Yield of Y, La, Ce in high temperature alloy during electroslag remelting process

In the current study, samples of ingots and slags after electroslag remelting (ESR) were analyzed to investigate the reoxidation of the rare earth (Re) metals Y, La and Ce from high temperature alloys during remelting. The yield of Y, La and Ce in high temperature alloys during ESR is enhanced by increasing the concentrations of their oxides in the slag, and by adding CaO to the slag. Alumina in the slag should be avoided during ESR, since Y, La and Ce are easily oxidized by Al2O3, and because Al2O3 lowers the activity of the rare-earth element oxides. The effect of Re2O3, CaO and Al2O3 content in the slag on the activity of Re2O3 was estimated using the Temkin model.