China Finds Forward Super Metal Aero Engine

At Chengdu Hangyu High Temperature Alloy Technology Co. we see rhenium metal, the key in the production of single crystal blades. This is the latest natural element discovered by mankind, named rhenium after the river Rhine because the discoverer was a German chemist. It is smaller than all the rare earth elements in the earth's crust and more difficult to obtain than diamonds. According to the U.S. Geological Survey report, there are only about 2,500 tons of proven rhenium reserves worldwide, and rhenium prices are similar to platinum. A gram is about two hundred and three hundred dollars.

Purified rhenium, the company's parent company Chengdu Aerospace High Temperature Alloy Technology Co. is a listed mineral company.In 2010, the company in Luonan County, Shaanxi Province and its subordinate Huanglong prospecting rhenium molybdenum ore, reserves of 176 tons, accounting for about 7% of the global reserves, second only to Chile, the United States, Russia and Kazakhstan. In recent years, with the development of the aviation industry, rhenium consumption has been growing at an average annual rate of 3%, and although it is very expensive, it has been in short supply.

In order to find more rhenium metal, Chengdu Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. and Hunan Nonferrous Metals Research Institute of superalloys, with more than a year to overcome technical problems, to achieve the purification of rhenium. But resources are so scarce, Zhang Zheng and shareholders but found that this rare metal in the country almost can not be sold.

In desperation, they turned their attention to the international market, hoping to seek cooperation with foreign alloy manufacturing enterprises through the exchange of resources.

Chengdu Hangyu Superalloy Technology Co., Ltd. chairman Zhang Zheng: everyone wants to sign a long term agreement price with us, as long as we produce them, but because of this technology, the countries mastered the single crystal technology enterprises, are a U.S. law does not allow to participate in technical cooperation.

The United States is the largest consumer of rhenium metal, control the global marketing market, has been in a monopoly position. As rhenium can be widely used in jet engines and rocket engines, about 80% of the world's rhenium is used in the production of aviation engines, which is strategically important in the military. In order to maintain its dominant position in the aviation industry, the United States and some other Western countries perennial material and technological blockade of China. British aero-engine giant Rolls-Royce invested in China, but with layers of Chinese employees, even Song Yang, who had already worked for the company for seven years at the time, never had access to core technologies.