GB805730A - Process for the production of titanium - Google Patents

Abstract

Titanium is produced in a cyclic process by the reduction of a titanium halide, such as the tetrachloride, with molten sodium at 800-1000 DEG C. by placing a small proportion, e.g. 5 per cent by weight, of the sodium to be used in a reactor under an inert atmosphere such as argon and then adding the sodium and titanium halide simultaneously in stoichiometric proportions followed by the remainder of the titanium halide. The titanium halide is introduced into the reactor at a low velocity and the molten sodium is introduced through a multiorificed nozzle; the temperature is kept below 1000 DEG C. but sufficient to maintain molten all the contents of the reactor except the titanium. The reactor is allowed to cool to 400 DEG C., is removed from the furnace and allowed to cool to 60 DEG C. when it is opened and the product removed by drilling, leaving a half inch layer of product round the reactor walls. The product mixture is crushed, leached with 1 per cent hydrochloric acid (pH not more than 5) at a temperature not greater than 60 DEG C. to remove the sodium halide, and the titanium is washed with water and dried. The pH of the leaching liquid is raised to 7 by the addition of sodium hydroxide, to remove any dissolved titanium and other metals, and after filtering the precipitate and evaporating with water, the sodium halide is fused and electrolyzed to produce sodium and halogen. The molten sodium is filtered through a micro-metallic filter having a mesh with 5 micron holes and is used to reduce more titanium halide, whilst the halogen is reacted with further titaniferous material, the resultant titanium halide purified by fractional distillation and subsequently reduced to titanium metal.