This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I project addresses the carbothermic reduction of MgO using natural gas as the carbon source to form magnesium metal powder. The reduction of MgO with natural gas has been used in the past. However, the inability to quench the reaction products sufficiently rapidly reduced the yield to less than an economically acceptable level. Recently MIT, utilizing natural gas, showed yields as high as 90% in a small system. Although more heat is required when using CH4 for reduction, the byproducts CO and H2 have great value. The Plasma Quench process has quench rates of over a billion degrees C per second, and as a result, ITT believes that the yield could be close to 100% in a rapid plasma quench reactor system. The key technical objective is to determine whether the fundamental quench approach will in fact completely prevent back reaction between the magnesium vapor and the carbon monoxide by-product. The secondary objective is to determine the residence time that would be necessary for complete reaction. Most of the required equipment exists to test the concept. This includes a plasma torch reactor system, a feed system, and a collection system for fine powder.
