Thermodynamic simulation of Nb₃Sn synthesis process by hydrogen reduction method

Based on the principle of multi-component and multi-phase equilibrium principle, a thermodynamic model was developed for the synthesis of Nb₃Sn powder by the method of hydrogen reduction of NbCl₅ and SnCl₂ vapors. The effects of the key parameters, such as evaporation temperatures of NbCl₅, SnCl₂, the amounts of the loading gases Ar and reducing gas H₂, the reduction and collection temperatures, were investigated by means of the calculation with FactSage software. The calculated results demonstrated the optimized evaporation temperatures and loading gases amounts, the least amount of H₂ for the 99% conversion rate of Nb₃Sn and the impurities in the final product at the different collection temperatures.