PLASMA-CARBON PRODUCTION METHOD OF RARE-EARTH METALS, AND DEVICE FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION Russian patent published in 2013 - IPC C22B59/00 C22B5/10 

FIELD: metallurgy.

SUBSTANCE: method involves carbon thermal reduction of oxide compound of rare-earth metal in vacuum so that powder of rare-earth metal carbide, which is free from residues of oxygen impurity, is obtained. Then, it is cooled down and mixed with high-melting metal powder in the ratio that is sufficient for performance of exchange reactions between rare-earth metal carbide and high-melting metal, and mixture is heated with hot volumetric plasma discharge to the temperature of ≥1800°C. With that, evaporating rare-earth metal is collected on condensers and hard-alloy carbide of high-melting metal is obtained. The device includes a vacuum system, cathode and anode assemblies arranged concentrically in the chamber, and a steam line and a condenser-cooler, which are coaxial to them. With that, an internal electrode represents an anode of high-current vacuum plasma discharge burning in an annular discharge cavity formed with coaxial cylindrical electrodes. The anode is made from high-melting electrically conducting material in the form of a crucible having a capacity, and a thin-wall cathode enveloping it, outside which there located is a starting resistance heater, is also made from high-melting electrically conducting material, for example tungsten, tantalum or graphite.

EFFECT: improving extraction of rare-earth metal.

5 cl, 1 dwg