Recent developments in high purity niobium metal production at CBMM

Journal Article · Fri Dec 04 04:00:00 EST 2015 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4935315· OSTI ID:22492682

CBMM is a global supplier of high quality niobium products including pure niobium, the focus of this paper. CBMM’s position has been consolidated over three decades of producing high purity niobium metal ingots. The company supplies, among other products, commercial and reactor grade niobium ingots. One of the main uses of CBMM’s ingots is for the manufacture of particle accelerators (superconducting radio frequency – SRF – cavities), where the purity and homogeneity of niobium metal is essentially important for good performance. CBMM constantly strives to improve process controls and product quality, and is currently implementing innovations in production, research and development to further improve ingot quality. The main aim is to reduce the content of interstitial elements, such as nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), carbon (C), and hydrogen (H), starting with the raw materials through the final step of ingot production. CBMM held the first trial to produce the world’s largest-diameter niobium ingot (as cast 535 mm). The results of this initial trial presented very low levels of interstitial impurities (N, O, C, H), allowing the achievement of residual resistivity ratio (RRR) values very close to 300 in a six-melt process in an electron beam furnace. These values were reached with 850 ppm of tantalum. SRF cavities will be produced with this material in order to study the effect of low impurities and high RRR on the Q factor and accelerating gradient.

• OSTI ID: 22492682
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1687; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
ACCELERATORS
CARBON
ELECTRON BEAM FURNACES
HYDROGEN
IMPURITIES
INTERSTITIALS
METAL INDUSTRY
NIOBIUM
NITROGEN
OXYGEN
PROCESS CONTROL
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RAW MATERIALS
RF SYSTEMS
SUPERCONDUCTING CAVITY RESONATORS
TANTALUM