Process and apparatus for producing alloy containing terbium and/or gadolinium
Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000
United States of America Patent
Stats
-
Nov 8, 1988
Grant Date -
N/A
app pub date -
Mar 12, 1987
filing date -
Mar 25, 1986
priority date (Note) -
Expired
status (Latency Note)
Importance
Abstract
A process and an apparatus for producing an alloy containing terbium (Tb) and/or gadolinium (Gd). The process includes the steps of: (a) preparing a bath of molten electrolyte which consists essentially of 20-95% by weight of TbF.sub.3 and/or GdF.sub.3, 5-80% of LiF, up to 40% of BaF.sub.2 and up to 20% of CaF.sub.2 ; (b) reducing the TbF.sub.3 and/or GdF.sub.3 in the bath, with carbon anode and with cathode made of a metal such as iron or cobalt, so as to electrodeposit Tb and/or Gd on the cathode, and alloying the electrodeposited Tb and/or Gd with metal of the cathode so as to produce the alloy containing Tb and/or Gd in a liquid state on the cathode; (c) adding the TbF.sub.3 and/or GdF.sub.3 to the bath so as to maintain the composition of the bath, for compensating for consumption of the TbF.sub.3 and/or GdF.sub.3 during production of the alloy; (d) dripping the liquid alloy from the cathode into a receiver having a mouth which is open upward in a lower portion of the bath below the cathode, and thereby collecting the liquid alloy in the form of a molten pool in the receiver; and (e) withdrawing the molten pool of the liquid alloy from the receiver.
First Claim
Other Claims data not available