Production of titanium metal

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR REFRACTORY METAL PRODUCTION COMPRISING REDUCING A HALIDE OF SAID METAL THE HALOGEN COMPONENT OF WHICH HAS AN ATOMIC NUMBER GREATER THAN 9 BY CHARGING A REDUCING METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI AND ALKALINE EARTH METALS HAVING AN ELECTRODE POTENTIAL IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION GREATER THAN 2.0 INTO A PLURALITY OF CLOSED REACTION VESSELS MAINTAINED IN DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER AND UNDER AN ATMOSPHERIC OF AN INERT RARE GAS, ISOLATING ONE OF SAID VESSELS FROM THE REMAINDER AND REACTING THE REDUCING METAL CHARGE THEREIN WITH SAID METAL HALIDE AT A REACTION TEMPERATURE RANGING FROM 750-1100* C., UPON SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION OF THE REACTION WITHDRAWING THEREFROM WHILE IN MOLTEN STATE METAL HALIDE REACTION BY-PRODUCTS FORMED DURING THE REDUCTION REACTION, HEATING THE SPONGE METAL REACTION PRODUCT REMAINING IN SAID VESSEL UNDER A VACUUM TO DISTILL OFF AND REMOVE REFRACTORY METAL SUBHALIDES AND REDUCING METAL IMPURITIES PRESENT IN SAID SPONGE DURING THE DISTILLATION OPRATION AGAIN MAINTAINING THE PLURALITY OF REACTION VESSELS IN DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER AND PASSING VAPORS EVOLVED IN SUCH DISTILLATION INTO A VESSEL CONTAINING UNREACTED REDUCING METAL CHARGE WHILE SUBJECTING THE LATTER VESSEL TO EXTERNAL COOLING TO CONDENSE THEREIN THE VAPORS BEING PASSED THERETO, UPON COMPLETION OF THE PURIFICATION AND DISTILLATION OPERATION AGAIN ISOLATING THE VESSEL CONTAINING SAID SPONGE METAL PRODUCT FROM THE VESSEL INTO WHICH SAID EVOLVED VAPORS HAVE BEEN PASSED, RECOVERING THE PURIFIED REFRACTORY METALL FROM SAID ISOLATED VESSEL, AND REACTING WITHIN SAID TEMPERATURE RANGE THE UNREACTED REDUCING METAL CHARGE IN SAID VESSEL INTO WHICH SAID EVOLVED VAPORS HAVE BEEN PASSED WITH SAID REFRACTORY METAL HALIDE REACTANT AND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CONDENSED PRODUCTS FROM SAID DISTILLATION OPERATION.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR REFRACTORY METAL PRODUCTION COMPRISING REDUCING A HALIDE OF SAID METAL THE HALOGEN COMPONENT OF WHICH HAS AN ATOMIC NUMBER GREATER THAN 9 BY CHARGING A REDUCING METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI AND ALKALINE EARTH METALS HAVING AN ELECTRODE POTENTIAL IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION GREATER THAN 2.0 INTO A PLURALITY OF CLOSED REACTION VESSELS MAINTAINED IN DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER AND UNDER AN ATMOSPHERIC OF AN INERT RARE GAS, ISOLATING ONE OF SAID VESSELS FROM THE REMAINDER AND REACTING THE REDUCING METAL CHARGE THEREIN WITH SAID METAL HALIDE AT A REACTION TEMPERATURE RANGING FROM 750-1100* C., UPON SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION OF THE REACTION WITHDRAWING THEREFROM WHILE IN MOLTEN STATE METAL HALIDE REACTION BY-PRODUCTS FORMED DURING THE REDUCTION REACTION, HEATING THE SPONGE METAL REACTION PRODUCT REMAINING IN SAID VESSEL UNDER A VACUUM TO DISTILL OFF AND REMOVE REFRACTORY METAL SUBHALIDES AND REDUCING METAL IMPURITIES PRESENT IN SAID SPONGE DURING THE DISTILLATION OPRATION AGAIN MAINTAINING THE PLURALITY OF REACTION VESSELS IN DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER AND PASSING VAPORS EVOLVED IN SUCH DISTILLATION INTO A VESSEL CONTAINING UNREACTED REDUCING METAL CHARGE WHILE SUBJECTING THE LATTER VESSEL TO EXTERNAL COOLING TO CONDENSE THEREIN THE VAPORS BEING PASSED THERETO, UPON COMPLETION OF THE PURIFICATION AND DISTILLATION OPERATION AGAIN ISOLATING THE VESSEL CONTAINING SAID SPONGE METAL PRODUCT FROM THE VESSEL INTO WHICH SAID EVOLVED VAPORS HAVE BEEN PASSED, RECOVERING THE PURIFIED REFRACTORY METALL FROM SAID ISOLATED VESSEL, AND REACTING WITHIN SAID TEMPERATURE RANGE THE UNREACTED REDUCING METAL CHARGE IN SAID VESSEL INTO WHICH SAID EVOLVED VAPORS HAVE BEEN PASSED WITH SAID REFRACTORY METAL HALIDE REACTANT AND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CONDENSED PRODUCTS FROM SAID DISTILLATION OPERATION.