Production of high purity titanium by metallic sodium reduction of titanic halide

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PREPARING TITANIUM METAL WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF (1) REACTING AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN A REACTION ZONE COMPLETELY BLANKETED WITH AN INERT GAS, TICI4 IN THE VAPOR STATE INITIALLY RECEIVED OVER THE ENTIRETY OF SAID REACTION ZONE, WITH A QUANTITY OF MOLTEN SODIUM IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE TICI4 TO LOWER CHLORIDES, WHEREBY A MOLTEN MIXTURE COMPRISING LOWER VALENT TITANIUM CHLORIDES, INCLUDING TICI3, SODIUM CHLORIDE AND SOME TITANIUM METAL IS PRODUCED; (2) CONTINUING THE REACTION FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REACT COMPLETELY ALL THE SODIUM PRESENT AND TO REACT ALL THE TITANIUM METAL FORMED WITH TICI3 TO PRODUCE TICI2; (3) INCREASING THE TEMPERATURE IN THE REACTION ZONE; (4) ADDING MOLTEN SODIUM TO THE MOLTEN MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE TITANIUM CHLORIDES TO TITANIUM; (5) CONTINUING THE REACTION FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REACT THE SODIUM PRESENT, WHEREBY CRYSTALLINE TITANIUM IS FORMED; AND (6) DRAINING OFF THE MOLTEN MATERIAL AND RECOVERING HIGH PURITY CRYSTALLINE TITANIUM AS A PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PREPARING TITANIUM METAL WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF (1) REACTING AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN A REACTION ZONE COMPLETELY BLANKETED WITH AN INERT GAS, TICI4 IN THE VAPOR STATE INITIALLY RECEIVED OVER THE ENTIRETY OF SAID REACTION ZONE, WITH A QUANTITY OF MOLTEN SODIUM IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE TICI4 TO LOWER CHLORIDES, WHEREBY A MOLTEN MIXTURE COMPRISING LOWER VALENT TITANIUM CHLORIDES, INCLUDING TICI3, SODIUM CHLORIDE AND SOME TITANIUM METAL IS PRODUCED; (2) CONTINUING THE REACTION FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REACT COMPLETELY ALL THE SODIUM PRESENT AND TO REACT ALL THE TITANIUM METAL FORMED WITH TICI3 TO PRODUCE TICI2; (3) INCREASING THE TEMPERATURE IN THE REACTION ZONE; (4) ADDING MOLTEN SODIUM TO THE MOLTEN MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE TITANIUM CHLORIDES TO TITANIUM; (5) CONTINUING THE REACTION FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REACT THE SODIUM PRESENT, WHEREBY CRYSTALLINE TITANIUM IS FORMED; AND (6) DRAINING OFF THE MOLTEN MATERIAL AND RECOVERING HIGH PURITY CRYSTALLINE TITANIUM AS A PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS.