Neodymium Industry Status of China in recent decades

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Neodymium Industry Status of China in recent decades 2012-08-03

(1) general conditions of production of metal Nd

Many manufacturers in China Neodymium, Nd and a single rare earth metal producers, at least 100 or more, China's leading rare earth metals Nd and a single manufacturer. As can be seen from Table 1, the larger country and a single rare earth metal neodymium manufacturers mainly in Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia, Xi'an and Dandong, production capacity has reached 2 to 4 million tons of levels, according to statistics the , 2003, China Neodymium and praseodymium neodymium alloy production at 1 million tons. In 2002 the sales volume of China Neodymium about 7200 tons, the world (including China) Neodymium demand for 7,000 tons of surplus production capacity. 2004 Neodymium Rare Earth, especially by the development of energy and transport constraints. As the supply tight, price up, resulting in metal production costs, in Baotou has clearly discouraged the production of neodymium metal, although Baotou municipal government always emphasized Neodymium - Nd importance of the industrial chain, but exists The rare earth metal producers have basically no support. This has forced some enterprises to stop production or to the relatively good price and where the policy shift.

(2) Improvement of the Cell Structure

At present, China uses electrolytic production of metal neodymium oxide manufacturers, mostly processed or used by the machine's overall circular groove, exposure type, block or arc anode multi-anode, cathode rod for the molybdenum or tungsten rod, crucible containing the metal material is tungsten or molybdenum. Single of the electrolyzer current electrolysis current general in 2500 ~ 4500A, its monthly production capacity of metal Nd 2.3 to 4.5 tons, electrolytic cell life span does not exceed 180 days.

With the intensifying market competition, manufacturers of metal Nd in all means to reduce production costs, increased single slot capacity, improve the technical and economic indicators is a common business goal. Since 2000, the economic strength of several large manufacturers have developed a million security-level large-scale cell, the slot on the plug for the graphite anode and the multi-multi-Mo cathode, refractory bricks and carbon materials, masonry tank, automatic feeding, Siphon out of metal, electrolytic cell life span more than one year (Baotou Rare Earth Institute of Wan-an electrolyzer has been running four years and is still running), monthly production capacity of 9 tons more effectively achieved in the exposure type, oxidation fluoride molten salt corrosion and high temperature conditions, the mass production of metal Nd, raising the overall level of mechanization of the production process, reducing the cost of the product.

Baotou Rare Earth Research Institute developed the 10,000 amperes RE molten salt electrolysis equipment, current efficiency 80.13%, recovery rate of 94.99% Neodymium metal, power consumption for the 10kWh/kgNd, on the rare earth molten salt electrolysis process of three-dimensional temperature field, flow field, electric field of computer simulation, and scientific research applied to the optimization electrolyzer design, also developed automatic continuous and uniform feeding device. Groove of the ongoing bigger.

(3) continuously improve product quality

Electrolytic preparation of metal oxide product quality Neodymium mainly raw and auxiliary materials used in the purity of the system and operation of the electrolysis process, cell-type structure on the product quality to some extent. Neodymium metal is generally 99% purity 99.95%, oxygen content is less than 0.05%; fluoride content of less than 0.03%, carbon content of 0.01% ~ 0.1%, tungsten content of 0.01% normal 0.05%, molybdenum content of 0.01% ~ 0.05 %. Electrolyzer-scale expansion of the stability of product quality and consistency improved significantly. With the continuous improvement of electrolysis technology and operation of the continuous improvement of quality Neodymium also improved.

2. problems

Oxide electrolysis technology developed in China just 20 years, in the groove structure, equipment, and supporting research on basic theory is not perfect, there Dai will further improve, for now, there is the following aspects:
First, the current system, the molten salt electrolysis process for the development of far more than the application of theoretical development of basic research, fluoride - oxide molten salt system, physical and chemical, electrochemical properties, very few, in the production process, mainly by experience to guide the production, the long run, will affect the development of production technology of metal neodymium.
The second is as rare earth metal producers too much, too much capacity, product convergence, market competition, resulting in production of metallic neodymium low profit.
Third is the production of business equipment in China Neodymium overall equipment level is relatively backward, the main economic and technical indicators to be improved. For every 1 ton of metal Nd, electrolytic power consumption in the 10,000 degrees, and then count the other side of the power consumption, electricity accounts for over 40% of processing costs. Meanwhile, the inevitable process of electrolysis with electrolyte evaporation, resulting in a large number of fluorinated gases, causing environmental pollution. With high energy consumption and high pollution, interdependence.
Fourth, smaller electrolyzer and the characteristics inherent groove, more human factors of production process, resulting in the production process of electrolysis electrolysis process parameters can not achieve stability control, which seriously affected the production process and product quality and stability, is not conducive to large-scale industrial production.

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