Patent ID: 7368096

Claim:
A process for isolating solids from a purification purge stream, wherein the purification purge stream is substantially free of chlorides other than titanium tetrachioride and vanadium chloride, the process comprising the steps of: (a) atomizing the purification purge stream comprising liquid titanium tetrachloride and impurities present as solids; (b) drying solids in the atomized purification purge stream by contacting the atomized stream with a titanium tetrachloride vapor stream such that the combined streams reaches a temperature of at least about 140° C. to vaporize the liquid titanium tetrachioride in the purification purge stream, wherein the resulting titanium tetrachioride vapor is substantially free of chlorides other than those of titanium and vanadium, and substantially free of non-condensable gases comprising CO, CO 2 , N 2 , or mixtures thereof; and (c) separating the impurity impurities present as solids from the resulting titanium tetrachloride vapor obtained in step (b).