Method of making metals and other elements
AssigneeKroftt-Brakston International, Inc.
InventorsDonn Reynolds Armstrong, Stanley S. Borys, Richard Paul Anderson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of producing a non-metal element or a metal or an alloy thereof from a halide or mixtures thereof. The halide or mixtures thereof are contacted with a stream of liquid alkali metal or alkaline earth metal or mixtures thereof in sufficient quantity to convert the halide to the non-metal or the metal or alloy and to maintain the temperature of the reactants at a temperature lower than the lesser of the boiling point of the alkali or alkaline earth metal at atmospheric pressure or the sintering temperature of the produced non-metal or metal or alloy. A continuous method is disclosed, particularly applicable to titanium.
Claims41
A method of producing an elemental material or an alloy thereof from a halide vapor of the elemental material or mixtures thereof comprising submerging the halide vapor or mixtures thereof in flowing liquid alkali metal or liquid alkaline earth metal or mixtures thereof to convert the halide vapor to elemental material or an alloy.
A method of continuously producing a non-metal or a metal or an alloy thereof comprising, providing a supply of halide vapor of the metal or non-metal or mixtures thereof, providing a supply of flowing liquid alkali or alkaline earth metal or mixtures thereof, introducing the halide vapor submerged in the flowing liquid alkali metal or alkaline earth metal or mixtures thereof to produce a powder of a non-metal or a metal or an alloy thereof and a halide of the alkali or alkaline earth metal, separating the powder from the reactants, separating the alkali metal halide or the alkaline earth metal halide into its constituent parts, cooling and recycling the alkali metal or the alkaline earth metal to react with additional halide vapor.
A method of producing an elemental material or alloys thereof selected from the class consisting of Ti, Al, Sb, Be, B, Ga, Mo, Nb, Ta, Zr, and V from a vapor halide of the elemental material or mixtures of the elemental materials comprising introducing the vapor halide or mixtures thereof by submerged injection into liquid alkali or alkali earth metal or mixtures thereof at a velocity not less than the sonic velocity of the halide vapor, the liquid alkali or alkaline earth metal or mixtures thereof being present in sufficient quantity to convert the halide vapor or mixtures thereof to elemental material or an alloy thereof.
A method of producing Ti powder from a source of TiCl.sub.4 vapor, comprising introducing the TiCl.sub.4 vapor at a velocity not less than the sonic velocity of the vapor submerged in liquid Na to produce Ti powder and separating the Ti powder from the liquid Na.
A method of continuously producing a non-metal or a metal or an alloy thereof comprising, providing a supply of halide vapor of the metal or non-metal or mixtures thereof, providing a supply of liquid alkali or alkaline earth metal or mixtures thereof, introducing the halide vapor submerged in the liquid alkali metal or alkaline earth metal or mixtures thereof at a velocity equal to or greater than the sonic velocity of the halide vapor to produce a powder of a non-metal or a metal or an alloy thereof and a halide of the alkali or alkaline earth metal, said alkali or alkaline earth metal being present in sufficient quantities in excess of the stoichiometric quantity necessary for reducing the halide vapor for quenching the reaction products below the sintering temperature of the non-metal or metal or alloy thereof, recovering heat from the excess alkali or alkaline earth metal, separating the alkali metal halide or the alkaline earth metal halide into its constituent parts, recycling the alkali metal or the alkaline earth metal for reaction with additional halide vapor, and recycling halogen vapor for reaction with ore of the metal or non-metal.
A method of producing Ti powder from a source of TiCl.sub.4 vapor, comprising introducing the TiCl.sub.4 vapor submerged in a flowing stream of liquid Na to produce Ti powder and separating the Ti powder from the liquid Na.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.