The staff of the Leningrad Mining Institute - St. Petersburg State Mining Institute (Technical University) together with the specialists of other research organizations (VAMI, Institute of Titanium, Giredmet), where LMI graduates worked, laid the foundations for successful development of modern production of sponge titanium at titanium-magnesium plants of the former Soviet Union. Simultaneously with the creation of industrial production of titanium sponge, the staff of the Mining Institute successfully worked on science-intensive technologies aimed at the development of original methods of production of refractory metals and their compounds: high-quality powders of titanium, zirconium, scandium, homogeneous ligatures, carbides, fullerenes, composite materials. The developed technologies of metal-thermal processes are based on the use of man-made products and industrial equipment of titanium-magnesium production.
The technology of obtaining zirconium oxide, zirconium halide compounds (chlorides, fluorides) from eudialyte concentrate with subsequent production of zirconium powders, titanium-zirconium and aluminum-zirconium ligatures by metal-thermal method has been investigated. It is shown that different zirconium materials can be obtained by applying different reducing agents: sodium, magnesium or aluminum-magnesium alloys.
The variants of rational processing of industrial products of titanium-magnesium production are considered. The technology of obtaining vanadium metal using spent magnesium electrolyte and vanadium oxychloride has been tested. During magnesium- and sodium-thermal reduction of vanadium chloride the metal was obtained in the form of powder, crystals and spongy mass.
On the basis of basic equipment, industrial technologies for obtaining chloride melts of refractory metals (used for refining and as catalysts), alloyed titanium (homogeneous titanium-zirconium sponge), high-quality titanium and zirconium powders have been developed. The process of obtaining titanium carbide by magnesium-thermal reduction of a mixture of titanium and carbon chlorides has been studied. The technology of obtaining composite material in which magnesium and its alloys serve as matrix and refractory titanium compounds (carbide, carbonitride) act as strengthening phase has been tested. It is shown that using valuable components extracted from the spent melt of titanium chlorinators, it is possible to obtain materials with high technological characteristics: crystalline scandium, aluminum-magnesium-scandium ligatures.
In the process of magnesium-thermal reduction of TiCI4 and vacuum separation of the reaction mass, the structure of metallic titanium undergoes significant changes ...
Existing industrial methods of obtaining some rare refractory metals (titanium, zirconium, vanadium, etc.) are based on the reduction of purified from impurities thermally stable chlorides of the corresponding elements by magnesium or sodium...
Melts containing titanium and zirconium chlorides are used in the production of refractory metals and their alloys. In particular, the electrolytic process of obtaining titanium zirconium powders was investigated. An equimolecular melt of NaCl and KS1 salts containing titanium di- and trichloride and zirconium tetrachloride was used as the electrolyte. The content of dissolved zirconium in the electrolyte did not exceed 0.8%.
The article presents the results of laboratory studies of the process of obtaining unalloyed titanium powders by natriethermal reduction of lower titanium chlorides from melts.
Melts containing chlorides of some metals are widely used in chemistry and metallurgy. The production and refining of titanium, zirconium, vanadium and other metals is based on the use of the properties of such melts. In many cases, melts are used in conditions of dynamic interaction with the structural materials of technological equipment.
