Purification of metals

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PURIFYING A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CHROMIUM, MANGANESE, BERYLLIUM, CALCIUM AND ALUMINUM, COMPRISING INTROUDUCING A RAW MATERIAL MIXTURE OF A METAL TO BE PURIFIED AND IMPURITIES INCLUDING A SUITABLE CARRIER METAL INTO A HEARTH WITHIN A FIRST REGION OF AN ELECTRON BEAM FURNACE, MAINTAINING SAID FIRST REGION AT A FIRST REDUCED PRESSURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 0.1 AND 50 MILLIMETERS HG, SAID FIRST REGION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDED BY A SECOND REGION OF SAID FURNACE MAINTAINED AT A SECOND REDUCED PRESSURE OF LESS THAN ABOUT 1.0 MICRON OF HG; HEATING SAID RAW MATERIAL MIXTURE IN SAID FIRST REGION WITH A BEAM OF ELECTRONS TO A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE MELTING POINT OF THE RAW MATERIAL MIXTURE WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO RAPIDLY VAPORIZE SAID METAL AT A SAID PRESSURE BUT INSUFFICIENT TO VAPORIZE SAID CARRIER METAL, VAPORIZING SAID METAL WITHOUT VAPORIZING SAID CARRIER METAL AND CONDENSING SAID METAL ON A CONDENSER WITHIN SAID FIRST REGION ADJACENT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND REGIONS AT SUBSTANTIALLY SAID FIRST PRESSURE, THE AMOUNT OF CARRIER METAL IN SAID RAW MATERIAL MIXTURE BEING SELECTED SO AS TO MAINTAIN A MOLTEN RESIDUE OF SAID CARRIER METAL AND NONVOLATILE IMPURITIES IN SAID HEARTH AT SAID TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT SAID VAPORIZATION, THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND REGIONS CAUSING THE RAPID FLOW OF METAL VAPORS FROM SAID HEARTH TO SAID CONDENSERS, AND RECOVERING SAID METAL FROM SAID CONDENSER IN A HIGHLY PURIFIED FORM.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PURIFYING A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CHROMIUM, MANGANESE, BERYLLIUM, CALCIUM AND ALUMINUM, COMPRISING INTROUDUCING A RAW MATERIAL MIXTURE OF A METAL TO BE PURIFIED AND IMPURITIES INCLUDING A SUITABLE CARRIER METAL INTO A HEARTH WITHIN A FIRST REGION OF AN ELECTRON BEAM FURNACE, MAINTAINING SAID FIRST REGION AT A FIRST REDUCED PRESSURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 0.1 AND 50 MILLIMETERS HG, SAID FIRST REGION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDED BY A SECOND REGION OF SAID FURNACE MAINTAINED AT A SECOND REDUCED PRESSURE OF LESS THAN ABOUT 1.0 MICRON OF HG; HEATING SAID RAW MATERIAL MIXTURE IN SAID FIRST REGION WITH A BEAM OF ELECTRONS TO A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE MELTING POINT OF THE RAW MATERIAL MIXTURE WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO RAPIDLY VAPORIZE SAID METAL AT A SAID PRESSURE BUT INSUFFICIENT TO VAPORIZE SAID CARRIER METAL, VAPORIZING SAID METAL WITHOUT VAPORIZING SAID CARRIER METAL AND CONDENSING SAID METAL ON A CONDENSER WITHIN SAID FIRST REGION ADJACENT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND REGIONS AT SUBSTANTIALLY SAID FIRST PRESSURE, THE AMOUNT OF CARRIER METAL IN SAID RAW MATERIAL MIXTURE BEING SELECTED SO AS TO MAINTAIN A MOLTEN RESIDUE OF SAID CARRIER METAL AND NONVOLATILE IMPURITIES IN SAID HEARTH AT SAID TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT SAID VAPORIZATION, THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND REGIONS CAUSING THE RAPID FLOW OF METAL VAPORS FROM SAID HEARTH TO SAID CONDENSERS, AND RECOVERING SAID METAL FROM SAID CONDENSER IN A HIGHLY PURIFIED FORM.