TITANIUM POWDER PRODUCTION PROCESS

• Main Authors: VAN VUUREN DAVID STEYN, OOSTHUIZEN SALOMON JOHANNES
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Korean
• Published: 13.12.2012
• Subjects: CASTING; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; TRANSPORTING; WORKING METALLIC POWDER

The invention provides a crystalline Ti powder produced in a molten salt medium, said powder comprising predominantly particles of single α-Ti crystals that are directly applicable in powder metallurgy. The invention extends to continuous process for the production of titanium powder in a molten salt medium by known reaction mechanisms, said process including the steps of reacting in a first reaction zone in a molten salt TiCl4 with 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, transferring Ti sub-chloride containing salts 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 molten reducing metal to form dispersed Ti powder and molten salt, and withdrawing a portion of a suspension of Ti powder in molten salt from the second reaction zone to downstream processing units to separate the Ti powder from the salt and optionally recycle a portion of said Ti powder in molten salt to the first reaction zone. The invention further extends to an apparatus for the process of the invention.