Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Harmon A Evans

Young J Kwon

A combination reduction, distillation, reducing metal recovery furnace and process of using the same comprising a pair of vertically displaced vessels in fluid communication wherein the upper vessel contains a perforated inner liner and means to at least periodically charge the top of the vessel with the metal salt to be reduced and a reducing metal, and wherein the lower vessel has a means to periodically withdraw the molten reducing metal salt produced by the redox reaction occurring within the furnace. By initially charging the furnace with sufficient reducing metal salt to establish a liquid level to provide a liquid seal above the bottom of the inner liner and by maintaining this level during the redox reaction, the inner liner can be filled with solid phase reduced metal produced by the reaction (and no reduced metal is produced outside of the liner). Upon completion, the molten reducing metal salt is drained from the furnace, the lower vessel is cooled and the unreacted reducing metal is distilled from the upper vessel and collected in the lower vessel. The unreacted reducing metal can be recycled to the subsequent run by loading a quantity of reducing metal salt into upper vessel and melting it. The reducing metal in the lower vessel is then melted and allowed to float up into the inner liner of the upper vessel where it provides a portion of the reducing metal required for the subsequent run. Such a process and apparatus is useful in producing large quantities of high purity metal such as Zr, Ti, Hf and the like.

Process for combination metal reduction and distillation

This is a control method for large scale batch reduction of zirconium tetrachloride to zirconium metal. Solid zirconium tetrachloride is fed at least periodically into a sublimer and the sublimer heated to vaporize the zirconium tetrachloride. The vaporized zirconium tetrachloride is fed from the sublimer to a reduction vessel and a measurement is made indicative of this feed (e.g., the flow rate or the pressure in the reduction vessel). A condenser is used to conjunction with said sublimer and the temperature of the condenser is controlled to control the feed of the vaporized zirconium tetrachloride. Preferably, a flow restriction is used between the sublimer and the condenser to provide improved control.

Control method for large scale batch reduction of zirconium tetrachloride

A retort pipe seal characterized by a retort and a crucible and passage means therebetween; a closure diaphragm for closing said means; means for heating the crucible; and rupture means for rupturing the closure diaphragm to enable a reactant in the retort to transfer to the crucible at a predetermined temperature.

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Moses Lake, WA, United States of America

Harmon A Evans