Abstract: A flameless heater apparatus and method whose heating capacity and performance can be selected and tuned at the time of manufacture, and which is easily used and has a long shelf life. The apparatus and method may be used in flameless ration heaters, such as may be used in military or emergency situations. There is provided a flameless heating method and apparatus in which the solid reactive ingredients (not including liquid reactant, typically water) are not all blended or mixed together at the time of apparatus fabrication. Rather, at least one key ingredient (typically a super-corroding alloy of magnesium and iron) in a dry powder form is kept physically segregated from all the other ingredients, such as catalysts (normally acids such as acetic or tartaric acid or acidic mixtures) and surfactants. The exothermic chemical reaction is initiated only after at least one (typically a dry powder catalyst) goes into aqueous solution after the application of water (saline or non-saline).

Abstract: The ferrophosphorus refining method entails forming a ferrophosphorus melt and adding an oxidizing agent to the melt to oxidize the impurities in the melt. The oxidized impurities then rise to the top of the melt and either go into the slag or escape in a gaseous forte. The slag is removed and a refined ferrophosphorus is recovered. Suitable oxidizing agents include solids such as ferrous oxide (Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3), ferric oxide (Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4), ferrous-ferric oxide (FeO), mill scale, limestone, dolomitic limestone, lime and any alkalide carbonate; and gaseous oxidizing agents such as oxygen, air and mixtures thereof.