Pilot plant manufacture of vanadium carbide

Conclusions A manometric study was carried out of the reduction of vanadium oxide with carbon, and it was found that the pressure vs time curve exhibits three discontinuities, at temperatures of 1200°C (formation of the monoxide VO), 1400°C (formation of VC_X-VO solid solutions), and 1700°C (formation of the carbide VC_X).An investigation of the vacuum reduction of vanadium oxide confirmed that it is impossible to obtain a vanadium carbide with a carbon content in excess of that represented by the formula VC_0.9.It was found that the optimum conditions for the preparation of large, pilot plant scale, batches of a vanadium carbide phase with a composition corresponding to VC_0.9 by the reduction of the oxide V₂O₃ with graphite heating elements and a reducing gas atmosphere are as follows: heating to a temperature of 1900°C in 40 min and subsequent holding for 60 min.Translated from Poroshkovaya Metallurgiya, No. 11(71), pp. 83–88, November, 1968.