Process for producing titanium tetrachloride

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING TICI4 FREE OF IMPURITIES BY TREATMENT OF A TITANIFEROUS MATERIAL CONTAINING IRON AND SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF METAL IMPURITIES INCLUDING THE OXIDES OF MG AND CA WITH GASEOUS CHLORINE IN A VERTICALLY DISPOSED REACTOR HAVING A DUST COLLECTOR BELOW ITS LOWER END FOR SEPARATING SOLID METAL CHLORIDE IMPURITIES FROM THE GASEOUS CHLORIDES OF TITANIUM AND IRON, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: FEEDING A MIXTURE OF FINELY DIVIDED TITANIFEROUS MATERIAL AND A CARBONACEOUS REDUCING AGENT IN FINELY DIVIDED SOLID FORM INTO THE UPPER END OF SAID VERTICALLY DISPOSED REACTOR, INTRODUCINGG SEPARATELY A DOWNWARDLY FLOWING STREAM OF GASEOUS CHLORIDE, ADMIXING SAID GASEOUS CHLORINE WIHT SAID TITANIFEROUS MATERIAL AND SAID CORBONACEOUS REDUCING AGENT IN SAID REACTOR TO FORM A DOWNWARDLY FLOWING STREAM OF REACTANTS IN SAID REACTOR, HETING SAID STREAM OF REACTANTS IN THE ABSENCE OF AN AUXILIARY FLAME TO REACT SAID CHLORINE WITH SAID TITANIFEROUS MATERIAL AND SAID CARBONACEOUS REDUCING AGENT, THE TEMPERATURE IN SAID REACTOR BEING IN THE RANGE OF FROM 1000* C.-1400* C. TO FLASH CHLORINATE SAID TITANIFEROUS MATERIAL AND FORM A DOWNWARDLY FLOWING STREAM OF GASEOUS CHLORIDES OF TITANIUM AND IRON ADMIXED WITH GASEOUS CHLORIDES OF SAID METAL IMPURITIES, MAINTAINING A COOLING ZONE IN SAID REACTOR AT THE LOWER END THEREOF AND ABOVE SAID DUST COLLECTOR, THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID COOLING ZONE BEING IN A RANGE BETWEEN THE CONDENSING TEMPERATURE AND SOLIDIFICATION TEMPERATURE OF SAID METAL CHLORIDE IMPURITIES WHEREBY SAID METAL CHLORIDE IMPURITIES ARE FORMED AS LIQUIDS ADJACENT THE LOWER END OF SAID REACTOR; AND MAINTAINING THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID DOWNWARDLY FLOWING STREAM THE GASEOUS CHLORIDES SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF SAID REACTOR AND INTO SAID DUST COLLECTOR TO ENABLE SAID LIQUID CHLORIDES TO FALL FREELY INTO SAID DUST COLLECTOR FOR COLLECTING AND SEPARATING THE LIQUID METAL CHLORIDE IMPURITIES FROM SAID GASEOUS CHLORIDES OF TITANIUM AND IRON.