppm zirconium;
magnesium;
no more than 50 ppm hafnium;
0 to 0.005 weight percent nitrogen; and
incidental impurities.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnesium reductant consists of:
1000 to 3000 ppm zirconium;
magnesium;
0 to 0.007 weight percent aluminum;
0 to 0.0001 weight percent boron;
0 to 0.002 weight percent cadmium;
0 to 0.003 weight percent hafnium;
0 to 0.06 weight percent iron;
0 to 0.01 weight percent manganese;
0 to 0.005 weight percent nitrogen;
0 to 0.005 weight percent phosphorus; and
0 to 0.02 weight percent titanium.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein reacting zirconium tetrachloride with magnesium reductant to provide reaction products comprises melting the magnesium reductant in a first chamber and subliming the zirconium tetrachloride in a second chamber, and allowing zirconium tetrachloride vapors to contact and react with molten magnesium and produce the reaction products.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reaction products comprise a layer consisting primarily of zirconium metal and a layer consisting primarily of magnesium chloride salt, and further wherein the two layers are separated.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the separated layer consisting primarily of zirconium metal is distilled under vacuum to remove residual salt, providing zirconium sponge including porosity from vacancies left by removed magnesium chloride.

Assignees

• Ati Properties Llc

Inventors

• Coffin Scott
• Fajardo Arnel M

Classifications

• C22B9/10 Primary

  with refining or fluxing agents; Use of materials therefor, {e.g. slagging or scorifying agents}(C22B9/18 takes precedence){(C22B9/006 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C22C23/00 Primary

  Alloys based on magnesium · CPC title

• C22B34/14

  Obtaining zirconium or hafnium {(treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction, by ion exchange or by adsorption C22B3/00, C01G25/003, C01G27/003)} · CPC title

• C22B26/22

  Obtaining magnesium · CPC title

• C22C23/02

  with aluminium as the next major constituent · CPC title