Zirconium products are rich in variety, form, the most initial form of mineral zirconium sand, after caustic soda, water treatment, can produce zirconium silicate and zirconium chloride and other primary products; Continue calcination, chlorination, reduction can also be made into zirconia, industrial grade zirconium sponge products; If the technical level of purification and separation reaches a certain level, nuclear grade zirconium sponge can be made.
Zirconium is widely used, mainly in the form of zirconium silicate, zirconia used in ceramics, refractories and other fields. Only 3-4% of zirconium ore is processed into metallic zirconium, or sponge zirconium, which is then further processed into various zirconium materials. Because the metal zirconium has the characteristic of small thermal neutron absorption cross section, the metal zirconium has the excellent nuclear performance, the nuclear grade zirconium is USES this characteristic to use it as the nuclear power aircraft carrier, the nuclear submarine and the civil power generation reactor structural material, the uranium fuel element cladding and so on. Nuclear zirconium is an important strategic metal in China, which is closely related to the development of nuclear industry.
As an active metal, zirconium forms oxide film at room temperature, which makes zirconium and its alloys have excellent corrosion resistance. At the same time, zirconium has good mechanical and heat transfer properties, coupled with significant cost advantages, make it become an excellent corrosion resistant structural material in the petrochemical industry today.
The zirconium used in the chemical acid and alkali resistant equipment, military industry, electronic industry is called industrial grade zirconium. Zirconium and its alloy products are at the top of the industrial chain from the aspects of processing difficulty, technological level and technological content.
Industrial grade zirconium is mainly used in the production of chemical acid and alkali resistance equipment, military industry, electronic industry, pipe valve materials, special high strength and high temperature alloy materials, electrical vacuum and lighting bulb industry getter.
