Application of MIVM in separation of Sn-Zn alloy by vacuum distillationApplication of MIVM in separation of Sn-Zn alloy by vacuum distillation.doc

Application of MIVM for Sn-Zn system in vacuum distillation( LingXin Konga, b, c, Bin Yanga, b, c, *, BaoQiang Xua, b, c, YiFu Lia, b, c, Yuanshou Hua, Long Hana, DaChun Liua, b, c a The National Engineering Laboratory for Vacuum Metallurgy, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, PR China b State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clear Utilization, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, PR China c Key Laboratory for Nonferrous Vacuum Metallurgy of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650093, PR China Abstract In this paper, the molecular interaction volume model (MIVM) has been used for a calculation of the activities of components of Sn-Zn system. The separation coefficients and the vapor-liquid phase equilibrium of Sn-Zn system were also predicted by using the MIVM. The predicted results indicated that the content of tin in the vapor phase was 0.000052 wt pct, while in the liquid phase, it was 99.98 wt pct at 1173K. Experimental investigations into the separation of Sn-Zn alloy by vacuum distillation were carried out for the proper interpretation of the predicted results. The effects of vacuum level of 15 to 200 Pa, distillation temperatures of 873 to 1273 K and soaking time of 20 to 60 min were studied. The experimental results indicated that the content of tin in the vapor phase was 0.001 wt pct, while in the liquid phase, it was 99.98 wt pct at 1173K. The experimental results match well with the predicted data suggesting that the MIVM is a suitable model for Sn-Zn system. Keywords: MIVM; Sn-Zn alloy; vacuum distillation; vapor-liquid phase equilibrium Introduction Tin is an indispensable metal, which was widely used in solder, tin plate and bearings. More recently, the application of tin in electronic, electrical and various engineering achievements has been considerably increased [1]. Zinc is usually employed for surface corrosion-protective, coating and planting process materials and for making compound