Method of making metals and other elements from the halide vapor of the metal
AssigneeInternational Titanium Powder, LLC
InventorsDonn Reynolds Armstrong, Stanley S. Borys, Richard Paul Anderson
Life of this patent
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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 sintering temperature of the produced non-metal or metal or alloy. A continuous method is disclosed, particularly applicable to titanium.
Claims40
A method of producing an elemental material of Ti, Al, Sb, Be, B, Ga, Mo, Nb, Ta, Zr, V, Ir, Os, Re and U or an alloy thereof from a halide vapor of the elemental material or mixtures thereof comprising submerging the halide vapor or mixtures thereof in 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 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 not less 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 by an exothermic reaction, 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 Ti powder from a source of TiCl.sub.4 vapor, comprising introducing the TiCl.sub.4 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 metal or alkaline earth metal or mixtures thereof, introducing the halide vapor submerged in the 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, said alkali or alkaline earth metal being present in sufficient quantities in excess of the stoichiometric quantity necessary to reduce the halide vapor to quench the reaction products below the sintering temperature of the non-metal or metal or alloy thereof, to capture heat from the reactor, separating the alkali metal halide or the alkaline earth metal halide into its constituent parts, recovering heat from the excess alkali or alkaline earth metal and recycling the alkali metal or the alkaline earth metal to react with additional halide vapor, and using the recovered heat to vaporize liquid halide from the source thereof to produce halide vapor to react with ore of the metal or non-metal.
A method of producing an elemental material or an alloy thereof from a halide vapor of the elemental material or a mixture of halide vapors of two or more elemental materials comprising the steps of introducing the halide vapor or mixture of halide vapors into a reaction zone into the interior of a flowing stream of a liquid alkali metal, two or more liquid alkaline earth metals, or any mixture thereof;
- intimately mixing the halide vapor or mixture of halide vapors with the flowing stream to cause a reduction reaction therebetween and form the elemental material or alloy thereof and a salt of the alkali metal, two or more alkali metals, alkaline earth metal, two or more alkaline earth metals or any mixture thereof;
- and separating the elemental material or alloy thereof from the salt.
In a method of producing an elemental material or an alloy thereof in which a halide vapor of the elemental material or a mixture of halide vapors of two or more elemental materials are reacted with a liquid alkali metal, two or more liquid alkali metals, a liquid alkaline earth metal, two or more liquid alkaline earth metals, or any mixture thereof to form the elemental material or alloy thereof, the improvement comprising commencing the reaction between the halide vapor or mixture of halide vapors and the liquid alkali metal, two or more liquid alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, two or more alkaline earth metals, or any mixture thereof, at the interior of a flowing stream of the liquid alkali metal, two or more liquid alkali metals, alkaline earth metal, two or more alkaline earth metals, or any mixtures thereof.
A method of producing an elemental material of Ti, Al, Sb, Be, B, Ga, Mo, Nb, Ta, Zr, V, Ir, Os, Re and U or an alloy thereof from a halide vapor of the elemental material or mixtures thereof comprising introducing the halide vapor or mixtures thereof into a liquid continuum of alkali metal or liquid earth metal or mixtures thereof to convert the halide vapor to elemental material or an alloy wherein the liquid continuum is present in sufficient quantity to maintain the temperature of substantially all of the reaction products below the sintering temperature thereof.
A method of producing Ti powder from a source of TiCl.sub.4 vapor, comprising introducing the TiCl.sub.4 vapor within a continuum of liquid Na to produce Ti powder by a subsurface reaction and separating the Ti powder from the liquid Na.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.