Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing sponge titanium, which includes the following steps: Step A: placing aluminum into a resistance furnace, vacuum pumping, introducing inert gas, heating to molten aluminum; Step B: opening a reactor cover, adding a proper amount of potassium fluotitanate to a reactor, leakage detecting after closing the reactor cover, slowly raising the temperature to 150° C., vacuum pumping, and continuously heating to 250° C.; Step C: introducing inert gas into the reactor, continuously raising the temperature to 750° C., stirring uniformly; Step D: opening a valve to adjust the stirring speed, adding molten aluminum drops, and controlling the reaction temperature to 750° C. to 850° C.; Step E: opening the reactor cover, removing a stirring device, eliminating the upper layer of KAlF4 to obtain sponge titanium. The present invention has the beneficial effects of short process flow, low cost, environmental protection and harmlessness.

Abstract: The invention provides a technological method for preparing sponge titanium from sodium fluotitanate raw material, comprising the following steps: step A: placing aluminum in an airtight resistance furnace, evacuating, introducing inert gas into the resistance furnace, and heating the aluminum to obtain molten aluminum; step B: opening a reactor cover, adding a proper amount of sodium fluotitanate into the reactor, closing the reactor cover, detecting leakage, slowly heating the reactor to 150° C., evacuating and continuously heating the reactor to 250° C.; step C: introducing inert gas into the reactor, continuously heating the reactor to 900° C., and stirring uniformly; step D: opening a valve, adjusting the stirring speed, dripping the molten aluminum, and controlling the temperature of reaction in a range from 900 to 1000° C.; and step E: opening the reactor cover, removing a stirring device out of the reactor, and eliminating NaAlF4 at upper layer to obtain sponge titanium.

Abstract: A process for producing titanium metal sponge from an exothermic reaction between titanium tetrachloride vapor and molten magnesium vapor, and reclaiming reactive metals from by-products of the exothermic reaction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for continuously producing metals such as zirconium, hafnium, titanium, niobium, vanadium, silicon and tantalum. The corresponding metal halide is reacted with a metallic reducing agent such as aluminum, calcium, magnesium and sodium in a reactor where the reaction takes place at a temperature where the metal reducing agent is below its vaporization temperature and where the metal halide is above its vaporization temperature. The metal formed by the reaction is recovered from the reactor by collecting it in a pool of molten product metal contained in a cold wall induction heated receptacle in the reactor from which the metal product is removed.

Abstract: A zirconium sponge regulus from a Kroll reduction process is contaminated with zirconium chlorides, unreacted magnesium and magnesium chloride. The sponge regulus is vacuum distilled at a temperature of at least 800.degree. C. and then cooled. Before opening the distillation vessel and exposing the sponge regulus to the atmosphere, the vessel is backfilled with a gas comprising 25% to 75%, by volume, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or mixtures thereof, with the balance an inert gas and impurities associated therewith.The sponge regulus is less susceptible to fires when exposed to the air or crushing in downstream processing, and the metal surfaces of the sponge regulus are passivated whereby the overall contamination of the sponge is significantly reduced.

Abstract: A sublimer assembly vaporizes zirconium tetrachloride in a Kroll reduction process. A retort for vaporizing the feed has a sidewall extending from a bottom wall with a peripheral heater adjacent to the sidewall and an internal heater extending through the retort. Substantial contact between the feed and the surfaces of the internal heater and retort sidewall is maintained so that the vaporization rate tends to cycle and the time required to vaporize the feed may be substantially reduced.

Abstract: A zirconium sponge contaminated with unreacted magnesium and by-product magnesium which is produced as a regulus in a Kroll reduction process is purified by:distilling the magnesium and magnesium chloride from the regulus at a temperature of above about 800.degree. C. and at a pressure less than about 10 mmHg;condensing the magnesium and the magnesium chloride;backfilling the sysem with a gas; andrecirculating the gas between a vessel containing the purified zirconium sponge and a condenser containing the magnesium and magnesium chloride.In preferred practice, the recirculating gas is an inert gas such as argon or helium and the system is backfilled during the distillation step.The zirconium sponge is purified in shorter times and adsorbs less impurities from the air in subsequent handling.

Abstract: Utilization of inherent fractional distillation of magnesium and magnesium chloride in reduction to sponge metal in a vacuum distillation furnace of zirconium and/or hafnium or other refractory metal tetrachloride by the Kroll process, to separate magnesium from magnesium chloride and metal subchlorides so the magnesium can be recycled in the process substantially free of the magnesium chloride and metal subchlorides. The magnesium vapor from the distillation furnace is recovered and condensed separately from the magnesium chloride and refractory metal sub-chloride vapors.

Abstract: A process for hardening sponge refractory metal and making it more susceptible to crushing by the addition of oxygen and/or nitrogen gas to either the reduction stage of the production of the metal from a tetrachloride thereof with magnesium, or to the treatment of a regulus of such metal following vacuum distillation thereof.

Abstract: A sponge refractory metal product, especially a zirconium metal sponge, that retains a residual quantity of magnesium chloride following subjection to an initial, conventional, distillation cycle is reprocessed by the addition of virgin magnesium in amount normally within the range of about 20% to about 60% of the weight of such sponge metal product and by passing it through re-distillation, including the steps of melting the added virgin magnesium and the sponge metal to open the otherwise closed pores thereof, lowering furnace temperature to solidify the molten magnesium, raising the temperature to vaporize and remove from the furnace the magnesium metal, and again raising the temperature to vaporize and remove from the furnace the initially entrapped magnesium chloride. Thereafter, it is preferable that the temperature be again raised to sinter together any loose particles of the sponge metal. It is believed that a eutectic of the sponge metal is formed during the process.

Abstract: This is a process for extracting scandium from zircon ore. It utilizes feeding zircon sand to a fluidized bed chlorinator at about 1000.degree. C. to produce a vaporous (principally zirconium and silicon chlorides) phase and a solid residue and recovering scandium from the solid residue. Surprisingly, despite the relatively low sublimation temperature of scandium chloride the very low level of scandium present in zircon ore is concentrated in the residue (rather than going with the vapor phase, where it would not be concentrated), making recovery of scandium from the zircon ore economically feasible. Generally, the process can be part of the production of zirconium metal, whereby scandium is a byproduct of zirconium production. Preferably, the recovery is performed by leaching the residue with aqueous acid (e.g. HCl) to produce a scandium-containing aqueous solution, followed by contacting the aqueous solution with a polyalkyl phosphate-containing organic phase, the polyalkyl phosphate (e.g.

Abstract: This is a method of reducing zirconium chloride to a metal product by introducing zirconium chloride into a molten salt bath containing at least one alkali metal chloride and at least one alkaline earth metal chloride; and electrochemically reducing alkaline earth metal chloride to a metallic alkaline earth metal in the molten salt bath, with the reduced alkaline earth metal reacting with the zirconium chloride to produce zirconium metal. By using this electrochemical-metallothermic reduction, zirconium metal is produced and insoluble subchlorides of zirconium in the metal product are generally avoided.Preferably, the molten salt in the molten salt bath consists essentially of a mixture of lithium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride and zirconium or hafnium chloride.