A system and method that uses a high-temperature condenser to collect magnesium produced by thermal reduction, electrolysis, or distillation. The condenser is a common heat exchanger design (shell/tube, plate/plate, etc.) and uses a heat transfer fluid to cool and condense magnesium gas, e.g., to 200-900° C. under vacuum or pressure conditions. Solid or liquid magnesium is collected in the condenser along with any by-products or impurities at a purity greater than 35 wt-% Mg. Magnesium is subsequently liberated from the condenser by raising the temperature of the system, lowering the pressure, or both, to induce a phase change in the metal, such as melting or distillation, for further purification to, e.g., >90 wt-% Mg.

A method for purifying lutetium includes providing a solid composition comprising ytterbium and lutetium and subliming or distilling ytterbium from the solid composition at a temperature of about 1196° C. to about 3000° C. to leave a lutetium composition comprising a higher weight percentage of lutetium than was present in the solid composition.

A method for purifying lutetium includes providing a solid composition comprising ytterbium and lutetium and subliming or distilling ytterbium from the solid composition at a temperature of about 1196° C. to about 3000° C. to leave a lutetium composition comprising a higher weight percentage of lutetium than was present in the solid composition.

A method of fabricating a low alloy steel ingot, the method including a) melting all or part of an electrode by a vacuum arc remelting method, the electrode, before melting, including iron and carbon, the melted portion of the electrode being collected in a crucible, thus forming a melt pool within the crucible; and b) solidifying the melt pool by heat exchange between the melt pool and a cooling fluid, the heat exchange applied serving to impose a mean solidification speed during step b) that is less than or equal to 45 μm/s and to obtain an ingot of low alloy steel.

A method of fabricating a low alloy steel ingot, the method including a) melting all or part of an electrode by a vacuum arc remelting method, the electrode, before melting, including iron and carbon, the melted portion of the electrode being collected in a crucible, thus forming a melt pool within the crucible; and b) solidifying the melt pool by heat exchange between the melt pool and a cooling fluid, the heat exchange applied serving to impose a mean solidification speed during step b) that is less than or equal to 45 μm/s and to obtain an ingot of low alloy steel.

A vacuum arc remelt apparatus comprising a crucible having a wall, said wall having an interior and an exterior opposite said interior; an electrode within the crucible proximate the interior; an ingot within the crucible and below the electrode, wherein said ingot includes a crown and shelf; and a vibration source at the exterior of the crucible proximate the crown and shelf.

A vacuum arc remelt apparatus comprising a crucible having a wall, said wall having an interior and an exterior opposite said interior; an electrode within the crucible proximate the interior; an ingot within the crucible and below the electrode, wherein said ingot includes a crown and shelf; and a vibration source at the exterior of the crucible proximate the crown and shelf.

Provided is steel for a wind power gear with improved purity and reliability. The chemical components thereof comprise, in percentages by mass: 0.15-0.19% of C, ≤0.4% of Si, 0.5-0.7% of Mn, ≤0.012% of P, ≤0.006% of S, 1.5-1.8% of Cr, 0.28-0.35% of Mo, 1.4-1.7% of Ni, and 0.02-0.04% of Al, with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities. A smelting method therefor comprises adding raw materials to a converter for primary melting, transferring same to a refining furnace for refining, carrying out continuous casting after vacuum degassing, and transferring same to a gas protection furnace for electroslag remelting. According to the present invention, a pure electroslag master batch is obtained by continuous casting, and the purity of the material is further improved by means of an electroslag remelting procedure; and the prepared steel material is used in a wind power gear, such that the flaw detection pass rate is significantly increased, large-particle inclusions in the steel material are significantly reduced, and the inclusions are fine and dispersed.

Provided is steel for a wind power gear with improved purity and reliability. The chemical components thereof comprise, in percentages by mass: 0.15-0.19% of C, ≤0.4% of Si, 0.5-0.7% of Mn, ≤0.012% of P, ≤0.006% of S, 1.5-1.8% of Cr, 0.28-0.35% of Mo, 1.4-1.7% of Ni, and 0.02-0.04% of Al, with the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities. A smelting method therefor comprises adding raw materials to a converter for primary melting, transferring same to a refining furnace for refining, carrying out continuous casting after vacuum degassing, and transferring same to a gas protection furnace for electroslag remelting. According to the present invention, a pure electroslag master batch is obtained by continuous casting, and the purity of the material is further improved by means of an electroslag remelting procedure; and the prepared steel material is used in a wind power gear, such that the flaw detection pass rate is significantly increased, large-particle inclusions in the steel material are significantly reduced, and the inclusions are fine and dispersed.

A metal purifying method having: a local heating step of heating an aluminum-based molten metal in a first region on a molten metal surface of the aluminum-based molten metal; and a local low pressure step of lowering the pressure in a second region on the molten metal surface to a pressure lower than the pressure in the first region. The second region is different from the first region. This allows a specific element to be vaporized from the second region to purify the aluminum-based molten metal. The specific element is one or more of Zn, Mg, or Pb having a saturated vapor pressure higher than that of Al. This is effective not only in a purifying method for removing a specific element from an aluminum-based molten metal but also in a method of recovering a specific element, which can be a resource, from an aluminum-based molten metal.