Process of heating particulate metal

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF HEATING A SUB-DIVIDED METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM AND ZIRCONIUM, WHICH COMPRISES: DISPERSING SAID METAL WITHIN A MOLTEN SALT BATH THAT IS ESSENTIALLY INERT TOWARDS SAID METAL, SAID MOLTEN SALT BATH CONTAINING A COMPOUND WHOSE BOILING POINT LIES ABOVE THE TEMPERATURE TO WHICH SAID DISPERSED METAL IS TO BE HEATED WITHIN SAID MOLTEN SALT BATH, SAID TEMPERATURE BEING IN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOVE THE MELTING POINT AND BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF SAID MOLTEN SALT BATH; AND HEATING SAID MOLTEN SALT BATH CONTAINING SAID DISPERSED METAL TO SAID TEMPERATURE BY CONTACTING AND RETAINING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID MOLTEN SALT BATH WITH A LAYER OF GAS CONTAINING SAID COMPOUND IN VAPOR PHASE, SAID LAYER OF GAS BEING FORMED BY INDUCTIVELY-HEATING A CARBON-BEARING REFRACTORY BODY THAT IS POSITIONED BENEATH THE UPPER SURFACE AND AT THE LATERAL SIDE OF SAID MOLTEN SALT BATH, SAID HEATING BEING CONDUCTED AT A SUFFICIENTLY FAST RATE TO EVAPORATE SAID COMPOUND OUT OF SAID MOLTEN SALT BATH ADJACENT TO SAID REFRACTORY BODY TO FORM SAID LAYER OF GAS BETWEEN SAID MOLTEN SALT BATH AND SAID REFRACTORY BODY.