Production of metal oxides

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF PREPARING METAL OXIDE BY ESTABLISHING A FLUIDIZED BED OF SOLIDS AND INTRODUCING A HALIDE OF A METAL OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM, SILICON AND ALUMINIUM WHICH IS IN VAPOR STATE AT 350*C. AND OXYGEN INTO THE BED AND CARRYING AWAY AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE METAL OXIDE WITH THE GASES LEAVING THE BED, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING THE METAL HALIDE INTO A LOWER PORTION OF THE BED IN A MULTIPLICITY OF DISPERSED STREAMS AND INTRODUCING THE OXYGEN INTO A LOWER PORTION OF THE BED IN A MULTIPLICITY OF OTHER DISPERSED STREAMS WHICH ARE INTERSPERSED WITH THE DISPERSED METAL HALIDE STREAMS, THE STREAMS ENTERING THE BED AROUND THE PERIMETER THEREOF BEING STREAMS OF OXYGEN, AND MAINTAINING THE DEPTH OF THE BED LOW ENOUGH SO THAT THE PRESSURE DROP ACROSS THE CONDUITS IS AT LEAST ONE-HALF THE PRESSURE DROP ACROSS THE BED AND THE ASCENDING STREAMS OF METAL HALIDE CO-MINGLE INTIMATELY WITH THE ASCENDING STREAMS OF OXYGEN IN THE BED WITHING THE PERIMETER THEREOF.