Manufacture of oxides

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN OXIDE OF AN ELEMENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM, ZIRCONIUM, IRON, ALUMINUM AND SILICON BY REACTING A VAPOROUS CHLORIDE OF SAID ELEMENT WITH AN OXIDIZING GAS IN AN ELONGATED REACTION ZONE WHICH COMPRISES PASSING COLD AIR ALONG THE LIMITING INTERNAL SURFACE OF THE REACTION ZONE IN SUBSTANTIALLY LAMINAR FLOW TO SHIELD SAID SURFACE, COMBINING A FUEL GAS WITH A FLOWING STREAM OF AN OXIDIZING GAS, IGNITING THE COMBINED GASSES IN THE ABSENCE OF SAID CHLORIDE TO FORM A HOT GASEOUS PRODUCT, THEREAFTER INCORPORATING SAID HOT GASEOUS PRODUCT WITH SAID VAPOROUS CHLORIDE AND FURTHER AMOUNT OF AN OXIDIZING GAS AND INTRODUCING THE RESULTING GASEOUS MIXTURE INTO SAID REACTION ZONE NEAR ONE END THEREOF AT A VELOCITY WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 60 TO 650 FEET PER SECOND AND IN THE FORM OF A CONICAL STREAM HAVING AN INCLUDED ANGLE OF 10-15* WHEREBY SAID CHLORIDE AND FURTHER AMOUNT OF OXODIZING GAS REACT TO FORM A SUSPENSION OF PRODUCT OXIDE IN BY-PRODUCT GASES, SAID VELOCITY BEING SUCH THAT OXIDE FORMING TEMPERATURE IS REACHED ONLY IN A REGION OF THE REACTION ZONE WHICH IS REMOTE FROM ITS GAS ENTRANCE END, SEPARATING SAID BY PRODUCT GASES FROM SAID PRODUCT OXIDE, AND PASSING SAID SEPARATED BY PRODUCT GASES THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE IN PLACE OF SAID COLD AIR.