US 12,473,613 B2
Rare earth extraction apparatus and method of use thereof
W. Davis Lee, Rockport, ME (US); and Mark R. Amato, South Hamilton, MA (US)
Filed by W. Davis Lee, Rockport, ME (US); and Mark R. Amato, South Hamilton, MA (US)
Filed on May 4, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/736,930.
Application 17/736,930 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/523,974, filed on Jul. 26, 2019, granted, now 11,643,706.
Prior Publication US 2022/0259699 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C22B 59/00 (2006.01); C22B 5/12 (2006.01)
CPC C22B 59/00 (2013.01) [C22B 5/12 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
 
1. A method for generating a rare earth from a rare earth oxide, comprising the steps of:
dissociating the rare earth oxide and hydrogen gas in a reaction chamber by inductively heating the reaction chamber to greater than 2000 K to form the rare earth and water vapor in a reaction process;
driving the reaction process forward by removing the water vapor from the reaction chamber by condensing and freezing the water vapor on a first cold trap surface as water ice, according to Le Chatelier's principle;
prior to said step of dissociating, placing the rare earth oxide as a powder into said reaction chamber and cooling said reaction chamber to lower than −25° C.; and
after said step of placing and prior to said step of dissociating, reducing pressure of said reaction chamber to less than 0.05 torr, wherein a water impurity of said rare earth oxide boils off as less than 1 torr at a molecular velocity leaving greater than ninety percent of said rare earth oxide in said reaction chamber.