Titanium is often used in places where materials are expected to be lightweight and high-strength, such as on aircraft to reduce weight and improve fuel efficiency. However, the price of titanium is not low, so many engineers who want to use it suffer from the cost and reluctantly give up.
Previously, the production of titanium required a lot of energy. The traditional titanium preparation process, known as the Kroll process, involves many steps that require high temperatures.
SRI International has recently developed a new technology using a plasma arc, with fewer process steps and less energy consumption. Moreover, the final product of the new technology is titanium powder instead of a block, which can be directly extruded and melted close to the shape of the final product, reducing machining steps.
This technique uses a plasma arc to promote the reaction of titanium chloride and hydrogen extracted from titanium ore. This reaction produces titanium vapor, which is then rapidly cooled to produce titanium powder.
This technology has been verified on a small scale that it can successfully prepare pure titanium. At present, it is stepping up its pace to advance to industrialized production and keep low cost.
It is not easy to bring a new metal production process from the laboratory to the market, but this time, for titanium, it is very worthwhile.
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