Composition involving V2O3FeO-Sio2 and process for making composition

This patent describes a method of preparing a composition involving V2O3, FeO and SiO2 that is crystallized from a liquid with which the composition is in equilibrium on the liquidus surface and wherein the liquid has a composition that falls within a polygon shaped shaded area ABCDE as shown in the disclosed Figure for a ternary composition diagram of V2O3, FeO and SiO2. It comprises heating V2O5 powder having a particle size of less than about 50 microns in an atmosphere in which the partial pressure of oxygen is in the range of 10-5 to 10-10 atmosphere while gradually increasing the temperature over a temperature range of about 600 degrees C to 1300 degrees C and holding the final temperature for a period to ensure complete reduction of all vanadium to V3+; heating Fe2O3 powder having a particle size of less than about 50 microns for a period of about 10 to 14 hrs. at a temperature in the range of about 1400 degrees C to 1450 degrees C whereby substantially all of the Fe2O3 is converted into Fe3O4; heating SiO2 powder having a particle size of less than about 50 microns for a period of about 10 to 14 hours at a temperature in the range of about 1000 degrees C to 1200 degrees C; thoroughly grinding together an amount of V2O3 from in the range of about 25 to about 98 wt. %, with an amount of Fe3O4 from in the range of more than 0 to about 50 wt. %, and with an amount of SiO2 from in the range of about more than 0 to about 43 wt. % to produce a mixture having a grain size of less than about 50 microns, pelletizing the mixture from (4) at a pressure of about 5,000 psi