Vacuum distillation of liquid metals: Part II. Photographic study

Abstract

Photographs of melt surface conditions and gas flows were taken during experiments which examined vacuum refining of melted steel scrap. The photographs illustrate the retarding effects of surface films on rates of copper and tin evaporation. The photographs also protray the characteristic variation in vapor flow pattern caused by altering chamber pressure. This was in agreement with the behavior predicted by the distillation model developed in Part I. It was also observed that vapor condensation may be a major problem area for industrial application of this process. Several solutions for this are suggested.