Patent ID: 6117208
Filing Date: 2000-09-12
Classification: C22B

Abstract:
A method of producing titanium metal comprising:providing in a reaction vessel a molten alloy collection pool of molten calcium fused with a collection metal selected from the group consisting of zinc, cadmium and aluminum;adding to the reaction vessel in combination with the molten alloy collection pool a molten salt bath of calcium chloride and calcium fluoride to provide a molten medium of the alloy collection pool and salt bath constituents;adding to the molten medium a quantity of titanium dioxide and calcium;mechanically stirring the molten medium to bring the titanium dioxide into contact with the calcium to thereby spontaneously reduce the titanium dioxide and calcium to titanium metal and calcium oxide which remains in solution;continuing the stirring to bring the reduced titanium metal into contact with the collection metal of the metal alloy collection pool to thereby encapsulate the titanium metal with the collection metal;discontinuing the stirring and allowing the encapsulated titanium and collection metals to settle together in the molten medium to the bottom of the reaction vessel; anddrawing off the settled titanium and collection metals from the molten medium and separating the titanium from the collection metal to yield substantially pure titanium metal.