Process for chlorinating oxides

Claim 1

A THERMALLY AUTOGENIC METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF REFRACTORY METAL CHLORIDES FROM REFRACTORY OXIDES SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ZIRCONIUM, HALFNIUM AND MIXTURES THEREOF WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A BED OF PELLETS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A MIXTURE OF FINELY DIVIDED REFRACTORY OXIDE AND CARBON IN SUBSTANTIALLY STORICHIOMETRIC PROPORTIONS, SAID PELLETS HAVING DIAMETERS IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 1 MM. AND 1 MM. AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF NON-REACTIVE, NON-VOLATILE IMPURITIES, MAINTAINING A REACTION ZONE IN SAID PELLET BED AT A CHLORINATING TEMPERATURE, PASSING A CHLORINATING GAS INTO SAID BED WHILE MAINTAINING SAID BED UNDER STATIC CONDITIONS, FOR CONTACT WITH SAID PELLETS, SAID CHLORINATING GAS REACTING WITH SAID PELLETS IN SAID REACTION ZONE TO FORM GASEOUS REACTION PRODUCTS WHEREBY SAID PELLETS AND SAID CHLORINATING GAS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY CONSUMED IN SAID REACTION, WITHDRAWING SAID GASEOUS REACTION PRODUCTS FROM SAID REACTION ZONE AND REMOVING SAID REFRACTORY METAL CHLORIDE THEREFROM.