Comparison of deoxidation capability on the specific surface area of irregular titanium powder using calcium reductant

Irregular titanium powders of various particle size in the range 60–250 μm were deoxidized using calcium as the reductant, and the effect of specific surface area on the process was investigated. At 1273 K, the oxygen concentration was reduced from 0.2840 wt% to 0.0950 wt%, from 0.2050 wt% to 0.0825 wt%, and from 0.1700 wt% to 0.0825 wt% in titanium powders with average particle sizes of 60 μm, 125 μm, and 250 μm, respectively, and the corresponding removal degree of oxygen (RDO) for these specimens was determined to be 66.5%, 59.7%, and 51.4%; that is, the RDO was inversely proportional to the average particle size of the irregular titanium powder. It was confirmed that the specific surface area of the titanium powder available for reaction with calcium, was the critical factor in the deoxidation of titanium powder using calcium as reductant.