Continuous production of granular or powder Ti, Zr and Hf or their alloy products

Patent · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:869001

White, Jack C ^[1]; Oden, Laurance L ^[1]

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1. Albany, OR

A continuous process for producing a granular metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr or Hf under conditions that provide orderly growth of the metal free of halide inclusions comprising: a) dissolving a reducing metal selected from the group consisting of Na, Mg, Li or K in their respective halide salts to produce a reducing molten salt stream; b) preparing a second molten salt stream containing the halide salt of Ti, Zr or Hf; c) mixing and reacting the two molten streams of steps a) and b) in a continuous stirred tank reactor; d) wherein steps a) through c) are conducted at a temperature range of from about 800.degree. C. to about 1100.degree. C. so that a weight percent of equilibrium solubility of the reducing metal in its respective halide salt varies from about 1.6 weight percent at about 900.degree. C. to about 14.4 weight percent at about 1062.degree. C.; and wherein a range of concentration of the halide salt of Ti, Zn or Hf in molten halides of Na, Mg, Li or K is from about 1 to about 5 times the concentration of Na, Mg, Li or K; e) placing the reacted molten stream from step c) in a solid-liquid separator to recover an impure granular metal product by decantation, centrifugation, or filtration; and f) removing residual halide salt impurity by vacuum evaporator or inert gas sweep at temperatures from about 850.degree. C. to 1000.degree. C. or cooling the impure granular metal product to ambient temperature and water leaching off the residual metal halide salt.

• Research Organization: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV (United States)
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by Secretary of (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5259862
• OSTI ID: 869001
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

continuous
production
granular
powder
zr
hf
alloy
products
process
producing
metal
selected
consisting
conditions
provide
orderly
growth
free
halide
inclusions
comprising
dissolving
reducing
na
mg
respective
salts
produce
molten
salt
stream
preparing
containing
mixing
reacting
streams
steps
stirred
tank
reactor
conducted
temperature
range
800
degree
1100
weight
percent
equilibrium
solubility
varies
900
14
1062
concentration
zn
halides
times
placing
reacted
step
solid-liquid
separator
recover
impure
product
decantation
centrifugation
filtration
removing
residual
impurity
vacuum
evaporator
inert
gas
sweep
temperatures
850
1000
cooling
ambient
water
leaching
reducing metal
temperature range
weight percent
molten salt
inert gas
metal halide
ambient temperature
stream containing
continuous process
metal selected
continuous production
halide salt
removing residual
metal product
molten halides
halide salts
granular metal
alloy product
stirred tank
molten halide
water leaching
tank reactor
/75/