Optimization of Reduction Process of Egyptian Ilmenitevia Metallothermic reactions

Abstract

It is important to develop technologies for the production of master alloys for industrial applications. Detailed research on reduction of titanium from Egyptian ilmenite by an aluminothermic process in a graphite Crucible was charged by the mixture of ilmenite, flux, aluminum was investigated. This paper study the effect of aluminum feed (10%35%), flux material (type, and amount), and temperature preheat from 50 C to 400 C and time of preheating from 0.5 hr. to 3 hrs. Then, the metallic samples formed by the reduction were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy. The mixed fluxes were strongly and successfully reduced ilmenite to a high-purity master alloy with small amounts of detected impurities.