What is nickel metal?

Overview and characteristics of nickel

 It was first discovered that nickel is in meteorites. Many iron meteorites contain 5%-40% nickel. Nickel mines in the world are distributed in tropical countries within 30 degrees north and south of the equatorial line, and are concentrated in tropical to subtropical regions around the Pacific. The Sudbury nickel mine in Canada The reserves rank first in the world. Nickel is a ferromagnetic metal. It can attract each other with magnets. It is also used to make various magnets. Nickel has very good chemical stability and is almost non-oxidized in the air, which makes it has a wide range of uses.

When nickel is heated in the air, it will form a protective film of nickel oxide on the surface. Even if it is heated to red heat, it will not be strongly oxidized. Nickel has a relatively high melting point and is resistant to alkaline corrosion. Nickel is usually used in the laboratory. Crucibles are used to melt alkali. Nickel is now usually added to steel to produce nickel steel or nickel-chromium steel. Adding a small amount of nickel to steel can greatly increase the strength of steel, and steel with nickel will not change them at high temperatures. Its mechanical properties are widely used in high-temperature alloys, such as the manufacture of jet engine turbine blades and engine vacuum tanks.

Storage and transportation conditions of nickel

Store in a cool, ventilated warehouse. Keep away from fire and heat sources. The packaging is required to be sealed and not in contact with air. It should be stored separately from oxidants and acids, and avoid mixed storage. Use explosion-proof lighting and ventilation facilities.

Preparation method of nickel

1. Electrolysis method. The enriched sulfide ore is roasted into oxide, reduced with carbon to crude nickel, and then electrolyzed to obtain pure metallic nickel.

2. Carbonylation method. The nickel sulfide ore reacts with carbon monoxide to generate tetracarbonyl nickel, which is decomposed after heating to obtain high-purity metallic nickel.

3. Hydrogen reduction method. Metallic nickel can be obtained by reducing nickel oxide with hydrogen. 

4. Mix oxygen to replace sulfur in the blast furnace, and heat the nickel ore to obtain nickel oxide. And this kind of oxide can react with the acid solution that has reacted with iron to obtain nickel metal.

5. After the ore is calcined into oxides, it is then reduced with water gas or carbon to obtain nickel.

Application field of nickel

Because nickel has good corrosion resistance, it is often used in electroplating and catalysts. Nickel is mainly used to make stainless steel and other corrosion-resistant alloys, such as nickel alloys, nickel-chromium steel and various non-ferrous metal alloys. Copper-nickel alloy is not easy to corrode.

Electrolytic nickel: Electrolytic nickel is nickel supported by electrolysis. The stainless steel and nickel alloy steel made with it are widely used in aircraft, tanks, ships, radars, missiles, spacecraft and civil industries in machine manufacturing, ceramic pigments, Permanent magnet materials, electronic remote control and other fields.

Wudenalloy has focused on the production and manufacture of nickel alloys for more than ten years. We are a principal worldwide supplier of corrosion-resistant alloy and other superalloy metals. We have a professional technical team and after-sales service, so we can offer high -quality Hastelloy®, Incoloy®, Inconel®, Monel®, Duplex Stainless Steel and other alloy material. These materials are available in bar, sheet&plate, pipe&tube, flange, forging, and other forms to meet the needs of our customers.

If you want to know more about the price and knowledge of nickel alloys, please feel free to contact us via email sales@wudenalloy.com, we will provide you with the best quality services and products！