JP5379583B2 - Manufacturing method of ultra high purity alloy ingot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method which can remove impurity elements at least containing carbon and Ca from an alloy in an oxidizing refining technique utilizing a cold crucible type induction melting process, and to provide a method which can develop the oxidizing refining technique to a refining technique of the practical scale being &ge;10 kg in product ingot weight, for example. <P>SOLUTION: The refining agent is composed of a mixture of iron oxide and a Ca halide composition flux. The Ca halide composition flux is, e.g., CaF<SB>2</SB>-CaO obtained by blending calcium fluoride with calcium oxide by 5 to 30 wt.%. The addition weight of the iron oxide is controlled to 0.2 to 4.0 times the calculated weight calculated for oxidizing the whole quantity of impurity elements including carbon and calcium in an alloy molten metal pool 6. Further, the addition ratio of the Ca halide composition flux to the weight of the alloy molten metal pool 6 is controlled to 0.5 to 5.0 wt.%. In a refining stage, the exhaust state in the chamber is held to &ge;15 min. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing an alloy ingot such as high-grade stainless steel or superalloy that requires ultra-high purity (very low impurity content), and in particular, a practical scale ingot having a product ingot weight of 10 kg or more. The present invention relates to a manufacturing method suitable for manufacturing.

  Known impurity elements that adversely affect the corrosion resistance of the alloy include carbon [C], nitrogen [N], oxygen [O], phosphorus [P], and sulfur [S]. It is also known that the corrosion resistance of the alloy is greatly improved by reducing the concentration of these impurity elements to the limit.

  The target concentration of these impurity elements is, for example, [C] + [N] + [O] + [P] + [S] <100 ppm. In the conventional mass production method of stainless steel, the total amount of these impurity elements is about 250 ppm even for highly purified stainless steel.

  On the other hand, in the case of using a high-purity alloy raw material such as electrolytic iron, electrolytic nickel, and metallic chromium, and performing melting by a vacuum induction melting apparatus, [P] and [S] are about 10 to 20 ppm, and [N ], [O] can be reduced to about 20 to 30 ppm, and [C] can be reduced to about 30 to 50 ppm, and an alloy ingot having a considerably high purity can be produced. However, it is necessary to use an expensive high-purity alloy raw material.

Next, as a technique for removing impurity elements such as phosphorus [P], a reduction refining technique as shown in Non-Patent Document 1 has been reported in the 1970s. In this report, an electroslag remelting (ESR) apparatus is used. This report is an early report of the reduction refining technique using metal Ca, and shows that impurity elements such as phosphorus [P] can be removed and refined in principle from the Cr-containing alloy by the reduction refining process. It is. In the 1980s, reduction refining technology using a magnetic levitation type induction melting apparatus (cold crucible induction melting apparatus) using a water-cooled copper crucible as shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3 has been reported. In this refining technique, melting of stainless steel itself is induction-heated to form a molten alloy pool, to which metal Ca and calcium fluoride (CaF ₂ ) are added as a refining agent, and an impurity element such as phosphorus [P] Is to be removed.

  On the other hand, Non-Patent Document 1 and Patent Documents 1 to 3 show that when reductive refining using metallic Ca is performed, the Ca content in stainless steel increases to about several hundred ppm. When the Ca concentration in the alloy increases, there is a concern that the alloy characteristics deteriorate. That is, a technique for removing the metal Ca is required.

  Since the metal Ca itself has a high vapor pressure, most of the metal Ca components are naturally evaporated and removed by dissolution, but some Ca remains in the alloy. In order to completely separate and remove these, some oxidation refining is required.

  Moreover, when inexpensive raw materials such as stainless steel scrap, carbon steel, and ferrochrome materials are used as melting raw materials (alloy raw materials), carbon [C], silicon [Si], manganese [Mn], aluminum [Al], etc. are dissolved raw materials. Will inevitably be brought in. In particular, when scrap such as ultra-high purity stainless steel is used as a raw material, impurity elements such as phosphorus [P], sulfur [S], tin [Sn], and lead [Pb] are sufficiently removed. In some cases, silicon [Si], aluminum [Al], titanium [Ti], zirconium [Zr], hafnium [Hf], boron [B] and the like are brought in. Therefore, when it is necessary to reduce the [C], [Si], [Mn], [Al], [Ti], [Zr], and [B] contents in the target alloy composition, these are removed. Refining is required.

  For example, in ultra-high purity stainless steel materials that require extreme corrosion resistance, [Si] <0.01 wt%, [Mn] <0.01 wt%, [B] <1 ppm, [Ca] <1 ppm may be required. is there. In order to meet such material requirements, it is essential to establish a technology for removing these elements. These elements, like [Ca], are more active elements than Fe and Ni, which are the basis of the alloy, and oxidative refining is required to remove them.

In the cold crucible induction dissolution method, a method for removing these active elements is described in Patent Document 4, for example. First, 2 kg of high Cr ferritic heat resistant steel (10Cr) is dissolved in a cold crucible levitation melting apparatus using a water-cooled copper crucible having an inner diameter of φ84 mm. Then, 10 g of iron oxide is added to the molten metal pool to oxidize [Al]. Thereafter, calcium fluoride (75 g) is added as a flux to absorb and remove aluminum oxide into the CaF ₂ flux. This report described in Patent Document 4 shows that iron oxide is effective as an oxidizing agent. However, when an Example is seen, carbon [C] etc. cannot be removed. Moreover, it is a test on the principle confirmation scale of φ84 mm, and specific refining conditions for performing refining on a practical scale of, for example, 10 kg or more have not yet been clarified.

  Other documents describing the cold-crucible induction melting technique are described in Patent Documents 5 and 6, for example.

Y. Nakamura et.al: Refining of 18% Cr-8% Ni Steel with Ca-CaF2 Solution, Transaction ISIJ, Vol. 16, (1976) p.623 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-246910 JP 2002-69589 A JP 2003-55744 A JP 2003-342629 A JP 2007-154214 A JP 2007-155141 A

  That is, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that, in an oxidation refining technique using an oxide of a predetermined main component element such as iron oxide as an oxidizing agent using a cold-crucible induction melting method, at least carbon and calcium are used. Clarifying a method capable of removing impurity elements containing silicon or impurity elements containing carbon, silicon, aluminum, etc. from the alloy, and this oxidative refining technology can be used for refining on a practical scale with a product ingot weight of, for example, 10 kg or more. It is to specify a method for developing into technology.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have found that an ingot element containing at least carbon and calcium, or silicon, aluminum, etc. together with carbon from a practical scale molten alloy pool having a product ingot weight of, for example, 10 kg or more. In this knowledge, we found the amount of oxide added to the main constituent elements of a given alloy composition, such as iron oxide, which is indispensable for removing impurity elements containing iron, as well as the component composition of flux and the range of its addition rate. Based on this, the present invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention includes a molten pool forming step of forming an alloy molten pool having components adjusted to a predetermined alloy composition by introducing an alloy raw material into a water-cooled copper crucible of a cold crucible induction melting apparatus, and a refining agent in the molten alloy pool And a refining step of removing an impurity element containing at least carbon and calcium by evacuating an inert gas in the chamber after the addition of gas and maintaining the exhaust state for 15 minutes or more, and a method for producing an ultra-high purity alloy ingot It is. The refining agent is a mixture of an oxidizing agent that is an oxide of a predetermined main component element of an alloy composition such as iron oxide and a Ca halide composition flux, and the Ca halide composition flux includes calcium oxide in calcium fluoride. 5-30 wt% compounded CaF ₂ -CaO, CaF ₂ -CaCl ₂ and 5-30 wt% blend of calcium chloride to calcium fluoride, or, CaF ₂ formulated 5-30 wt% calcium oxide and calcium chloride in the calcium fluoride -(CaO + CaCl ₂ ). The added weight of the oxidizing agent is set to be 0.2 times or more and 4.0 times or less of a calculated weight calculated for oxidizing the impurity elements including at least carbon and calcium in the molten alloy pool. Further, in the refining step, the addition ratio of the Ca halide composition flux with respect to the weight of the molten alloy pool is set to 0.5 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less.

In the present invention, the Ca halide composition flux, CaF ₂ -CaO was 5-30 wt% blending calcium oxide calcium fluoride or,, CaF ₂ formulated 5-30 wt% calcium oxide and calcium chloride in the calcium fluoride -(CaO + CaCl ₂ ), and the addition weight of the oxidizing agent is 2.0 times the calculated weight calculated to oxidize all impurity elements including at least carbon, calcium, aluminum, and silicon in the molten alloy pool As described above, it is preferable that the addition ratio of the Ca halide composition flux with respect to the weight of the molten alloy pool is 3.0 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less.

  Further, in the present invention, it is preferable to add a deoxidizing element-based alloy component to the ingot produced by the above-described method for producing an ultra-high purity alloy ingot to form an alloy.

Further, in the present invention, the ingot produced by the above-described method for producing an ultra-high purity alloy ingot is used as a primary ingot, and the primary ingot is supplied to a water-cooled copper dish-like container of a cold hearth type electron beam melting apparatus. Forming a second molten metal pool in the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container and in the water-cooled copper mold adjacent to the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container at a pressure lower than 5 × 10 ⁻⁴ mbar. And a second refining step of removing carbon as an impurity element by adding a second refining agent to the molten alloy pool in the water-cooled copper dish-shaped vessel, wherein the second refining agent is iron oxide or the like In order to oxidize the carbon as the impurity element in the molten alloy pool of the primary ingot, the added weight of the second refining agent 1.0 of the calculated weight calculated in It is preferable to make it not less than twice and not more than 4.0 times.

  According to the present invention, an impurity element containing at least carbon and calcium, or an impurity element containing silicon, aluminum, and the like together with carbon can be removed from the alloy. Moreover, a practical scale ingot of an ultra-high purity alloy having a product ingot weight of, for example, 10 kg or more can be manufactured by melting.

It is a mimetic diagram showing a cold crucible induction dissolution device. Correlation between the addition rate {Flx} M of the Ca halide composition flux and the decarburization [C] rate relative to the iron oxide addition ratio (WFe ₃ O ₄ / MFeO) and the molten alloy pool weight in the iron oxide addition / vacuum oxidation refining It is a graph. Correlation between iron oxide addition ratio (WFe ₃ O ₄ / MFeO) in iron oxide addition / vacuum oxidation refining and Ca halide composition flux addition rate {Flx} M to molten alloy pool weight and desiliconization [Si] rate It is a graph. It is a schematic diagram which shows a cold hearth type electron beam melting apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention was made | formed using the result of the commissioned research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

(Oxidative refining method using cold crucible induction melting equipment)
As described above, according to the present invention, the alloy raw material is introduced into the water-cooled copper crucible 3 of the cold crucible induction melting apparatus 1 by, for example, the raw material feeder 2, and the alloy raw material is inductively melted by, for example, the coil 5 to obtain a predetermined alloy. A molten pool forming step for forming a molten alloy pool 6 whose composition is adjusted to the composition, and a refining agent is added to the formed molten alloy pool 6, and then the inert gas in the chamber is exhausted to maintain the exhausted state for 15 minutes or more. And a refining process for removing impurity elements including at least carbon and calcium. The refining agent is a mixture of an oxidizing agent which is an oxide of a predetermined main component element of an alloy composition such as iron oxide and a Ca halide composition flux. The Ca halide composition flux the calcium oxide to calcium fluoride CaF ₂ -CaO formulated 5-30 wt%, calcium chloride calcium fluoride CaF _{2-CaCl 2} was blended 5-30 wt%, or, calcium fluoride CaF ₂ that calcium oxide and calcium chloride were formulated 5-30 wt% - a (CaO + CaCl _2). In this manufacturing method, the added weight of iron oxide is 0.2 times or more and 4.0 times or less of the calculated weight calculated for oxidizing all the impurity elements including at least carbon and calcium in the molten alloy pool 6. To do. In the refining step, the addition rate of the Ca halide composition flux with respect to the weight of the molten alloy pool 6 is set to 0.5 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less (see the attached FIG. 1 for the numbers).

  According to the method for producing an ultra high purity alloy ingot of the present invention, an impurity element containing at least carbon and Ca can be removed from the alloy, and the weight of the product ingot is 10 kg or more. Can be manufactured. In order to perform a certain amount of hot working and form a part on a practical scale, a product ingot weight of at least about 10 kg is required.

  The component composition of the ultra-high purity alloy ingot can be varied depending on the purpose of use. That is, the manufacturing method of the present invention includes an alloy material mainly composed of Fe, an alloy material mainly composed of Ni, an alloy material mainly composed of Fe-Ni, or an alloy material mainly composed of Co, etc. It can be applied to alloy raw materials. Preferably, the production method of the present invention is applied to an Fe-based Ni-based alloy material mainly composed of Fe-Ni. In addition, ultra-high purity means that the contents of carbon, Ca, and the like, which are impurity elements, are extremely small as compared with ingots of the same type of alloy that are already widely used.

In order to carry out the production method of the present invention, a magnetic levitation type cold crucible induction melting (CCIM) type melting apparatus (cold crucible type induction melting apparatus 1) having a water-cooled copper crucible 3 as shown in FIG. Is indispensable and cannot be applied to the induction melting method using a general refractory crucible. This is because it is necessary to use a Ca halide flux such as calcium fluoride (CaF ₂ ) as a refining flux. This is because, in the normal refractory crucible system, the refractory crucible is significantly melted by molten calcium fluoride, etc., and there is a risk of causing an accident such as erosion of the water-cooled copper coil for heating and a steam explosion.

  The inner diameter D (m) of the water-cooled copper crucible 3 of the cold crucible induction melting apparatus 1 is preferably 0.2 m or more in diameter in order to form a molten alloy pool 6 of 10 kg or more. When the inner diameter of the water-cooled copper crucible 3 is 0.2 m or less, the weight of the molten alloy pool 6 that can be formed is reduced, which is not practical for forming an molten alloy pool of 10 kg or more.

  Here, as a melting raw material for melting an ultra-high purity alloy, for example, an alloy ingot refined using metal Ca can be used. In such an ingot raw material, in particular, Ni is used. In the alloy ingot contained as the alloy component, a considerable amount of metal Ca remains in the ingot. For example, in the case of an alloy having a Ni content of 0 (zero), the residual [Ca] concentration = about 0.02 wt%, and in the case of an alloy of about 20 wt%, the residual [Ca] concentration = about 0.05 wt%. It becomes. In an alloy having a Ni content of about 35 wt%, the residual [Ca] concentration is about 0.09 wt%. In an alloy having a Ni content of about 45 wt%, the residual [Ca] concentration = about 0.12 wt%. Further, in a Ni-based alloy having a Ni content of about 60 wt%, the residual [Ca] concentration may be about 0.5 wt%. Thus, a considerable amount of [Ca] remains in the alloy ingot refined using metal Ca. It is known that alkaline earth elements such as [Ca] and alkali metal elements in the alloy ingot deteriorate the corrosion resistance. Therefore, in order to produce an ultra-high purity alloy ingot, the content of these impurity elements is preferably reduced to 0.001 wt% or less, desirably 1 ppm or less.

  Further, during reduction refining using metal Ca, elements such as carbon and aluminum that are relatively easily reduced by Ca are likely to increase as impurities. [C] may cause an increase in concentration of about 30 ppm, and [Al] and [Si] may increase in concentration by about 0.005 wt%. It is considered that these are because organic substances and ceramics adhering in the chamber (vacuum chamber 4) are reduced by the metal Ca and absorbed into the molten alloy pool 6. This has been found to be a phenomenon that often occurs when reductive refining using metallic Ca. These impurity elements also need to be removed as necessary.

  Moreover, as a melting raw material for melting an ultra-high purity alloy, ultra-high purity alloy scrap or the like can be applied. In this case, impurity elements such as phosphorus [P], sulfur [S], tin [Sn], and lead [Pb] are in a sufficiently low state, but aluminum [Al], titanium [Ti], zirconium are used as alloy elements. [Zr], silicon [Si] or the like may be added, and in order to adjust to these target alloy compositions, it is necessary to remove these alloy elements once.

  Furthermore, even when electrolytic iron, electrolytic nickel, metallic chromium, or the like, which is a relatively high purity raw material, is used as a melting raw material, there is a possibility that [Si], [Al], [B], etc. are included as impurity elements. There is also a need to remove these elements as necessary.

  Impurities such as [C], [Si], [Mn], [Al], [Ca], etc. when using commercially available steel scraps, low-carbon steel materials, ferrochrome and other alloy iron materials as low-cost raw materials Elements may be contained in a large amount at a level of several hundred to several thousand ppm, and when trying to melt the intended ultra-high purity alloy, it is necessary to remove these impurity elements first. .

  On the other hand, in an alloy that requires ultra-high purity, carbon [C] <10 ppm, silicon [Si] <0.01 wt%, or the like may be required. Therefore, a technique for removing [C], [Si] and the like together with [Ca] is required. Further, boron [B] may significantly deteriorate the corrosion resistance, and [B] <1 ppm may be required.

In order to remove the [C] impurity element in the molten stainless steel pool, it is necessary to promote the decarburization reaction by the reaction of the following formula.
[C] + [O] → CO (g) ↑
In order to proceed with this reaction, it is necessary to supply oxygen [O] into the molten alloy pool 6 and remove generated CO (g (gas)) to reduce the CO partial pressure and promote the reaction. . As a specific means, oxygen gas can be used for supplying oxygen to the molten alloy pool 6. However, for removing CO (g), it is effective to evacuate and continue to discharge the generated CO gas. Therefore, rather than supplying oxygen in a gaseous state, iron oxide serving as a solid oxygen source, etc. It is more effective to add an oxidant which is an oxide of a main component element of a predetermined alloy composition. In particular, residual oxygen [O] is often 5 ppm or less in an alloy ingot reductively refined with metal Ca, and is in a state where there is no oxygen source. Source supply is essential.

In addition, as an alloy element other than carbon, oxides such as [Si], [Al], [Ti], [Zr], [Hf], [B], and [Ca] are heated compared to iron and nickel. In order to remove the active metal element that is mechanically stable, it is necessary to proceed with the following oxidative refining reaction and separate and remove each oxide in the slack.
[Si] +2 [O] → (SiO ₂ )
2 [Al] +3 [O] → (Al ₂ O ₃ )
[Ti] +2 [O] → (TiO ₂ )
[Zr] +2 [O] → (ZrO ₂ )
2 [B] +3 [O] → (B ₂ O ₃ )
[Ca] + [O] → (CaO)

[Ca] in the alloy ingot is removed by evaporation only by melting, but a slight amount may remain in the alloy ingot. In order to remove this completely, it is also important to carry out oxidative refining. When these elements are converted into oxides and absorbed as slag, they are reacted with CaO in the molten slag layer 7 to reduce the activity of these components in the molten slag layer 7 as a more stable compound. However, it is effective for the removal and refining reaction. For example, SiO ₂ formed by oxidizing [Si] reacts with CaO to form a stable compound such as Ca ₂ SiO ₄ , thereby reducing the SiO ₂ activity in the molten slag layer 7. It is effective to facilitate the progress of the oxidation reaction of [Si]. Similarly, with regard to Al ₂ O ₃ , TiO ₂ , B ₂ O _3, etc., it is effective for oxidative removal refining of these elements to react with CaO to form a compound and reduce the activity in the molten slag layer 7. . Therefore, it is effective to match the amount of CaO in the molten slag layer 7 with the amount of various oxides generated by the oxidation reaction.

  In this oxidation refining, an alloy raw material is charged into a water-cooled copper crucible 3 to form a molten alloy pool 6 having components adjusted to a predetermined alloy composition in an inert gas atmosphere, and then a refining operation that satisfies the following conditions: To remove and refine the impurity elements of the active elements such as carbon [C], silicon [Si], aluminum [Al], titanium [Ti], zirconium [Zr], hafnium [Hf], boron [B]. . An alloy solidified skull layer 8 is formed under the molten alloy pool 6. Moreover, Ar gas, He gas, etc. are used as inert gas. In order to make the inside of the vacuum chamber 4 an inert gas atmosphere, Ar gas or the like is introduced after the inside of the vacuum chamber 4 is evacuated by a vacuum pump in advance.

  Using the cold-crucible induction melting apparatus 1 having a water-cooled copper crucible 3 having an inner diameter of φ220 mm, a number of tests and examinations were conducted, and the refining conditions revealed were as follows.

(1) As a refining agent, a refining agent obtained by mixing an oxidizing agent that is an oxide of a predetermined main component element of an alloy composition such as iron oxide and a Ca halide composition flux is added to the molten alloy pool 6.
When the alloy raw material is an Fe-based alloy, iron oxide such as Fe ₂ O ₃ or Fe ₃ O ₄ is used as an oxidant serving as an oxygen source. In the case of a Ni-based alloy or a Fe-Ni-based alloy, nickel oxide or the like can be used as an oxidizing agent. In the case of a Co-based alloy, cobalt oxide or the like is used. These oxidizing agents are solid oxidizing agents (not gases such as oxygen gas), in other words, oxidizing agents made of metal oxides. As a result of the oxidation reaction, it is necessary to stably absorb the oxide generated in the molten slag layer 7. Therefore, as a flux having a high oxide absorption capacity, a flux obtained by adding CaO to a Ca halide flux such as calcium fluoride (CaF ₂ ) or calcium chloride (CaCl ₂ ) is used.

(2) The Ca halide-based flux is a component system having a lower melting point than the basic component CaF ₂ , and is CaF ₂ —CaO (5 to 30 wt%), CaF ₂ —CaCl ₂ (5 to 30 wt%), or CaF. _{Use the 2-} (CaO + CaCl ₂ ) (5-30 wt%) system. Here, for example, CaF ₂ —CaO (5 to 30 wt%) is obtained by blending calcium oxide with 5 to 30 wt% (ratio to calcium fluoride) in calcium fluoride. CaF ₂ − (CaO + CaCl ₂ ) (5 to 30 wt%) is a mixture of calcium fluoride and calcium chloride combined with calcium fluoride in a total of 5 to 30 wt%.

  By reducing the melting point of the flux, the added flux is easily melted by the heat transfer from the molten alloy pool 6 to form the molten slag layer 7. Thereby, reaction can be promoted. In order to absorb the oxide generated by the oxidation reaction, a flux containing CaO is more effective. In addition, a component system in which the amount of CaO necessary for making the generated oxide a stable compound is previously contained in the flux becomes more effective.

  In addition, when CaO mix | blended with calcium fluoride will be 30 wt% or more, it is estimated that the undissolved part of CaO etc. generate | occur | produces, but since it becomes difficult to melt | dissolve a flux and the fluidity | liquidity of a slag bath falls, it is beyond this. Was determined to be ineffective. In the case of calcium chloride, since the effect of lowering the melting point is large, it is effective for an alloy having a high Ni content and a low melting point. However, due to severe evaporation loss, it was found that 30 wt% or less was appropriate for blending with calcium fluoride of 30 wt% or more because the refining operation became unstable.

(3) The addition rate {Flx} M of the Ca halide composition flux with respect to the weight M (kg) of the molten alloy pool 6 satisfies the range of 0.5 ≦ {Flx} M ≦ 5.0 (wt%). Here, {Flx} M (wt%) is defined by the following equation.
{Flx} M = WFlx / M × 100
WFlx: Weight of added Ca halide composition flux (kg)
M: Weight of molten alloy pool 6 (kg)
If the addition ratio of the Ca halide composition flux is too small, the effect of absorbing the generated oxide cannot be obtained. Therefore, a flux amount of at least 0.5 wt% of the weight of the molten alloy pool 6 is necessary. On the other hand, when {Flx} M is 5.0 wt% or more, heat transfer from the molten alloy pool 6 is insufficient and the molten slag layer 7 is difficult to be formed, so 5.0 wt% is the upper limit.

  The weight of the Ca halide composition flux added as a refining agent is often arranged as a concentration in the flux in normal handling. However, since it is easier to directly grasp the required amount of Ca halide composition flux when organizing it as a weight ratio with respect to the weight M (kg) of the molten alloy pool 6, the addition amount of the Ca halide composition flux described above {Flx } It was decided to express with M. The weight M of the molten alloy pool 6 is equal to the weight of the alloy raw material before being put into the water-cooled copper crucible 3.

(4) The added weight (WFexOy (kg)) of iron oxide (FexOy) in the above mixed refining agent satisfies the following conditions.
0.2 × MFeO ≦ WFexOy ≦ 4.0 × MFeO
here,
MFeO = M / 100 × ([C] /12.01+2× [Si] /28.09+1.5× [Al] /26.98+2× [Ti] /47.9+2× [Zr] /91.22+2× [ Hf] /178.49+1.5× [B] /10.811+ [Ca] /40.08- [O] /15.9994) / y × (55.85 × x + 16.0 × y)
M: Weight of molten alloy pool 6 (kg)
[C]: C concentration (wt%) in the molten alloy pool 6
[Si]: Si concentration (wt%) in the molten alloy pool 6
[Al] Al concentration in molten alloy pool 6 (wt%)
[Ti]: Ti concentration (wt%) in the molten alloy pool 6
[Zr]: Zr concentration (wt%) in the molten alloy pool 6
[Hf]: Hf concentration (wt%) in the molten alloy pool 6
[B]: B concentration (wt%) in the molten alloy pool 6
[Ca]: Ca concentration (wt%) in the molten alloy pool 6
[O]: O concentration in molten alloy pool 6 (wt%)

[C] is CO gas, [Si] is SiO ₂ slag, [Al] is Al ₂ O ₃ slag, [Ti], [Zr], and [Hf] are TiO ₂ slag, In order to convert ZrO ₂ slag, HfO ₂ slag, [B] into B ₂ O ₃ slag, and [Ca] into CaO slag, divide by the atomic weight of each element to obtain the required number of moles of oxygen. This is an equation for calculating the weight required for supplying oxygen with FexOy iron oxide. Here, the concentration values of [C], [Si], [Al], [Ti], [Zr], [Hf], [B], [Ca], etc. are calculated from the analysis values of the blended dissolved raw materials. Value.

Although not included in the above formula, there are [alkali metal: EI], [alkaline earth metal: EII], [Y], [lanthanum-based / actinium-based metal: ER] and the like as active metals. In this case, it is necessary to add the amount of oxygen necessary to convert these into slag such as EI ₂ O, EIIO, Y ₂ O ₃ , ER ₂ O _3, etc. In addition, manganese [Mn] is not so active as compared to Fe, and is relatively difficult to remove by oxidative refining, and moreover, has a characteristic that it is easily removed by evaporation in high vacuum melting. Therefore, it is not a target for removal by oxidation refining here. When nickel oxide or the like is used as the oxidant, the calculation may be performed by replacing Fe in the above formula with Ni or the like. In that case, it is necessary to replace with the Ni atomic weight (58.71) instead of the Fe atomic weight (55.85).

As a result of several smelting and refining tests, when the main purpose is decarburization [C], the decarburization [C] rate: η_C and (weight of iron oxide charged as oxidant: WFexOy) / (impurity element The relationship between the calculated weight calculated to oxidize the total amount of MFeO) and the ratio of the Ca halide composition flux to the molten alloy pool weight: {Flx} M is as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, the necessary iron oxide weight: WFexOy (kg) is required to be 0.2 times or more of the calculated amount: MFeO (kg), and the addition rate of the flux to be added simultaneously: { It was revealed that Flx} M is required to be 0.5 wt% or more. When WFexOy is WFexOy <0.2 × MFeO and {Flx} M is {Flx} M <0.5, the de [C] rate is also greatly reduced, and it is difficult to obtain a refining effect.
Here, the decarburization [C] rate: η_C is defined as follows.
η_C = ([C] ₀ − [C]) / [C] ₀ × 100 (%)
In addition, the oxidation removal refining of [Si] and [B], whose thermodynamic stability of the oxide is less than that of elements such as [Al] and [Ti], is shown in WFe ₃ O ₄ / FIG. As shown in the relationship between MFeO and {Flx} M and the de [Si] rate, if it is desired to obtain 50% or more as the de [Si] rate, the weight of iron oxide added is 1.0 × It is clear that it is effective that MFeO <WFexOy is satisfied and {Flx} M satisfies 3.0 <{Flx} M.
Here, the decarburization [Si] rate: η_Si is defined as follows.
η_Si = ([Si] ₀ − [Si]) / [Si] ₀ × 100 (%)
Furthermore, in order to increase the removal [Si] rate more reliably, WFexOy has to be about 1.5 to 2 times that of MFeO. This is because not all the added iron oxide is used in the reaction. On the other hand, when the weight of iron oxide is added more than 4 times the required amount, oxidation loss such as Cr of the alloy component increases excessively, which is not desirable.

When the weight of iron oxide to be added is about 0.2 to 1.0 times that of MFeO and vacuum oxidation refining is performed, [C], [Al], [Ti], [Zr], [Zr] Although removal and refining of elements whose oxides such as Hf] and [Ca] are thermodynamically stable proceeds, removal of [Si] and [B] often does not proceed so significantly. However, [Si], [B], etc. can be removed and refined by setting the addition amount of iron oxide to 1.0 times or more of the MFeO amount and the Ca halide composition flux addition rate {Flx} M to 3 wt% or more. It becomes like this. For example, the [B] concentration is 50 ppm before refining → 1 ppm after refining. The concentration of [Si] is 0.22 wt% before refining → <0.01 wt% after refining. Furthermore, the amount of iron oxide added is 2.0 times or more the amount of MFeO, a CaF ₂ -CaO-based or CaF _2- (CaO + CaCl ₂ ) -based flux is used, and the Ca halide composition with respect to the weight of the molten alloy pool 6 When the flux addition rate {Flx} M is 3.0 wt% or more, the removal and refining of [Si] and [B] becomes easier.

  However, if the weight of iron oxide to be added is more than four times the amount of MFeO, the oxidation reaction becomes too intense, and oxidation loss such as Cr, which is an alloy element, will be generated significantly. That is not preferable.

Specifically, for example, a stainless steel having a composition of Fe-20Ni25Cr, a 50 kg molten metal using a commercially available low-cost raw material such as a ferrochrome raw material, a low carbon steel raw material, and an electrolytic Ni raw material that is a high-purity raw material. When the pool is formed, the impurity element concentration in the molten pool is [C] = 0.02, [Si] = 0.21, [Al] = 0.015, [B] = 0.005, [Ca ] = 0.001 and [O] = 0.02 wt%. The molar amount of oxygen necessary to oxidize them is calculated as 8.9 mol. If this oxygen is supplied by iron oxide Fe ₃ O ₄ , Fe ₃ O ₄ becomes MFeO = 515 g. Therefore, when about 800 g (about 1.5 times) of Fe ₃ O ₄ is added, [C] decreases to about 0.005 wt% and [Al] decreases to about 0.003 wt%. However, [Si] is about 0.19 wt%, and [B] is about 0.004 wt%. However, when 1300 g (2.5 times) of Fe ₃ O ₄ is added, [Si] decreases to 0.01 wt% or less, and [B] decreases to approximately 0.0001 wt%. The Ca halide composition flux used at this time is a CaF ₂ —CaO (8: 2) composition, and the addition rate is {Flx} M = 4.0% (2000 g).

  By this refining, even if commercially available low-priced raw materials such as ferrochrome and low carbon steel are used as melting raw materials, the impurity concentration ([Si ] <0.01 wt%) has been confirmed to be able to be removed and refined.

  When removal of [Si] and [B] is unnecessary, iron oxide about 1.5 times the amount of MFeO is added, a Ca halide composition flux with a low CaO content is used, and the molten alloy pool 6 Refining to prioritize [C] removal by suppressing reduction of [Si] and [B] is possible by setting the Ca halide composition flux addition rate {Flx} M to about 0.5-2% with respect to the weight of the steel. It becomes.

(5) After adding a refining agent that is a mixture of Ca halide composition flux and iron oxide, the inert gas in the chamber (vacuum chamber 4) is evacuated (evacuated), and the state (vacuum state (exhaust Hold for at least 15 minutes in the state)).
When a refining agent, which is a mixture of Ca halide composition flux and iron oxide, is added to the molten alloy pool 6 and the molten slag layer 7 is formed, the chamber is evacuated with an oil rotary pump, for example. If necessary, evacuation is performed with a mechanical booster pump, diffusion pump, etc., and oxidative refining is performed in a vacuum atmosphere.

  When the degree of vacuum is 10 hPa or less, fine droplets (splash) are scattered from the molten alloy pool 6. It is presumed that when [C] reacts with [O] and CO (g) gas is released, the surrounding molten metal is blown away. In this phenomenon, when the [C] concentration in the molten alloy pool 6 decreases, the reaction ends. For example, even in the case of the initial concentration [C] 0 = 250 ppm, intense splashing is completed in about 10 minutes, and the [C] concentration is about 20 to 60 ppm. In addition, it is observed that the surface temperature of the molten alloy pool 6 is increased by holding it under vacuum, the added flux is easily melted, and the molten slag layer 7 is stably formed.

  After such de [C] reaction, it is observed that molten slag pieces considered to be oxides float on the surface of the molten alloy pool 6. These are gradually absorbed by the molten slag layer 7 of Ca halide composition flux and disappear. In about 15 minutes, it is observed that almost no oxide slag is spilled out and floating oxide on the surface of the molten alloy pool 6 is reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to hold the molten metal for 15 minutes or more.

The operation of adding iron oxide to the molten alloy pool is described in Patent Document 4. Specifically, iron oxide and CaF ₂ are added to a ₂ kg molten pool in a φ84 mm water-cooled copper crucible under an inert gas atmosphere. This condition is the same in that iron oxide is used. However, in the present invention, a molten alloy pool 6 of 10 kg or more is formed in a water-cooled copper crucible 3 of φ200 mm or more, and the conditions for adding iron oxide and low melting point Ca halide composition flux on a practical scale are clarified. This is different from the prior art. Furthermore, in the present invention, the de [C] reaction is promoted by the vacuum evacuation operation, thereby promoting the formation of the molten slag layer 7 and absorbing the formed oxide. This is different from the prior art. That is, it is a great feature of the present invention that the conditions for obtaining a specific refining effect are clearly indicated.

(Addition of deoxidized elemental alloy components)
When the content of [P], [S], [N], [Sn], [Pb], etc. is low in the ingot produced by the above-described oxidative refining method, this is used as a melting raw material and the melting It is preferable to alloy a raw material by adding a deoxidizing element-based alloy component. Deoxidizing element-based alloy components include [Si], [Al], [Ti], [Zr], [B], and the like. Thereby, the ultra high purity (very low impurity) Fe-base Ni-base alloy ingot of a predetermined alloy composition can be melted.

  In the melting of an ultra-high purity alloy ingot, when vacuum oxidation refining (oxidative refining) is performed, the molten alloy pool 6 may contain a large amount of oxygen [O]. When elemental (deoxidation element type) alloy components are added to the molten alloy pool 6, their deoxidized oxides are generated. In order to separate and remove such deoxidized oxide from the molten alloy pool 6, it is effective to add the Ca halide composition flux together with the addition of the alloy components. In this case, the addition rate of the Ca halide composition flux is suitably about 0.5 to 2 wt% for {Flx} M. On the other hand, when the content of [P], [S], [N], [Sn], [Pb], etc. in the ingot is high, it is necessary to carry out Ca reduction refining or the like using this as a melting raw material. .

(Cold hearth electron beam melting method)
A primary ingot obtained by smelting by an oxidative refining method using the above-described cold crucible induction melting apparatus 1 or an ingot obtained by adding a deoxidizing element-based alloy component to the ingot and alloying the ingot. As (alloy raw material), it is preferable to perform further decarburization [C] and deoxidation [O] by the cold hearth type electron beam melting method described below.

  Using a cold crucible induction melting apparatus 1 having a water-cooled copper crucible 3 with an inner diameter of φ200 mm or more, an alloy refining (vacuum oxidation refining) is performed with a weight of the molten alloy pool of 10 kg or more, [C], [Al], An alloy ingot is manufactured by removing and refining impurity elements such as [Ti], [Zr], [Ca], [Si], and [B]. Or the ingot which added the deoxidation element type alloy component to the said alloy ingot as needed is manufactured. After that, by the cold hearth type electron beam melting method described below, de [C] and de [O] can be applied to remove and refine to [C] <10 ppm and [O] <10 ppm. By this method, it is possible to produce the Fe-base Ni-base alloy ingot with the highest purity (very low impurities).

  The cold hearth type electron beam melting method will be described below. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the cold hearth type electron beam melting apparatus 11.

  The oxidation refining method described above uses an induction melting method that uses a water-cooled copper crucible 3 with an inner diameter of 200 mm or more to produce a practical ingot of an ultra-high purity Fe-based Ni-based alloy having a product ingot weight of 10 kg or more by a melting refining method. Is the method. However, due to the characteristics of the cold crucible induction melting apparatus 1, the above-described oxidation refining method may be difficult to implement under a high vacuum. Therefore, removal of the generated CO gas may be insufficient in the decarbonization [C] refining. That is, the de [C] reaction cannot be promoted, and it may be difficult to remove carbon by [C] <10 ppm.

  On the other hand, the electron beam melting method that performs melting-vacuum refining under high vacuum can be completely removed by removal refining to the limit of carbon as an impurity element, the above-described Ca reduction refining method, and the above-described oxidizing refining method. Vacuum removal refining of nitrogen [N], manganese [Mn], etc. that has not been possible becomes possible.

  Also in the electron beam melting method using an electron beam as a heat source, the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container 9 (water-cooled copper hearth) having an inner dimension of the melting container of 0.2 × 0.2 m or more and the hot water from the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container 9 By using the cold hearth type electron beam melting apparatus 11 comprising the water-cooled copper mold 10 that receives the molten metal to form an ingot, the effect of removing the impurity elements can be further enhanced.

  In the actual melting operation, a rod-like or lump melting raw material 12 (corresponding to the primary ingot) is supplied from the facing side of the outlet of the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container 9, and the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container 9 is Dissolve. An ingot formed by pouring molten metal overflowing from the hearth outlet of the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container 9 into the water-cooled mold 10 provided adjacent to the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container 9 and solidifying in the water-cooled mold 10 is formed. A long ingot can be melted by successively drawing downward. In such a melting method, by performing a refining operation that satisfies the following conditions, carbon [C], which is an impurity element, can be reliably removed and refined, and there are few carbon impurities that could not be produced by conventional methods. An ingot can be produced.

(1) Perform melting in a high vacuum atmosphere (<5 × 10 ⁻⁴ mbar).
Since the decarburization reaction is more easily promoted as the degree of vacuum is higher, it is desirable that the decarburization reaction be performed in a high vacuum atmosphere in order to perform decarbonization to the limit. The reason why “<5 × 10 ⁻⁴ mbar” is used is that a small amount of Ar gas may be introduced into the vacuum chamber 4. In the case where an inert gas such as Ar gas is not introduced into the vacuum chamber 4, it is desirable to perform melting at a pressure lower than 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ mbar.

(2) After the molten alloy pool 13 having a predetermined alloy composition is formed in the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container 9 and the water-cooled copper mold 10 for producing the solidified ingot, the molten raw material 12 (corresponding to the primary ingot); Sending out an oxidizing agent (FexOy etc.) on the water-cooled copper dish-like container 9 (in this embodiment, iron oxide is put on the melted raw material 12 and sent out).
When the oxygen concentration in the melted raw material 12 is insufficient, it is not desorbed [C] even under high vacuum conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to supply [O] necessary for the oxidation of [C]. However, since the electron beam melting method is performed under a high vacuum, it is difficult to supply oxygen gas. Therefore, a method of supplying an oxidant, which is an oxide of a predetermined main component element of an alloy composition such as high-purity iron oxide, together with a dissolved raw material as a solid oxygen source is effective. In this case, the finely divided iron oxide is caught in the gas flow and scattered at the initial evacuation stage of the electron beam melting, reaches the vacuum pump, and damages the vacuum pump. Therefore, it is desirable to perform iron oxide sintering in advance and add the iron oxide in the form of granules. As an oxidizing agent, iron oxide (Fe ₃ O ₄ , Fe ₂ O ₃ etc.) is used in the case of Fe-based alloys, iron oxide or nickel oxide is used in the case of Fe-Ni based alloys, nickel oxide is used in Ni-based alloys, Co In the case of a base alloy, cobalt oxide or the like can be applied. These oxidizing agents are solid oxidizing agents, in other words, oxidizing agents made of metal oxides.

  In addition, when the raw material feeder is attached to the cold hearth type electron beam melting apparatus 11, after the molten alloy pool 13 is formed, the molten raw material 12 and the oxidizing agent (FexOy, etc.) are combined with a water-cooled copper dish-shaped container. 9 There is no need to send it up. In this case, an oxidizing agent (such as FexOy, which corresponds to the second refining agent) may be added to the molten alloy pool 13 in the water-cooled copper dish-like container 9 in accordance with the melting state of the melting raw material 12 by the raw material feeder.

(3) The added weight (WFexOy (kg)) of the iron oxide (FexOy) should be within a range satisfying 1.0 × MFeO ≦ WFexOy ≦ 4.0 × MFeO.
MFeO = WM / 100 × ([C] /12.01) / y × (55.85 × x + 16.0 × y)
WM: weight of molten raw material (kg), [C]: C concentration in molten raw material (wt%)
As a result of the test, it has been proved that the addition weight of iron oxide is the same as the calculation amount necessary for CO gasification of the target carbon or four times as much. When the addition amount is too small, the desorption [C] becomes insufficient. When the addition amount is too large, the oxygen [O] concentration in the ingot tends to increase, and empirically, it is about 2 to 3 times the calculated amount. In many cases, the amount added is appropriate.

  By applying this cold hearth type electron beam melting method, floating separation of non-metallic inclusions in the ingot progresses, and it has been confirmed that it is very effective as an oxygen removal method. By this refining, carbon [C] in the ingot can be reduced to 10 ppm or less and oxygen [O] can also be reduced to 10 ppm or less. When the conditions are appropriate, [C] <5 ppm, [O] <5 ppm. Satisfactory analysis results may be obtained. [Mn] of the alloy component is evaporated and removed in the electron beam melting process, and the [Mn] concentration is often 0.01 wt% or less.

(Example)
The structural schematic diagram of the test apparatus used for confirming the refining effect is as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, and the general specifications of the equipment are as follows.
(1) Cold Crucible Induction Melting (CCIM) device 1
High frequency power supply Maximum output: 400kW, Frequency: 3000Hz
Water-cooled copper crucible 3 Inner diameter: φ220, Number of segments: 24
Ultimate vacuum 10 ^-2 mbar level Vacuum evacuation device Rotary pump, mechanical booster pump (2) Cold hearth electron beam melting (EBCHR) device 11
High voltage power supply Acceleration voltage: 40kV, Maximum output: 300kW
Two electron beam guns 14 Ultimate vacuum 10 ^-6 mbar level Vacuum evacuation device Rotary pump, mechanical booster pump, diffusion pump Raw material supply mechanism Maximum φ210 × 1000Lmm
Ingot drawing mechanism Maximum φ200 × 1000Lmm

(Results of oxidation refining test using cold crucible induction melting device)
Table 1 shows the effect of the oxidation refining test using a refining agent that is a mixture of iron oxide and Ca halide composition flux. This oxidation refining test uses a CCIM apparatus. In this oxidation refining test, ferrochromium (FeCr) having a high impurity content such as carbon [C] and silicon [Si], ultra-low carbon steel, and electrolytic Ni that is a high-purity raw material are used as melting raw materials. The impurity element boron [B] is also included in a condition of about 50 ppm.

As can be seen from Table 1, if the amount of iron oxide added is too small (WFe ₃ O ₄ /MFeO<0.2), the de [C] effect cannot be obtained. For the purpose of removing [C], the effect can be obtained by setting WFe ₃ O ₄ /MFeO=0.2 or more and {Flx} M = 0.5 or more. In order to obtain the de- [Si] and de- [B] effects, the effect can be obtained by setting WFe ₃ O ₄ /MFeO=1.0 or more and {Flx} M = 3.0 or more. become. However, when WFe ₃ O ₄ /MFeO=5.0, violent droplet splashing (splash) accompanying decarburization reaction occurred during vacuum refining, and stable refining operation could not be performed. That is, there is an upper limit to the amount of iron oxide added.

(Test result by cold hearth electron beam melting method)
In a CCIM apparatus having a water-cooled copper crucible 3 with a diameter of 220 mm, an ingot that has been subjected to oxidation refining (vacuum oxidation refining) is used as a melting raw material, and a cold hearth electron beam melting apparatus 11 is used to add iron oxide to the melting raw material. Table 2 shows the effect of removing [C] when dissolution is performed.

  The impurity element concentration (wt%) before the test was [C] = 0.445 and [O] = 0.005. The amount of MFeO calculated from the content of these impurity elements was 0.011 kg.

As can be seen from Table 2, by adding an appropriate amount of iron oxide, de- [C] is promoted and an ingot having an impurity element [C] concentration of 10 ppm or less can be produced. It can be seen that an ingot with [C] <5 ppm and [O] <5 ppm can be produced depending on the conditions. That is, the WFexOy / MFeO ratio is preferably 1.0 or more and 4.0 or less, and more preferably 2.0 or more and 3.0 or less. The iron oxide agent is obtained by sintering fine Fe ₂ O ₃ powder at 1250 ° C. into granular Fe ₂ O ₃ .

Regarding the addition amount of granular Fe ₂ O ₃ , if the addition amount is too small compared to the expected oxygen amount for the decarburization reaction, the decarburization reaction becomes insufficient. On the other hand, if excessively added, decarburization proceeds sufficiently, but there is a problem that the oxygen content becomes too high. That is, there is an appropriate range when adding iron oxide in EBCHR.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are described in the claims. .

1: Cold crucible induction melting device 2: Raw material feeder 3: Water-cooled copper crucible 4: Vacuum chamber 6: Molten alloy pool 7: Molten slag layer

Claims (4)

A molten pool forming step of forming an alloy molten pool in which the alloy raw material is charged into a water-cooled copper crucible of a cold crucible induction melting apparatus and the components are adjusted to a predetermined alloy composition;
After adding a refining agent to the molten alloy pool, a refining step of exhausting the inert gas in the chamber and maintaining the exhausted state for 15 minutes or more to remove impurity elements including at least carbon and calcium;
With
The refining agent is a mixture of an oxidizing agent which is an oxide of a predetermined alloy composition main component element such as iron oxide and a Ca halide composition flux,
The Ca halide composition flux the calcium oxide to calcium fluoride CaF ₂ -CaO formulated 5-30 wt%, calcium chloride calcium fluoride CaF _{2-CaCl 2} was blended 5-30 wt%, or, calcium fluoride CaF ₂ − (CaO + CaCl ₂ ) containing 5 to 30 wt% of calcium oxide and calcium chloride,
The addition weight of the oxidizing agent is 0.2 to 4.0 times the calculated weight calculated for oxidizing all the impurity elements including at least carbon and calcium in the molten alloy pool,
In the refining step, an addition rate of the Ca halide composition flux with respect to a weight of the molten alloy pool is 0.5 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less, and a method for producing an ultra high purity alloy ingot . In the manufacturing method of the ultra-high purity alloy ingot according to claim 1,
The Ca halide composition flux is CaF ₂ -CaO in which 5-30 wt% of calcium oxide is mixed with calcium fluoride, or CaF _2- (CaO + CaCl ₂ ) in which 5-30 wt% of calcium oxide and calcium chloride are mixed in calcium fluoride. And
The added weight of the oxidizing agent is 2.0 times or more and 4.0 times or less of the calculated weight calculated for oxidizing all the impurity elements including at least carbon, calcium, aluminum and silicon in the molten alloy pool. ,
In the refining step, the addition rate of the Ca halide composition flux with respect to the weight of the molten alloy pool is 3.0 wt% or more and 5.0 wt% or less, and a method for producing an ultra high purity alloy ingot .   An ultra-high purity alloy ingot produced by adding a deoxidizing element-based alloy component to the ingot produced by the method for producing an ultra-high purity alloy ingot according to claim 1 or 2. A method of manufacturing a lump. The ingot produced by the method for producing an ultra-high purity alloy ingot according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is a primary ingot,
The primary ingot is supplied to a water-cooled copper dish-shaped container of a cold hearth-type electron beam melting apparatus, and the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container and the water-cooled copper dish-shaped container are used at a pressure lower than 5 × 10 ⁻⁴ mbar. A second molten pool forming step for forming a molten alloy pool in a water-cooled copper mold adjacent to the container;
Adding a second refining agent to the molten alloy pool in the water-cooled copper dish-like container to remove carbon as an impurity element;
With
The second refining agent is an oxidizer that is an oxide of a main component element of a predetermined alloy composition such as iron oxide,
The addition weight of the second refining agent is 1.0 times or more and 4.0 times or less of the calculated weight calculated to oxidize all the carbon as the impurity element in the molten alloy pool of the primary ingot. A method for producing an ultra-high purity alloy ingot, wherein

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