Continuous process for the manufacture of titanium metal

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DUCTILE TITANIUM IN SOLID, PARTICULATE, RELATIVELY FREE-FLOWING FORM FROM TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE WHICH CONSISTS OF INTRODUCING A CONICAL SPRAY OF ATOMIZED LIQUID SODIUM UNDER PRESSURE INTO A CHAMBER CONTAINING AN ATMOSPHERE INERT TO SAID SODIUM AND TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE, CIRCUMFERENTIALLY INTERSECTING THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CONICAL SPRAY AT A POINT SPACED FROM THE ENTRY OF SAID SPRAY INTO SAID ATMOSPHERE AND SPACED FROM THE WALLS OF SAID CHAMBER WITH TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE AND SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY REACTING SAID ATOMIZED LIQUID SODIUM WITH SAID TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE POINTS OF THE INTERSECTION TO FORM SOLID PARTICULATE TITANIUM, LOWER CHLORIDES OF TITANIUM, AND SODIUM CHLORIDE, THE RATE OF ADMIXTURE OF THE REACTANTS BEING SO ADJUSTED THAT THE SODIUM METAL IS PRESENT IN FROM 1 TO 10% EXCESS OVER THE STOICHIOMETRIC EQUIVALENT OF TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE.