Metal or alloy forming reduction process and apparatus

Abstract

A reduction process for the production of a product metal which includes the step of reacting at least one reducible metal compound and a reducing metal in a sealed reaction zone by heating the reactants without any substantial agitation from a temperature below the melting point of the reducing metal to a temperature which is both above the melting point of the reducing metal and below the temperature at which the reduction reaction between the metal compound(s) and the reducing metal will proceed spontaneously; initiating a reduction reaction between the reducible metal compound(s) and a molten reducing metal by causing the surface of the molten reducing metal to be suddenly disrupted, thereupon releasing the reaction mixture from said first reaction zone into a product collection zone while permitting the reduction reaction to continue to thereby produce a reduced metal or alloy in zero valent state; and apparatus for conducting the above process.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.