“Chepetsk Mechanical Plant” JSC, Glazov, Udmurt Republic, Russia

A. A. Talanov, Leading Engineer, e-mail: taalek@rambler.ru
E. V. Ilenko, Superior
V. L. Kiverin, Head of the Calcium Production Project

Leading Scientific-research Institute of Chemical Technology, Moscow, Russia

S. L. Kochubeeva, Scientific Secretary

M. L. Kotsar, Head of Laboratory

Modern conditions of manufacture of calcium are connected with transition to a new regime of electrolysis at which increase of current efficiency has been reached due to decrease concentration of calcium in rich alloy copper–calcium from 63% up to 58%. It had allowed to lower energy consumption. In connection with that a necessity to analyze of other technicaland-economic indexes of manufacture had appeared. In particular, rankings of material losses by means of definition of a material balance of calcium and copper on stages of electrolysis and distillation in new conditions had been executed. The technique of definition of material balance consist in definition of weight of calcium and of copper that enters to an operation and that exits from the operation. The results of definition of material balance were used for ranking losses of calcium and copper at stages of an electrolysis and distillation of calcium. Losses of calcium and copper in process of their decrease are located in the ranks of: Calcium: due to loss of dust parts of powder CaCl₂ (79.0%) >> violation of leak-tightness of a loading container (9.0%) > at melting of distillate (6.8%) > in a “poor” alloy in process of knocking-out (1.6%) > in slags from of electrolyzers (1.3%) > in fettling and sampling of distillate (0.2%). Copper: in a “poor” alloy in process of knocking-out (52.3%) > in slags from of electrolyzers (40.0%) >> violation of leaktightness of a loading container (7.5%) >> in distillate (0.2%). Main ways of decrease of specific charges of a powder of calcium chloride and copper are defined. Dependences of calcium ingot weight and degree of extraction of calcium from initial “rich” alloy on weight of this alloy are obtained. On the basis of experimental data recommendations for increase of technicaland-economic indexes by means of decrease of losses of calcium and copper had been developed. They include change of concentration of calcium in the “rich” alloy produced in process of electrolysis, within the limits of from 61.0 up to 62.0%, and also restriction of filling of a loading container up to the check label and weights of an alloy in it within the limits of 144–154 kg. By development of new modes of electrolysis and distillation of calcium, the average weight of an ingot has been increased from 69.9 to 75.0 kg, and degrees of extraction of calcium from copper-calcium alloy into distillate have been increased from 77.8 to 82.2%.

1. Rodyakin V. V. Kaltsiy, ego soedineniya i splavy (Calcium, its compounds and alloys). Moscow : Metallurgiya, 1967. pp. 84–118.
2. Safonov V. A., Kiverin V. L., Dranichnikov S. L., Bekmemetev O. N., Bogdanov V. A. Sposob polucheniya kaltsiya iz ego soley (Method of obtaining of calcium from its salts). Patent RF, No. 2234557, МPК⁷ С 25 С 3/2. Applied : January 04, 2003. Published : August 20, 2004. Bulletin No. 23.
3. Doronin N. A. Metallurgiya kaltsiya (Calcium metallurgy). Moscow : Gosatomizdat, 1959. p. 78.