Method for the recovery of titanium

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF RECOVERING TITANIUM FROM A SYSTEM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A TITANIUM DIHALIDE DISSOLVED IN A MOLTEN ALKALI METAL SALT BATH, AND A SOURCE OF A LIQUID TITANIUM TETRAHALIDE, THE HALOGEN OF EACH OF SAID HALIDES BEING THE SAME AND BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CHLORINE AND BROMINE, SAID LIQUID TETRAHALIDE BEING IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID BATH TO PROVIDE A PARTIAL PRESSURE OF SAID TITANIUM TETRAHALIDE OVER SAID BATH, THE STEPS COMPRISING IMMERSING AN INDEPENDENTLY HEATED REFRACTORY METAL SURFACE IN SAID MOLTEN BATH, MAINTAINING SAID BATH AT A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN ITS MELTING POINT AND 1100*C. AND SAID REFRACTORY BODY AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 100*C. ABOVE THAT OF SAID BATH, LIMITING THE DEPTH OF IMMERSION OF SAID REFRACTORY SURFACE TO LESS THAN THAT AT WHICH THE STATIC HEAD OF THE BATH OVER SAID REFRACTORY SURFACE EXCEEDS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EQUILIBRIUM PRESSURE OF SAID TITANIUM TETRAHALIDE AT THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID HEATED SURFACE AND THE PRESSURE OF SAID TITANIUM TETRAHALIDE OVER SAID BATH, AND MAINTAINING SAID TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL TO EFFECT DECOMPOSITION OF SAID TITANIUM DIHALIDE TO TITANIUM METAL AND CONSEQUENT DEPOSITION OF SAID TITANIUM METAL ON SAID HEATED SURFACE.