Patent ID: 8790441

Claim:
A continuous process for the production of titanium powder in a molten salt medium, said process including the steps of: reacting in a first reaction zone in a molten salt TiC 1 4 with reactants fed continuously into the first reaction zone, said reactants selected from Ti particles, a substoichiometric quantity of reducing agent, and a mixture of titanium metal and a substoichiometric amount of reducing agent, to form Ti sub-chloride in the molten salt; transferring Ti sub-chloride containing molten salt continuously from the first reaction zone into a second reaction zone, which is electrically, ionically, or both electrically and ionically isolated from the first reaction zone; reacting in the second reaction zone the Ti sub-chloride with reducing metal to form dispersed Ti powder and molten salt; withdrawing a portion of a suspension of Ti powder in molten salt in the second reaction zone from the second reaction zone to downstream processing units to separate the Ti powder from the salt; and optionally, continuously recycling a portion of the suspension of Ti powder in molten salt in the second reaction zone from the second reaction zone to the first reaction zone.