The Process and Mechanism of Ultrasonic-Enhanced Purification of High-Temperature Alloy Scrap
摘要
High-temperature alloys develop a composite contamination layer (mainly oxides, nitrides, sulfides) on their surface during service. During remelting, reverse diffusion of this layer into the matrix occurs, degrading the properties of the recycled alloy. To solve this key problem, this paper develops a novel surface purification process using a biodegradable organic acid (citric acid) combined with ultrasonic synergy. By characterizing the microstructure and chemical composition of the nonmetallic layer, the formation mechanism of the passivation layer on the surface of superalloy and its inhibition mechanism on the acid leaching process were revealed. The mathematical model of the interaction of ultrasonic power, leaching time, and acid concentration was established based on the response surface method (RSM). The model verification results showed that the removal efficiencies of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur reached 87.3%, 79.2%, and 76.5%, respectively, with ultrasonic power of 600 W, leaching time of 55 min, and citric concentration of 1 mol/L. The strengthening mechanism of the composite nonmetallic pollution layer leaching induced by the ultrasonic field has been described in terms of the physical and chemical effects.