The vacuum plasma electric furnace for industrial melting of tantalum ingots from thermo-sodium raw powder

New technologies and industrial setups, of powdered material heating directly in a plasma column, have appeared with the development of electric furnaces with hollow cathode arc plasma generators. This has essentially improved the efficiency and economics of producing high melting temperature and high activity metals. The electric furnace for tantalum ingot melting is described, and some melting parameters are given.