To provide an apparatus for producing a metal powder and a method of producing a metal powder capable of obtaining a metal powder having a finer particle size of excellent quality. A supersonic combustion flame is intensively injected into a downwardly supplied molten metal, the intensive combustion flame is jetted directly downwardly as a focused jet flow, the focused jet flow thrusts into a turning water flow formed along an inner peripheral surface of a pulverization cooling cylinder whose axis line is inclined from a vertical direction, and an intensive position of the combustion flame is in an open space above the turning water flow.

A metal powder manufacturing device includes: an atomization tank; a crucible in which a molten metal is stored; a molten metal nozzle that allows the molten metal stored in the crucible to flow downward into the atomization tank; and a fluid spraying nozzle including a plurality of spraying holes that spray a fluid to an atomization tank side end part of the molten metal nozzle to pulverize a molten metal flow flowing downward from the molten metal nozzle. The molten metal nozzle includes a molten metal nozzle body and an orifice part having an inside diameter equal to or smaller than an inside diameter of the molten metal nozzle body, and a material of the orifice part is harder than a material of the molten metal nozzle body.

The broad applicability of at least certain aspects of the present invention derives from the ability to determine the critical location where secondary satellite formation occurs for any atomization system or design and allows for the rapid assessment of the effectiveness of various satellite reduction strategies, including but not limited to several embodiments detailed herein. Aspects of this invention can be utilized during initial atomization system design in order to evaluate effective chamber geometries and enabling strategies which reduce/eliminate satelliting, or can be retrofit to existing systems and allows for economic evaluation of effectiveness based off of initial capital expenditures versus increased operating requirements/expenses.

A powder metallurgy wear-resistant tool steel includes chemical components by mass percent of: V: 12.2%-16.2%, Nb: 1.1%-3.2%, C: 2.6%-4.0%, Si: 2.0%, Mn: 0.2%-1.5%, Cr: 4.0%-5.6%, Mo: 3.0%, W: 0.1%-1.0%, Co: 0.05%-0.5%, N: 0.05%-0.7%, with balance iron and impurities; wherein a carbide component of the powder metallurgy wear-resistant tool steel is an MX carbide with a NaCl type face-centered cubic lattice structure; wherein an M element of the MX carbide comprises V and Nb, and an X element comprises C and N.

According to one or more embodiments presently described, a mixture of lead oxide and lead metal particles may be formed by a method that includes forming a molten metal lead material from a solid lead metal supply material, introducing the molten metal lead material into a reaction zone of a reactor, and contacting the molten metal lead material with an oxidizing gas in the reaction zone to oxidize a portion of the molten metal lead material and form at least solid lead oxide particles and solid lead metal particles. The molten metal lead material may be introduced to the reaction zone in a laminar flow or as atomized molten particles. The weight ratio of formed solid lead oxide particles to solid lead metal particles may be less than 99:1.

According to one or more embodiments presently described, metal-containing particles may be formed by a method including forming a molten material from a solid supply material, introducing the molten material into a reaction zone of a Barton reactor, and contacting the molten material with a processing gas in the reaction zone to form solid metal-containing particles comprising solid metallic particles and solid metal oxide particles. The Barton reactor may include a reaction vessel which may include a top cover and sidewalls defining the reaction zone, an agitator, a processing gas inlet, and a product outlet. The molten material may be introduced to the reaction zone in a laminar flow or as atomized molten particles. Less than 99% of the particles may include metal oxide.

According to one or more embodiments presently described, metal-containing particles may be made by a method that includes introducing a molten material into a reaction zone of a reactor system, passing a process gas into the reaction zone in a direction substantially tangential to a sidewall of the reaction zone, and contacting the process gas with the molten material in the reaction zone to form metal-containing particles. The molten material may be introduced into an upper portion of the reaction zone The reaction zone may include a substantially circular cross-section, and the molten metal may be introduced into the reaction zone in a laminar flow or as atomized particles.

According to one or more embodiments presently described, a method for processing metal-containing materials may include passing a feed stream through a first conduit of a multi-conduit reactor, the feed stream including metal-containing material in a molten phase; passing a fluid stream through a second conduit of the multi-conduit reactor; and contacting the feed stream with the fluid stream in a mixing zone downstream of the first conduit and second conduit, thereby causing a chemical or physical change in the one or more materials of the feed stream to form a product stream comprising metal-containing particles.

A process for manufacturing metal powders, including (i) feeding a chamber of a gas atomizer with molten metal, (ii) atomizing the molten metal by injection of gas so as to form metal particles, (iii) cooling the metal particles in the lower section of the chamber by injecting gas from the bottom of the chamber so as to form a bubbling fluidized bed of metal particles. The gas atomizer thereof is also provided.

A process for manufacturing metal powders including (i) discharging metal particles from a chamber of a gas atomizer in a conveyor, (ii) simultaneously cooling and transporting the metal particles in the form of a fluidized bed formed in the conveyor. The invention also relates to the installation thereof.