Simultaneous distillation and alloying

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023083353-A1
Application number	US-202117800392-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 11, 2021
Priority date	Feb 17, 2020
Publication date	Mar 16, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A device for producing a target material from starting material comprises a chamber, at least one trough, at least a first heating element being configured to heat the chamber such that starting material is vaporized, and at least one collecting vessel being configured to receive a condensate that will constitute the target material. The device optionally comprises at least a first source of negative pressure or at least a first supply device being in connection with the chamber being configured to evacuate the chamber or to supply an inert gas to the chamber. The device further comprises at least one condensation device, wherein said condensation device is configured to condensate the vaporized starting material, whereby the condensate is formed, and/or at least a first gate device being in connection with the chamber such, that the starting material is introducible into the chamber via said first gate device.

First claim

1 . A device for producing a target material, from starting material comprising:
a chamber; at least one trough being provided in the chamber, wherein the trough is configured to receive the starting material; at least a first heating element, wherein the first heating element is configured to heat the chamber such that a starting material being received in the trough is vaporized; and at least one collecting vessel, wherein the collecting vessel is configured to receive a condensate that will constitute the target material, wherein the device further comprises at least one condensation device, wherein said condensation device is configured to condensate the vaporized starting material, whereby the condensate is formed.

2 . A device for producing a target material, from starting material comprising:
a chamber; at least one trough being provided in the chamber, wherein the trough is configured to receive the starting material; at least a first heating element, wherein the first heating element is configured to heat the chamber such that starting material being received in the trough is vaporized; at least one collecting vessel, wherein the collecting vessel is configured to receive a condensate that is formed upon a condensation of the starting material and which condensate will constitute the target material; at least a first source of negative pressure that is in connection with the chamber and that is configured to evacuate the chamber or at least a first supply device that is in connection with the chamber and that is configured to supply an inert gas to the chamber, and optionally at least one condensation device, wherein said condensation device is configured to condensate the vaporized starting material, whereby the condensate is formed;
wherein the device further comprises at least a first gate device being in connection with the chamber such, that the starting material is introducible into the chamber via said first gate device.

3 . The device according to claim 2 , wherein the device is configured such, that the starting material is introducible into the chamber via said first gate device while the chamber remains evacuated or under an inert gas atmosphere.

4 . The device according to claim 2 , further comprising heated antechamber that is in connection with the chamber via the first gate device, wherein the antechamber is configured to receive and pre-melt the starting material and to transfer the pre-melted starting material into the trough via the first gate device. and
wherein the device further comprises at least a second source of negative pressure that is in connection with the antechamber in order to evacuate the antechamber.

5 . The device according to claim 2 , further comprising at least a second gate device being in connection with the at least one collecting vessel, and wherein the condensate is removable from the at least one collecting vessel via said second gate device.

6 . The device according to claim 5 , further comprising a retrieval chamber that is in connection with the collecting vessel via the second gate device and with the first source of negative pressure or with the first supply device, and
wherein the retrieval chamber is configured to extract the condensate from the collecting vessel.

7 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the collecting vessel and the condensation device are formed separately from one another.

8 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the condensation device projects from an upper wall of the chamber at least partially into an interior of the chamber, and/or
wherein the condensation device is an integral or a separable part of the chamber.

9 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the condensation device corresponds to a heat exchanger.

10 . The device according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one cover element, wherein the cover element is at least partially arranged above the collecting vessel with respect to a vertical direction and is configured to guide vaporized starting material that has condensed at an upper wall of the chamber back into the trough.

11 . The device according to claim 10 , wherein the cover element extends from a main body of the condensation device laterally outwards, or
wherein the cover element extends from the upper wall of the chamber at least partially into the chamber; and/or wherein the cover element is arranged at an angle with respect to a vertical direction, and wherein the angle is about 90° or less.

12 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of an outer wall of the condensation device and/or of an inner wall of the chamber and/or an inner wall of the collecting vessel is coated with a coating, and wherein the coating is inert.

13 . The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a funnel element which is arranged above an inlet opening of the collecting vessel, wherein the funnel element is configured to guide the condensate into the inlet opening of the collecting vessel, and/or
further comprising at least one sealing element which is arranged around an upper region of the collecting vessel, wherein the sealing element is configured to provide a sealing between the upper region of the collecting vessel and the chamber.

14 . The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a fourth heating element, wherein said fourth heating element is arranged in a lower region of the chamber and in vicinity to an upper region of the collecting vessel, and wherein said fourth heating element is configured to heat the upper region of the collecting vessel to a vessel temperature being above a melting point of the starting material and to heat a lower region of the collecting vessel to a vessel temperature being slightly above a melting point of the target material and/or a liquidus temperature of the target material.

15 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the condensation device is made of a material that differs from a material the collecting vessel is made from, and/or
wherein the chamber is made of a material that differs from the material the collecting vessel is made from, and/or wherein the chamber is made of a material comprising at least one of heat-resistant steel, stainless steel, and chromium steel, and/or wherein the condensation device is made of a material comprising at least one of heat-resistant steel, stainless steel, chromium steel, graphite, boron nitride, one or more metals, and one or more oxides, and/or wherein the collecting vessel is made of a material comprising at least one of graphite, boron nitride, one or more metals, and one or more oxides.

16 . A method of producing a target material, from starting material comprising the steps of:
introducing the starting material in at least one trough being provided in a chamber; heating the chamber with at least a first heating element such, that the starting material being received in the trough is vaporized; receiving a condensate that will constitute the target material in at least one collecting vessel; wherein the method further comprises the step of condensating the vaporized starting material with at least one condensation device, whereby the condensate is formed.

17 . A method of producing a target material, from starting material comprising the steps of:
evacuating a chamber with at least a first source of negative pressure that is in connection with the chamber or supplying an inert gas into the chamber via at least a first supply device that is in connection with the chamber; introducing the starting material in

Assignees

• Eth Zuerich

Inventors

• Wegmann Christian
• Loeffler Joerg
• Gonzenbach Urs
• Berger Leopold
• Sturzenegger Philip

Classifications

• C22B9/006

  with use of an inert protective material including the use of an inert gas · CPC title

• C22B9/02

  Refining by liquating, filtering, centrifuging, distilling, or supersonic wave action {including acoustic waves; (C22B9/003, C22B9/006, C22B9/05, C22B9/22 take precedence)} · CPC title

• C22B9/04

  Refining by applying a vacuum · CPC title

• B01D3/10 Primary

  Vacuum distillation (B01D3/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F27B5/04 Primary

  adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere · CPC title