US 12,440,923 B2
Method of joining and sealing a vanadium based membrane to a metallic connection section
David Michael Viano, Kenmore (AU); and Michael David Dolan, Woodend (AU)
Assigned to COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH ORGANISATION, Acton (AU)
Appl. No. 16/624,761
Filed by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Acton (AU)
PCT Filed Jun. 25, 2018, PCT No. PCT/AU2018/050636
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 19, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/000026, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 3, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 2017902556 (AU), filed on Jun. 30, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0138584 A1, May 13, 2021
Int. Cl. B23K 26/20 (2014.01); B01D 63/06 (2006.01); B01D 65/00 (2006.01); B01D 69/02 (2006.01); B01D 69/04 (2006.01); B01D 71/02 (2006.01); B23K 1/005 (2006.01); B23K 1/19 (2006.01); B23K 26/14 (2014.01); B23K 26/70 (2014.01); C01B 3/50 (2006.01); B23K 101/06 (2006.01); B23K 103/04 (2006.01); B23K 103/08 (2006.01)
CPC B23K 26/206 (2013.01) [B01D 65/003 (2013.01); B01D 69/02 (2013.01); B01D 69/04 (2013.01); B01D 71/0221 (2022.08); B23K 1/0056 (2013.01); B23K 1/19 (2013.01); B23K 26/1464 (2013.01); B23K 26/703 (2015.10); B01D 63/065 (2013.01); B01D 2313/025 (2013.01); B01D 2313/04 (2013.01); B01D 2325/04 (2013.01); B23K 2101/06 (2018.08); B23K 2103/05 (2018.08); B23K 2103/08 (2018.08); C01B 3/503 (2013.01); C01B 3/508 (2013.01); Y10S 55/05 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of joining and sealing a vanadium based membrane to a metallic connection section comprising:
mounting a section of a vanadium based membrane on a connector formation of a connection section, the connection section being formed of a different metal to the vanadium based membrane, the connector formation providing a recess into which a section of the vanadium based membrane is seated and a connection interface in which the end face of the vanadium based membrane is proximate to or substantially abuts an adjoining face of the connector formation;
mounting and operating a chiller arrangement in thermal contact with the vanadium based membrane proximate the connection interface;
heating a filler metal on the connection section in a brazing process so as to form a bridging section of filler metal between the vanadium based membrane and the connection section over the connection interface, without melting the connection section and the vanadium based membrane, the filler metal being selected from at least one of aluminum-silicon, copper, copper alloy, gold-silver alloy, nickel alloy or silver and the filler metal being heated to at least the liquidus temperature of the filler metal using a laser beam directed onto the filler metal located on the connection section and having a beam edge positioned at an offset location spaced apart from the connection interface at a distance so as to attenuate direct heating of the vanadium based membrane by the laser beam during the brazing process, and on the connection section, such that the filler metal can flow over the connection interface from the offset location onto the un-melted vanadium based membrane, the chiller arrangement operating during the brazing process to cool the vanadium based membrane; and
cooling the filler metal to form the bridging section of filler metal between the un-melted vanadium based membrane and the un-melted connection section over the connection interface, and
wherein use of the chiller arrangement together with the beam edge being positioned at an offset location spaced apart from the connection interface permits the un-melted vanadium based membrane to have an average grain size proximate to the bridging section that is substantially the same as the average grain size of the vanadium based membrane.