Method of further reducing the reaction products of a titanium tetrachloride reduction reaction

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS METHOD OF HEAT TREATING THE REACTION PRODUCTS OF A CONTINUOUS REACTOR FOR TITANIUM METAL PRODUCTION WHEREIN THE REACTANTS CONSIST ESSENTIALLY OF SODIUM AND TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE AND THE REACTOR PRODUCTS CONSIST ESSENTIALLY OF TITANIUM METAL PARTICLES, SODIUM METAL, MOLTEN SODIUM CHLORIDE AND LOWER CHLORIDES OF TITANIUM COMPRISING INTRODUCING SAID REACTION PRODUCTS INTO ONE END OF AN ELONGATED ZONE OF CONTROLLED HEAT CONTAINING AN ATMOSPHERE INERT TO SAID REACTION PRODUCTS, MAINTAINING SAID ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 850* TO 950* C., CONTINUOUSLY MOVING SAID REACTION PRODUCTS THROUGH SAID ELONGATED ZONE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO COMPLETE THE REACTION INITIATED IN THE CONTINOUS REACTOR, VENTING VOLATILE VAPORS FROM SAID REACTION ZONE, AGGLOMERATING THE PARTICLES OF TITANIUM METAL WITHIN SAID ZONE TO FORM A SINTERED MASS HAVING A SURFACE AREA OF LESS THAN THAT OF SAID TITANIUM METAL PARTICLES, CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING SAID SINTERED MASS AND SAID MOLTEN SODIUM CHLORIDE FROM SAID OTHER END OF SAID ZONE, SAID MOLTEN SODIUM CHLORIDE LUBRICATING AND THUS FACILITATING THE PASSAGE OF SAID SINTERED MASS OF TITANIUM METAL THROUGH AND FRROM SAID ZONE.