PREPARATION METHOD OF METAL INGOT FROM METAL POWDERS OR METAL DENDRITES BY USING LI METAL

摘要

A manufacturing method of a metal ingot from a metal powder or metal dendrite by using Li metal is provided to remove demerits of a conventional uranium ingot manufacturing method including complexity of an ingot manufacturing process, practical difficulties in the ingot manufacturing process, and environmental load due to by-products, and efficiently manufacture the metal ingot from the metal powder or metal dendrite. A manufacturing method of a metal ingot from a metal powder or metal dendrite by using Li metal comprises: a first step of loading Li metal on a powder or dendrite of any one metal selected from the group consisting of uranium plutoniums contained in any one crucible selected from the group consisting of crucibles made of carbon and coated with magnesia, zirconia, yttria, beryllia, thoria, or mixtures thereof, the Li metal being loaded on the metal powder or metal dendrite as much as 0.01 to 10 mass% of the charging quantity of the metal powder or metal dendrite comprising residual salts; a second step of heating the crucible of the first step to melt the Li metal in a temperature range of a Li metal melting point of 180.5 deg.C to a melting point of the metal powder or metal dendrite; a third step of heating the crucible of the second step in which the Li metal has been melted, thereby sequentially melting the metal powder or metal dendrite in a temperature range of the melting point of the metal powder or metal dendrite to a Li metal boiling point of 1336 deg.C to obtain a molten metal aggregate, and sequentially volatilizing residual Li metal at the melting temperature of the metal powder or metal dendrite; and a fourth step of cooling a molten body obtained in the third step to room temperature to manufacture a solid metal ingot, and removing impurities from the manufactured metal ingot.