Patent ID: 6849104

Claim:
A method comprising: (a) continuously feeding, into a furnace, (i) a free-flowing oxide particle component selected from the group consisting of metal oxide particles, metal alloy oxide particles, refractory metal suboxide powders, refractory metal alloy suboxide powders, and mixtures thereof, and (ii) a free-flowing reducing agent selected from the group consisting of magnesium, aluminum, calcium, and mixtures thereof; (b) igniting the oxide particle component and the reducing agent at a reaction zone, starting a reaction that is sufficiently exothermic to form a high temperature, self-sustaining flash; and (c) producing a free-flowing reduced oxide powder selected from the group consisting of refractory metal powders, refractory metal alloy powders, refractory metal suboxide powders, refractory metal alloy suboxide powders, and mixtures thereof.