Method of preparing titanium tetrachloride

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PREPARING TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A DYNAMIC BED IN A REACTION ZONE, SAID BED COMPRISING TITANIUM OXIDE BEARING MATERIAL HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE LARGELY IN THE RANGE OF 75 TO 500 MICRONS AND AT LEAST ABOUT 15 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF CARBON, SAID BED BEING FLUIDIZED BY A FLUIDIZING STREAM COMPRISING ELEMENTAL CHLORINE, SUPPLYING THE CHLORINE TO SAID BED AT A RATE OF 40 TO 250 POUNDS PER HOUR PER SQUARE FOOT OF REACTION ZONE CROSS-SECTION FROM A RESERVOIR OF CHLORINE THROUGH A PLURALITY OF ORIFICES, MAINTAINING A PRESSURE DROP ACROSS SAID ORIFICES, OF AT LEAST 2 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID BED ABOVE 700*C. WHEREBY TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE IS FORMED AND VOLATILIZED, ADDING FURTHER TITANIUM BEARING MATERIAL AND CARBON TO SAID BED, AND MAINTAINING THE DEPTH OF SAID BED SUFFICIENTLY LOW TO MAINTAIN THE RATIO OF THE PRESSURE DROP ACROSS THE BED TO THE PRESSURE DROP ACROSS THE ORIFICES NOT IN EXCESS OF TWO TO ONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PREPARING TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A DYNAMIC BED IN A REACTION ZONE, SAID BED COMPRISING TITANIUM OXIDE BEARING MATERIAL HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE LARGELY IN THE RANGE OF 75 TO 500 MICRONS AND AT LEAST ABOUT 15 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF CARBON, SAID BED BEING FLUIDIZED BY A FLUIDIZING STREAM COMPRISING ELEMENTAL CHLORINE, SUPPLYING THE CHLORINE TO SAID BED AT A RATE OF 40 TO 250 POUNDS PER HOUR PER SQUARE FOOT OF REACTION ZONE CROSS-SECTION FROM A RESERVOIR OF CHLORINE THROUGH A PLURALITY OF ORIFICES, MAINTAINING A PRESSURE DROP ACROSS SAID ORIFICES, OF AT LEAST 2 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID BED ABOVE 700*C. WHEREBY TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE IS FORMED AND VOLATILIZED, ADDING FURTHER TITANIUM BEARING MATERIAL AND CARBON TO SAID BED, AND MAINTAINING THE DEPTH OF SAID BED SUFFICIENTLY LOW TO MAINTAIN THE RATIO OF THE PRESSURE DROP ACROSS THE BED TO THE PRESSURE DROP ACROSS THE ORIFICES NOT IN EXCESS OF TWO TO ONE.