Image Number 5 for United States Patent #6136060.
A method for refining a titanium metal containing ore such as rutile or illmenite or mixtures to produce titanium ingots or titanium alloys and compounds of titanium involves production of titanium tetrachloride as a molten slag, by processing the ore in a chlorination procedure and removing various impurities by a distillation or other procedure to form a relatively pure titanium tetrachloride (TiCl.sub.4). Thereafter, the titanium tetrachloride is introduced into the plasma focal point of a plasma reactor in a molten sodium environment for the initial reduction of gas phase titanium into titanium molten drops which are collected by a set of skulls. Thereafter, further processing are carried out in higher vacuum and the titanium is heated by electron beam guns in order to maximize titanium purity and, in a final optional stage, alloying compounds are added under yet higher vacuum and high temperature conditions.
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