Electrolytic production of metallic titanium

Claim 1

IN THE ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION OF METALLIC TITANIUM WHEREIN A CHLORIDE OF TITANIUM HAVING A VALENCE LOWER THAN FOUR, AND CONTAINED IN A MOLTEN SALT BATH CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST ONE HALIDE OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL AND ALKALINE EARTH METAL HALIDES, IS ELECTROLYZED IN A CELL BETWEEN AN ANODE AND A CATHODE WITH THE RESULTING DEPOSITION OF METALLIC TITANIUM ON THE CATHODE AND EVOLUTION OF CHLORINE GAS AT THE ANODE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES EFFECTING CATHODIC DEPOSITION OF METALLIC TITANIUM IN THE ABSENCE OF A PHYSICAL BARRIER IN THE MOLTEN BATH BETWEEN THE ANODE AND CATHODE BY (1) ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING THE RELATIVE POSITION BETWEEN THE ANODE AND CATHODE WITHIN THE CELL SUCH THAT THE EVOLVED CHLORINE WILL RISE IN THE BODY OF MOLTEN BATH BETWEEN THE ANODE AND THE PROXIMATE CATHODE SURFACE WITHOUT ENTERING THE BODY OF MOLTEN BATH ADJACENT THE DISTAL SURFACE OF THE CATHODE AND SUFFICIENTLY CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER TO PERMIT ELECTROLYTIC DEPLETION OF THE TITANIUM CONTENT OF THE BATH THEREBETWEEN AT A RATE FASTER THAN THIS TITANIUM CONTENT CAN BE REPLACED BY DIFFUSION FROM OTHER PORTIONS OF THE BATH, (2) MAINTAINING THE BODY OF MOLTEN BATH BETWEEN THE ANODE AND THE PROXIMATE CATHODE SURFACE IN DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH THE BODY OF MOLTEN BATH ADJACENT THE DISTAL SURFACE OF THE CATHODE DIFFUSION OF THE TITANIUM CHLORIDE FROM THE BATH ADJACENT DIFFUSION OF THE TITANIUM CHLORIDE FROM THE BATH ADJACENT THE DISTAL SURFACE OF THE CATHODE INTO THE BATH BETWEEN THE ANODE AND PROXIMATE CATHODE SURFACE, (3) EFFECTING ELECTROLYTIS OF THE TITANIUM CHLORIDE AT A VOLTAGE HIGH ENOUGH TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN SUCH DEPLETION OF THE TITANIUM COMPONENT OF THE BATH BETWEEN THE ANODE AND THE PROXIMATE CATHODE SURFACE AS TO DEVELOP A BACK ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE BETWEEN THE ANODE AND CATHODE OF AT LEAST 2.6 VOLTS BUT INSUFFICIENT TO EFFECT DECOMPOSITION OF ANY OF THE NONTITANIFEROUS COMPONENTS OF THE BATH, AND (4) SUPPLYING TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE TO THE BODY OF MOLTEN BATH WHICH IS IN CONTACT WITH THE DISTAL SURFACE OF THE CATHODE SO AS TO MAINTAIN A SUBSTANTIAL CONCENTRATION OF SAID LOWER VALENCE TITANIUM CHLORIDE.