Patent ID: 7264765

Claim:
An apparatus for smelting titanium metal which relates to the thermal reduction of titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) to titanium metal (Ti) and comprises a reaction vessel which holds a molten salt consisting of calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) and calcium oxide (CaO) and constituting a reaction region, an anode and a cathode which are arranged at a specified interval in the reaction vessel and perform the electrolysis of the molten salt, a gas-introducing device for maintaining a part or the whole of the upper part of the reaction region in an atmosphere of inert gas and a raw material supply device for supplying titanium oxide to the reaction region in an atmosphere of inert gas, wherein the reaction vessel is provided with a partitioning device which divides the reaction region into an electrolysis zone where the molten salt is electrolyzed and a reduction zone where titanium oxide is reduced and the resulting titanium metal is deoxidized and allows the monovalent calcium ions (Ca + ) and/or calcium (Ca) generated in the electrolysis zone to migrate to the reduction zone and also allows the calcium oxide formed in the reduction zone to migrate to the electrolysis zone, and wherein the partitioning device is a cathode material constituting the cathode confronting the anode in the electrolysis zone.